Picture This – Page 21 – Astronomy Now

SOFIA captures magnetic tapestry at the core of M82

23 April 2019 Astronomy Now

M82, a favourite target for amateur and professional astronomers alike, is the nearest starburst galaxy with a brilliant core 100 times more luminous than the Milky Way’s. Astronomers have detected and mapped the galaxy’s magnetic field in a dramatic composite image.

Hubble marks 29th anniversary with remarkable view of Southern Crab

18 April 2019 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 29th anniversary on 24 April, an event NASA is marking by the release of a spectacular image of the Southern Crab Nebula in the constellation Centaurus that shows dual cones of gas blown off by a central red giant streaming away into space and giving the appearance of a crab floating in the void.

With a half-million stars, Messier 3 reveals a splendid deep space tapestry

14 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Globular cluster M3 in Canes Venatici was the first object put on Charles Messier’s famous list that was discovered by the French astronomer himself. Messier could not have imagined the splendour revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope, which shows the cluster as a mind-boggling concentration of more than a half million stars some 33,000 light years from Earth.

New view of the Moon, courtesy of Israeli lander

5 April 2019 Astronomy Now

The Israeli Beresheet lander, while braking into orbit around the Moon 4 April, beamed back stunning views of lunar farside, giving a hint of what to expect after landing 11 April.

Spitzer spies a stellar nursery floating in space like a cosmic butterfly

1 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Using its keen multi-wavelength infrared vision, the Spitzer Space Telescope is providing fresh insights into an Orion-class nebula and star-forming region some 1,400 light years from Earth where winds from massive young stars heat up vast butterfly-like wings.

Hubble shoots a Wild Duck (the cluster, that is)

29 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Stars in the Wild Duck Cluster, a favourite target for amateur astronomers, sparkle like jewels on black velvet in this view from the Hubble Space Telescope, showing the remarkably rich cluster’s colourful components with crystalline clarity.

A deep infrared view of the Orion Nebula from the Very Large Telescope

24 March 2019 Astronomy Now

A deep infrared view of the Orion Nebula reveals an abundance of faint brown dwarfs and an unexpected number of planetary-mass objects, key elements in studies of star formation and the environments that produce them.

A parting panorama from the Opportunity Mars rover

18 March 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover was completing a 360-degree panorama of its surroundings on the inner slope of Endeavour Crater when a global dust storm silenced the spacecraft after nearly 15 years of operation on the red planet. The final panorama is made up of 354 images stitched together for a fitting farewell vista.

Originally left out of famous catalogue, M106 blazes in Hubble view

11 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Stunning views of M106, aka NGC 4258, show the nearby galaxy as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope combined with data provided by two amateur astronomers. An additional view from Hubble shows the galaxy’s subtle ultraviolet glow.

Planet-hunting ESO telescopes reveal Lagoon Nebula in all its glory

4 March 2019 Astronomy Now

The European Southern Observatory’s new SPECULOOS telescopes, built to search for exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, shows off its sensitive near-infrared optics and cameras with a spectacular view of the Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius.