The James Webb Space Telescope has a series of mirrors to get the light from the universe into the observatory’s cameras. After the light reaches the primary mirror, it is then bounced up 25 feet to the secondary mirror. This much smaller mirror is deployed using three arms, or struts. Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center are conducting tests to ensure a successful deployment after launch. This episode of Behind the Webb shows us the scope of the task at hand and how the test is being done to simulate a zero-gravity environment.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Observations over the past 20 years reveal high-energy collisions inside the black hole jet in NGC 3862! While it has been known that the jets from black holes are extremely energetic, shooting out particles at about 98% the speed of light, astronomers were “shocked” to see collisions occuring inside the jets themselves.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Backyard stargazers get a monthly guide to the northern hemisphere’s skywatching events with “Tonight’s Sky.” In June, Hercules and Draco the Dragon battle for territory in the night sky.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

The Weirdest Stars in the Universe
Emily Levesque, University of Colorado... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Surprising new results from Hubble Space Telescope observations show hitherto unknown behavior of Pluto’s moons. Astronomers have been monitoring and imaging the Pluto system at various times throughout Hubble’s mission. Many of these observations were used to support science planning for NASA’s New Horizons’ observations. ... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

This episode of “Hubble at 25” uncovers Hubble’s key role in the study of planets beyond our own solar system. Thousands of “exoplanet” candidates have been discovered. While Hubble is not responsible for most exoplanet detections, it is able to examine the chemical compositions of their atmospheres. Since these planets are too far away to ever visit in the forseeable future, analyzing their atmospheres provides critical clues about the existence of life elsewhere in the universe.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered surprising new clues about a hefty, rapidly aging star whose behavior has never been seen before in our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the star is so weird that astronomers have nicknamed it “Nasty 1,” a play on its catalog name of NaSt1. The star may represent a brief transitory stage in the evolution of extremely massive stars.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Quasars are among the brightest outflows of energy in the universe, with an intrinsic brightness of one trillion suns. Most quasars appear as pinpoint sources in the biggest telescopes we have. Astronomers believe quasars are produced by energy coming from over-fed, supermassive black holes, with most of them erupting 12 billion years ago.... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!

Astronomers have uncovered new clues about the formation of planets around other stars. One question is, do the atmospheres around planets survive or how are they stripped off?  Some of the Earth’s atmosphere was stripped off during formation. What happens in other exoplanet systems?... Read More إقرأ المزيد | Share it now!