A brief roundup of the latest astronomy news
OSIRIS-Rex to Apophis
NASA has approved a second space rock stop-off for its asteroid investigating OSIRIS-Rex after dropping off its sample of Bennu at Earth on 24 September 2023. Its next target is Apophis – a near-Earth asteroid that will pass just 32,000km away from Earth on 13 April 2029 – and it will spend at least 18 months in orbit, though it will be unable to collect a surface sample.
Mars’s solar-powered dust storms
The Sun could be to blame for Mars’s annual dust storms, which cover huge swathes of the planet, according to a new report. The study found the planet was taking in more energy from the Sun than it was radiating out as heat, and this energy excess could be fuelling the storms.
Black widow binary
Astronomers have discovered a ‘black widow binary’ – where a pulsar slowly circles and consumes a smaller companion star – 3,000 lightyears from Earth. With the neutron star lapping its doomed companion once every 62 minutes, this binary has the shortest orbit of the 20 known so far.
Ceres formed far out
A novel set of simulations has shown that dwarf planet Ceres could have formed further out, then migrated to its current position in the asteroid belt. The discovery adds weight to the theory that Ceres is a protoplanet that never made it to full planethood, rather than forming like the other, smaller asteroids.
Dead galaxies still gassy
Galaxies which have just finished a period of extreme star formation, known as post-starburst galaxies, could still be rich in highly compact gas, a new study has found. However, the galaxies are not using this gas to create stars as would be expected, leading astronomers to question what is preventing the formation process.
Mars’s moving glaciers
The carbon dioxide glaciers found at Mars’s south pole have been moving for at least 600,000 years, a new study has found. The glaciers have flowed downhill and ponded in troughs and basins, at rates up to 100 times faster than water ice under Martian conditions, creating sheets up to 1km thick.