Astronomy News

Iberian Megalithic Tombs: 6,000-Year-Old Lensless Telescopes?

The view towards the east from the Carregal do Sal megalithic cluster, at dawn at the end of April around 4,000 BC, as reconstructed using a Digital Elevation Model and Stellarium. Aldebaran, the last star to rise before the Sun, is rising directly above Serra da Estrela, the ‘mountain range of the star.’ Image credit: Fabio Silva.
Jun 30, 2016 by News Staff

A team of astronomers from the UK is exploring what might be described as the first astronomical observing tool, potentially used by humans around 4,000 BC. The view towards the east from the Carregal do Sal megalithic cluster, at dawn at the end of April around 4,000 BC, as reconstructed using a Digital Elevation Model and Stellarium. Aldebaran, the last star to rise before the Sun, is rising directly above Serra da Estrela, the ‘mountain range...

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A Hubble image of the spiral galaxy NGC 7714, which has been dramatically distorted in shape by a close interaction with another nearby galaxy. Minor, but frequent, disturbances such as this cause a burst of star formation, accounting for around half of all new stars being formed in the local Universe. Image credit: NASA / ESA / A. Gal-Yam, Weizmann Institute of Science.

Minor Mergers of Galaxies are Important Drivers of Star Formation, Astronomer Says

Jun 30, 2016 by News Staff

Almost 55 percent of the star formation arises from minor mergers between galaxies, according to an astronomer who analyzed data collected as part of the...

Kiso 5639 is a member of a class of galaxies called ‘tadpoles’ because of their bright heads and elongated tails. New Hubble/WFC3 observations comprising this image cover a wide portion of the spectrum, including ultraviolet, optical, H-alpha, and infrared emission. Together, they paint a beautifully detailed picture of Kiso 5639. Image credit: NASA / ESA / D. Elmegreen, Vassar College / B. Elmegreen, IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center / J. Almeida, C. Munoz-Tunon, & M. Filho, Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias / J. Mendez-Abreu, University of St. Andrews / J. Gallagher, University of Wisconsin-Madison / M. Rafelski, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / D. Ceverino, Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University.

Kiso 5639: Hubble Space Telescope Photographs Cosmic Tadpole

Jun 29, 2016 by News Staff

The newest photo from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is of a rare type of galaxy, known as a ‘tadpole.’ Kiso 5639 is a member of a class of galaxies...

This false-color image of Jupiter was created by selecting and combining the best images obtained from many short VISIR exposures at a wavelength of 5 micrometers. Image credit: L. Fletcher / ESO.

Astronomers Release New Infrared Images, High-Resolution Maps of Jupiter

Jun 28, 2016 by News Staff

Amazing new infrared images and high-resolution maps of Jupiter give a glowing view of Juno’s target, several days ahead of the NASA mission’s arrival...

This Hubble image shows the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 1569. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Aloisi Ford / Judy Schmidt, www.geckzilla.com.

NGC 1569: Hubble Probes Interior of Small Star-Forming Galaxy

Jun 27, 2016 by News Staff

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an absolutely beautiful image of the interior of NGC 1569, one of the most active galaxies in our local...

This Hubble image shows Neptune (SDS-2015 resides near and below a patch of bright clouds in the gas giant’s southern hemisphere). Image credit: NASA / ESA / M.H. Wong & J. Tollefson, University of California at Berkeley.

Hubble Space Telescope Sees New ‘Dark Spot’ on Neptune

Jun 23, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A team of astronomers detected a dark spot in the atmosphere of Neptune, in images taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on May 16, 2016. This...

This X-ray image shows extended emission around the magnetar Swift J1834.9-0846. The glow arises from a cloud of fast-moving particles produced by the neutron star and corralled around it. Color indicates X-ray energies, with 2,000-3,000 electron volts (eV) in red, 3,000-4,500 eV in green, and 5,000 to 10,000 eV in blue. The image combines observations by XMM-Newton taken on March 16 and October 16, 2014. Image credit: ESA / XMM-Newton / G. Younes et al.

‘Wind Nebula’ Spotted around Magnetar

Jun 22, 2016 by News Staff

Using ESA’s X-ray space observatory XMM-Newton, astronomers have spotted for the first time an enigmatic cloud of high-energy particles called a wind...

Giant exoplanet K2-33b. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / R. Hurt.

Fully-Formed Giant Exoplanet Found Orbiting 5-10-Million-Year-Old Star

Jun 21, 2016 by Natali Anderson

An international team of astronomers has spotted a Neptune-sized exoplanet orbiting a very young star approximately 500 light-years from our own Solar...

This image shows NGC 1854, a star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud (one of our closest cosmic neighbors). Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

New Hubble Image of Globular Cluster NGC 1854

Jun 20, 2016 by Natali Anderson

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 1854, a globular star cluster in the southern constellation of Dorado. This image shows NGC 1854,...

Astronomers Find Most Distant Oxygen in Universe

Jun 17, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found the most distant oxygen yet seen in the Universe, in a galaxy 13.1...

This artist’s impression shows a hot-Jupiter orbiting close to one of the stars in the star cluster Messier 67. Astronomers have found far more planets like this in the cluster than expected. This surprise result was obtained using a number of telescopes and instruments, among them the HARPS spectrograph at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Image credit: L. Calcada / ESO.

Unexpected Excess of Hot-Jupiter Exoplanets in Messier 67

Jun 17, 2016 by News Staff

Astronomers have found that there are far more so-called hot-Jupiter planets – gas giants that orbit very close to their parent stars – than...

Asteroid 2016 HO3 has an orbit around the Sun that keeps it as a constant companion of our planet. This is an artist’s impression of an asteroid. Image credit: Mark A. Garlick, Space-art.co.uk / University of Warwick / University of Cambridge.

Asteroid 2016 HO3 is Earth’s Quasi-Satellite, NASA Astronomers Say

Jun 16, 2016 by Natali Anderson

According to astronomers at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies, a near-Earth asteroid designated 2016 HO3 is currently following a stable...

This artist’s impression shows the closest known protoplanetary disc, around the star TW Hydrae. The organic molecule methanol has been found by ALMA in this disc. This is the first such detection of the compound in a young planet-forming disc. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

Methanol Detected in Protoplanetary Disc around Young Star TW Hydrae

Jun 15, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected gas-phase methanol (methyl alcohol) in the protoplanetary disc...

Astronomers applaud the first detection of a chiral molecule, propylene oxide, in interstellar space. On Earth, propylene oxide is a common compound used in making polyurethane plastics. Image credit: B. Saxton / NRAO / AUI / NSF / N.E. Kassim, Naval Research Laboratory / Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Chiral Molecule Detected in Interstellar Cloud Sagittarius B2

Jun 15, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using highly sensitive radio telescopes have detected, for the first time, a chiral molecule in interstellar space. Astronomers applaud the...

A hot Neptune-sized exoplanet behind its parent star. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Some Exoplanets May Be Much Smaller than Thought, Says New Study

Jun 14, 2016 by News Staff

Cloud or haze layers in the upper atmospheres of extrasolar planets may make them appear bigger than they really are, a study led by Dr. Helmut Lammer...

Comparison of the relative sizes of several circumbinary planets. Kepler-1647b is substantially larger than any of the previously known circumbinary planets. Image credit: Lynette Cook.

Kepler-1647b: Astronomers Discover Circumbinary Planet 3,700 Light-Years Away

Jun 13, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Astronomers using NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope have found a Jupiter-like exoplanet orbiting around a pair of Sun-like stars. Comparison of the relative...

This image, taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows blue stars in the constellation of Sagittarius. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Observes Bright, Blue Stars in Sagittarius

Jun 13, 2016 by News Staff

This new image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts blue stars in the constellation of Sagittarius. This image, taken with the Advanced...

Opaque Clouds on hot-Jupiters May Hide Atmospheric Water, Scientists Say

Jun 10, 2016 by News Staff

Hot, Jupiter-sized extrasolar planets often have cloud or haze layers in their atmospheres, and this may prevent astronomers from detecting atmospheric...

An artist’s impression of PTFO8-8695 b, which is believed to orbit a star in the constellation Orion every 11 hours. Image credit: A. Passwaters / Rice University.

Young Star Destroys Gas Giant Exoplanet

Jun 9, 2016 by News Staff

Astronomers searching for the Milky Way’s youngest exoplanets have uncovered strong evidence for one unlike any other, a so-called ‘hot-Jupiter’...

This wide-field view is centered on the globular star cluster Messier 4 (also known as NGC 6121) in the constellation of Scorpius. It is a color composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). Image credit: ESO / Digitized Sky Survey 2 / Davide De Martin.

Astrophysicists Record ‘Stellar Music’ from Milky Way’s Oldest Stars

Jun 8, 2016 by News Staff

A multinational team of astrophysicists has recorded the ‘sounds’ from some of the oldest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. This wide-field view is centered...

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