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Breaking News

• 20 May 2015 in News: Citizen-funded CubeSat ready to go solar sailing
• 24 May 2015 in News: Hubble observes one-of-a-kind star nicknamed ‘Nasty 1′
• 23 May 2015 in News: Galaxy’s cannibalistic snacking habits revealed
• 22 May 2015 in News: WISE discovery of the most luminous galaxy in the universe
• 20 May 2015 in News: Supernova observed colliding with its companion star

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  Supernova observed colliding with its companion star

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  Hubble revisits tangled galaxy NGC 6240

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  Galaxy’s cannibalistic snacking habits revealed

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  WISE discovery of the most luminous galaxy in the universe

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  The dreadful beauty of the Medusa Nebula

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  Supernova observed colliding with its companion star

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  Hubble revisits tangled galaxy NGC 6240

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Latest News

Hubble observes one-of-a-kind star nicknamed ‘Nasty 1′

Astronomers were surprised to find a disc-like structure around a hefty, rapidly aging star nicknamed "Nasty 1," which has never been seen before around a Wolf-Rayet star in our galaxy. The star may represent a brief transitory stage in the evolution of massive stars.

News Headlines

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  Galaxy’s cannibalistic snacking habits revealed
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  WISE discovery of the most luminous galaxy in the universe
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  Supernova observed colliding with its companion star
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  Citizen-funded CubeSat ready to go solar sailing
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  Newly dedicated observatory to search for gravitational waves
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  OSIRIS discovers balancing rock on comet 67P

Stories you might have missed

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  Hubble finds giant halo around the Andromeda Galaxy
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  Geochemical process on Saturn’s moon Enceladus linked to life’s origin
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  Exo-asteroid debris shows how water reached Earth

The Night Sky

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  See ringed planet Saturn at its best

  Often referred to as the Jewel of the Solar System, Saturn reaches opposition on May 23rd and is currently best placed for observation during 2015. Despite the planet's southerly declination, its glorious ring system is favourably tipped in our direction with the northern hemisphere on show.
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  Venus’ late night show in May
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  Mercury’s best early evening twilight show for 2015
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  Comet Lovejoy’s May rendezvous with Polaris

Equipment

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  Celestron NexImage Burst Colour camera

  Looking for a high-resolution, high-speed camera for imaging Saturn at opposition with your telescope? Steve Ringwood appraises the one-shot colour Celestron NexImage Burst, capable of capturing 120 frames/second — and it comes with image-processing software too!
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  Orion StarBlast 62mm compact travel refractor
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  3× four-element Barlow lens
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  Orion SkyQuest XX12g Dobsonian

Picture This

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  Hubble revisits tangled galaxy NGC 6240

  Not all galaxies are neatly shaped, as this new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 6240 clearly demonstrates. Hubble previously released an image of this galaxy in 2008, but the knotted region was only revealed in these new observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.
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  The dreadful beauty of the Medusa Nebula
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  OSIRIS discovers balancing rock on comet 67P
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  Hubble catches a stellar exodus in action

Picture this

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Rosetta Mission News

• OSIRIS discovers balancing rock on comet 67P
• Rosetta keeps its distance from awakening comet
• Rosetta probe disoriented by comet dust
• OSIRIS detects water ice in the neck of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• Rosetta begins listening for signs of life from comet lander

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