Astronomers View Cosmic Light Show of Star Formation
When massive stars — many times larger than our Sun— are born, they shine hot and bright before eventually exploding as supernovas. They release so…
SOFIA
SOFIA Explores Supergalactic Wind, Provides Clues to Evolution of Galaxies
The Cigar Galaxy (M82) is famous for its extraordinary speed in making new stars, with stars being born 10 times faster than in the Milky…
SOFIA Reveals Clues to the Evolution of Universe
A compilation of scientific results from The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, reveal new clues to how stars form and galaxies evolve, and closer…
SOFIA Observations of Supernova 1987A Surprise Astronomers
Dust particles form as dying red giant stars throw off material and become part of interstellar clouds of various sizes, densities and temperatures. This cosmic…
SOFIA Lifts the Veil on Star Formation in the Orion Nebula
The stellar wind from a newborn star in the Orion Nebula is preventing more new stars from forming nearby, according to new research using NASA’s…
Stellar Wind is Preventing More Stars From Forming in the Orion Nebula
The stellar wind from a newborn star in the Orion Nebula is preventing more new stars from forming nearby, according to new research using NASA’s…
Hubble and SOFIA Take a Close Look at Comet 46P
As the brilliant comet 46P/Wirtanen streaked across the sky, NASA telescopes caught it on camera from multiple angles. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope photographed comet 46P/Wirtanen…
SOFIA Unravels the Mysterious Formation of Star Clusters
The sun, like all stars, was born in a giant cold cloud of molecular gas and dust. It may have had dozens or even hundreds…
SOFIA Observations Reveal Possible Key to Black Hole Activity
Collimated jets provide astronomers with some of the most powerful evidence that a supermassive black hole lurks in the heart of most galaxies. Some of…
SOFIA Helps Unravel Mysteries of Star-Forming Regions in Our Galaxy
Astronomers are observing star-forming regions in our galaxy with NASA’s flying telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, to understand the processes and environments…
Astronomers Reveal Scientific Results from NASA’s SOFIA Airborne Telescope
Astronomers from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, Northwestern University, and the University of Maryland were on hand at the 231st meeting of the…
NASA’s SOFIA Set to Explore Magnetic Universe and Beyond in 2018
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, is preparing for its 2018 observing campaign, which will include observations of celestial magnetic fields, star-forming regions, comets,…
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…
SOFIA Confirms Nearby Epsilon Eridani System Is Remarkably Similar To Our Solar System
Using data from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), astronomers confirm that the nearby Epsilon Eridani system has an architecture remarkably similar to that…
New SOFIA Observations Show Ceres’ True Composition
New SOFIA observations show the true composition of Ceres, revealing that it does not appear to have the carbon-rich surface composition that telescopes previously indicated….
NASA’s SOFIA Set To Study New Frontiers in the Solar System and Beyond
NASA’s SOFIA flying Observatory set to study planets, comets and asteroids orbiting other stars and supermassive black holes. NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA,…
Iris Nebula Offers Clues to the Building Blocks of Life
Using data from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy and other observatories, astronomers reveal how a particular type of organic molecules, the raw materials for…
SOFIA Telescope Preparing for Pluto’s Occultation
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy will attempt to view the dwarf planet Pluto as it passes in front of a distant star. The Stratosphere…