X-Headlines – Astronomy Now

4 October 2023

Catch the rays from the Sunflower Galaxy

10 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 63 (NGC 5055), the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici, sits comfortably with its reputation as one of the great galaxies visible in the night sky at springtime.

Webb captures stunning new view of ‘Pillars of Creation’

19 October 2022 Astronomy Now

The James Webb Space Telescope takes a look at the “Pillars of Creation” at the heart of the Eagle Nebula, providing a stunning update to one of Hubble’s most iconic images.

Unistellar EVscope Equinox

22 February 2022 Ade Ashford

Unistellar’s eQuinox delivers five times the internal data storage and longer battery life than its predecessor, but ditches the eVscope’s electronic eyepiece. Ade Ashford checks out the new features.

Hubble at 30: A cosmic legacy

24 April 2020 Keith Cooper

Amid flame and smoke, the Hubble Space Telescope blasted off the launch pad aboard the space shuttle Discovery 30 years ago today, ushering in a new era for astronomy that has transformed our understanding of the Universe around us.

New study finds ‘winking’ star may be devouring wrecked planets

28 December 2017 Astronomy Now

A team of U.S. astronomers studying the star RZ Piscium has found evidence suggesting its strange, unpredictable dimming episodes may be caused by vast orbiting clouds of gas and dust, the remains of one or more destroyed planets.

An interview with David Grinspoon

28 December 2017 Astronomy Now

As part of the new Gravity Assist podcast, NASA’s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green interviewed David Grinspoon of the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona about the planet Venus and what makes the second world from the Sun so hellish compared to Earth.

Cosmic filament probes our galaxy’s giant black hole

21 December 2017 Astronomy Now

The centre of our galaxy has been intensely studied for many years, but it still harbors surprises for scientists. A snake-like structure lurking near our galaxy’s supermassive black hole is the latest discovery to tantalise astronomers.

Artificial intelligence, NASA data used to discover eighth planet circling distant star

17 December 2017 Astronomy Now

Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single star, with the recent discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a Sun-like star 2,545 light-years from Earth. The planet was discovered in data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope.

Meteorite’s origins point to possible undiscovered asteroid

11 December 2017 Astronomy Now

A new analysis of a meteorite called Bunburra Rockhole has revealed that the rock originated from a previously unknown parent asteroid, allowing scientists to understand the geology of the parent body.

Hydrothermal vent experiments bring Enceladus to Earth

11 December 2017 Astronomy Now

Laboratory experiments on Earth can now simulate the conditions under which life might emerge on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, as well as other icy alien worlds, according to new research published in journal Astrobiology.