Collaborate Disseminate
ESA has made public a colossal data release from the agency’s Gaia observatory, which is currently engaged in a mission to survey 1 billion stars orbiting in the Milky Way. The data has already borne fruit, shedding light on the violent history of our … Continue reading New Gaia data reveals the motion of our galaxy in extravagant detail
The Arecibo Observatory’s famous 1,000-ft (305-m) radio telescope is to be demolished after a second support cable failed. An assessment by the engineering firm of Thornton Tomasetti has determined that the radio dish and its 900-ton instrument platfor… Continue reading Second cable failure marks the end for famous Arecibo radio telescope
Last week, the Earth had its closest shave with an asteroid ever recorded, when a small space rock skimmed just 370 km (230 miles) above the surface. For comparison, that’s closer than the orbit of the International Space Station.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading Earth’s nearest miss on record as small asteroid zips by closer than ISS
A next-generation imaging instrument built to probe the universe’s biggest mysteries has been put through a practice run and pieced together the largest photos ever taken as a result. The focal plane for what will be the world’s largest digital camera … Continue reading World’s largest camera sensor snaps first ever 3,200-megapixel photos
The Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory in Japan has received a relatively simple upgrade that should allow it to look further back in time. A rare-earth element called gadolinium has been added to the water in the huge underground facility, which wi… Continue reading Rare-earth element upgrade to help observatory detect ancient neutrinos
Science operations have been suspended at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico after the radio telescope was damaged on Monday August 10. An auxiliary cable supporting a platform appears to have snapped and fallen, damaging the dish.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Arecibo Observatory damaged in accident, operations suspended
An international team of astronomers has identified what may be the best spot on Earth to stick a telescope. According to the study, a high plateau in eastern Antarctica would have an exceptionally clear view of the stars, even outperforming other loca… Continue reading Astronomers identify the best spot on the planet for a telescope
While the dark side of the moon wasn’t seen by humans until the middle of the 20th century, that side of the moon isn’t always dark, just hidden from view of Earth by a quirk of gravity. The more appropriate name for the other half of the moon is the …read more
Perched atop a dormant volcano far above the roiling tropical air of the Big Island of Hawai’i sit two of the largest optical telescopes in the world. Each 10-meter main mirror is but a single part of a magnificent machine weighing in at some 400 tons that needs to be …read more
Continue reading Reverse Engineering Keeps Keck Telescopes on Track
Since its launch in March 2009, the Kepler Space Telescope has provided us with an incredible amount of data about exoplanets within our galaxy, proving these worlds are more varied and numerous than we could ever have imagined. Before its launch we simply didn’t know how common planets such as ours were, but today we know the Milky Way contains billions of them. Some of these worlds are so hot they have seas of molten rock, others experience two sunsets a day as they orbit a pair of stars. Perhaps most importantly, thousands of the planets found by Kepler are …read more
Continue reading Kepler Closes Eyes After a Decade of Discovery