This week on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we welcome Dr. Stephanie Ryan to the show. She is the author of Let's Learn About Chemistry, and we will be talking about teaching science to children.
But first, we look at a new study suggesting clay, not water, may be hidden under the icy South Pole of Mars. We also examine the radio galaxy Centaurus A in a new light, and look up at Saturn during a close(-ish) approach to Earth.
New examinations of radar reflections seen on Mars in 2018 suggests these features may be the result of clay, not underground lakes, near the south pole of the Red Planet. When radar images of the south pole of Mars were recorded by the Mars Express orbiter three years ago, researchers suggested the features might be the result of underground water. This was an intriguing possibility. A trio of new papers, however, finds that clay under the surface, not water, may, in fact, be responsible for the data seen by researchers.
Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope have carried out the most-detailed observations ever of the radio galaxy Centaurus A. Researchers detailed the source of jets emanating from the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Astronomers suggest that examination of this galaxy at shorter wavelengths might produce an image similar to that seen in 2019 of the supermassive black hole in M87, taken by this same network of radio telescopes.
On the night of Monday 2 August, Saturn and Earth made their closest approach to each other for this year. This offered amateur astronomers a chance to view the Ringed Planet at its closest and brightest. The rings are also currently aligned at around 18 degrees from edge-on as seen from Earth, offering stunning views of the rings, and the Moon on Monday stayed hidden until late at night. If you missed this close encounter, Saturn is still shining brightly in the southern sky, anytime after sunset, for most skywatchers in the northern hemisphere.
Listen to this episode as a podcast here, or watch it as a video at: https://youtu.be/1rWxEJjLjEY
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