A Cosmic Tale of Death & Dust Revealed in Orion Constellation
In a tale of cosmic proportions, the region is being transformed by the massive stars that live and die within it. A new image combining…
Herschel Space Observatory News
The Herschel Space Observatory was a European Space Agency (ESA) space observatory launched in 2009 and operational until 2013. Named after Sir William Herschel, the astronomer who discovered infrared radiation, Herschel was the largest infrared telescope ever launched, featuring a 3.5-meter diameter primary mirror. The observatory was designed to study the universe by observing infrared radiation, which is invisible to the naked eye but crucial for understanding phenomena that cannot be seen in visible light, such as the formation of stars and galaxies from dust clouds. Herschel’s mission provided significant insights into the cold and distant parts of the universe, offering a new window into star formation and galaxy evolution. It also studied the molecular composition of comets, planetary atmospheres, and the molecular gas and dust in other galaxies, contributing to a deeper understanding of cosmic history and processes. The mission concluded when the telescope’s supply of liquid helium, which was necessary to cool its instruments, was depleted.
Uncovering the Secrets of the Swan Nebula From a Telescope Flying on a Boeing 747
One of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions in our galaxy, the Omega, or Swan, Nebula, came to resemble the shape resembling a swan’s…
Astronomers Discovered Unusual Laser Emission in Ant Nebula
An international team of astronomers have discovered an unusual laser emission that suggests the presence of a double star system hidden at the heart of…
Herschel Solves Decades-Old Mystery About Starburst-Driven Superwinds
Astronomers have used ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory to solve a decades-old mystery about the origin of powerful cool gas winds in the hot environs of…
Researchers Measure the Delay Between the X-Rays and the Visible Light of a Black Hole Jet
Nothing can emerge from a black hole. Yet, in nature, we find ultra-powerful jets of energy that shoot out from the immediate vicinities of growing…
Astronomers Observe Rare Low-Mass White Dwarf and Brown Dwarf System
A group of astronomers in Brazilian universities and research institutions observed a star demoted to white dwarf status because of companion. A group of Brazilian…
NuSTAR and Herschel Probe Black Hole Jet Mystery
Using NASA’s NuSTAR Space Telescope and the William Herschel Observatory, astronomers have been able to measure the distance that particles in jets travel before they…
Herschel Space Telescope Unlocks the Secrets of Star Formation
Using the Herschel Space Telescope, astronomers have made giant strides in our understanding of the physical processes that lead to the birth of stars and…
Dawn Probe Discovers Water Ice in Ceres’ Polar Region
The Herschel Telescope and the Dawn Spacecraft have observed the release of water vapor from Ceres and the Dawn Spacecraft has discovered water ice in…
Ultraviolet Light from Stars Plays Key Role in Creating Building Blocks of Life
New research shows that ultraviolet light from stars plays a key role in creating molecules that are necessary for building other chemicals essential for life….
NASA Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star IRAS 19312+1950
New research suggests that IRAS 19312+1950 might be a protostar a star still in the making. For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star…
ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory Views Cosmic Cloud Mon R2
This new image from ESA’s Herschel space observatory reveals fierce flashes of light rippling through delicate tendrils of gas in the heart of a large…
First Direct Evidence of the Formation Process of Brown Dwarfs
Using the Very Large Array, an international team of astronomers has discovered jets of material ejected by still-forming young brown dwarfs, revealing the first direct…
Astronomers Develop New Models to Search for Molecular Oxygen
Newly published research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics provides the first self-consistent treatment of preshock, shock, and postshock regions under the influence of UV…
New Herschel Images Reveal How Matter is Distributed Across Our Milky Way
This new image of filament G49 reveals how matter is distributed across our Milky Way galaxy. New images of huge filamentary structures of gas and…
Herschel and Planck Identify Some of the Oldest and Rarest Galaxy Clusters
By using data from ESA’s Herschel and Planck space observatories, astronomers have discovered what could be the precursors of the vast clusters of galaxies that…
Young Star Systems May Reveal How Our Own Solar System Came To Be
Astronomers from the University of Arizona have discovered two dust belts surrounded by a large dust halo around young star HD 95086, providing researchers with…
Astronomers Discover a Massive Galaxy in Its Core Formation Phase
By combining observations from several telescopes, astronomers have viewed a massive galaxy in its core formation phase three billion years after the Big Bang. Astronomers…