European Association for Astronomy Education

Source: NASA Science News

In an unexpected turn of events, researchers have realized that Voyager 1 left the solar system about a year ago. This event sets in motion a new era of exploration of the realm between the stars.(read more)

Source: ESA/Hubble Photo Release heic1317

New Hubble view of galaxy cluster Abell 1689.
Image credits: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Blakeslee
(NRC Herzberg Astrophysics Program, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory), and H. Ford (JHU)

This new image from Hubble is one of the best ever views of the massive galaxy cluster Abell 1689, and shows the phenomenon of gravitational lensing with unprecedented clarity. This cluster acts like a cosmic lens, magnifying the light from objects lying behind it and making it possible for astronomers to explore incredibly distant regions of space. As well as being packed with galaxies, Abell 1689 has been found to host a huge population of globular clusters.(read more)

Source: ESO Science Release eso1339

Artist's impression of the central bulge of the Milky Way.
Image credits: ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Kornmesser/R. Hurt.

Two groups of astronomers have used data from ESO telescopes to make the best three-dimensional map yet of the central parts of the Milky Way. They have found that the inner regions take on a peanut-like, or X-shaped, appearance from some angles. This odd shape was mapped by using public data from ESO’s VISTA survey telescope along with measurements of the motions of hundreds of very faint stars in the central bulge.(read more)

Source: ESA/Hubble Science Release heic1316

Bipolar planetary nebula PN Hb 12.
Image credits: NASA, ESA. Acknowledgement: Josh Barrington

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ESO's New Technology Telescope to explore more than 100 planetary nebulae in the central bulge of our galaxy. They have found that butterfly-shaped members of this cosmic family tend to be mysteriously aligned — a surprising result given their different histories and varied properties.(read more)

NSource: NASA Science Casts

Source: ESO Science Release eso1337

An international team led by astronomers in Brazil has used ESO’s Very Large Telescope to identify and study the oldest solar twin known to date. Located 250 light-years from Earth, the star HIP 102152 is more like the Sun than any other solar twin — except that it is nearly four billion years older. This older, but almost identical, twin gives us an unprecedented chance to see how the Sun will look when it ages. The new observations also provide an important first clear link between a star’s age and its lithium content, and in addition suggest that HIP 102152 may be host to rocky terrestrial planets.(read more)