Phew! James Webb passes its final thermal vacuum test. Still on track for 2021 The James Webb Space Telescope recently completed vacuum chamber testing, and is good to go for its 2021 launch date! The post Phew! James Webb passes its final thermal vacuum test. Still on track for 2021 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
MOONRISE: Melting lunar regolith with lasers to build structures on the Moon A team of German scientists have invented a new laser system that could be used to build a lunar base in the near-future. The post MOONRISE: Melting lunar regolith with lasers to build structures on the Moon appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
The First-Ever Film of a Total Solar Eclipse – in 1900 – was Just Discovered and Restored The first film of a total solar eclipse has been restored by specialists at the British Film Institute (BFI) and made available for viewing. The film was taken in North Caroline in 1900 by Nevil Maskelyne. Maskelyne was a British man who was a magician turned film-maker. He took the film as part of a … Continue reading “The First-Ever Film of a Total Solar Eclipse – in 1900 – was Just Discovered and Restored” The post The First-Ever Film of a Total Solar Eclipse – in 1900Read More →
Curiosity has Found the Mother Lode of Clay on the Surface of Mars Clay is a big deal on Mars because it often forms in contact with water. Find clay, and you’ve usually found evidence of water. And the nature, history, and current water budget on Mars are all important to understanding that planet, and if it ever supported life. Right now, MSL Curiosity is at Mt. Sharp … Continue reading “Curiosity has Found the Mother Lode of Clay on the Surface of Mars” The post Curiosity has Found the Mother Lode of Clay on the Surface of Mars appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →
Image: Hubble sees a galaxy bucking the trend This luminous orb is the galaxy NGC 4621, better known as Messier 59. As this latter moniker indicates, the galaxy is listed in the famous catalog of deep-sky objects compiled by French comet-hunter Charles Messier in the 18th century. However, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Koehler is credited with discovering the galaxy just days before Messier added it to his collection in 1779. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Study provides new insights into stellar population and gas outflow in the central region of NGC 1068 A new study conducted by French astronomers has delivered new insights about central stellar population and gas outflow in the spiral galaxy NGC 1068. Results of the research, presented in a paper published May 22 on arXiv.org, could be essential in improving our knowledge about physical processes taking place in the inner region of this galaxy. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Spitzer captures stellar family portrait In this large celestial mosaic taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, there’s a lot to see, including multiple clusters of stars born from the same dense clumps of gas and dust. Some of these clusters are older than others and more evolved, making this a generational stellar portrait. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Why do Some Hubble Images Have That Chunk Taken Out of the Corner? Great question! The answer has to do with Hubble’s history. It’s easy to forget that the Hubble has been in space since 1990. That’s going on 30 years now. And during that time, it’s been serviced and had its cameras upgraded. The camera responsible for these “staircase” images is the Wide Field and Planetary Camera … Continue reading “Why do Some Hubble Images Have That Chunk Taken Out of the Corner?” The post Why do Some Hubble Images Have That Chunk Taken Out of the Corner? appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →
A Very Rare Planet Discovered. Less Massive than Neptune, Hotter than Mercury. Very Few Should Exist Astronomers have discovered a very rare, very unusual planet in a distant solar system. The planet, called NGTS-4b, is three times the size of Earth, and about 20% smaller than Neptune. It’s hotter than our very own Mercury. At about 1,000 degrees Celsius, it would be the hottest planet if it were in our Solar … Continue reading “A Very Rare Planet Discovered. Less Massive than Neptune, Hotter than Mercury. Very Few Should Exist” The post A Very Rare Planet Discovered. Less Massive than Neptune, Hotter than Mercury. VeryRead More →
This is Where Mars 2020 Rover is Heading. From this Picture, I Think You Can Guess Why Get used to hearing the name “Jezero Crater.” It’s the landing site for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. The 2020 rover is slated to launch in July 2020, and will land at Jezero Crater in February, 2021. It’s pretty easy to see why NASA chose Jezero Crater for the next rover in their Mars Exploration Program … Continue reading “This is Where Mars 2020 Rover is Heading. From this Picture, I Think You Can Guess Why” The post This is Where Mars 2020 Rover is Heading. From this Picture,Read More →
NICER’s night moves trace the X-ray sky In this image, numerous sweeping arcs seem to congregate at various bright regions. You may wonder: What is being shown? Air traffic routes? Information moving around the global internet? Magnetic fields looping across active areas on the Sun? phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Subaru Telescope captures 1800 new supernovae Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope identified about 1800 new supernovae in the distant universe, including 58 Type Ia supernovae over 8 billion light-years away. These findings will help elucidate the expansion of the universe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
A new view of exoplanets with NASA’s upcoming Webb Telescope While we now know of thousands of exoplanets—planets around other stars—the vast majority of our knowledge is indirect. That is, scientists have not actually taken many pictures of exoplanets, and because of the limits of current technology, we can only see these worlds as points of light. However, the number of exoplanets that have been directly imaged is growing over time. When NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launches in 2021, it will open a new window on these exoplanets, observing them in wavelengths at which they have never been seen before and gaining new insightsRead More →
Ammonia detected on the surface of Pluto, hints at subterranean water A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. and one in France has found evidence of ammonia on the surface of Pluto. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their finding and what it might have revealed about the dwarf planet. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Astronomers are Finding Binary Pairs of Stars Thrown out of Galaxies Together A rogue star is one that has escaped the gravitational pull of its home galaxy. These stars drift through intergalactic space, and so are sometimes called intergalactic stars. Sometimes, when a rogue star is ejected from its galaxy, it drags its binary pair along for the ride. Astronomers think that most stars live in binary … Continue reading “Astronomers are Finding Binary Pairs of Stars Thrown out of Galaxies Together” The post Astronomers are Finding Binary Pairs of Stars Thrown out of Galaxies Together appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →
Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars Mars is a sandy planet and the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has given us tons of beautiful pictures of Martian sand dunes. But Mars’ dunes are much different than dunes here on Earth. Their movement is governed by different factors than Earth dunes. The movement of sand dunes on Mars is … Continue reading “Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars” The post Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →
Photometric observations detect 28 new variable stars in NGC 4147 Using the Devasthal optical telescope in India, astronomers have conducted photometric observations of the globular cluster NGC 4147. The observational campaign yielded the discovery of 28 new variable stars in this cluster. The findings are detailed in a paper published May 20 on the arXiv pre-print server. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the Space Telescope Science Institute Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) Dr. Molly Peeples is a theorist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) studying how galaxies evolve with a focus on the origin and fate of the … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the Space Telescope Science Institute” The post Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the SpaceRead More →
SpaceX satellites pose new headache for astronomers It looked like a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster: an astronomer in the Netherlands captured footage of a train of brightly-lit SpaceX satellites ascending through the night sky this weekend, stunning space enthusiasts across the globe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
The ‘Forbidden’ planet has been found in the ‘Neptunian Desert’ An exoplanet smaller than Neptune with its own atmosphere has been discovered in the Neptunian Desert, by an international collaboration of astronomers, with the University of Warwick taking a leading role. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
