NEOWISE, or the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, is a NASA space telescope mission that uses infrared technology to identify and characterize near-Earth objects (NEOs), such as asteroids and comets. Originally launched in December 2009 as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), the spacecraft was tasked with mapping the entire sky in infrared light. After completing its primary mission in 2011 and being placed in hibernation, it was reactivated in 2013 and repurposed specifically to detect NEOs under the name NEOWISE. This mission extension has proven crucial in enhancing our understanding of the sizes, compositions, and orbits of objects that could potentially pose a threat to Earth. NEOWISE has contributed significantly to the cataloging of thousands of new celestial objects and continues to play a vital role in planetary defense and asteroid studies.
NASA’s near-Earth-object-hunting mission NEOWISE is nearing its conclusion. But its work will carry on with NASA’s next-generation infrared mission: NEO Surveyor. NASA’s NEOWISE mission, operational…
As the infrared space telescope continues its long-duration survey of the universe, it is creating a unique resource for future astronomers to make new discoveries….
The asteroid and comet-hunting infrared space telescope has gathered an impressive haul of observations, but it’s now at the mercy of the Sun, which is…
ZTF and NEOWISE spot evidence for the first known case of a star engulfing its planet. For the first time, astronomers have caught a star…
A star nearing the end of its life swelled up and absorbed a Jupiter-size planet. In about 5 billion years, our Sun will go through…
Pictures of the sky can reveal the grandeur of the cosmos, but movies can bring them to life. Movies from NASA’s NEOWISE space telescope are…
Over 100 participants from 18 countries – including NASA scientists and the agency’s NEOWISE mission – took part in the international exercise. We know that…
Brown dwarfs aren’t quite stars and aren’t quite planets, and a new study suggests there might be more of them lurking in our galaxy than…
NEOWISE has provided an estimate of the size of over 1,850 near-Earth objects, helping us better understand our nearest solar system neighbors. For two more…
Using observations from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a trio of hot worlds larger than Earth orbiting…
Scientists tapped into the worldwide network of volunteers using Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 to map dozens of new brown dwarfs, or balls gas not heavy…
The Blue Ring Nebula, which perplexed scientists for over a decade, appears to be the youngest known example of two stars merged into one. In…
Matter swirling around supermassive black holes creates bursts of light that “echo” in nearby dust clouds. These traveling signals could serve as a new cosmic…
NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of comet NEOWISE, taken on August 8, zero in on the visitor’s coma, the gossamer shell of gas and dust…
Discovered in March 2020, Comet NEOWISE became visible to the naked eye in July, gifting observers in the northern hemisphere with one of the most…
Faintly in the distance, Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE (Comet NEOWISE) streaked across the sky above the tree line of Lone Pine Lake, located on the…
The International Space Station, with a crew of five onboard, is seen in this 10-second exposure above comet NEOWISE, Saturday, July 18, 2020 from Keys…
Skygazers across the Northern Hemisphere are being treated to stunning views of comet NEOWISE as it streaks past Earth. Amateur astrophotographer Javier Manteca got a…