First Ring System Found Around an Asteroid

eso1410b

One significant feature that links Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune is the presence of ring system.  Now a fifth solar system body can be added to this rarefied group, and it is a rather surprising addition.  Observations at several sites in South America including ESO’s La Silla Observatory have discovered… Click to read more

A large Lunar Impact Blast on 11 September 2013

Featured image impact

On the 11th September 2013 at 20hrs 07min 28.68secs ±0.01secs UTC, two telescopes operated in MIDAS network recorded an bright flash produced by the impact on the Moon of a large meteoroid. The peak brightness of this flash reached 2.9 ± 0.2 mag in V and it lasted over 8 seconds, with estimated energy of 15.6 ± 2.5 tons of TNT. Work has important implications for impact flux on Earth. Click to read more