Articles tagged with Space Telescopes
A new tool is being developed by NASA to assure picometer-level stability, a feat not yet accomplished. The instrument will measure tiny changes in mirror segments and other supporting telescope structure during environmental testing.
A new concept in space telescope design proposes a modular structure and an assembly robot to build extremely large telescopes in space. The robotic system would enable tasks to be performed without astronaut fatigue.
Astronomers discovered a rare cosmic tadpole galaxy, LEDA 36252, with its bright head and elongated tail. The galaxy features surprisingly young stars with a total mass equivalent to 10,000 Suns, indicating a recent burst of star formation triggered by the accretion of primordial gas.
Scientists have discovered a dark moon orbiting Makemake, one of the largest and brightest known Kuiper Belt Objects. The discovery provides insights into the origin and evolution of our solar system, suggesting that giant collisions are a near-universal fixture in the histories of these distant worlds.
The sunshield consists of five layers of Kapton material, each coated with aluminum and doped-silicon for optimal thermal insulation. The unique kite-like shape and precise layer separation direct heat away from the optics, allowing the telescope to reach required temperatures.
Researchers analyzed UV spectrum of BD+44 493, a second-generation star thought to have been enriched by one of the first stars. They found phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc, which reveal the star was likely massive and exploded as a supernova.
Astronomers refine universe's expansion rate with unprecedented accuracy, reducing uncertainty to 2.4 percent. The new value of 73.2 kilometers per second per megaparsec indicates the distance between cosmic objects will double in 9.8 billion years.
The James Webb Space Telescope science instrument package was successfully installed into the telescope structure with precision engineering and teamwork. The team conducted rigorous training and testing before the critical mission operation, ensuring the instruments and mirrors are ready for launch.
Italian researchers used Hubble data and computer models to identify two objects as potential seeds for supermassive black holes. These early black hole seed candidates are seen less than a billion years after the Big Bang and have an initial mass of about 100,000 times the Sun.
Astronomers observe a narrow, well-defined jet of dust ejected by the comet's icy nucleus, which appears to rotate like a water jet. The comet's close approach to Earth and sun results in large amounts of dust and gas being ejected, creating a dynamic spectacle.
The James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror is the largest yet sent into space, made of 18 beryllium segments coated with a thin layer of gold. The telescope will study the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets similar to Earth, as well as the evolution of our own solar system.
The Bubble Nebula, observed by Hubble, is a vast bubble being blown into space by a super-hot, massive star. The nebula is 7 light-years across and resides 7,100 light-years from Earth. A seething star forms this nebula, with gas escaping at over 4 million miles per hour.
Astronomers have discovered a record-breaking supermassive black hole weighing 17 billion suns in the center of a galaxy in a sparsely populated area of the universe. The massive object's size defies expectations, as it is 10 times more massive than predicted for a galaxy of its mass.
Astronomers used Hubble to study the Milky Way's nuclear star cluster, discovering a rich tapestry of over half a million stars. The cluster surrounds the galaxy's central supermassive black hole and offers insights into its formation.
The James Webb Space Telescope has completed critical cryogenic testing on its science instruments, a crucial step towards launch. The observatory will capture faint light from the universe's first objects after the Big Bang once launched into space.
A team of researchers discovered 80 young galaxies in the early universe, with at least 54 being spatially resolved. Computer simulations confirmed that many of these galaxies are actually merging pairs, triggering intense star formation activity. This study sheds light on the formation and evolution of compact galaxies.
The James Webb Space Telescope's sole secondary mirror was successfully installed onto the telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The mirror is supported by three struts and made of beryllium coated with gold to efficiently reflect infrared light.
The team has shattered the cosmic distance record by measuring GN-z11, a surprisingly bright infant galaxy seen as it was 400 million years after the Big Bang. The observations reveal that GN-z11 is growing fast, forming stars at a rate about 20 times greater than our galaxy does today.
The James Webb Space Telescope is being assembled over the next two years, with recent installations of primary mirror segments and upcoming tests at NASA Goddard and Johnson Space Center. The telescope will undergo end-to-end optical testing in a simulated cryo-temperature environment before final assembly and launch preparation.
Astronomers at the University of Arizona have taken the first direct, time-resolved images of an exoplanet using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The young exoplanet, 2M1207b, has a patchy cloud pattern and rotates twice as fast as Earth.
The final primary mirror segment was installed on the telescope structure using a robotic arm, completing a decade-long design and manufacturing process. Once deployed, the 18 segments will form a single large 21.3-foot diameter mirror to study planetary atmospheres, star-forming regions, and the universe's beginnings.
The Smith Cloud, a massive cloud of hydrogen gas, is plummeting towards the Milky Way at nearly 700,000 miles per hour. Astronomers believe it will ignite a spectacular burst of star formation upon impact, potentially providing enough gas to create 2 million suns.
The James Webb Space Telescope's 18 primary flight mirror segments are being installed using a high-precision robotic arm, requiring fraction-of-a-millimeter accuracy. The team uses lasers to measure distance and a coordinate system to place each segment, achieving precision better than the thickness of a piece of paper.
The James Webb Space Telescope has made significant progress with the installation of its primary mirror segments, a critical component of the observatory. The 18 hexagonal-shaped mirrors will work together as one large 21.3-foot mirror, unfolding and adjusting to shape after launch.
The Fermi team has created the most detailed census of the sky yet made at extreme energies using improved data processing methods. The new sky map reveals hundreds of high-energy sources, including blazars and remnants of supernova explosions.
The James Webb Space Telescope's Integrated Science Instrument Module passed a test for compatibility with the spacecraft's electromagnetic environment. The test, conducted in an anechoic chamber, aimed to assess the likelihood of interference and ensure the instrument's functionality in space.
Astronomers have found five objects with similar properties to the massive stellar system Eta Carinae, including a class of less massive stars. These discoveries were made using archival data from Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, which identified key characteristics such as dust formation and infrared emission.
The James Webb Space Telescope's segmented primary mirror is half complete with nine mirrors installed, on track for full completion in early 2016. The mirrors were built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp and will work together as one large 21.3-foot mirror.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a newborn star with twin jets, reminiscent of a Star Wars lightsaber, in the Orion B molecular cloud complex. The protostar is feeding on surrounding material and shooting gas into space, creating shock fronts that heat up the surrounding gas.
Astronomers have studied ten hot Jupiter-sized exoplanets in detail using Hubble and Spitzer telescopes. The results show that planetary atmospheres are more diverse than expected, with some planets containing clouds and haze that hide water from view. This solves the mystery of why some exoplanets appear to have less water than expected.
A team of astronomers has solved the long-standing mystery of missing water in hot Jupiter-sized exoplanets by analyzing atmospheric data from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. The study found that cloudy atmospheres are responsible for hiding water, ruling out dry hot Jupiters.
Astronomers discovered the faintest object ever seen in the early universe, dubbed Tayna, with NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. This small, dim galaxy is thought to be a key to understanding the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.
The James Webb Space Telescope has received its first mirror installation, with 18 primary mirror segments scheduled to be installed by early next year. The mirrors are made of ultra-lightweight beryllium and must remain precisely aligned in space for successful science investigations.
The James Webb Space Telescope's 'Pathfinder' telescope completed its second super-cold optical test, using specialized equipment to simulate star images and perform end-to-end testing. The successful test demonstrates the ability to optically test and align the telescope at planned operating temperatures.
The Rochester Institute of Technology and Raytheon Vision Systems collaboration has received $2 million in NSF funding to develop new infrared detectors grown on silicon wafers. The technology is expected to increase discovery space for telescopes and expand its use to homeland security, remote sensing, and biomedical imaging.
Engineers completed two deployments for the James Webb Space Telescope's wings, a crucial step in assembling the telescope's carbon fiber framework. The telescope will hold 18 mirrors and fold up to fit inside a launch vehicle.
Researchers have discovered a dying giant radio galaxy 9 billion light years away, offering insights into the properties of magnetic fields in the distant universe. The galaxy's radio lobes are fading due to energy loss through radio wave emission and inverse Compton scattering.
Astronomers use Hubble Space Telescope to uncover blueprints of Milky Way's early construction phase, revealing the history of stars that existed 12 billion years ago. The study suggests the galaxy's bulge formed first and its stellar inhabitants were born quickly, with the rest of the galaxy growing more slowly.
The James Webb Space Telescope's Integrated Science Instrument Module has begun its final cryogenic test at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The test, which will last several months, aims to ensure the instruments are ready for flight and can withstand the extreme temperatures they will encounter in space.
Researchers have pushed boundaries to establish new limits in science, from growing carbon nanotubes with exceptional reflectivity to studying extremophiles like Deinococcus radiodurans. These discoveries highlight the importance of exploring extremes and advancing our understanding of physics.
A new theoretical study suggests that only eight percent of potentially habitable planets will ever form in the universe, while the bulk of those planets - 92 percent - have yet to be born. This conclusion is based on an assessment of data collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler space observatory.
The Pathfinder telescope has completed its first super-cold optical test, achieving significant breakthroughs in cryogenic alignment and testing of primary mirror segments. This test demonstrated the ability to optically test and align the telescope at -400 degrees Fahrenheit, simulating operating temperatures for the L2 Lagrange point.
Astronomers have discovered unexplained wave-like structures in the dusty disk surrounding the young star AU Mic, moving at speeds of up to 22,000 miles per hour. The features, resembling ripples in water, are unlike anything ever observed or predicted and may provide valuable clues about planet formation.
The Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled a small section of the expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago. The Veil Nebula, covering six full moons on the sky, is composed of wisps of gas that were once a star 20 times more massive than our sun.
Researchers found a distant galaxy cluster producing over 800 solar masses of new stars annually, significantly higher than our Milky Way. The discovery reveals a rare 'wet merger' event where a gas-rich spiral galaxy collides with the massive cluster's central galaxy.
The deployable tower assembly (DTA) is a crucial component of the James Webb Space Telescope, enabling its instruments to be separated from the spacecraft bus and sunshield after launch. This allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light.
Researchers found nearly 10 times more faint, early galaxies than previously detected in deep Hubble surveys. They used a new statistical method to parse out signals from noise in the images.
Astronomers have found a similar percentage of newborn stars with specific masses in young clusters of the Andromeda galaxy compared to our own. This study, utilizing Hubble images and citizen scientist contributions, helps interpret distant galaxy light and understand star formation history.
The James Webb Space Telescope's flight backplane has arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, marking a significant step towards the telescope's 2018 launch. The backplane will hold the telescope's 18 hexagonal mirrors and instruments steady while observing deep space.
The sunshield on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is the largest part of the observatory, separating a warm sun-facing side from a cold environment to protect sensitive infrared instruments. The precise unfolding of the five-layer sunshield must be accurate within a few centimeters to maintain alignment and operate effectively.
Astronomers observed a record-setting flare from the blazar galaxy 3C 279, which became four times brighter than the brightest persistent source in the gamma-ray sky. The rapid fading of the flare was detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other satellites.
A new study led by Michigan State University suggests there may be fewer galaxies further out in the universe than previously expected. The research used simulations to examine galaxy formation in the early universe and found that the number of faint galaxies could be as low as ten times larger than initially thought.
NASA has developed a new technology to protect the James Webb Space Telescope from contamination, using Molecular Adsorber Coating (MAC) panels. The MAC panels capture outgassed molecular contaminants in the vacuum chamber, preventing them from affecting sensitive instrument components.
Astronomers have discovered a massive cloud of hydrogen, dubbed 'The Behemoth,' evaporating from a warm Neptune-sized planet orbiting a nearby star. The phenomenon may help explain the existence of Hot Super-Earths and provide insights into how planets lose their outer layers.
Astronomers use Hubble Space Telescope to uncover the early formative years of quasars, finding that galaxy collisions and mergers drive their peak activity. The observations reveal the transitional phase in the merger-driven black hole scenario, providing new insights into the universe's brightest objects.
NGC 6503, a 30,000-light-year-long galaxy, is located at the edge of the 150-million-light-year-wide Local Void. The Hubble Space Telescope image showcases its vibrant colors and swirling spiral arms.
Astronomers confirm three supernovae existed in the dark emptiness of intergalactic space, far from their home galaxies. This discovery provides crucial insight into the formation and evolution of galaxy clusters.
Astronomers analyzed Hubble data to find that Nix and Hydra are in chaotic rotation around Pluto. The system's dynamic motion offers insights into binary star systems and potential consequences for life.
Two of Pluto's moons, Nix and Hydra, wobble unpredictably due to a constantly shifting gravitational field created by the double planet system of Pluto and Charon. This effect is strengthened by the non-spherical shape of the moons, which may be similar for the other two moons, Kerberos and Styx.
Astronomers have discovered a rare collision between two high-speed knots of ejected matter in a supermassive black hole jet. The finding suggests that shocks produced by collisions within the jet accelerate particles and brighten the regions of colliding material.