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This artist’s impression shows schematically the mysterious alignments between the spin axes of quasars and the large-scale structures that they inhabit that observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope have revealed. These alignments are over billions of light-years and are the largest known in the universe. The large-scale structure is shown in blue and quasars are …

Spooky alignment of quasars across billions of light-years Read More »

Here’s what an eclipse would look like if you could see it up close. The main eclipse (at right) occurs when the larger but dimmer companion star, a K2 orange subgiant, partially eclipses Algol A, a more massive but smaller main sequence star. A small secondary eclipse (left) is observed when the B star passes around …

When Algol Winks, Will You Wink Back? Read More »

Two images zero in on the spot where Philae touched down — and then bounced away — on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The landing occurred precisely where it should have, but a pair of anchoring harpoons failed to activate. ESA / OSIRIS team With its battery power failing, Philae became the “little lander than …

Philae Wins Race to Return Comet Findings Read More »

Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley took these composite images of Uranus on September 19th and October 2nd, showing the dramatic appearance of a bright storm on a planet that normally displays only a diffuse bright polar region. The color is from RGB filters, but the spot appears in infrared. Anthony Wesley Amateur astronomers have confirmed …

Bright Spot in Uranus’s Atmosphere Read More »

NASA’s Stereo A and B spacecraft circle the Sun in orbits very similar to Earth’s. This plot shows their location on November 21, 2014. NASA / JPL Horizons Despite rescue efforts, no one has heard from one of two NASA spacecraft on the far side of the Sun since October 1st. Solar physicists always worry …

Contact Lost with Sun-watching Stereo B Read More »