ALL ABOUT SPACE

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ISSUE 154 

The Milky Way’s star-studded core

12 February 2024 

The Sun’s surface rages as solar maximum approaches

13 February 2024

A starry ‘tail’ of 12 mingling galaxies

9 February 2024 

A cosmic ‘tug of war’ between galaxies

31 January 2024

Three tiny new moons found around Uranus and Neptune

Three new moons were detected around the distant

‘Intruder’ stars have changed Earth’s climate over aeons

© Getty Stars intruding into the Sun’s cosmic

A VR headset on the ISS really makes a difference for astronaut exercise

Astronauts can now get a bit of simulated

The brightest quasar ever seen is powered by a black hole that eats a Sun a day

The light around black holes is caused by

Scientists say two Solar System dwarf planets may harbour underground oceans

Two dwarf planets within our Solar System, Eris

‘Quantum gravity’ could help unite quantum mechanics with general relativity at last

Gravity breaks down on the smallest scales ©

KING of the SOLAR SYSTEM

JUPITER IS THE BIGGEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM BY FAR . HERE’S SOME ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT OUR COLOSSAL NEIGHBOUR

SATELLITE REPAIR DROIDS

What do you do when a satellite breaks down? Send in the robots

“The most dangerous spacewalk”

We catch up with NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski, the only person in the world to both go into space and conquer Mount Everest

SOLAR MAXIMUM MAY HELP SOLVE THE SUN’S GAMMA-RAY PUZZLE

Data gathered during the last solar maximum tells a story of high-energy gamma radiation outpouring from our star’s poles

BABY EXOPLANETS MIGHT LOOK LIKE SMARTIES CANDIES RATHER THAN SPHERES

Newly forming planets in protoplanetary discs around distant stars have been found to resemble colourful candies in a new simulation

EARTH’S SUPER TELESCOPES

Take a tour of the world’s greatest instruments, bringing the universe closer than ever before

A HIDDEN MOON MAY HOLD TOGETHER THE RINGS OF A COMET-LIKE OBJECT BETWEEN JUPITER AND NEPTUNE

The narrow rings around Chariklo, the largest known centaur, could be maintained by an unseen moonlet

THE GEMINID METEORS MAY BE TEN TIMES OLDER THAN WE THOUGHT

The comet-like asteroid Phaethon likely lobbed thousands of rocky fragments towards Earth 18,000 years ago

SATURN’S MOON TITAN MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE AFTER ALL

Titan’s ocean has a volume 12 times that of all Earth’s oceans, but it may be barren of life as we know it

WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE

What are SETI researchers looking for when they focus their attention on a potentially habitable planet?

SEARCHING FOR EARTH’S TWIN

NASA astrophysicist Knicole Colón discusses the space agency’s desire to find signs of life

WATER FOUND ON THE SURFACE OF AN ASTEROID FOR THE FIRST TIME

Scientists made the discovery using data gathered by NASA’s nowretired airborne observatory

ASK SPACE

Earth as seen from the International Space Station

AN ‘ODD COUPLE’ OF KISSING STARS CREATED BY A CANNIBALISTIC FEEDING DANCE

A new discovery reveals the origins of rapidly spinning Be stars and their tiny subdwarf companions

BECOME AN ASTRONOMER

Part two

WHAT’S IN THE SKY?

What to look out for during this observing period

THIS MONTH’S PLANETS

The king of the Solar System will be the focus of many astronomers this spring

ARISTOTELES, EUDOXUS AND MONTES CAUCASUS

This month affords the opportunity to observe some of the Moon’s most prominent craters and mountain ranges

SPRING IN THE GREAT BEAR

This is the perfect time to swing your telescope up to point almost overhead to spot some of the treasures hiding within Ursa Major

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

Some bright stars of winter still linger after sunset

CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 130EQ

This reflector is great for observing the planets and bright sky objects, but absolute beginners will require patience with its mount

IN THE SHOPS: BEST TELESCOPE MOUNTS OF 2024

Sky-Watcher EQ5 Deluxe Mount and Tripod Cost: £329