Another intriguing possibility, however, is that 55 Cancri e is not tidally locked. Instead, it may be like Mercury, rotating three times for every two orbits (what’s known as a…
Category: Astronomy
Sagittarius A*: NASA Telescopes Support Event Horizon Telescope in Studying Milky Way’s Black Hole
Astronomers are using these observations to learn more about how the black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy — known as Sagittarius A * (Sgr A* for…
Finding the Origins of Supermassive Black Holes
From NASA Astronomers have identified a rapidly growing black hole in the early universe that is considered a crucial “missing link” between young star-forming galaxies and the first supermassive black…
Webb Telescope’s Coldest Instrument Reaches Operating Temperature
There are still more challenges that the team will have to face before MIRI can start its scientific mission. Now that the instrument is at operating temperature, team members will…
Hubble Probes Extreme Weather on Ultra-Hot Jupiters
Studying extreme weather gives astronomers better insights into the diversity, complexity, and exotic chemistry taking place in far-flung worlds across our galaxy.
Hubble Finds a Planet Forming in an Unconventional Way
This discovery supports a long-debated theory for how planets like Jupiter form, called “disk instability.”
Another Planet Discovered Orbiting Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri, our closest known stellar neighbour, is packed full of interesting planets. My question – when are we going to send a probe to take a look?
Planetary bodies observed for first time in habitable zone of dead star
Planetary bodies observed for first time in habitable zone of dead star
VIDEO: Watch Starlink Satellites Fall from the Sky
Video follows below. As many as 40 Starlink satellites are currently falling out of the sky–the surprising result of a minor geomagnetic storm. SpaceX made the announcement yesterday: “On Thursday, Feb. 3rd…
Orbital Insertion Burn a Success, Webb Arrives at L2
Now that Webb’s primary mirror segments and secondary mirror have been deployed from their launch positions, engineers will begin the sophisticated three-month process of aligning the telescope’s optics to nearly nanometer precision.
Citizen Scientists Spot Jupiter-like Planet in NASA TESS Data
On February 1, 2020, Jacobs happened to notice a plot showing starlight from TOI-2180 dim by less than half a percent and then return to its previous brightness level over…
NASA’s New IXPE Mission Begins Science Operations
Having spent just over a month in space, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is working and already zeroing in on some of the hottest, most energetic objects in the…
NASA’s Webb Telescope Reaches Major Milestone as Mirror Unfolds
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team fully deployed its 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror, successfully completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments to prepare for science operations.
Update: NASA Plans Coverage of Webb Space Telescope Deployments
The Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history – from within the solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between.…
NASA’s Webb Telescope Launches to See First Galaxies, Distant Worlds
From NASA Editor’s note: This release was updated on Dec. 25 to reflect the observatory’s release at approximately 870 miles (1,400 kilometers). NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched at 7:20 a.m.…
Challenging Einstein’s Greatest Theory with Extreme Stars
The study, published today in the journal Physical Review X, reveals new relativistic effects that, although expected, have now been observed for the first time.
Hubble Witnesses Shock Wave of Colliding Gases in Running Man Nebula
Hubble observed this region to look for stellar jets and planet-forming disks around young stars, and examine how their environment affects the evolution of such disks.
Hubble Snapshot of ‘Molten Ring’ Galaxy Prompts New Research
In this particular snapshot, a science discovery followed the release of a Hubble observation of a striking example of a deep-space optical phenomenon dubbed an “Einstein ring.” The photo was released in…
Mapping the Universe’s Earliest Structures with COSMOS-Webb
When NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope begins science operations in 2022, one of its first tasks will be an ambitious program to map the earliest structures in the universe. Called…
Hubble Returns to Full Science Observations and Releases New Images
“I’m thrilled to see that Hubble has its eye back on the universe, once again capturing the kind of images that have intrigued and inspired us for decades,” said NASA…
Goldilocks planets ‘with a tilt’ may develop more complex life
GOLDSCHMIDT CONFERENCE Research News Planets which are tilted on their axis, like Earth, are more capable of evolving complex life. This finding will help scientists refine the search for more…
Chasing cosmic particles with radio antennas in Greenland’s ice
“Detecting radio signals from high-energy neutrinos is a very promising way of significantly increasing the energy range we can access, and thus opening this new window to the cosmos even…
Operations Underway to Restore Payload Computer on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
NASA continues to work to resolve a problem with the Hubble Space Telescope payload computer that halted on June 13.
Supernovae twins open up new possibilities for precision cosmology
Cosmologists have found a way to double the accuracy of measuring distances to supernova explosions – one of their tried-and-true tools for studying the mysterious dark energy that is making…