astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its clearest image yet

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A crucial phase of mirror alignment has been completed for the James Webb Space Telescope, and the process resulted in the highest resolution infrared image ever taken from space Space 16 March 2022 By Leah Crane The James Webb Space Telescope focused on this bright star to align its mirrors NASA/STScI The James Webb Space … Read more

International Women’s Day 2022: 20 trailblazing women in astronomy and astrophysics

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Image 1 of 20 (Image credit: Michelle Bridges / Alamy Stock Photo) Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) Caroline Herschel is the first woman credited with discovering a comet, and is also the first to receive honorary membership with Britain’s prestigious Royal Society. Herschel’s childhood passions included music, and she sang as a sopranos in several performances in … Read more

The sky-measuring trick that every stargazer should know

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There’s a no-nonsense technique for navigating between stars and constellations and all it requires is putting your hand in the air, says Abigail Beall Space 23 February 2022 By Abigail Beall Arnaud Lesueur/Alamy THIS week, instead of looking for a particular target, we will try a technique for measuring distances in the sky. Once you … Read more

Astronomers Join Forces to Push Back Against Satellite ‘Pollution’ Ruining The Skies

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The number of active satellites in the night sky has more than doubled since 2019 – from around 2,200 to 5,000. That is mostly due to Starlink, a SpaceX project aimed at providing internet anywhere in the world through ‘mega-constellations’ of satellites.   Since it began, Starlink has launched over 2,000 satellites. Unfortunately, the thousands of … Read more

Intergalactic supernova: Remnant of rare cosmic object may have been spotted outside Milky Way

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A ring-shaped object 160,000 light years away may be the first intergalactic supernova remnant ever observed Space 26 January 2022 By Jonathan O’Callaghan The remnant of an intergalactic supernova may have been spotted between the Large Magellanic Cloud (pictured) and the Milky Way Chandra X-ray Observatory The remains of a star that exploded in intergalactic … Read more

JWST: The James Webb Space Telescope has arrived at its final destination

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By Leah Crane An artist’s impression of the James Webb Space Telescope ESA/ATG medialab One month after its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has arrived at its new home. On 24 January, the spacecraft fired its thrusters for about five minutes to place it into its final orbit, and now it’s ready to … Read more

Famous astronomers: How these scientists shaped astronomy

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Throughout human history, astronomers have helped people understand what they see in the night sky. These famous astronomers — many of them great scientists who mastered many fields — explained space phenomena with varying degrees of accuracy.  Over the centuries, a geocentric view of the universe — with Earth at the center of everything — … Read more

Black hole created star-forming gas jets in a dwarf galaxy

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Black holes located in dwarf galaxies usually stop star formation, but now one has been seen seeding new stars through a huge plume of ionised gas Space 19 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins A dwarf galaxy known as Hen 2-10 NASA A black hole at the centre of a dwarf galaxy has birthed new stars … Read more

SpaceX Satellites Have Invaded Astronomers’ Views of The Sky, And It’s Getting Worse

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With the rapid expansion of commercial space, there is a growing number of satellites in orbit around our planet. Most of these are in low-Earth orbit, which is becoming increasingly crowded.   This has led some to be concerned about a catastrophic rise of space debris, as well as a growing frustration by astronomers due … Read more