Expand sub-menus

X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory (662) Press Releases & Feature Stories Archive

Search Filter


 

Showing 1 to 25 of 58.

Results Page: 1 2 3
This false-color image shows the event as captured by the X-ray Telescope aboard NASA's Swift satellite

Dying Supergiant Stars Implicated in Hours-long Gamma-Ray Bursts

04.16.2013
Three unusually long-lasting stellar explosions discovered by NASA’s Swift satellite represent a previously unrecognized class of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
This composite of images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the remnant of Kepler's supernova in low, intermediate and high-energy X-rays.

Suzaku 'Post-mortem' Yields Insight into Kepler's Supernova

04.08.2013
An exploding star observed in 1604 by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler held a greater fraction of heavy elements than the sun, according to an analysis of X-ray observations from Suzaku.
artist's conception of NICER on the ISS

New Mission to Uncover Physics of Neutron Stars and Demonstrate Game-Changing Navigation Technology

04.05.2013
NICER will gather scientific data revealing the physics of the densest matter allowed in nature, and could revolutionize our ability to travel to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond.
NASA Taps the Power of Zombie Stars in Two-in-One Instrument
NICER principal investigator Keith Gendreau

NASA Selects Explorer Investigations for Formulation

04.05.2013
NASA's Astrophysics Explorer Program has selected two missions for launch in 2017: a planet-hunting satellite and an International Space Station instrument to observe X-rays from stars.
From now through October, comet ISON tracks through the constellations Gemini, Cancer and Leo as it falls toward the sun.

NASA's Swift Sizes Up Comet ISON

03.29.2013
Astronomers from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) and Lowell Observatory have used NASA's Swift satellite to check out comet C/2012 S1 (ISON).
his composite of supernova remnant G306.3–0.9 merges Chandra X-ray observations (blue), infrared data acquired by the Spitzer Space Telescope (red and cyan) and radio observations (purple) from the Australia Telescope Compact Array.

NASA's Swift, Chandra Explore a Youthful 'Star Wreck'

03.15.2013
While performing an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions, NASA's Swift satellite has uncovered the previously unknown remains of a shattered star.
Photo of the scientists.

NASA scientists build first-ever wide-field X-ray imager

02.07.2013
Three NASA scientists teamed up to develop and demonstrate NASA's first wide-field-of-view soft X-ray camera for studying "charge exchange."
This image composites XMM-Newton X-ray data onto an optical view of the Andromeda galaxy.

Astronomers Catch Jet from Binge-Eating Black Hole

12.12.2012
Back in January, a new X-ray source flared and rapidly brightened in the Andromeda galaxy (M31). It became the target of an intense observing campaign by orbiting X-ray telescopes -- including NASA's Swift.
Swift J1644+57

'Cry' of a Shredded Star Heralds a New Era for Testing Relativity

08.02.2012
Last year, astronomers discovered a black hole in a distant galaxy that erupted after shredding and consuming a passing star. Now an X-ray signal that comes from matter on the verge of falling into the black hole has been observed.
Photo of principal investigator Maxim Markevitch

NASA X-ray Concept Inspired from a Roll of Scotch® Tape

07.26.2012
The inspiration behind NASA scientist Maxim Markevitch's quest to build a highly specialized X-ray mirror using a never-before-tried technique comes from an unusual source: a roll of Scotch® tape.
The protostar V1647 Orionis resides at the tip of a conical glow called McNeil's Nebula.

In McNeil's Nebula, a Young Star Flaunts its X-ray Spots

07.03.2012
Using combined data from a trio of orbiting X-ray telescopes astronomers have obtained a rare glimpse of the powerful phenomena that accompany a still-forming star.
Artist's rendering illustrating the evaporation of HD 189733b's atmosphere.

Hubble, Swift Detect First-Ever Changes in an Exoplanet Atmosphere

06.28.2012
An international team of astronomers using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made an unparalleled observation, detecting significant changes in the atmosphere of a planet located beyond our solar system.
This series of images show NASA's NuSTAR and its rocket dropping from the carrier Stargazer plane.

NASA's NuSTAR Mission Lifts Off

06.13.2012
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) launched into the morning skies over the central Pacific Ocean at 9 a.m. PDT (noon EDT) Wednesday, beginning its mission to unveil secrets of buried black holes and other exotic objects.
The Pegasus rocket carrying NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) can be seen at the belly of its carrier plane.

NuSTAR Arrives at Island Launch Site

06.07.2012
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and its rocket flew above the palm trees to arrive at their launch location at the U.S. Army's Reagan test site at Kwajalein Atoll.
The NuSTAR spacecraft undergoes preparations by technicians before it is connected to the Pegasus rocket slated to carry it into orbit.

NuSTAR to Open X-ray Eyes on Universe

06.05.2012
NASA's next observatory is about the size of a refrigerator, but it is expected to uncover some of the most powerful structures in the universe.
This illustration compares the environment around NGC 4151's supermassive black hole with the orbits of the planets in our solar system.

X-ray 'Echoes' Map a Supermassive Black Hole's Environs

05.31.2012
An international team of astronomers using data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton satellite has identified a long-sought X-ray "echo" that promises a new way to probe supersized black holes in distant galaxies.
ESA release
NuSTAR mirrors

NASA Preparing to Launch its Newest X-Ray Eyes

05.30.2012
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, is being prepared for the final journey to its launch pad on Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. The mission will study everything from massive black holes to our own sun.

NASA's Swift Narrows Down Origin of Important Supernova Class

03.20.2012
Studies using X-ray and ultraviolet observations from NASA's Swift satellite provide new insights into the elusive origins of an important class of exploding star called Type Ia supernovae.
This graph based on RXTE data provides an overview of the changing character of T5X2's X-ray emission during outbursts from Oct. 13 to Nov. 19, 2010.

NASA's RXTE Captures Thermonuclear Behavior of Unique Neutron Star

03.09.2012
In October 2010, a neutron star near the center of our galaxy erupted with hundreds of X-ray bursts that were powered by a barrage of thermonuclear explosions on the star's surface.
artist's concept of galaxy and jets of its supermassive black hole

Ultra-fast Outflows Help Monster Black Holes Shape Their Galaxies

02.27.2012
Francesco Tombesi has identified a new type of black-hole-driven outflow that appears to explain the correlation between the mass of a galaxy's central black hole and the velocity of stars in a a galaxy's vast, roughly spherical structure known as its bulge.
ESA release
X-ray hot spot in the gas around the black hole produced signals of rising frequency as the spot moved closer to the black hole.

NASA'S RXTE Helps Pinpoint Launch of 'Bullets' in a Black Hole's Jet

01.10.2012
Using observations from the RXTE satellite and the VLBA radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has identified the moment when a black hole in our galaxy launched super-fast knots of gas into space.
photograph of RXTE

NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Completes Mission Operations

01.09.2012
Over 16 years of operation, he Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) far exceeded its original science goals and has left astronomers with a scientific bounty that will serve them for years to come.
Artist's rendering showing the onset of the disk wind, which shuts down the jet.

NASA's RXTE Detects 'Heartbeat' of Smallest Black Hole Candidate

12.15.2011
An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE).
Artist concept of a pulsar pulling in matter from a nearby star.

Potential New NASA Mission Would Reveal the Hearts of Undead Stars

11.09.2011
Neutron stars have been called the zombies of the cosmos, shining on even though they're technically dead, and occasionally feeding on a neighboring star if it gets too close.
Image of Markarian 739

Nearby Galaxy Boasts Two Monster Black Holes, Both Active

06.10.2011
A study using NASA's Swift satellite and the Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a second supersized black hole at the heart of an unusual nearby galaxy already known to be sporting one.
Results Page: 1 2 3
                                                                                                                                                                                        
NASA Logo, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NASA Official:
  • Curator:
  • Last Updated: 05/20/2013