The Royal Astronomical Society notes with concern the launch of the new SpaceX Starlink constellation of satellites into low-Earth orbit, and the potential impact of this and other programmes on views of the night sky and on astronomical research. Starlink, and other similar networks planned by OneWeb, Amazon and Telesat, aim to provide global commercial internet coverage.…
Earth-size Telescope Tracks Aftermath of Star Being Swallowed by Black Hole
Radio astronomers have used a radio telescope network the size of the Earth to zoom in on a unique phenomenon in a distant galaxy: a jet activated by a star being consumed by a supermassive black hole. The record-sharp observations reveal a compact and surprisingly slowly moving source of radio waves, with details published in…