3-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled
By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. View More (2012-05-17)
A deeper look at Centaurus A
Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, is a peculiar massive elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its heart. View More (2012-05-16)
Dawn reveals complexities of ancient asteroidal world
New findings from NASA's Dawn spacecraft lay the groundwork for the first geological overview of asteroid (4)Vesta and confirm the existence of not one but two giant impact basins in its southern hemisphere. View More (2012-05-11)
Hubble observes a dwarf galaxy with a bright nebula
The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. View More (2012-05-10)
TDRS-4 Mission Complete; Spacecraft Retired From Active Service
The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 4 (TDRS-4) recently completed almost 23 years of operations support and successfully completed end-of-mission de-orbit and decommissioning activities. View More (2012-05-09)
VISTA views a vast ball of stars
Globular clusters are held together in a tight spherical shape by gravity. In Messier 55, the stars certainly do keep close company: approximately one hundred thousand stars are packed within a sphere with a diameter of only about 25 times the distance between the Sun and the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. View More (2012-05-09)
Looking for Earths by looking for Jupiters
In the search for Earth-like planets, it is helpful to look for clues and patterns that can help scientist narrow down the types of systems where potentially habitable planets are likely to be discovered. View More (2012-05-08)
Hubble to use moon as mirror to see Venus transit
This mottled landscape showing the impact crater Tycho is among the most violent-looking places on our moon. View More (2012-05-07)
Four white dwarf stars caught in the act of consuming 'earth-like' exoplanets
University of Warwick astrophysicists have pinpointed four white dwarfs surrounded by dust from shattered planetary bodies which once bore striking similarities to the composition of the Earth. View More (2012-05-04)
Queen's scientists discover black hole ripping apart star
Astronomers from Queen's University Belfast have gathered the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close. View More (2012-05-04)
Black Hole Caught in a Feeding Frenzy
When it comes to scary things in the universe, it's hard to get much scarier than supermassive black holes. View More (2012-05-04)
Black Hole Caught Red-Handed in a Stellar Homicide
Astronomers have gathered the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close. NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, a space-based observatory, and the Pan-STARRS1 telescope on the summit of Haleakala in Hawaii were among the first to help identify the stellar remains. View More (2012-05-03)
Venus to appear in once-in-a-lifetime event
On 5 and 6 June this year, millions of people around the world will be able to see Venus pass across the face of the Sun in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. View More (2012-05-01)
NASA's Chandra sees remarkable outburst from old black hole
An extraordinary outburst produced by a black hole in a nearby galaxy has provided direct evidence for a population of old, volatile stellar black holes. View More (2012-05-01)
Record-Breaking Radio Waves from Ultra-Cool Star
Penn State University astronomers using the world's largest radio telescope, at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, have discovered flaring radio emissions from an ultra-cool star, not much warmer than the planet Jupiter, shattering the previous record for the lowest stellar temperature at which radio waves were detected. View More (2012-04-30)
A cluster within a cluster
NGC 6604 is the bright grouping towards to the upper left of the image. It is a young star cluster that is the densest part of a more widely scattered association containing about one hundred brilliant blue-white stars. View More (2012-04-25)
Serious Blow to Dark Matter Theories?
The most accurate study so far of the motions of stars in the Milky Way has found no evidence for dark matter in a large volume around the Sun. View More (2012-04-19)
Webb Telescope spinoff technologies already seen in some industries
A critical component of the James Webb Space Telescope is its new technology. Much of the technology for the Webb had to be conceived, designed and built specifically to enable it to see farther back in time. View More (2012-04-19)
Hubble's panoramic view of a turbulent star-making region
Several million young stars are vying for attention in a new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of a raucous stellar breeding ground in 30 Doradus, a star-forming complex located in the heart of the Tarantula nebula. View More (2012-04-18)
Hubble's panoramic view of a turbulent star-making region
30 Doradus is the brightest star-forming region in our galactic neighbourhood and home to the most massive stars ever seen. The nebula resides 170 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small, satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. No known star-forming region in our galaxy is as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus. View More (2012-04-17)
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