Hubble measures slowing star formation in Andromeda as Roman takes on launch fuel and the UK sets a 2028 end to e-MERLIN support. The developments span three observatory life stages.
Hubble's PHAT and PHAST surveys measured roughly 200 million stars across two-thirds of Andromeda's disk. The team calculated that star formation fell from about one solar mass a year 500 million years ago to 0.5 some 40 million years ago and 0.2 today. Much of the decline occurred in a ring about 32,000 light-years from the centre. M32 may have played a part, but the link is uncertain because its three-dimensional position is unknown.[1]
NASA loaded the Roman Space Telescope with 290 gallons, about 1,100 litres, of hydrazine. It will feed thrusters that maintain the observatory's orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point and keep its solar panels facing the Sun. Falcon Heavy launch is planned for no earlier than 30 August. The five-year mission carries fuel for a possible five-year extension. One approved program will image Andromeda's whole disk and halo, extending Hubble's field-by-field view.[2], [1]
UK Research and Innovation will withdraw support from e-MERLIN, which includes the Lovell telescope, when current arrangements end in March 2028. The University of Manchester called the cut significant while stressing that Jodrell Bank is not closing. The developments place three stages of observing infrastructure side by side: Hubble's archive produces a measurement, Roman prepares for operations, and e-MERLIN seeks future funding.[3], [1], [2]
