Collaborate Disseminate
On a scale that’s hard to fathom, the universe is made up of a “cosmic web” of hydrogen filaments that feed and form galaxies. Now, astronomers have made the first direct observations of light from this web, by staring at a patch of sky with a powerful… Continue reading Glow of “cosmic web” filaments directly imaged for the first time
A team of astronomers using Hubble to hunt for an elusive type of black hole have stumbled onto an even weirder scene. In the center of a nearby globular cluster, Hubble discovered what looks like a whole gang of small black holes being uncharacteristi… Continue reading Hubble spots swarm of small black holes in nearby cluster
How many galaxies are there in the observable universe? Not as many as we thought, according to a new study. NASA’s New Horizons probe has measured the blackness of the sky and found that there’s probably “only” a few hundred billion galaxies glowing t… Continue reading New Horizons probe finds that space is darker than we thought
NASA has released a collection of 50 stunning Hubble images to celebrate the veteran telescope’s 30th anniversary, which took place earlier this year. The images show 30 cosmic objects, ranging from planetary nebulae to galaxies in incredible detail, r… Continue reading Hubble gallery showcases 30 cosmic gems visible to amateur astronomers
Planetary nebulae are basically slow-motion explosions in space, expected to expand and then fade over tens of thousands of years. But in an unprecedented show, the Hubble Space Telescope has witnessed a nebula fading and shrinking dramatically within … Continue reading Hubble catches nebula fizzling out faster than thought possible
Astronomers are a step closer to solving a cosmic mystery, thanks to new Hubble data. Observations from the space telescope show a dwarf galaxy previously found to be missing most of its dark matter is being stripped of this matter by a larger nearby g… Continue reading Missing dark matter mystery reveals a galaxy entering death spiral
Scientists have detected a short burst of gamma rays from the collision of two neutron stars that put out more energy in a half-second than the Sun could in its 10-billion-year lifespan. Designated 200522A, the flash originated 5.47 billion light-years… Continue reading Neutron star collision sheds new light on short gamma ray bursts
We’re used to seeing the output of telescopes as images, but what if we could translate that data into sound? A new “Sonification” project from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Center has done just that, letting us hear the center of the Milky Way, the supernova r… Continue reading NASA “Sonification” project lets us hear the cosmos
It’s human nature to be transfixed by clouds and all the strange shapes they swirl into, but we don’t have to be limited to Earthly skies. Jupiter offers some of the best cloud-watching in the solar system, and new Hubble images remind us why, revealin… Continue reading Hubble’s stunning new snaps of Jupiter reveal fresh storms brewing
There’s more to galaxies than meets the eye, and now astronomers have mapped out a huge invisible region of the galaxy next door. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have detailed the size and structure of the gas halo of Andromeda – and found t… Continue reading Andromeda’s “halo” already bumping into Milky Way’s ahead of collision