New Mosiac of the Moon’s South Pole
This newly released mosaic shows a crater-riddled region at the lunar south pole of our Moon. The dark and shadowed regions of the Moon fascinate…
Space News
Dark Stars – Astronomers Investigate if Dark Matter Influenced the Development of Stars
Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics used computer simulations of dark matter in the early universe to investigate if and how dark matter might…
High-Velocity Smith Cloud Appears to be Encased in a Shell of Dark Matter
New data from the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope reveals that the high-velocity cloud known as the Smith Cloud appears to be encased in…
Hubble Views Young Star IRAS 14568-6304
This newly released Hubble images shows the young star IRAS 14568-6304. This new Hubble image shows IRAS 14568-6304, a young star that is cloaked in…
Astronomers Solve the Mystery of Where Gamma Rays Originate
An international team of astronomers has for the first time confirmed a link between the gamma bursts and their counterparts in several radio frequencies, solving…
New Data from NASA Conflicts with Black Hole ‘Doughnut’ Theory
New data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer reveals a new feature about active black holes, leaving astronomers to reexamining a decades-old theory about the…
New ESO Image of Star Cluster NGC 3590
This newly released image from ESO’s La Silla Observatory shows star cluster NGC 3590, which is located roughly 7,500 light-years from Earth. This colorful new…
First Direct Confirmation of a Wolf-Rayet Star Self-Destructing in a Type IIb Supernova
Using an innovative sky survey called the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory, scientists have the first direct confirmation that a Wolf-Rayet star died in a violent…
Newly Discovered Cosmic Clumps Cast the Darkest Shadows Ever Recorded
Using data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered cosmic clumps within a huge cosmic cloud of gas and dust that cast the deepest…
Hubble Confirms the Distance of Galaxy Cluster JKCS 041
New research from the Carnegie Institute for Science has confirmed the distance of galaxy cluster JKCS 041, revealing 19 galaxies at precisely the same great…
Herschel Observations Help Identify the Physical Processes Underway in Cold, Dense Clouds
Using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, astronomers make a direct comparison between observations and chemical models for oxygen species in conditions just before star…
Three Recent Black Hole Events and How They Shape Our Universe
A new article from the Smithsonian Magazine takes a look at three recent black hole events and how they shape our universe. Near the middle…
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft Witnesses the Awakening of the Mission’s Target Comet
European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft witnesses the awakening of the mission’s target comet. The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, target of ESA’s Rosetta mission, has begun to develop…
Astronomers Identify the Chemical Signature of Planet-Eating Stars
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a new model that shows the chemical signature of a star element by element and reveals how that signature…
Hubble Views Auroral Lights at Saturn’s North Pole
New images taken by Hubble’s super-sensitive Advanced Camera for Surveys provide a detailed look at Saturn’s stormy aurorae, revealing previously unseen dynamics in the choreography…
Hubble Picture of the Day: Spiral Galaxy M106
This Hubble image of the day shows nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106. This image combines Hubble observations of Messier 106 with additional information captured by…
Astronomers Estimate the Time Scale for the Formation of Stars
Using a map of the galactic landscape that covers approximately two thirds of the whole region of the Milky Way, astronomers estimate the time scale…
Astronomers Identify the Orbit and Size of Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b
Using the Gemini Planet Imager, astronomers have identified the orbit and the size of exoplanet Beta Pictoris b. Using one of the world’s largest telescopes,…