This new Hubble images shows galaxy cluster Abell S1077 and is based in part on data spotted by Nick Rose in the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition. Bright arcs are smeared around the heart of galaxy cluster Abell S1077 in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble space telescope. The arcs are stretched images [...]

This new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows galaxy 2MASX J05210136-2521450. When we look into the distant cosmos, the great majority of the objects we see are galaxies: immense gatherings of stars, planets, gas, dust, and dark matter, showing up in all kind of shapes. This Hubble picture registers several, but the galaxy cataloged [...]

Using ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have detected and analyzed a variety of simple molecules at the center of Milky Way, allowing them to probe some of the fundamental properties of the interstellar gas surrounding the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. ESA’s Herschel space observatory has made detailed observations of [...]

ESA’s Mars Express has captured new images of a region on Mars known as Sulci Gordii, which lies about 200 km east of Olympus Mons. Giant landslides, lava flows and tectonic forces are behind this dynamic scene captured recently by ESA’s Mars Express of a region scarred by the Solar System’s largest volcano, Olympus Mons. [...]

Using the Herschel space observatory, researchers have solved the mystery as to the origin of water in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, finding conclusive evidence that it was delivered by the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994. Astronomers have finally found direct proof that almost all water present in Jupiter’s stratosphere was delivered by [...]

In this image the Hubble Space Telescope shows globular cluster Palomar 2, which is part of a group of 15 globulars known as the Palomar clusters. Palomar 2 is part of a group of 15 globulars known as the Palomar clusters. These clusters, as the name suggests, were discovered in survey plates from the first [...]

A large team of astronomers has discovered the earliest starburst galaxy ever observed. Occurring just 880 million years after the Big Bang, HFLS3 is a dust-filled, massive galaxy generating the mass equivalent of 2,900 suns per year. Pasadena, California — Smaller begets bigger. Such is often the case for galaxies, at least: the first galaxies [...]

This new Hubble image shows the dusty details of elliptical galaxy NGC 2768. The soft glow in this image is NGC 2768, an elliptical galaxy located in the northern constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). NGC 2768 appears here as a bright oval on the sky, surrounded by a wide, fuzzy cloud of material. [...]

Using ESA’s Integral space observatory, astronomers discovered and watched a black hole in galaxy NGC 4845 feed on a low-mass object that strayed too close. Loading… Astronomers have watched as a black hole woke up from a decades-long slumber to feed on a low-mass object – either a brown dwarf or a giant planet – [...]

Based on the first 15.5 months of all-sky observations, scientists have created the most detailed map ever made of the oldest light in the universe, revealing new information about its age, contents and origins. Pasadena, California — The Planck space mission has released the most accurate and detailed map ever made of the oldest light [...]

A team of astronomers have found some of the youngest stars ever seen, giving scientists a window into the earliest and least understood phases of star formation. Pasadena, California – Astronomers have found some of the youngest stars ever seen, thanks to the Herschel space observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA contributions. [...]

Using data from ground observations and space telescopes, researchers have identified a red dwarf and black hole that orbit each other once every 2.4 hours, beating the previous record. Loading… ESA’s XMM-Newton space telescope has helped to identify a star and a black hole that orbit each other at the dizzying rate of once every [...]