Astron

Interacting galaxies (colliding galaxies) are galaxies whose gravitational fields result in a disturbance of one another. An example of a minor interaction is a satellite galaxy 's disturbing the primary galaxy's spiral arms . An example of a major interaction is a galactic collision, which may lead to a galaxy merger . Google  

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting [7] grand-design [8] spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus [9] in the constellation Canes Venatici . It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. [10] Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way , [3] but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. [11] The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195 , [12] are easily observed by amateur astronomers , and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars . [13] The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms ) and galaxy interactions. Google

Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is a non-profit private operating foundation directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing , located in Goleta, California . The telescopes are located at both northern and southern hemisphere sites distributed in longitude around the Earth. For some astronomical objects, the longitudinal spacing of telescopes allows continuous observations over 24 hours or longer. The operating network currently consists of two 2-meter telescopes, nine 1-meter telescopes, and seven 40-cm telescopes, placed at six astronomical observatories. The network operates as a single, integrated, observing facility, using a software scheduler that continuously optimizes the planned observing schedule of each individual telescope. https://www.google.com/search?q=las+cumbres+observatory&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8   https://lco.global/    

A giant planet has been found orbiting an ultracool dwarf star — the largest planet compared to its star ever found — leaving scientists baffled at how the duo could have formed. The planet NGTS-1b is situated 600 light-years from our solar system, according to a statement from the University of Warwick, and it is a gas giant about the size of Jupiter. Its star, on the other hand, is just half the mass and radius of the sun. The planet orbits its star at 3 percent the distance from the Earth to the sun, and it whips around a full orbit every 2.6 Earth days. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1710.11099v1.pdf https://www.space.com/38625-monster-planet-circles-tiny-star.html  

Scientists detect gravitational waves from a new kind of nova, sparking a new era in astronomy Some 130 million years ago, in a galaxy far away, the smoldering cores of two collapsed stars smashed into each other. The resulting explosion sent a burst of gamma rays streaming through space and rippled the very fabric of the universe. On Aug. 17, those signals reached Earth — and sparked an astronomy revolution.   WaPo New Nova      

The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 was a total eclipse visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States , passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. As a partial solar eclipse , it was visible on land from Nunavut in northern Canada to as far south as northern South America . In northwestern Europe and Africa, it was partially visible in the late evening. In Asia it was visible only at the eastern extremity, the Chukchi Peninsula .   Yahoo

Parker Solar Probe (previously NASA Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus, or Solar Probe+) is a planned NASA robotic spacecraft to probe the outer corona of the Sun . It will approach to within 8.5 solar radii (5.9 million kilometers or 3.67 million miles) to the 'surface' ( photosphere ) of the Sun. [2] The project was announced as a new mission start in the fiscal 2009 budget year. On May 1, 2008 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory announced it will design and build the spacecraft, on a schedule to launch it in 2015. [3] The launch date has since been pushed back to 2018, [4] with the Delta IV Heavy as the launch vehicle. [1] On May 31st, 2017 the probe was renamed after solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker [5] . According to NASA, this was the first time in history a space vessel was named after a living person. [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe   NASA PSP