Comet ISON brings holiday fireworks
Comet ISON is approaching Earth, expected to be visible to the naked eye in November. The comet's icy nucleus and bright star-like coma create a tail of gas and dust streaming behind it.
Space Telescopes
Articles tagged with Space Telescopes
Spiral galaxies like Milky Way bigger than thought, says CU-Boulder study
Researchers led by CU-Boulder's John Stocke discovered normal spiral galaxies are surrounded by massive gas halos extending up to 1 million light-years in diameter, much larger than previously estimated. These findings have significant consequences for galaxy evolution and provide new insights into the formation process of stars.
Messier 61 looks straight into Hubble's camera
Messier 61 is a massive spiral galaxy with a diameter of 100,000 light-years, located 55 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy features six supernovae, making it one of the top galaxies for supernova observations.
Colliding galaxy pair takes flight
The colliding galaxy duo Arp 142 features a star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2936 with a compressed gas core triggering new star formation. The elliptical companion NGC 2937 is warped by the encounter, but shows little effect from gravitational pull.
Rare stellar alignment offers opportunity to hunt for planets
Astronomers have two opportunities to detect planets around Proxima Centauri using a rare stellar alignment. The closest encounters in October 2014 and February 2016 will allow scientists to measure the mass of the red dwarf, which could indicate the presence of smaller terrestrial planets.
NASA completes first part of Webb Telescope's 'eye surgery' operation
Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center performed delicate 'eye surgery' to implant the MIRI instrument, weighing 181 pounds, into the ISIM module. The precise operation requires coordination among multiple team members to avoid disturbing the critical science instruments.
NASA high school STEM challenge announces winning team
The 2012-2013 first place team in the NASA RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge consists of five high school juniors and seniors who developed innovative engineering designs for the James Webb Space Telescope. The winning team will present their design concept to Dr. John Mather at a VIP event at NASA Goddard.
NASA's Hubble sees a Horsehead of a different color
The iconic Horsehead Nebula is seen in a new infrared image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing its ethereal and transparent appearance at this wavelength. The nebula, located about 1,500 light-years away, is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud and is being formed by massive stars.
For the very first time, 2 spacecraft will fly in formation with millimeter precision
The Proba-3 mission aims to validate precision formation flight technology, enabling the creation of enormous space telescopes. Two satellites weighing approximately 340 kg and 200 kg will travel jointly attached together until they separate in a highly-eccentric orbit.
Premier issue of New Space journal launched at 29th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs
The premier issue of New Space journal marks a significant milestone in the field of commercial space ventures. The inaugural issue features premium content from leading experts, including editorials, roundtable discussions, and peer-reviewed original articles.
Hubble breaks record in search for farthest supernova
Astronomers have found the farthest Type Ia supernova, named SN Wilson, with a distance of over 13.8 billion years ago. This discovery provides insights into how these stars explode and test theories about dark energy.
Practice makes perfect with Webb telescope mirror placement
The James Webb Space Telescope will feature 18 individual mirror segments that require precise alignment at extremely cold temperatures in space. The telescope's backplane is a truss structure made of lightweight but stiff tubes, holding the mirror segments together.
NASA's Webb Telescope gets its wings
The James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror backplane support structure is nearing completion with the recent assembly of its wings. The complex wing assemblies feature 900 separate parts made of lightweight graphite composite materials.
Hubble finds birth certificate of oldest known star
Astronomers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to determine the age of the oldest known star, HD 140283, which could be as old as 14.5 billion years. The new age estimate reduces measurement uncertainty, overlapping with the universe's age, and provides a precise calculation of the star's intrinsic brightness.
Gravitational lens creates cartoon of space invader
Astronomers have captured a striking image of a spiral galaxy distorted by gravitational lensing, resembling an alien from the classic computer game 'Space Invaders'. The foreground cluster of galaxies acts as a natural lens to magnify and brighten light from background galaxies, creating this surreal landscape.
NASA's Webb telescope to have a Texas-sized presence at the South by Southwest Festival
The James Webb Space Telescope will be displayed life-size at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, featuring exhibits and educational activities for all ages. The telescope model weighs 12,000 lbs. and is being assembled at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA telescopes discover strobe-like flashes in a suspected binary protostar
Astronomers have uncovered a mysterious infant star with strobe-like flashes, revealing insights into the early stages of star formation. The flashes are thought to be caused by periodic interactions between two newly formed stars in a binary system.
Amateur and professional astronomers team up to create a cosmological masterpiece
Astronomers Robert Gendler and Jay GaBany combined archival Hubble images with their own ground-based observations to create a detailed photo illustration of the galaxy. The resulting image reveals the optical component of the galaxy's 'anomalous arms' and provides insights into the galaxy's structure and composition.
2012: The Webb telescope's big year of progress
In 2012, the James Webb Space Telescope made significant progress with the delivery of two primary mirrors, the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), and the Fine Guidance Sensor and Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS/NIRISS). The telescope's center section backplane structure was also completed, supporting the mirrors and o...
NASA readies famous 'Chamber A' to welcome the James Webb Space Telescope
The famous Chamber A thermal vacuum testing chamber, upgraded to accommodate the James Webb Space Telescope, will undergo a 90-day test period. The test will confirm the telescope's performance in cold temperatures and include operating system tests.
NASA's Webb telescope team completes optical milestone
The aft-optics subsystem of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has completed performance testing, marking a significant milestone in the telescope's integration and test activities. The successful completion of this testing demonstrates that the AOS can withstand the extreme temperatures and vibration environment of space.
Notre Dame astronomers find massive supply of gas around modern galaxies
Researchers led by Nicolas Lehner found large quantities of cool gas with low heavy element content surrounding modern galaxies. This gas has not been strongly processed through stars, providing a substantial reservoir for fueling continued star formation in modern galaxies.
Galactic geysers fuelled by star stuff
A team of astronomers has mapped enormous outflows of charged particles from the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, stretching over 50,000 light-years. The phenomenon is driven by many generations of stars forming and exploding in the Galactic Centre over the last hundred million years.
New free e-Books available about 2 famous NASA space telescopes
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been providing amazing images of the universe since April 1990, while the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope will reveal mysteries of the universe in much greater detail. The new free e-Books offer interactive resources and insights into both telescopes' science and technology.
Hubble census finds galaxies at redshifts 9 to 12
Astronomers have discovered seven primitive galaxies from a distant population formed over 13 billion years ago. The observations reveal the earliest years of cosmic history and provide new insights into galaxy formation.
Fast forward to the past: NASA technologists test 'game-changing' data-processing technology
Researchers are exploring an emerging processing technology developed by Analog Devices Lyric Labs that could revolutionize onboard data processing in space. The technology, which represents probabilities rather than binary ones and zeros, enables parallel calculations, reducing power consumption and increasing efficiency.
Most-distant galaxy candidate found
Astronomers have found a galaxy whose light traveled 13.3 billion years to reach Earth, offering a glimpse into the universe's early stages. The newly discovered galaxy, MACS0647-JD, is only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way and may be one of many building blocks of a galaxy.
NASA great observatories find candidate for most distant object in the universe to date
Astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy, MACS0647-JD, which offers a glimpse into the early universe 420 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy was magnified by a massive cluster using gravitational lensing, revealing three images of the same object.
Quasar may be embedded in unusually dusty galaxy
Astronomers discovered a quasar hidden behind a dusty galaxy, where no starlight is visible due to intense dust blocking. The James Webb Space Telescope will help detect the underlying stars, which were not seen by Hubble.
Astronomers uncover a surprising trend in galaxy evolution
Researchers studied 544 blue galaxies and found they gradually transformed into orderly disk-shaped systems, with increasing rotation speeds and organization. The study's findings contradict previous studies that examined only well-behaved galaxies.
Hubble goes to the eXtreme to assemble farthest-ever view of the universe
The eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) image is a small fraction of the angular diameter of the full moon, containing about 5,500 galaxies. The XDF reveals galaxies that span back 13.2 billion years in time, providing a 'time tunnel into the distant past' and shedding light on the early universe's dramatic birth and evolution.
Ultra-distant galaxy spied amidst cosmic 'Dark Ages'
Astronomers have detected a potentially most distant galaxy ever seen, offering a glimpse into the universe's earliest epochs. The galaxy, observed through gravitational lensing, has a redshift of 9.6 and is estimated to be less than 200 million years old.
Hubble watches star clusters on a collision course
Astronomers using Hubble data observe two massive star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud that may be in early stages of merger. The discovery sheds light on the origin of large star clusters and helps scientists understand galaxy formation.
Hubble discovers a fifth moon orbiting Pluto
The discovery of the new moon provides additional clues for unraveling how the Pluto system formed and evolved. The team is using Hubble's powerful vision to scour the Pluto system to uncover potential hazards to NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
Hubble unmasks ghost galaxies
Astronomers discover that small dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way contain only a few stars and share the same birth date, indicating they were shut down by reionization. The relic galaxies provide evidence for a transitional phase in the early universe.
NASA's Hubble spots rare gravitational arc from distant, hefty galaxy cluster
Astronomers found a rare gravitational arc behind an extremely massive galaxy cluster 10 billion light-years away, defying statistical expectations. The arc is the result of powerful gravity distorting light from a more distant galaxy, offering insight into the early universe's conditions for massive cluster growth.
Most quasars live on snacks, not large meals
New study finds that most massive black-hole growth in the early universe was fueled by small, long-term events rather than dramatic short-term major mergers. Quasars thrive in normal-looking spiral galaxies, triggered by black holes snacking on gas or small satellite galaxies.
First flight instrument delivered for James Webb
The James Webb Space Telescope has received its first mid-infrared instrument, the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), allowing scientists to study cold and distant objects in greater detail. MIRI's capabilities will help distinguish the oldest galaxies from more evolved objects, enabling researchers to understand the birthplaces of stars.
NASA's Fermi detects the highest-energy light from a solar flare
Fermi detects the highest-energy gamma rays ever associated with a solar flare, surpassing visible light by two billion times. The discovery showcases Fermi's capabilities as a solar observatory, providing insights into solar outbursts and charged particles acceleration.
NASA's Hubble shows Milky Way is destined for head-on collision
The Milky Way is destined for a head-on collision with the Andromeda galaxy in 4 billion years. Computer simulations show that stars will be thrown into different orbits around the new galactic center, and our solar system may be tossed farther from the core.
First instrument for the JWST is completed and handed over to NASA
The Mid InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) has been declared ready for delivery to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. This instrument will allow astronomers to explore the formation of planets around distant stars and could pave the way for investigations into other planetary systems.
Hubble to use moon as mirror to see Venus transit
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope will observe the moon for seven hours before, during, and after a rare Venus transit on June 5-6. The telescope will capture reflected sunlight and isolate the small fraction of light that passes through Venus' atmosphere to study its atmospheric makeup.
NASA's Webb Telescope flight backplane section completed
The center section of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the telescope's hardware development. The backplane will support the telescope's mirrors, instruments, and thermal control systems during its mission.
Webb Telescope spinoff technologies already seen in some industries
New stitching technique improves measurement of large aspheres in optics industry. Wavefront sensing technology enhances eye health diagnosis and treatment in medical industry.
Hubble's panoramic view of a turbulent star-making region
The new Hubble image reveals millions of young stars in the 30 Doradus star-forming complex, with some stars weighing over 100 times the mass of our sun. The nebula is home to the fastest rotating and highest velocity stars ever observed.
NASA Goddard engineers testing Webb Telescope's OSIM and BIA instruments
Several critical NASA components are being tested to ensure the success of the James Webb Space Telescope. The OSIM and BIA instruments will simulate the telescope's science cameras and spectrographs, while also verifying their functionality in cryogenic temperatures. This testing program is essential for the mission's success.
Data mining deep space
Bahram Mobasher has received a two-year grant from NASA to compile imaging observations of galaxy surveys taken by the Hubble Space Telescope since 2002. The project aims to provide multi-wavelength data for measuring physical properties of galaxies and studying their formation and evolution.
The MIRI has 2 faces
MIRI, the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope, offers unparalleled capabilities for studying distant galaxies, star formation, and planetary systems. Its spectrometer and camera enable scientists to analyze an object's physical properties and image its shape and structure.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble discover quasars acting as gravitational lenses
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found galaxies containing quasars that act as gravitational lenses, distorting images of aligned galaxies. Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes and help estimate the mass of host galaxies.
Gravitational lens reveals details of distant, ancient galaxy
Astronomers have obtained a unique close-up look at the brightest gravitationally magnified galaxy yet discovered using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The image revealed regions of star formation glowing like bright points of light, which are much brighter than any star-formation region in our own galaxy.
Star cluster surrounds wayward black hole in cannibal galaxy
Astronomers have discovered a young cluster of blue stars surrounding an intermediate-mass black hole in a cannibal galaxy. The star cluster is thought to be less than 200 million years old and may be the remnant of a dwarf galaxy that was swallowed by the larger galaxy.
Black hole came from a shredded galaxy
Researchers found a cluster of young, blue stars encircling the first intermediate-mass black hole ever discovered in a dwarf galaxy. The presence of this star cluster suggests that the black hole was once at the core of the now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy.
Hubble zooms in on a magnified galaxy
Astronomers use gravitational lensing to study a vigorously forming galaxy, revealing regions of intense star formation. The team aims to analyze these star-forming regions through spectroscopy to understand their formation mechanisms.
Rare ultra-blue stars found in neighboring galaxy's hub
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found a large population of hot, bright blue stars in the center of the Andromeda galaxy. The stars, which are aging sun-like stars, have prematurely shed their outer layers to expose their extremely blue-hot cores.
Hubble solves mystery on source of supernova in nearby galaxy
Astronomers have solved a longstanding mystery on the type of star that caused a Type Ia supernova seen in a nearby galaxy. The Hubble Space Telescope detected faint white dwarf remnants, contradicting previous theories and suggesting two tightly orbiting stars may have collided to trigger the explosion.
Hubble breaks new ground with discovery of distant exploding star
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a distant Type Ia supernova, offering new opportunities to study dark energy. The discovery marks a significant step forward in understanding the mysterious force driving the universe's acceleration.
NASA's Fermi Space Telescope explores new energy extremes
The Fermi team has discovered hundreds of new energy sources in the high-energy sky, including active galaxies and pulsars. These discoveries will allow astronomers to compare the behavior of different sources across a wider span of gamma-ray energies for the first time.
Hubble pinpoints farthest protocluster of galaxies ever seen
Astronomers have pinpointed the most distant galaxy cluster in the early universe, comprising five tiny galaxies 600 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery confirms theoretical understanding of galaxy cluster formation and provides evidence for the hierarchical model of galaxy assembly.
Before they were stars
The Cygnus X region is home to thousands of massive stars and many more stars around the size of our sun or smaller. Infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals a complex of star-forming clouds, with bubbles carved out by radiation and winds from massive stars.
University of Colorado-led study pinpoints farthest developing galaxy cluster ever found
A team of researchers has discovered the most distant developing galaxy cluster, approximately 13.1 billion light-years away, using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The cluster is among the brightest galaxies in the early universe and is expected to grow into a massive galactic city.