Lucky Lucy: WISE’s Serendipitous Observations Light Path to Asteroid Dinkinesh
Researchers have utilized infrared survey data to refine the asteroid’s size and surface brightness in support of the November 1 encounter by NASA’s Lucy mission….
WISE News
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is a NASA infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope launched in December 2009. WISE was designed to map the entire sky in infrared light, capturing images of the most luminous infrared galaxies, stars close to our solar system, and dim objects such as asteroids. The telescope completed its primary mission in 2010, during which it scanned the entire sky approximately 1.5 times and generated millions of images. The data collected by WISE has been instrumental in various astronomical studies, leading to numerous discoveries including brown dwarfs close to the solar system and distant galaxy clusters.
NASA’s NEOWISE Space Telescope Takes 12-Year Time-Lapse Movie of Entire Sky
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…
An Accidental Discovery Hints at a Hidden Population of Cosmic Objects Lurking in Our Galaxy
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…
New NASA-Funded Website Lets Public Search for New Worlds
A new website funded by NASA lets the public search for new worlds in the outer reaches of our solar system and in neighboring interstellar…
NASA Telescopes Reveal a Surprising Blazar Connection
Using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers studying distant galaxies powered by monster black holes have uncovered…
WISE Reveals the X-Shaped Bulge of the Milky Way
Using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, astronomers reveal that the Milky Way’s central bulge of stars forms an “X” shape. The…
Astronomers Reveal the Secrets of ‘Frankenstein’ Galaxy UGC 1382
Using data from NASA telescopes and other observatories, astronomers reveal the secrets of UGC 1382, revealing that the galaxy is 10 times bigger than previously…
Scientists Identify a Free-Floating, Planetary-Mass Object in TW Hydrae
New data from WISE and its predecessor, the Two Micron All Sky Survey, reveals the lowest-mass free-floating object in TW Hydrae family — a likely…
Scientists Discover Colossal ‘Super Spiral’ Galaxies
Using archived NASA data, researchers have discovered “super spiral” galaxies that dwarf the Milky Way and compete in size and brightness with the largest galaxies…
WISE Reveals Most Luminous Galaxy W2246-0526 Is Ripping Itself Apart
New research reveals that the distant galaxy W2246-0526 is expelling tremendously turbulent gas (a phenomenon never seen before in an object of this kind) and…
Spitzer and WISE Reveal Dozens of Runaway Stars
Using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, astronomers are finding dozens of the fastest stars in our galaxy. When some speedy, massive…
NASA Spots Giant Gathering of Galaxies Located 8.5 billion Light-Years Away
Using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, a team of astronomers has discovered a giant gathering of galaxies located 8.5 billion light-years…
WISE Helps Chart the Milky Way From the Inside Out
Using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, astronomers are helping to trace the shape of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms. Imagine trying to…
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)…
New Data Helps Astronomers Piece Together the Evolution of Supermassive Black Holes
Using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, astronomers are piecing together the evolution of supermassive black holes. How do you grow a supermassive black…
WISE Survey Finds No Evidence of “Planet X”
Using data from NASA’s WISE exporter, two newly published studies reveal thousands of new stars, but no evidence of “planet X.” After searching hundreds of…
NASA’s NEOWISE Spacecraft Views Its First Comet
NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft has spotted its first comet. Officially named “C/2014 C3 (NEOWISE),” the comet was about 143 million miles (230 million kilometers) from Earth…
WISE Views Stellar Formation in the Trifid Nebula
NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer views stellar formation in the Trifid nebula, which is located 5,400 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. A storm of…