NASA Astronomers Complete Ice Giant Mission Study
NASA has released the first study of potential future missions to the mysterious “ice giant” planets Uranus and Neptune. The Ice Giant Mission Study is…
astronomy
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope Identifies 219 New Planet Candidates
Astronomers have identified 219 new planet candidates, 10 of which are near-Earth size and orbiting in their star’s habitable zone. NASA’s Kepler space telescope team…
Astronomers Measure the Magnetic Field HAT-P-7b
New magnetohydrodynamic simulations of HAT-P-7 b reveal variable winds and a corresponding variability in the position of the hottest point in the atmosphere. Studying a…
Classic Hubble Image of Planetary Nebula IC 418
This classic Hubble image from 2000 shows planetary nebula IC 418 glowing like a multifaceted jewel with enigmatic patterns. IC 418 lies about 2,000 light-years…
Hubble Image of the Week – Spiral Galaxy ESO 486-21
This Hubble image of the week shows spiral galaxy ESO 486-21. ESO 486-21 is somewhat irregular with its ill-defined structure and is located some 30…
Juno Spacecraft Views the Many Colors of Jupiter’s Clouds
Taken on on May 19, 2017 by NASA’s Juno Spacecraft, this enhanced image reveals the many colors of Jupiter. NASA’s Juno Spacecraft was racing away…
Astronomers Reveal Detailed Relationships Between Gas and Dust in Molecular Clouds
New research on the molecular cloud complex in Orion-B reveals the detailed relationships between the gas and dust, and quantifies how the spatially varying intensities…
ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope Views Glowing Cloud of Gas Sharpless 2-54
A new image from ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) captures the glowing cloud of gas called Sharpless 2-54, the iconic Eagle Nebula, and the Omega…
Green Bank Ammonia Survey Peers Deep into the Stellar Nursery of the Orion Nebula
In a newly published study, astronomers present an overview of the first data release (DR1) and first-look science from the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS)….
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Views Northern Summer on Titan
This newly released Cassini image shows bright methane clouds drifting in the summer skies of Saturn’s moon Titan, along with dark hydrocarbon lakes and seas…
ALMA Discovers a Weak and Wildly Disorganized Magnetic Field Near a Protostar
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers has discovered a surprisingly weak and wildly disorganized magnetic field very near a newly…
Astronomers Provide New Evidence That All Stars Are Born in Pairs
Using a radio survey of a giant molecular cloud filled with recently formed stars and a mathematical model that can explain the observations, astronomers reveal…
SOFIA Investigates Cool Dust Around Energetic Active Black Holes
Using observations from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), scientists at the University of Texas San Antonio found that the dust surrounding active, ravenous…
Astronomers Reveal That Jupiter is the Oldest Planet in Our Solar System
New research from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reveals that Jupiter is the oldest planet in our solar system. By looking at tungsten and molybdenum…
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Views Iapetus
This newly released Cassini image shows Iapetus, the third-largest natural satellite of Saturn. Iapetus is a world of contrast, with light and dark regions fitting…
ALMA Reveals the True Shape of the Boomerang Nebula
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers view the Boomerang Nebula – a pre-planetary nebula produced by a dying star. This Picture of Week…
Hubble Image of the Week – White Dwarf Stein 2051 B
Hubble observed the nearby white dwarf star Stein 2051 B as it passed in front of a background star. During the close alignment, the white…
Curiosity Reveals Evidence of Diverse Environments on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity Rover has revealed a wide diversity of minerals in the initial samples of rocks from the lowermost layers of Mount Sharp on Mars,…