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Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

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Astronomy News

Your online destination for news articles on planets, cosmology, NASA, space missions, and more. You’ll also find information on how to observe upcoming visible sky events such as meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses, key planetary appearances, comets, and asteroids.

July 2009
Dwarf galaxies
Scientists found that galactic encounters excite a gravitational process, leading to the removal of stars from the smaller dwarf spheroidal galaxy.
Provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Published: July 31, 2009
Comet 2001 RX14
Astronomers know the inner solar system has been protected by Saturn and Jupiter.
Provided by the University of Washington, Seattle
Published: July 31, 2009
Epsilon Aurigae
Epsilon Aurigae's unusual dimming remains mysterious, but help from amateur astronomers could change that.
By Bill Andrews
Published: July 31, 2009
 Endeavour
After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 30, 2009
asteroid watch
NASA will provide web updates on objects approaching Earth.
Provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Published: July 30, 2009
Betelgeuse
Colossal bubbles are key for pushing material out of the star's atmosphere into space before the star explodes as a supernova.
Provided by the Max Planck Institute, Garching, Germany
Published: July 30, 2009
Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin
Results from this study will help scientists design more intelligent rovers and operate them more efficiently once they land on the Moon.
Provided by the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona
Published: July 27, 2009
Infrared image of Jupiter impact site
The latest images of Jupiter's new feature reveal more details about the impact.
By Bill Andrews
Published: July 27, 2009
Martian crater
Ma'adim Vallis is one of the largest canyons on Mars.
Provided by ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Published: July 24, 2009
Jupiter July 2009
Comparing these Gemini observations with past and future images will permit the team to study the evolution of features on Jupiter.
Provided by Gemini Observatory, Hilo, Hawaii
Published: July 23, 2009
EO102
With its ability to create high-resolution X-ray images, Chandra enables astronomers to investigate phenomena as diverse as comets, black holes, dark matter, and dark energy.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 23, 2009
July 22 total solar eclipse image
Astronomy editors call the century's longest solar eclipse "fantastic, spectacular."
By Bill Andrews
Published: July 22, 2009
Thirty Meter Telescope
The selection of Hawaii as the site for the Thirty Meter Telescope will greatly strengthen international cooperation in astronomy.
Provided by TMT project, Pasadena, California
Published: July 22, 2009
Jupiter hit
Infrared images show the likely impact point was near the south-polar region.
Provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Published: July 21, 2009
LOFAR station
The data quality is superb, much better than expected at this early stage in the telescopes commissioning phase.
Provided by ASTRON, Dwingeloo, Netherlands
Published: July 21, 2009
SOHO shoots the Sun
Building on our understanding of the solar cycle, we may be able to connect its influences with weather probabilities in a way that can feed into longer-term predictions.
Provided by NCAR, Boulder, Colorado
Published: July 20, 2009
U.S. flag on Moon
NASA Television will provide HD video feed of the Apollo footage hourly from 12-7 p.m. July 16 and 17.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 17, 2009
U.S. flag on Moon
NASA will play audio "time capsule" of historic Apollo 11 mission
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 16, 2009
Micrometeorite
New models of planet formation indicate that, at specific times, the architecture of the solar system experienced dramatic upheaval.
Provided by the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado
Published: July 16, 2009
Orbiting Venus
The new map shows that the rocks on the Phoebe and Alpha Region plateaus are lighter in color and look old compared to the majority of the planet.
Provided by ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Published: July 14, 2009
Gas jets
Researchers have long known that the gas in the centers of some galaxy clusters is rapidly cooling and condensing, but they were puzzled why this condensed gas did not form into stars.
Provided by the Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom
Published: July 14, 2009
Gran Telescopio Canarias
The GTC has 65 square feet (6 square meters) more light-collecting area than any of the roughly one dozen 8- to 10-meter telescopes worldwide.
Provided by the University of Florida, Gainesville
Published: July 13, 2009
SDO spacecraft
The spacecraft will take measurements and images of the Sun in multiple wavelengths for at least 5 years during its primary science mission.
Provided by Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Published: July 10, 2009
Black hole
Hypercompact stellar systems result when a supermassive black hole is violently ejected from a galaxy, following a merger with another supermassive black hole.
Provided by the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
Published: July 10, 2009
M74
The camera will look at star formation close up in our own galaxy and in nearby galaxies, and it will search for star-forming galaxies in the distant universe.
Provided by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, United Kingdom
Published: July 10, 2009
Over the past 5 years, gamma-ray measurements from the European satellite INTEGRAL have perplexed astronomers, leading some to argue that a great mystery existed.
Provided by the University of California, San Diego
Published: July 9, 2009
Supernovae
Technique will revitalize research on this kind of supernovae and will provide astronomers with a much-needed process to probe the deaths of some of the earliest stars in the universe.
Provided by the W. M. Keck Observatory, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Published: July 8, 2009
Omega Nebula
Active star birth started a few million years ago and continues through today.
Provided by ESO, Garching, Germany
Published: July 7, 2009
Rover test
Weeks of further testing and analysis of results are expected.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 7, 2009
Pulsar map
The new pulsars were discovered as part of a comprehensive search for periodic gamma-ray fluctuations using 5 months of data and new computational techniques.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 6, 2009
Moon crater rim
The spacecraft will help NASA identify safe landing sites for future explorers, locate potential resources, describe the Moon's radiation environment, and demonstrate new technologies.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 6, 2009
Ulysses
The mission gathered unique information about the heliosphere for nearly 4 times longer than expected.
Provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Published: July 2, 2009
Baily’s beads
The century's longest total solar eclipse promises to thrill those who stand in the Moon's shadow.
By Richard Talcott
Published: July 2, 2009
Phoenix Mars Lander deck
The lander experienced a move from summer to winter on Mars, gaining an unprecedented look at the planet's changing weather patterns, including frost and snow.
Provided by the University of Arizona, Tucson
Published: July 2, 2009
Asian solar eclipse path of totality
The longest total solar eclipse of the century occurs July 22, 2009. Astronomy magazine editors will witness the event firsthand from China. Astronomy.com is your guide to observing tips, on-site reports, blogs, Twitter updates, and stunning images of this historic event. Stay tuned for continual updates!
Published: July 2, 2009
ISS
It moves across the sky too fast for conventional telescopes, but a good set of binoculars can enhance the viewing experience.
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Published: July 1, 2009
Galactic plane
APEX telescope provides astronomers a new guide to the galaxy.
Provided by the Max Planck Institute, Garching, Germany
Published: July 1, 2009
HLX-1
The identification of this intermediate class is an important step towards a better understanding of the formation of supermassive black holes.
Provided by the University of Leicester, England
Published: July 1, 2009
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