Astronomers have observed a unique type of object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, revealing two asteroids orbiting each other and exhibiting comet-like features. The research provides crucial information about the origin and evolution of main-belt comets, which can help answer questions about how water came to Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope relies on a complex shroud system to maintain extremely low temperatures, minimizing unwanted infrared light that could compromise optical testing. The system consists of two nested shrouds: liquid nitrogen and cold gaseous helium, which work together to cool the telescope.
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) is a radio telescope that will survey more than half the sky each day, creating a three-dimensional map of the largest volume of space ever surveyed. This will help scientists better understand the history of the universe and the nature of dark energy.
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope is a revolutionary radio telescope that will create a three-dimensional map of the universe, extending deep into space and time. By measuring dark energy, scientists will better understand the shape, structure, and fate of the universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope will study the 'ocean worlds' of Europa and Enceladus, adding to previous observations by Galileo and Cassini orbiters. The telescope's high-resolution imagery and spectroscopic analysis will help unravel the mysteries of these moons' subsurface oceans and potential biosignatures.
The telescope is cooled to minus 387 Fahrenheit as scientists and engineers monitor its performance with temperature sensors and cameras. Once complete, the telescope will be integrated with the spacecraft and sunshield at Northrop Grumman, California, before undergoing final tests called 'observatory-level testing,'
The five sunshield layers of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have been fully installed, providing precise temperature control for the telescope's infrared sensors. The layers work together to reduce temperatures by approximately 570 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring optimal performance for observing distant objects in the universe.
Researchers have found compelling evidence for a stratosphere on the enormous planet WASP-121b, hot enough to boil iron. The discovery was made using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and indicates a strong stratosphere on this gas giant exoplanet.
The James Webb Space Telescope has successfully completed its Ground Segment Test Number 1, confirming end-to-end communication between the telescope and its mission operations center. The test, which took place on June 20, tested all communications systems required for launch, commissioning, and normal operations.
The temperature of Chamber A steadily dropped from Houston's heat, reaching 20 kelvins (-424°F/-253°C), while the Webb telescope's instruments transferred heat to surrounding liquids and gases.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of Phobos, the smallest moon in our solar system, as it orbits Mars. Phobos is just 16.5 miles across and completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes, faster than Mars' rotation.
Located close to the Milky Way, IC 342 is a sweeping spiral galaxy with an active core. The Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a mixture of hot star-forming regions, cooler gas, and dark dust lanes around the bright core, indicating the presence of ionized hydrogen.
Astronomers use gravitational lens to magnify light from distant galaxy, revealing two dozen clumps of newborn stars. This contradicts earlier theories suggesting larger star-forming regions in the early universe.
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a powerful Seyfert galaxy, 2XMM J143450.5+033843, emitting huge amounts of radiation due to its supermassive black hole. The galaxy is nearly 400 million light-years away and is one of the unlucky ones with a unique X-ray name.
The James Webb Space Telescope will undergo a three-month test period at NASA's Johnson Space Center to prove its ability to operate in space-like conditions. Chamber A, a historic Apollo-era test chamber, simulates temperatures as low as -393 degrees Fahrenheit, essential for detecting infrared light from distant objects.
Astronomers find compact yet massive, fast-spinning, disk-shaped galaxy that stopped forming stars only a few billion years after the big bang. The discovery challenges current understanding of how massive galaxies form and evolve.
The James Webb Space Telescope will observe a range of celestial objects, from the outer planets and Kuiper Belt to exoplanets and distant galaxies. The initial 2100 observations planned will address various science areas, including first light, galaxy assembly, and star and planet birth.
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers measured the deflection of light rays as they passed near a white dwarf star, providing a solid estimate of its mass. The result confirms theoretical predictions and offers insights into the star's structure and composition.
Astronomers used Hubble Space Telescope to repeat a century-old test of general relativity by measuring the deflection of light from a background star. The result provides a solid estimate of the white dwarf's mass and yields insights into theories of its structure and composition.
A new study by UW-Madison undergraduate Ben Hoscheit confirms the idea that our galaxy lives in an enormous void, seven times larger than average. The findings help ease tension between different measurements of the Hubble Constant, resolving a long-standing discrepancy among cosmologists.
Two exoplanets, WASP-67 b and HAT-P-38 b, have distinct atmospheric compositions, with one being cloudier than the other. The team's findings suggest that their past formation histories may be responsible for these differences.
Astronomers study properties of debris disk around sun-like star by analyzing light passing through it. The transit allows scientists to infer characteristics of the disk and potentially discover analogues in our Solar System.
The James Webb Space Telescope is being tested at NASA's Chamber A, a massive thermal vacuum testing chamber that previously tested Apollo moon mission hardware. The chamber has undergone major upgrades to reach extremely low temperatures and conduct precise optical testing.
The new 'Webb-cam' provides daily video feeds on the telescope's progress, allowing space enthusiasts to see the telescope's development in real-time. The camera is mounted where it has a view of the cleanroom at NASA Johnson Space Center and can be seen online.
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) has successfully detected its first fast radio burst (FRB), marking a major breakthrough in this elusive field of astronomy. The detection was made using an innovative strategy, allowing the telescope to scan a larger area of the sky and increasing its chances of finding FRBs.
Astronomers have discovered a moon orbiting the third largest dwarf planet in our solar system using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The discovery provides key insights into how moons formed in the young solar system.
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged two galaxies in close proximity, each traveling at approximately 2 million kilometers per hour. Their interaction will cause distortions and changes to the structures of both galaxies due to gravitational forces.
Astronomers have produced a highly-detailed image of the Crab Nebula by combining data from telescopes spanning nearly the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The image reveals intricate details about the nebula's structure and interactions with fast-moving particles and magnetic fields.
The Crab Nebula has been extensively studied, yet astronomers still have much to learn. By combining data from multiple telescopes, a team of scientists gained new insights into the object's complex physics.
The Abell 370 galaxy cluster is a rich mix of various galaxy shapes, including massive elliptical and spiral galaxies. Nearly a hundred distant galaxies have multiple images caused by the lensing effect, with some featuring mysterious-looking arcs of blue light.
Astronomers have discovered a unique star in the constellation of Lacerta, which is millions of times closer to Earth than the galaxy NGC 7250, allowing it to overpower its light
A team of astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to analyze four images of a gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova, measuring the expansion of the Universe without theoretical assumptions. The discovery provides clues about the Universe's expansion rate and has implications for cosmology.
Astronomers study starburst galaxies to understand their evolution. Hubble's observations of NGC 4536 reveal high rates of star formation driven by gas supply, which fuels the creation of colorful ionized hydrogen clouds.
The Hubble Space Telescope captured the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, at unprecedented resolution. The telescope revealed exquisite details in Jupiter's atmosphere, including small-scale storm systems and wind patterns that reach speeds of up to 400 miles per hour.
The Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT-prime) will be the highest telescope of its kind, allowing scientists to study the formation of stars and galaxies in unprecedented detail. With a diameter of six meters and location at an altitude of 5,612 meters, CCAT-prime aims to solve the mystery of dark matter and dark energy.
Researchers are creating the first images of a supermassive black hole's event horizon using an Earth-sized telescope. The project aims to test predictions from Einstein's general relativity theory by studying the shadow, mass, and spin of the black hole.
The Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope-prime (CCAT-p) will map the sky at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths, giving unprecedented insights into star and galaxy formation. The telescope's high-altitude location and innovative design enable faster measurements of polarized signals, revealing clues about the universe's early moments.
Astronomers identify sun-like star associated with a Type Ia supernova, sparking investigation into its potential role in the white dwarf's demise. Further studies are needed to confirm if this star is indeed the culprit behind a white dwarf's fiery explosion.
The James Webb Space Telescope has completed its acoustic and vibration tests, ensuring it can withstand launch vibrations and maintain functionality in space. The telescope was subjected to simulated forces of up to 100 times per second using a new vibration test system.
Astronomers discovered a supermassive black hole weighing over 1 billion suns that was propelled out of the center of a distant galaxy due to gravitational wave energy. The estimated equivalent energy is 100 million supernovas, and the black hole travels at speeds of up to 4.7 million miles per hour.
The James Webb Space Telescope is inspected for contamination using ultraviolet flashlights in a darkened clean room. The long exposure captures the technicians as 'ghostly wraiths', while a special light technique illuminates the primary mirror.
Alan Dressler, chair of the AURA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Beyond Committee, received the 2017 Carl Sagan Memorial Award for his leadership in research and policies advancing exploration of the Cosmos. The award recognizes the committee's influential report that led to the development of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope will analyze atmospheric components in TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets for potential biosignatures. Three promising planets, e, f and g, orbit within the habitable zone, with conditions suitable for supporting liquid water.
A Yale-led team has created one of the highest-resolution maps of dark matter ever produced, providing a detailed case for its existence. The map, derived from Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields data, closely matches theoretical predictions and offers insights into the universe's structure and galaxy formation.
The James Webb Space Telescope is set to undergo an earsplitting acoustic test, simulating the intense vibrations of launch. The team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has completed vibration testing and prepared the telescope for the test, which will push its limits.
The supernova has continued to fascinate astronomers with its spectacular light show, located in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. Recent studies using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have provided unique insight into the early stages of gas dispersal after a star's death.
A NASA-funded balloon carrying a telescope was left on the ice in Antarctica for a year before its instruments were recovered. The GRIPS project studied high-energy particles generated by solar flares, with findings providing new insights into these giant eruptions on the sun.
Scientists and engineers at NASA created a new, large-scale shaker table system to test the James Webb Space Telescope's vibrations during launch. The 'Vibration Test Systems' simulates forces from 5-100 Hz, enabling precise control over shaking levels.
The H0LiCOW collaboration has made a new measurement of the Hubble constant using quasars and gravitational lensing. The result agrees with recent independent studies but disagrees significantly with cosmic microwave background measurements, potentially indicating new physics beyond the standard cosmological model.
The Hubble Constant measurement by the H0LiCOW collaboration hints at 'new physics' beyond the standard model of cosmology. The team used gravitational lenses to measure the universe's expansion rate, which is crucial for confirming or refuting the current picture of dark energy and dark matter.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have made an independent measurement of the universe's expansion rate, consistent with earlier findings but in disagreement with measurements from the early Universe. The study uses galaxies as giant gravitational lenses to determine the Hubble constant to a high precision.
NASA has resumed rigorous vibration testing on the James Webb Space Telescope after an early shutdown in 2016 due to sensor readings exceeding predicted levels. The team implemented changes to the test profile to prevent similar issues, adding diagnostic tests to ensure confidence in the launch environment.
The galaxy RX J1140.1+0307 has a supermassive black hole with one of the lowest known masses, yet its emission spectrum cannot be explained by current models. Scientists believe other mechanisms are at play in the interactions between the inner and outer parts of the accretion disk surrounding the black hole.
Astronomers have discovered a shadow sweeping across the face of a vast pancake-shaped gas-and-dust disk surrounding a young star, possibly caused by an unseen planet gravitationally pulling on material. The twisted inner disk is casting its shadow onto the outer region.
Astronomers use Hubble observations to characterize the interstellar medium along Voyager 1 and 2's trajectories. The study reveals a rich, complex ecology with multiple clouds of hydrogen and other elements.
The galaxy IRAS 16399-0937 hosts a double nucleus, with the northern nucleus featuring a black hole of massive proportions and a starburst region in the southern part. Hubble's observations reveal the intricate structure of this cosmic megamaser, shedding light on its unique composition and energetic processes.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observes the small stellar galaxy NGC 4707, a loose spiral with undefined shape and central bulge, located 22 million light-years from Earth.
Astronomers used VLA and ALMA to study distant galaxies, revealing details of dust-shrouded regions. They found intense star formation occurred throughout galaxies, contrary to present-day high rates in smaller regions.
A team of astronomers discovered that a massive flare in a distant galaxy was actually a tidal disruption event caused by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole. The finding marks the first time a TDE has been used to study black hole spin, providing new insights into stellar death.
The GREGOR solar telescope has demonstrated its potential with high precision measurements of magnetic fields and material motion. High spatial resolution imaging data have also provided unprecedented details of the Sun's photosphere, revealing features smaller than 100 km in sunspot light bridges.