Picture This – Page 28 – Astronomy Now

An identity crisis for a galaxy in the vast Virgo cluster

16 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Located in the rich Virgo cluster, a collection of more than 1,300 galaxies, NGC 4388 is classified as a spiral, but gravitational interactions with other members of the cluster are giving it a “confused” identity with features similar to those found in elliptical galaxies.

ESO’s Very Large Telescope captures brilliant celestial starscape

12 July 2018 Astronomy Now

The Very Large Telescope, using an instrument sensitive to infrared emissions, reveals a spectacular starscape in an image of a hot young suns 5,000 light years away in the constellation Vela that are lighting up the surrounding neighbourhood in spectacular fashion.

Messier spotted the first extra-galactic globular cluster in 1778

10 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Globular clusters orbiting the core of the Milky Way are favourite targets for amateur astronomers, especially those in the Messier catalogue. It turns out one of them is the first extra-galactic globular ever discovered, something Charles Messier could not have imagined.

Extracting critical resources from the Moon topic of ESA workshop

5 July 2018 Astronomy Now

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst captured this spectacular view of the moon just above Earth’s discernible atmosphere from his perch aboard the International Space Station. ESA held a workshop this week focused on extracting lunar resources.

A ringside seat to rampant star formation in galaxy M83

30 June 2018 Astronomy Now

The face-on spiral galaxy M83, a favourite target for amateurs, reveals rampant star formation in thousands of blazing young clusters in this image by the Hubble Space Telescope that also features scores of supernova remnants.

The Hubble Space Telescope and globular clusters – a match made in heaven

26 June 2018 William Harwood

The Hubble Space Telescope routinely snaps breath-taking views of densely packed globular clusters, but astronomers don’t yet understand the role these vast assemblies might have played in the Milky Way’s evolution.

Hubble spots possible third supernova exploding in remote galaxy

24 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Studying giant galaxy clusters to find targets for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope spotted what appears to be a third supernova going off in a galaxy where two others were previously seen.

Martian dust storm makes presence known in Gale Crater

22 June 2018 Astronomy Now

The global dust storm now blanketing Mars that has at least temporarily sidelined the solar-powered Opportunity rover also is dimming the sky above Gale Crater where the Curiosity rover is hard at work

M66, a favorite target for amateurs, as seen by Hubble

20 June 2018 Astronomy Now

M66 is a familiar galaxy to amateur astronomers around the world, the largest member of a trio of interacting galaxies in the constellation Leo. This shot by the Hubble Space Telescope reveals M66 in all its glory, with its asymmetric spiral arms and a displaced core.

Today’s weather: stormy, with high winds and turbulence

18 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Juno spacecraft continues to send back spectacular images of Jupiter, including this look at the giant planet’s northern temperate zone where ammonia ice clouds roam in chaos amid high-speed winds and deeper, warmer cloud structures.