Science News
Showing 1 to 24 of 2365.
NASA’s Webb Reveals Black Hole That Formed Before Its Galaxy
2026.05.27
Which comes first, the galaxy or the black hole? We don’t know, but scientists have long thought it could be the galaxy: Large stars within an existing galaxy consume their fuel and collapse to form black holes, which can gobble up surrounding material and merge over time to form more massive entities. But it’s hard […]
Hubble Spies Faint Irregular Galaxy
2026.05.27
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 490-017, roughly 12,000 light-years in diameter and some 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The galaxy’s low surface brightness makes it appear as a faint, starry swarm behind brighter foreground stars that are easily recognized by their diffraction spikes. Numerous red, […]
NASA Predicts Swift Spacecraft’s Location for Boost Mission
2026.05.26
NASA analysts and engineers have been closely tracking the agency’s sinking Neil Gehrel’s Swift Observatory as part of a fast-paced plan to raise it to a higher orbit.
Hubble Captures Galaxy Cluster
2026.05.22
Look closely at this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and you’ll see galaxies of various shapes and sizes clustered together toward the center-left of the image. A few foreground stars shine brightly and are easily distinguished by the spikes that appear to extend outward from each star. These spikes, called diffraction spikes, are the […]
NASA’s Fermi Glimpses Power Source of Supercharged Supernovae
2026.05.20
An international team studying data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope concludes the mission detected a rare, unusually luminous supernova. The researchers say it likely received its power-up from a supermagnetized neutron star born in the stellar collapse that triggered the explosion. The Fermi mission is part of NASA’s fleet of observatories monitoring the changing […]
Hubble Sights Galaxy in Transition
2026.05.15
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals an enigmatic galaxy with a bright center and a face that hints at spiral structure, yet it holds no obvious spiral arms. Reddish-brown clumps and filaments of dust partially obscure the galaxy’s full face, while red, blue, and orange light from distant galaxies shines through its diffuse outer […]
NASA’s Planet-Hunting TESS Reveals Dazzling Night Sky
2026.05.13
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has released its most complete view of the starry sky to date, filling in gaps from previous observations. Nearly 6,000 colored dots scattered across the image show the locations of either confirmed or candidate exoplanets — worlds beyond our solar system — identified by the mission as of Septembe
Hubble Survey Sets Up Roman’s Future Look Near Milky Way’s Center
2026.05.11
The Milky Way’s galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ground-based and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Soon, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be the […]
Katalyst Wraps Testing at NASA Goddard for Swift Boost Mission
2026.05.08
A daring mission to lift NASA’s sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is now one step closer to launch this June. On May 4, Katalyst Space Technologies completed environmental tests of its LINK robotic servicing spacecraft at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. LINK will meet up with Swift and attempt to raise its orbit.
NASA’s Roman Poised to Transform Hunt for Elusive Neutron Stars
2026.05.06
Astronomers have long known that neutron stars, the crushed cores left behind after massive stars explode, should be scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy. However, most of them are effectively invisible. A new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics suggests NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could spot them anyway. Using detailed simulations of […]
For NASA’s TESS, Stellar Eclipses Shed Light on Possible New Worlds
2026.05.04
A study of NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) data on stellar pairs undergoing mutual eclipses has uncovered more than two dozen candidate exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system. This method allows the mission to locate planets it couldn’t otherwise detect.
Hubble Spots a Starry Spiral
2026.05.01
In this new picture from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a spiral galaxy glittering with star clusters is the center of attention. NGC 3137 is located 53 million light-years away in the constellation Antlia (the Air Pump).
NASA Kennedy Prepares Facility for Roman Space Telescope Arrival
2026.04.23
Preparations are underway for launch of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as soon as early September on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Roman space telescope will provide deep, panoramic views of the cosmos, generating never-before-seen pictures that will revolutionize our understanding of […]
NASA Targets Early September for Roman Space Telescope Launch
2026.04.22
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team now is targeting as soon as early September 2026 for launch, ahead of the agency’s commitment to flight no later than May 2027. “Roman’s accelerated development is a true success story of what we can achieve when public investment, institutional expertise, and private enterprise come together to take […]
NASA’s Hubble Dazzles With Young Stars in Trifid Nebula
2026.04.20
This shimmering region of star-formation, a close-up of the Trifid Nebula about 5,000 light-years from Earth, was captured in intricate detail by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The colors in Hubble’s visible light image, which marks the 36th anniversary of the mission’s launch on April 24, are reminiscent of an underwater scene filled with fine-grained sediments fluttering through the ocean’s depths.
Testing Begins for Katalyst-NASA Swift Boost Mission
2026.04.17
On April 14, engineers from Katalyst Space Technologies arrived at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to begin environmental tests of the company’s LINK robotic servicing spacecraft in preparation for its launch later this year.
NASA’s Webb Redefines Dividing Line Between Planets, Stars
2026.04.14
Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits of rock and ice clump together and grow larger over time. But the heftier the planet, the harder it is to explain its formation that way. Astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to examine 29 Cygni b, an object […]
Hubble Spies an Active Spiral
2026.04.13
A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. IC 486 lies right on the edge of the constellation Gemini (the Twins), around 380 million light-years from Earth. Classified as a barred spiral galaxy, […]
NASA to Unveil Complete Roman Telescope, Host Media Briefing
2026.03.26
Media are invited Tuesday, April 21, to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for a look at the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which recently completed construction and is wrapping up prelaunch testing. This will be one of the last opportunities to view the fully integrated flagship telescope before it ships to […]
NASA’s Hubble Detects First-Ever Spin Reversal of Tiny Comet
2026.03.26
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence that the spinning of a small comet slowed and then reversed its direction of rotation, offering a dramatic example of how volatile activity can affect the spin and physical evolution of small bodies in the solar system. This is the first time researchers have observed evidence […]
NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date
2026.03.25
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space observatories provide scientists with a richer, more layered understanding of the gas giant’s atmosphere. Both sense sunlight reflected from Saturn’s banded […]
NASA-JAXA’s XRISM Telescope Clocks Hot Wind of Galaxy M82
2026.03.25
For the first time, astronomers have directly measured the speed of superheated gas billowing from a cauldron of stellar activity at the heart of M82, a nearby galaxy undergoing an extraordinary burst of star formation.
NASA’s Hubble Revisits Crab Nebula to Track 25 Years of Expansion
2026.03.23
A quarter-century after its first observations of the full Crab Nebula, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken a fresh look at the supernova remnant. The result is an unparalleled, detailed look at the aftermath of a supernova and how it has evolved over Hubble’s long lifetime. A paper detailing the new Hubble observation is published […]
NASA’s Roman Observatory Passes Final Major Prelaunch Tests
2026.03.19
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team recently blasted the observatory with extreme sound, shook it, and listened to its electronic hum. Roman passed all three assessments, which aimed to confirm that the observatory will withstand launch conditions and function as expected in space. The achievement keeps the mission on track for launch as early […]
Showing 1 to 24 of 2365.