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This artist’s impression shows Proxima b orbiting Proxima Centauri, which at only 4.23 light-years is the closest star to our Solar System. The double star Alpha Centauri AB also appears in the image between the exoplanet and Proxima itself. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

New Study Questions Exoplanet Proxima b’s Ability to Retain Earth-Like Atmosphere

Aug 2, 2017 by News Staff

According to new research from NASA scientists, Proxima b may not be able to keep a grip on its atmosphere, leaving the surface exposed to harmful radiation. This...

Flaring, active regions of the Sun are highlighted in this image combining observations from several telescopes. High-energy X-rays from NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) are shown in blue; low-energy X-rays from Japan’s Hinode spacecraft are green; and extreme ultraviolet light from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is yellow and red. All three telescopes captured their solar images around the same time on April 29, 2015. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / GSFC / JAXA.

Sun’s Core Rotates Nearly 4 Times Faster than Its Surface, SOHO Data Reveal

Aug 2, 2017 by News Staff

Using data from the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), solar physicists have found evidence of a type of seismic wave (gravity waves,...

SDSS DR14 image of the massive spiral galaxy NGC 3191; the cross-hairs mark the position of SN 2017egm. Image credit: SDSS.

SN 2017egm: ‘Heavy Metal’ Superluminous Supernova Discovered in NGC 3191

Aug 1, 2017 by News Staff

At a distance of 420 million light-years, the recently-discovered SN 2017egm is the nearest Type I superluminous supernova to date, and the first near...

An all-sky image of the Milky Way Galaxy, as observed by ESA’s Planck Space Observatory in IR. The data contained in this image were used in this research and were essential in calculating the distribution of the light energy of the Galaxy. Image credit: ESA / HFI / LFI consortia.

Researchers Map Light Energy Distribution in Milky Way Galaxy

Jul 31, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has used data from ESA’s Planck Space Observatory and other telescopes to map the distribution of all light energy...

This image from Hubble shows the spiral galaxy NGC 4656. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Snaps Image of Hockey Stick Galaxy

Jul 31, 2017 by Natali Anderson

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has delivered an unrivalled snapshot of the hockey stick-shaped galaxy NGC 4656. This image from Hubble shows the spiral...

This composite image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512 (left) and the elliptical galaxy NGC 1510 (right). Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Spies Cosmic ‘David and Goliath’ in Gravitational Dance

Jul 27, 2017 by News Staff

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features two stunning galaxies — the compact elliptical galaxy NGC 1510 and its colossal neighbor,...

According to Angles-Alcazar et al, up to 50% of matter in the Milky Way Galaxy may have an extragalactic origin. Image credit: NASA / JPL.

Up To 50% of Milky Way’s Matter Have Extragalactic Origin, Astrophysicists Say

Jul 27, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Northwestern University and elsewhere has discovered that — contrary to previously standard lore — up to 50% of the...

Slice through the celestial equator showing the radial component of the velocity field (in km per second). Blue regions are falling towards us and red regions are flying away from us. Galaxies of the SDSS main galaxy sample are overplotted. In the center of the slice, the infalling dynamics of the Sloan Great Wall, one of the largest structure of the known Universe, can be observed. Image credit: Leclercq et al.

Researchers Release New Maps of Dark Matter Dynamics

Jul 26, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has unveiled detailed maps of dark matter dynamics in the nearby Universe. The research is published in the Journal...

This image of the superluminous supernova DES15E2mlf was taken with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) gri-band filters mounted on the Blanco 4-m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile on December 28, 2015, around the time when DES15E2mlf reached its peak luminosity. Image credit: D. Gerdes / S. Jouvel.

Astronomers Spot Most Distant Superluminous Supernova Yet

Jul 24, 2017 by News Staff

At a distance of 10 billion light-years, DES15E2mlf — a Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN-I) spotted by the Dark Energy Survey collaboration —...

This image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board Hubble, shows the small irregular/spiral galaxy NGC 4248. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Observes NGC 4248

Jul 24, 2017 by Natali Anderson

NASA has released a stunning image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the irregular/spiral galaxy NGC 4248. This image, taken with the Wide...

The Weird! Signal. Instead of emanating from Ross 128, the most likely source of the signal is a satellite orbiting the Earth. Image credit: Planetary Habitability Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico.

‘Weird!’ Signal from Ross 128 isn’t from Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Astronomers Say

Jul 23, 2017 by News Staff

Professor Abel Méndez, Director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory and a planetary astrobiologist at the University of Puerto Rico, and colleagues...

Hubble Space Telescope Spots Martian Moon Phobos

Jul 21, 2017 by News Staff

When the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observed Mars near opposition on May 12, 2016, Phobos — the larger and inner of the two natural satellites...

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope produced this composite image of the central region of our Milky Way Galaxy. Note that the center of the Galaxy is located within the bright white region to the right of and just below the middle of the image. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ESA / CXC / STScI.

High-Energy ‘Trap’ Spotted in Milky Way’s Center

Jul 19, 2017 by News Staff

The center of our Milky Way Galaxy contains a ‘trap’ that concentrates some of the highest-energy cosmic rays, according to a new analysis of data...

Ross 128 (center), also known as HIP 57548 or IRAS 11451+0105, is a red dwarf star. It has 15% of the mass of the Sun and 21% of the Sun’s radius, but generates energy so slowly that it has only 0.036% of the Sun’s visible luminosity. Image credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Arecibo Observatory’s Radio Telescope Detects Strange Signals from Nearby Star Ross 128

Jul 18, 2017 by News Staff

Astronomers using the 305-m (1,000-foot) radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, recently detected ‘strange’ signals coming from Ross...

This image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4242. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Space Telescope Views Face-On Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 4242

Jul 17, 2017 by News Staff

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the face-on barred spiral galaxy NGC 4242. This image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 on...

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an X-class solar flare erupting on the Sun on December 19, 2014. This image blends two wavelengths of extreme UV light, 171 (gold) and 131 (purple). Image credit: NASA / SDO / Duberstein.

Sun is Solar-Type Star After All

Jul 16, 2017 by News Staff

A study led by University of Montreal researchers has confirmed that our Sun is indeed a solar-type star. Published in the journal Science, the findings...

This artist’s impression shows the view from the surface of one of the exoplanets in the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system. Image credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / Spaceengine.org.

Astrophysicists Identify Major Challenges for Development of Life on TRAPPIST-1 Planets

Jul 14, 2017 by News Staff

According to two separate teams of astrophysicists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the Lowell Center for Space Science and...

Artist’s concepts of Saturn, Jupiter, EBLM J0555-57Ab and the star TRAPPIST-1. EBLM J0555-57Ab has a mass comparable to the current estimate for TRAPPIST-1, but has a radius that is nearly 30% smaller. Image credit: Amanda Smith.

Newly-Discovered Saturn-Size Star is Smallest Yet

Jul 12, 2017 by Natali Anderson

An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, has announced the discovery of a low-mass star, called EBLM J0555-57Ab, roughly...

This is an artist's impression of the SN 1987A remnant. The image is based on real data and reveals the cold, inner regions of the remnant, in red, where tremendous amounts of dust were detected and imaged by ALMA. This inner region is contrasted with the outer shell, lacy white and blue circles, where the blast wave from the supernova is colliding with the envelope of gas ejected from the star prior to its powerful detonation. Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / Alexandra Angelich, NRAO / AUI / NSF.

Supernova Remnant SN 1987A Reveals Clues to How Stars are Born

Jul 11, 2017 by News Staff

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), two teams of astronomers have discovered a rich inventory of molecules at the center of...