Astronomers watch as “exoplanet” vanishes before Hubble’s eyes

Exoplanet discoveries are a dime a dozen – but we don’t see many being de-discovered. Now, an exoplanet that was observed by Hubble for 10 years has apparently vanished without a trace, leading astronomers to suggest it may never have been a planet at … Continue reading Astronomers watch as “exoplanet” vanishes before Hubble’s eyes→

Hubble probes the birthplace of colossal stars in nearby galaxy

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a dazzling view of a stellar laboratory, which is being used by astronomers to understand how truly gargantuan stars come to form. The image features a colorful star field and a substructure of the famous Tarantu… Continue reading Hubble probes the birthplace of colossal stars in nearby galaxy→

Saturn’s moon may be “like a candy store for microbes”

A new report published by NASA today says that the Cassini space probe has found evidence that hydrogen gas exists on the Saturnian moon Enceladus. The finding adds to the idea that the moon might harbor life in its subsurface ocean, as microbes could … Continue reading Saturn’s moon may be “like a candy store for microbes”→

The Spitzer Space Telescope Ends its Incredible Journey

Today, after 16 years of exemplary service, NASA will officially deactivate the Spitzer Space Telescope. Operating for over a decade beyond its designed service lifetime, the infrared observatory worked in tandem with the Hubble Space Telescope to reveal previously hidden details of known cosmic objects and helped expand our understanding …read more

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Watching the Watchers: The State of Space Surveillance

By now you’ve almost certainly heard about the recent release of a high-resolution satellite image showing the aftermath of Iran’s failed attempt to launch their Safir liquid fuel rocket. The geopolitical ramifications of Iran developing this type of ballistic missile technology is certainly a newsworthy story in its own right, …read more

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New Hubble portrait captures the intricate beauty of Jupiter's cloud surface

The portrait was captured when Jupiter was roughly 664 million km (412 million miles) from Earth

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a breathtakingly detailed view of the largest planet in our solar system – the gas giant Jupiter. The new portrait, which was captured on June 27, 2019, highlights the complex nature of Jupiter’s cloud surface, and showcases the gas giant’s most famous feature – the Great Red Spot.

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Hubble reveals egg-shaped exoplanet so hot it's venting vaporized iron into space

WASP-121b is an exoplanet so broiling hot that it's venting vaporized iron into space, and being ...

Between exoplanets with ruby clouds and those that are actually just giant diamonds, science fiction has barely prepared us for just how weird alien worlds could be. Now, thanks to new Hubble observations we have another contender in WASP-121b, a planet that’s so intensely hot it’s vaporizing heavy metals and venting them into space. As if that wasn’t enough, the poor planet is also being stretched into an egg shape thanks to the strong gravity of its host star.

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Hypothetical "ploonets" would blur the lines between planets and moons

You know what planets are. You’re familiar with moons. But what do you get when you cross the two? “Ploonets,” according to astronomers from Australia and Colombia. These weird, hypothetical objects start life as a moon circling a giant plane… Continue reading Hypothetical "ploonets" would blur the lines between planets and moons→

Hubble spots "impossible" structure around a malnourished black hole

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered structures around a black hole that were thought to be impossible. A small, “malnourished” black hole was found to have a flat disk of material circling it – a feature thought uniqu… Continue reading Hubble spots "impossible" structure around a malnourished black hole→

Astronomers analyze atmosphere of exoplanet unlike any in our solar system

So far we’ve spotted more than 4,000 planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, but we know very little about their atmospheres. Now, NASA astronomers have managed to probe the atmosphere of GJ 3470 b, a planet unlike any in our solar system…. Continue reading Astronomers analyze atmosphere of exoplanet unlike any in our solar system→