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New Arecibo Message updates original attempt to contact ET

Michael Irving November 18, 2018

In 1974, astronomers used the Arecibo Observatory to beam a message from humanity to the stars, in one of the most well-known attempts to contact possible alien life. For the 44th anniversary of the Arecibo Message, scientists are reaching out to the public for help in designing an updated version.

The Arecibo Observatory, which was used to send the original Arecibo Message in 1974

Space

Australian observatory hunts Earth-like planets by watching for wobbling stars

Michael Irving November 1, 2018

A new exoplanet hunting tool has been installed onto an Australian telescope. Dubbed Veloce, the instrument looks out for the wobble of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets, and it specializes in red dwarfs, the most common type of star in the universe.

The Anglo-Australian Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory is home to a new planet-hunting instrument

Marine

Beyond superyacht concept explores icy seas and starry skies

Bridget Borgobello October 28, 2018

Dutch firm Diana Yacht Design recently revealed its latest superyacht concept. Dubbed Beyond, this striking 60-meter (196-ft) explorer yacht has been conceived to not only reach all corners of the world, but to also feature a first-of-its-kind built-in observatory.

Beyond is a striking 60-meter (196-ft) explorer yacht concept conceived with a first-of-its-kind built-in observatory

Space

Time-delayed "rerun" of 1840s supernova suggests a long-dead sibling star

Michael Irving August 2, 2018

In the 1830s, astronomers noticed that the star Eta Carinae seemed to go supernova, but it strangely survived the explosion. Thanks to the weirdness of space, modern astronomers have discovered that Eta Carinae’s outburst may have been the star violently cannibalizing a sibling.

Astronomers have now pieced together the story of the apparent supernova that rocked the Eta Carinae ...

Space

NASA sheds light on strange object created in cosmic collision

Michael Irving May 31, 2018

In August 2017, astronomers observed a collision between two neutron stars so powerful it produced gravitational waves, flares in visible light, radio waves, x-rays and a gamma ray burst. Now that things have quietened, astronomers have studied the strange object created in the cosmic collision.

An artist's rendition of two neutron stars colliding, an event observed for the first time in ...

Space

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope suffers yet another launch delay

Anthony Wood March 27, 2018

The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed once again, with a new window set for May 2020. The next-generation space telescope had previously been set to launch into orbit atop an Ariane 5 rocket from ESA’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, in the Spring of 2019.

Space

Australian telescope picks up brightest fast radio burst space signal ever detected

Michael Irving March 15, 2018

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are strange, extremely bright and mysterious signals from space. Now, astronomers at Australia’s Parkes Observatory have recorded three new signals in relatively quick succession – one of which is the brightest FRB ever detected.

The radio telescope at the Parkes Observatory in Australia has picked up the brightest fast radio ...

Space

Neutron star cosmic collision keeps burning brighter, baffling scientists

Michael Irving January 21, 2018

Last year astronomers around the world witnessed the merger of two neutron stars as gravitational waves, light, radio and gamma rays, but the aftermath of the mashup hasn’t played out quite as expected. Rather than fade over time, the afterglow has continued to brighten.

An artist's rendition of the merger of two neutron stars, which was witnessed for the first ...

Space

Arecibo radio telescope back online after hurricane damage

David Szondy December 22, 2017

One of the world's most powerful radio telescopes is back online months after sustaining hurricane damage. The 1,000-ft (305-m) Arecibo Observatory was damaged when Hurricane Maria made landfall, but has restarted its Arecibo Observatory Planetary Radar, which scans potentially dangerous asteroids.

Radar images of near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon generated by astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory on December ...

Architecture

Gemma observatory puts an architectural edge on stargazing

New Atlas Team July 27, 2017

Here's something for backyard stargazers to drool over. Gemma Observatory is a private astronomical hideaway perched atop a remote mountain in New Hampshire that combines responsive design with functional smarts to make a unique platform for exploring the night sky.

Gemma Observatory sits in a remote New Hamshire location