NASA’s NEOWISE Telescope Has Taken a 12-Year Timelapse of the Entire Sky

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE, spacecraft captures images in all directions as it circles the Sun. Using all 18 sky maps it has taken thus far, scientists have created what they say is a timelapse movie of the sky that spans more than a decade. [Read More]

This is the last thing a satellite sees before crashing into an asteroid

These are the final two complete images NASA’s DART spacecraft shot before making contact with the asteroid. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL NASA successfully slammed a satellite into an asteroid yesterday, in a first-of-its-kind test of our planetary defense capabilities. Like something out of a blockbuster movie, the objective of the interstellar collision was to see if… Continue reading This is the last thing a satellite sees before crashing into an asteroid

Bling, bling, Webb snaps Neptune’s rarely-seen rings

“Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image of Neptune, taken on July 12, 2022, brings the planet’s rings into full focus for the first time in more than three decades”. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI | Processing: Joseph DePasquale This story originally appeared on Popular Science. When you think of planets with rings, Saturn normally takes the cake… Continue reading Bling, bling, Webb snaps Neptune’s rarely-seen rings

Dark energy camera snaps a mouthwatering 570-megapixel image of the ‘Lobster Nebula’

“This image, taken by astronomers using the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, captures the star-forming nebula NGC 6357, which is located 8000 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Scorpius. This image reveals bright, young… Continue reading Dark energy camera snaps a mouthwatering 570-megapixel image of the ‘Lobster Nebula’

Turn up the heat with these fiery, up-close images of our sun

“The first images of the chromosphere—the area of the Sun’s atmosphere above the surface—taken with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on June 3rd, 2022. The image shows a region 82,500 kilometers across at a resolution of 18 km. This image is taken at 486.13 nanometers using the hydrogen-beta line from the Balmer series”. NSO/AURA/NSF… Continue reading Turn up the heat with these fiery, up-close images of our sun

The Tarantula Nebula will ensnare you in a web of beauty

“In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust. The most active region appears to sparkle with massive young stars, appearing pale blue. Scattered among them are… Continue reading The Tarantula Nebula will ensnare you in a web of beauty

Gaze into the heart of a ‘Phantom Galaxy’

In Webb’s image, the heart of the Phantom Galaxy is on full display. It is a nuclear star cluster. NASA/ESA/CSA There’s a phantom in the neighborhood, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) paid it a visit. The European Space Agency (ESA) released a new image of the M74 Phantom Galaxy this week, its majestic… Continue reading Gaze into the heart of a ‘Phantom Galaxy’

Webb photographs what may be the universe’s oldest galaxy

“Scientists with the CEERS Collaboration have identified an object—dubbed Maisie’s galaxy in honor of project head Steven Finkelstein’s daughter—that may be one of the earliest galaxies ever observed. If its estimated redshift of 14 is confirmed with future observations, that would mean we’re seeing it as it was just 290 million years after the Big… Continue reading Webb photographs what may be the universe’s oldest galaxy

A stormy Jupiter shines bright in Webb’s latest images

‘The Great Red Spot’ is a famous storm that could swallow Earth. NASA, ESA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt Thus far, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has shown us the marvels of mountainous nebulas, broken down the composition of a steamy exoplanet, and documented a symphony of stars and galaxies. What’s… Continue reading A stormy Jupiter shines bright in Webb’s latest images

Hubble’s latest: colorful cloudscapes of the Orion Nebula

The image is one of 520 that make up a larger composite photo of the entire nebula. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Bally; Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç With all the hubbub surrounding the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) it’s easy to forget about NASA’s other eye in the sky, Hubble, which is still capable of producing… Continue reading Hubble’s latest: colorful cloudscapes of the Orion Nebula