Latest News
-
Hubble’s New View of the Tarantula Nebula
The Tarantula Nebula, also called 30 Doradus, is the brightest star-forming region in our part of the galaxy. It’s in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and contains the most massive and hottest stars we know of. The Tarantula Nebula has been a repeat target for the Hubble since the telescope’s early years. Star formation is …
Continue reading "Hubble’s New View of the Tarantula Nebula"
The post Hubble’s New View of the Tarantula Nebula appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Face-on View of Galaxy NGC 4303 Reveals its Arms are Filled with Active Star Formation
Galaxies fill a lot of roles in the universe. The most obvious one is star formation factories. Without that activity, the cosmos would be a very different place. The European Southern Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array recently zeroed in on the galaxy NGC 4303. Their goal: to take a multi-wavelength view of its …
The post Face-on View of Galaxy NGC 4303 Reveals its Arms are Filled with Active Star Formation appeared first on Universe Today.
-
JWST Unexpectedly Finds a Small Asteroid During ‘Failed’ Observations
While astronomers and engineers were trying to calibrate one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s instruments last summer, they serendipitously found a previously unknown small 100–200-meter (300-600 ft) asteroid in the main asteroid belt. Originally, the astronomers deemed the calibrations as a failed attempt because of technical glitches. But they noticed the asteroid while going …
Continue reading "JWST Unexpectedly Finds a Small Asteroid During ‘Failed’ Observations"
The post JWST Unexpectedly Finds a Small Asteroid During ‘Failed’ Observations appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Rolls-Royce Space Reactor, Close Call in Orbit, Webb’s Back
Webb is fully operational again, Rolls-Royce is building a nuclear reactor for the Moon, and the space debris worst-case scenario almost happened. James Webb is Back Last week was tough for James Webb Space Telescope news when we learned that NASA had taken the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument offline on January …
Continue reading "Rolls-Royce Space Reactor, Close Call in Orbit, Webb’s Back"
The post Rolls-Royce Space Reactor, Close Call in Orbit, Webb’s Back appeared first on Universe Today.
-
A.I. Finds a New Way to Build Multiple-Star Systems
Over over 50% of high mass stars reside in multiple star systems. But due to their complex orbital interactions, physicists have a difficult time understanding just how stable and long-lived these systems are. Recently a team of astronomers applied machine learning techniques to simulations of multiple star systems and found a new way that stars …
Continue reading "A.I. Finds a New Way to Build Multiple-Star Systems"
The post A.I. Finds a New Way to Build Multiple-Star Systems appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Astronomers use Earthquakes to Understand Glitches on Neutron Stars
A team of astronomers have used a model of earthquakes to understand glitches in the timing of pulsars. Their results suggest that pulsars may have interiors that are far stranger than can be imagined. Pulsars are perhaps the most accurate timekeepers in the entire universe. The pulsars themselves are really rapidly spinning neutron stars. Neutron …
Continue reading "Astronomers use Earthquakes to Understand Glitches on Neutron Stars"
The post Astronomers use Earthquakes to Understand Glitches on Neutron Stars appeared first on Universe Today.
-
The James Webb May See the First Stars to Appear in the Universe
Astronomers continue to hunt for the elusive kind of star known as Population III stars, the first stars to appear in the young universe. New research has revealed that the James Webb Space Telescope may be on the cusp of discovering them. The stars that exist in the universe today are nothing like the first …
Continue reading "The James Webb May See the First Stars to Appear in the Universe"
The post The James Webb May See the First Stars to Appear in the Universe appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Curiosity Finds Another Metal Meteorite on Mars
MSL Curiosity is going about its business exploring Mars. The high-tech rover is currently exploring the sulphate-bearing unit on Mt. Sharp, the central peak in Mars’ Gale Crater. Serendipity placed a metal meteorite in its path. The meteorite is made mostly of nickel and iron, and it has a name: Cacao. (Chocolate comes from cacao.) …
Continue reading "Curiosity Finds Another Metal Meteorite on Mars"
The post Curiosity Finds Another Metal Meteorite on Mars appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Hungry Black Hole was Already Feasting 800 Million Years After the Big Bang
Black holes swallow everything—including light—which explains why we can’t see them. But we can observe their immediate surroundings and learn about them. And when they’re on a feeding binge, their surroundings become even more luminous and observable. This increased luminosity allowed astronomers to find a black hole that was feasting on material only 800 million …
Continue reading "Hungry Black Hole was Already Feasting 800 Million Years After the Big Bang"
The post Hungry Black Hole was Already Feasting 800 Million Years After the Big Bang appeared first on Universe Today.
-
Mars Ingenuity Kicks up a Surprising Amount of Dust Every Time it Lands
Based on all the dust Ingenuity helicopter kicked up, a team of researchers has completed the first real-world study of Martian dust dynamics.
The post Mars Ingenuity Kicks up a Surprising Amount of Dust Every Time it Lands appeared first on Universe Today.
