Astronomers want your help hunting for asteroids
Anyone can become an asteroid hunter thanks to a new program launched by astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. As part of the Catalina Sky Survey, the scientists created an online portal that opens their mission—t.....»»
James Webb snaps an image of the famous and beautiful Crab Nebula
Located 6,500 light-years away, the Crab Nebula is famous among astronomers for its elaborate and beautiful structure......»»
NASA"s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of, setting the stage for mining
The cars, cellphones, computers and televisions that people in the U.S. use every day require metals like copper, cobalt and platinum to build. Demand from the electronics industry for these metals is only rising, and companies are constantly searchi.....»»
Scientists Have Finally Found the Origins of a Mysterious Asteroid
Astronomers show how a 50-meter space rock orbiting near Earth isn’t a typical asteroid: It probably blasted off the moon millions of years ago......»»
Astronomers observe supermassive black hole feeding and feedback on sub-parsec scales
An international research team led by Takuma Izumi, an assistant professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, has achieved a milestone by observing the nearby active galactic nucleus of the Circinus Galaxy, with an extremely high reso.....»»
Research explores the properties of supernova remnant 1E 0102.2–7219
Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has observed a supernova remnant known as 1E 0102.2–7219. Results of the study, presented October 2.....»»
10 Dyson deals you can’t miss in Best Buy’s early Black Friday sale
Hunting for Dyson deals? You should check out Best Buy's Black Friday Early Access sale, especially if you're a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total member......»»
Asteroids in the solar system could contain undiscovered, superheavy elements
For centuries, the quest for new elements was a driving force in many scientific disciplines. Understanding an atom's structure and the development of nuclear science allowed scientists to accomplish the old goal of alchemists—turning one element i.....»»
An exo-Neptune beat the odds and kept its atmosphere
As planet-hunting scientists find more and more planets, they've encountered some puzzles. One of them concerns the lack of Neptune-size worlds orbiting close to their stars. Astronomers think that these planets aren't massive enough to retain their.....»»
Astronomers discover infant "escaping star"
Stars escape from their birth place and eventually become dispersed across the galaxy. This is an important process in galactic evolution. Theoretical studies suggest two possible reasons why stars escape. First, stars may be ejected due to interacti.....»»
What"s inside the Carina pillars? Massive protostars and newly forming planets
Star-forming nebulae are busy places. Unfortunately, clouds of gas and dust usually hide the action. To cut through the dust in one such region, a team of astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). They peered inside the Pillars of t.....»»
Astronomers want JWST to study the Milky Way core for hundreds of hours
To understand the universe, we need to understand the extreme processes that shape it and drive its evolution. Things like supermassive black holes (SMBHs,) supernovae, massive reservoirs of dense gas, and crowds of stars both on and off the main seq.....»»
Astronomers capture formation of a powerful cosmic jet
Using a network of radio telescopes on Earth and in space, astronomers have captured the most detailed view ever of a jet of plasma from a supermassive black hole. The jet travels at nearly the speed of light and shows complex, twisted patterns near.....»»
Uranus aurora discovery offers clues to habitable icy worlds
The presence of an infrared aurora on the cold, outer planet of Uranus has been confirmed for the first time by University of Leicester astronomers......»»
Variable star RZ Piscium has a compact and highly perturbed debris disk, study finds
Using NASA's Spitzer and WISE space telescopes, astronomers from the Steward Observatory and elsewhere have observed a well-known variable star designated RZ Piscium. They found that the star's circumstellar debris disk is compact and highly perturbe.....»»
Genomic insights reveal evolutionary history of clouded leopards, inform conservation
Both ecologically and morphologically, the clouded leopards known as Neofelis nebulosa are a distinct lineage of big cats. These species are threatened due to human activities of targeted hunting and habitat loss. Evolutionary biologists seek to unde.....»»
Astronomers discover new almost dark galaxy
By analyzing deep optical imagery from the IAC Stripe 82 Legacy Project, an international team of astronomers has serendipitously discovered a new almost dark galaxy. The newfound galaxy, dubbed "Nube," has a very low surface brightness and is as mas.....»»
W1055+5443 is a Y-type brown dwarf, observations find
Using the Keck II telescope, astronomers have performed near-infrared spectroscopic observations of a nearby brown dwarf known as CWISE J105512.11+544328.3, or W1055+5443 for short. Results of the observational campaign, presented October 14 on the p.....»»
Astronomers carry out largest ever cosmological computer simulation
An international team of astronomers has carried out what is believed to be the largest ever cosmological computer simulation, tracking not only dark but also ordinary matter (such as planets, stars and galaxies), giving us a glimpse into how our uni.....»»
In 1952, a group of three "stars" vanished—astronomers still can"t find them
On July 19, 1952, Palomar Observatory was undertaking a photographic survey of the night sky. Part of the project was to take multiple images of the same region of sky, to help identify things such as asteroids. At around 8:52 that evening a photogra.....»»
How could a piece of the moon become a near-Earth asteroid? Researchers have an answer
A team of astronomers has found a new clue that a recently discovered near-Earth asteroid, Kamo'oalewa, might be a chunk of the moon. They hypothesized that the asteroid was ejected from the lunar surface during a meteorite strike—and they found th.....»»