News

A very, very bad day for Earth’s nearest exoplanet neighbour

27 February 2018 Astronomy Now

Proxima b, the nearest exoplanet to Earth, was blasted by a tremendous solar flare last March, an outburst that bathed the world in 4,000 times the amount of radiation Earth receives from a major flare.

Hubble data indicate universe growing faster than expected

23 February 2018 William Harwood

Time-consuming observations by the Hubble Space Telescope indicate the universe is expanding faster today than predicted by standard models of the big bang that incorporate dark energy.

Amateur astronomer makes once-in-lifetime discovery

23 February 2018 Astronomy Now

Testing a new camera, an amateur astronomer in Argentina captured the initial outburst of light from a supernova some 85 million light years away, a chance discovery that amounts to winning a cosmic lottery.

Aging but still active Mars rover enjoys its 5,000th sunrise

19 February 2018 Astronomy Now

Launched to Mars with a design life of just three months, NASA’s hard Opportunity rover, which landed on the red planet in 2004, recently marked its 5,000th sunrise. The hardy robot is currently exploring a shallow channel in the rim of Endeavour Crater.

Exoplanet-hunting satellite arrives in Florida for April launch

18 February 2018 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final testing, fueling and attachment to a Falcon 9 launcher for liftoff in mid-April, a delay of nearly one month to allow SpaceX additional time to prepare the rocket for the mission.

Milky Way no longer ‘little brother’ to Andromeda

15 February 2018 Astronomy Now

Studies of fast-moving stars in the Andromeda galaxy indicate the huge spiral is less massive than previously believed and more a twin of the Milky Way than a big brother.

Return to sender: Mars rock gets a ride home

13 February 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA plans to use a piece of a martian meteorite as a calibration target for a high-precision laser instrument aboard the agency’s Mars 2020 rover, marking the first round trip for a fragment of the red planet blasted into space during an ancient impact.