Universe Today (Page 390)

Perfect Example of a Barred Spiral Galaxy, Seen Face On. This is What Our Milky Way Might Look Like The Hubble Space Telescope has given us a beautiful image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7773. This is a classic galaxy of this type, and highlights the bright bar of concentrated stars that anchors the galaxy’s stately spiral arms. It was captured with the Hubble’s workhorse Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3.) NGC 7773 is … Continue reading “Perfect Example of a Barred Spiral Galaxy, Seen Face On. This is What Our Milky Way Might Look Like” The post Perfect Example of a Barred Spiral Galaxy,Read More →

New observations from the Planck mission don’t resolve anomalies like the CMB “cold spot” A new analysis of Planck mission data has provided no new insights into the anomalies it detected, leaving the door open for wild theories! The post New observations from the Planck mission don’t resolve anomalies like the CMB “cold spot” appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Carnival of Space #615 This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Allen Versfeld at his Urban Astronomer blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #615. And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry … Continue reading “Carnival of Space #615” The post Carnival of Space #615 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Black hole simulation solves a mystery about their accretion disks A new study by an international team of astrophysicists have validated an age-old theory about how accretion disks behave. The post Black hole simulation solves a mystery about their accretion disks appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

You Can Use a Live Webcam to Watch NASA Build the Mars 2020 Rover NASA’s next mission to the surface of Mars is called the 2020 rover (in case you didn’t know already.) It’s planned launch date is July 17th, 2020, and it should land at Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18th 2021. The rover is still under construction at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. Now … Continue reading “You Can Use a Live Webcam to Watch NASA Build the Mars 2020 Rover” The post You Can Use a Live Webcam to Watch NASA Build the Mars 2020 Rover appeared first onRead More →

The Japanese asteroid-hunter had another photo opportunity when it dropped a target marker on asteroid Ryugu Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft just launched its second target marker to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu. The post The Japanese asteroid-hunter had another photo opportunity when it dropped a target marker on asteroid Ryugu appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Don’t Worry About Asteroid 2006QV89. There’s Only a 1 in 7000 Chance It’ll Hit the Earth in September Whenever scientists announce an upcoming close encounter with an asteroid, certain corners of the internet light up like the synaptic rush that accompanies a meth binge, with panicky headlines shouted straight from the brain stem. But never mind that. We’re not that corner of the internet. We’re sober, yo! The fact of the matter is, … Continue reading “Don’t Worry About Asteroid 2006QV89. There’s Only a 1 in 7000 Chance It’ll Hit the Earth in September” The post Don’t Worry About Asteroid 2006QV89. There’s Only a 1Read More →

Europe is Working On a Reusable Space Transport System: Space Rider The ESA is developing its own spacecraft capable of re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The reusable spacecraft is called the Space RIDER (Reusable Integrated Demonstrator for Europe Return), and the ESA says that the Space Rider will be ready for launch by 2022. It’s being designed to launch on the Vega-C rocket from Europe’s spaceport in … Continue reading “Europe is Working On a Reusable Space Transport System: Space Rider” The post Europe is Working On a Reusable Space Transport System: Space Rider appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

There’s a Ring of Cool Gas Wrapped Around the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole There’s a lot going on at the center of our galaxy. A supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A-Star resides there, drawing material in with its inexorable gravitational attraction. In that mind-bending neighbourhood, where the laws of physics are stretched beyond comprehension, astronomers have detected a ring of cool gas. Sagittarius A-Star, or Sag. A* for … Continue reading “There’s a Ring of Cool Gas Wrapped Around the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole” The post There’s a Ring of Cool Gas Wrapped Around the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole appeared first onRead More →

A double asteroid came uncomfortably close this weekend. Here’s what astronomers saw Using the Very Large Telescope, a team of ESO scientists took some stunningly clear images of a double asteroid that recently swung by Earth. The post A double asteroid came uncomfortably close this weekend. Here’s what astronomers saw appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Engineers are Still Troubleshooting Why Mars InSight’s Mole is Stuck and Won’t Go Any Deeper NASA’s Mars InSight Lander was always a bit of a tricky endeavour. The stationary lander has one chance to get things right, since it can’t move. While initially the mission went well, and the landing site looked good, the Mole is having trouble penetrating deep enough to fulfill its mission. InSight landed on Mars on … Continue reading “Engineers are Still Troubleshooting Why Mars InSight’s Mole is Stuck and Won’t Go Any Deeper” The post Engineers are Still Troubleshooting Why Mars InSight’s Mole is Stuck and Won’t Go Any DeeperRead More →

Astronomers See an Enormous Coronal Mass Ejection… On Another Star! For the first time ever, astronomers have witnessed a coronal mass ejection (CME) on a star other than our very own Sun. The star, named HR 9024 (and also known as OU Andromeda,) is about 455 light years away, in the constellation Andromeda. It’s an active, variable star with a strong magnetic field, which astronomers … Continue reading “Astronomers See an Enormous Coronal Mass Ejection… On Another Star!” The post Astronomers See an Enormous Coronal Mass Ejection… On Another Star! appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers See Adorable Baby Planets Forming Around a Young Star 370 light years away from us, a solar system is making baby planets. The star at the center of it all is young, only about 6 million years old. And its babies are two enormous planets, likely both gas giants, nursing on gaseous matter from the star’s circumsolar disk. The host star in this system … Continue reading “Astronomers See Adorable Baby Planets Forming Around a Young Star” The post Astronomers See Adorable Baby Planets Forming Around a Young Star appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Vanishing as We Near Opposition 2019? Jupiter observation season is neigh, and with it, the largest planet in our solar system is as mysterious as ever. The post Is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Vanishing as We Near Opposition 2019? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: June 5, 2019 – Jean Wright, NASA’s Seamstress to the Stars Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) This week, we welcome Jean Wright to the show. Jean is one of 18 seamstresses in the crucial role of Space Shuttle Thermal Protection Specialist. Jean and … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: June 5, 2019 – Jean Wright, NASA’s Seamstress to the Stars” The post Weekly Space Hangout: June 5, 2019 – Jean Wright, NASA’s Seamstress to the Stars appeared first onRead More →

How Will NASA and ESA Handle Mars Samples When They Get Them Back to Earth? We’ve learned a lot about Mars in recent years. Multiple orbiters and hugely-successful rover missions have delivered a cascade of discoveries about our neighbouring planet. But to take the next step in unlocking Mars’ secrets, we need to get Martian samples back to Earth. Both the ESA and NASA plan to get samples from Mars … Continue reading “How Will NASA and ESA Handle Mars Samples When They Get Them Back to Earth?” The post How Will NASA and ESA Handle Mars Samples When They Get Them Back to Earth?Read More →

Carnival of Space #614 This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Brian Wang at his Next Big Future blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #614 And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry … Continue reading “Carnival of Space #614” The post Carnival of Space #614 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

NASA is building up a map of the entire sky seen in X-rays, line by line with its NICER experiment Using data from the first 22 months of the NICER instruments mission, NASA has constructed a beautiful image of what the X-ray sky looks like. The post NASA is building up a map of the entire sky seen in X-rays, line by line with its NICER experiment appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Subaru Telescope Sees 1800 Supernovae Japanese astronomers have captured images of an astonishing 1800 supernovae. 58 of these supernovae are the scientifically-important Type 1a supernovae located 8 billion light years away. Type 1a supernovae are known as ‘standard candles’ in astronomy. The team of astronomers used the Subaru Telescope and one of the world’s most powerful digital cameras to find … Continue reading “Subaru Telescope Sees 1800 Supernovae” The post Subaru Telescope Sees 1800 Supernovae appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Rovers on Mars should be searching for rocks that look like pasta – they’re almost certainly created by life According to a new study, future NASA missions to Mars should look for “pasta-like” mineral structures, which are an indication of ancient bacteria here on Earth. The post Rovers on Mars should be searching for rocks that look like pasta – they’re almost certainly created by life appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →