Cassini Views Saturn’s Rings and the Shadows They Cast on the Planet
This newly released image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows Saturn’s rings and the shadows they cast on the planet. Saturn’s rings cast shadows on the…
Astronomy News
New Herschel Data Reveal Insight into the Internal Dynamics of Two Young Galaxies
Researchers have discovered a young galaxy, called S0901, rotating in a calm manner typical of more developed galaxies like our own spiral Milky Way. New…
Astronomers Uncover Debris Disks Hidden in Past Hubble Images
By applying new image processing techniques, astronomers uncovered images of debris disks hidden away in Hubble infrared data taken over a decade ago. With the…
Geochemical Meteorite Data Reveal How Mars Lost Its Water
Using geochemical meteorite data to understand how the volume of water has changed on Mars over its history, a new study from the Tokyo Institute…
Astrophysicists Examine Orbit Flips in Exoplanet Systems
Astrophysicists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics examine orbit flips in exoplanet systems, presenting a previously unidentified mechanism whereby such interactions can completely flip the…
Hubble Views the Core of Spiral Galaxy Messier 61
This newly released Hubble image shows spiral galaxy Messier 61, also known as NGC 4303. This new Hubble picture is the sharpest ever image of…
Spitzer and WISE Discover Coldest Known Brown Dwarf
NASA’s WISE and Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered the coldest known brown dwarf, which is located 7.2 light-years away. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)…
Early Chemistry of a Star’s Protoplanetary Disc Shapes Life-Friendly Atmospheres
A new study reveals that the chemistry of a star’s protoplanetary disc could influence the later composition of planetary atmospheres. Born in a disc of…
Amateur Astronomers Combine Data to Reveal New Images of Galaxies
Amateur astronomers and astrophotographers have combined their optical data with the data from some of the world’s most sophisticated space telescopes to reveal new images…
Astronomers Reveal Relationship Between the Color of a Galaxy and the Size of Its Bulge
Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to group together over half a million galaxies of all different colors, shapes, and masses, new research…
Researchers Reveal New Method for Studying Binary Star Systems
Using data from the Kepler spacecraft, researchers from the University of Washington confirm the first “self-lensing” binary star system. What looked at first like a…
Hubble Views Globular Cluster Messier 5
This newly released Hubble image shows globular cluster Messier 5, which is located 24,500 light-years away. This sparkling jumble is Messier 5 — a globular…
Nearly Completed VPHAS+ Catalog to Include 300 Million Stars
Nearly completed, the VPHAS+ catalog will include stars and nebulae that are as much as 1500 times fainter than the ones in the older catalog,…
New Technique Provides Near Real-Time Mapping of the Sun’s Interior
Using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, researchers have developed a new technique that opens the door for near real-time mapping of the sun’s roiling…
Kepler Discovers Earth-Size Planet Orbiting a Star in the ‘Habitable Zone’
Astronomers have discovered the first Earth-size planet orbiting a star in the “habitable zone,” confirming that Earth-size planets exist in the habitable zones of other…
Scientists Reveal Neutron Star Glitches Have a Minimum Size
New research reveals that sudden speed jumps in the rotational velocity of pulsars have a minimum size, and that they are caused not by the…
Hubble Image Reveals Cross-Section View of the Universe
This newly released Hubble image provides a cross-section view of the Universe, showing objects at different distances and stages in cosmic history. An image of…
ESO Reveals a New Image of Gum 41
The European Southern Observatory reveals a new image of Gum 41, a cloud of hydrogen and newborn stars in the constellation of Centaurus. This new…