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Kepler Supernaova: a post-mortem: This composite of images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the remnant of Kepler's supernova in low (red), intermediate (green) and high-energy (blue) X-rays.

Press Releases & Feature Stories

NASA'S Webb Telescope Flight Backplane Section Completed

06.14.2013

The center section of the backplane structure that will fly on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been completed, marking an important milestone in the telescope's hardware development.

NASA-Led Study Explains Decades of Black Hole Observations

06.14.2013

A new study by astronomers at NASA, Johns Hopkins University and the Rochester Institute of Technology suspicions about how stellar-mass black holes produce their highest-energy light.

Black Hole Naps Amidst Stellar Chaos

06.11.2013

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory caught signs of what appeared to be a black hole snacking on gas at the middle of the nearby Sculptor galaxy. Now,NuSTAR results imply it went dormant.

NASA Chandra, Spitzer Study Suggests Black Holes Abundant Among The Earliest Stars

06.05.2013

By comparing infrared and X-ray background signals, team of astronomers has discovered evidence of a significant number of black holes that accompanied the first stars in the universe.

Hubble Maps 3-D Structure of Ejected Material Around Erupting Star

06.04.2013

A flash of light from a stellar outburst has provided a rare look at the 3-D structure of material ejected by an erupting nova.

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Division News

Congratulations to NASA honor awardees!

06.14.2013

Distinguished Service Medal
Jean Swank (662)
Bruce Woodgate (667)

Exceptional Achievement Medal
Mark Clampin (667)
Michael Ressler (665)

Exceptional Public Achievement Medal
Dale Fixsen (665)

Group Achievement Award
CSBF Antarctic Scientific Balloon Team (661)
SuperTIGER Balloon Team/John Mitchell (661)

Congratulations to Mike McElwain!

05.29.2013

Please congratulate Mike McElwain on being selected as the winner of this year's Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship!

Mike was first selected last year, along with 2 other scientists, to complete a phase-A study for his proposed instrument development. NASA HQ evaluated the proposals this Spring, and has selected Mike to receive funding for the next 4 years to build PISCES, an integral field spectrograph (IFS) to be deployed at the High Contrast Imaging Testbed (HCIT) at JPL. This will lay the ground-work for an eventual IFS in space to characterize exoplanetary atmospheres.

Goddard View

05.14.2013

Volume 9, Issue 5 - The thermal shield of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST goes through rigorous environmental testing to ensure it can perform properly in the extreme cold temperatures that it will encounter in space.

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Overview

The Astrophysics Science Division conducts a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, and fundamental physics. Individual investigations address issues such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which planets outside our solar system may harbor life, and the nature of space, time, and matter at the edges of black holes.

Observing photons, particles, and gravitational waves enables researchers to probe astrophysical objects and processes. Researchers develop theoretical models, design experiments and hardware to test theories, interpret and evaluate the data, archive and disseminate the data, provide expert user support to the scientific community, and publish conclusions drawn from research. The Division also conducts education and public outreach programs about its projects and missions.

About the ASD