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On 21 August, for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, nothing will happen for a few blissful minutes, and it will mean everything.
NASA's New Horizons mission to the outer Solar System has revolutionized our understanding of the Pluto–Charon system. But, Richard P. Binzel explains, this is only half the story of this intrepid spacecraft, as it voyages even further through the Kuiper Belt.
Giovanni Fabrizio Bignami, ‘Nanni’ to his friends, suddenly passed away on 25 May 2017. A pioneer in the field of gamma-ray astrophysics, he identified Geminga: a mysterious, radio quiet, gamma-ray pulsar. He was an undisputed leader, manager, maestro, colleague and friend.
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are empirically divided into ‘radio-loud’ and ‘radio-quiet’. These 50-year-old labels are obsolete, misleading and wrong. I argue that AGNs should be classified as ‘jetted’ and ‘non-jetted’ based on a physical difference — the presence (or lack) of strong relativistic jets.
NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter has just returned its early science results after spending a year orbiting the ‘King of the Solar System’. Principal Investigator Scott Bolton summarizes what we have learnt.
Superdiffusive transport could have a crucial role in explaining the flat radio spectra of reaccelerated fossil electrons observed in clusters. Thus, a theory developed for heliospheric shocks can have a wide application in astrophysics.
US astronomy decadal surveys advise government on how to optimize the scientific return on national investments in astronomy research. The 2020 survey will guide our community into the future, but current strains in an otherwise world-leading astronomy programme may affect this collective exercise.
With six months behind us, we would like to thank everyone who has submitted a paper, written for us or refereed for us. We take this opportunity to clarify our policies and quell some enduring misconceptions.
Charles Malcolm Walmsley passed away on 1 May 2017. He made numerous fundamental contributions to the physics and chemistry of star formation and the interstellar medium. He was an exceptional scientist, a highly esteemed colleague and a true gentleman.
A pioneer in the field of astrochemistry, Patrick Thaddeus discovered dozens of exotic molecules in space and helped revolutionize our view of the interstellar medium and star formation.
