News – Page 82 – Astronomy Now

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter gets long-distance tune up

9 February 2018 William Harwood

NASA is tweaking operating procedures to prolong the life of its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, reducing the demand on its batteries and switching to star trackers instead of aging gyroscopes to determine the spacecraft’s orientation.

Unlocking the mysteries of super Earths

8 February 2018 Astronomy Now

Three planets orbiting a star 100 light years away may serve as a test bed of sorts to shed light on the dividing line between rocky super Earths and sub-Neptune “gassy” planets with the full range represented in a single solar system.

Satellite galaxies not randomly arranged

2 February 2018 Astronomy Now

New observations indicate dwarf galaxies may not orbit their parent galaxies in random alignments as predicted by dark matter computer models. Instead, satellite galaxies orbiting in more ordered planes may be the rule, not the exception.

Gravitational lensing sets new magnification record

2 February 2018 Astronomy Now

A distant “quiescent” galaxy found using the Hubble Space Telescope and extreme magnification via gravitational lensing may shed light on how galaxies form and evolve.

Dark clouds mask star formation

31 January 2018 Astronomy Now

A stunning new image of the Lupus-3 star-forming region shows billowing smoke-like nebulae snaking across a backdrop of brilliant suns.

Curiosity snaps spectacular Mars panorama

31 January 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover sends back a spectacular panorama showing its path across the floor of Gale Crater from its landing site to its current perch on the slopes of Mount Sharp.

Martian dust storms may play role in atmosphere loss

29 January 2018 Astronomy Now

Periodic global dust storms on Mars may play a role in the ongoing loss of the planet’s atmosphere, according to data collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.

New tool for gravitational wave detection

28 January 2018 Astronomy Now

New “deep learning” algorithms are expected to improve the detection of gravitational wave signals and, with additional work, may help identify electromagnetic counterparts to gravity wave events

InSight spreads solar wings in critical test

27 January 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Insight lander deployed its solar wings in a critical milestone on the road to launch from California in May. InSight will reach the red planet in late November, landing near the equator to study the interior of Mars.

Organisers confirm no teams will win Google Lunar X Prize

26 January 2018 Stephen Clark

None of the teams who have spent the last decade chasing a $20 million grand prize by placing a privately-funded lander on the Moon will meet a deadline at the end of March to claim the award, the organisers of the Google Lunar X Prize announced Tuesday.