See the wonders of the Milky Way in this new infrared map
The European Southern Observatory’s VISTA telescope has collected more than 500 terabytes of data on our galaxy......»»
Hubble traces star formation in nearby nebula NGC 261
NGC 261 blooms a brilliant ruby red against a myriad of stars in this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Discovered on Sept. 5, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, this nebula is located in one of the Milky Way's closest galactic com.....»»
Researchers develop near-infrared spectroscopy models to analyze corn kernels and biomass
In the agricultural and food industry, determining the chemical composition of raw materials is important for production efficiency, application, and price. Traditional laboratory testing is time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. New research fr.....»»
Dark matter could have helped make supermassive black holes in the early universe
It takes a long time for supermassive black holes, like the one at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, to form. Typically, the birth of a black hole requires a giant star with the mass of at least 50 of our suns to burn out—a process that can take.....»»
Proof-of-concept study demonstrates mid-infrared computational temporal ghost imaging
Ghost imaging in the time domain allows for reconstructing fast temporal objects using a slow photodetector. The technique involves correlating random or pre-programmed probing temporal intensity patterns with the integrated signal measured after mod.....»»
Hubble captures unique ultraviolet view of a spectacular star cluster
Roughly 210,000 light-years away, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of our Milky Way galaxy's closest neighbors. In fact, this small galaxy is one of the Milky Way's "satellite" galaxies, which orbit our home spiral galaxy......»»
Watch a star get destroyed by a supermassive black hole in the first simulation of its kind
Giant black holes in the centers of galaxies like our own Milky Way are known to occasionally munch on nearby stars......»»
NASA"s EXCITE mission prepared for scientific balloon flight
Scientists and engineers are ready to fly an infrared mission called EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) to the edge of space......»»
Citizen scientists spot mysterious object shooting out of the galaxy at 1 million mph
Citizen scientists have spotted an object which is traveling at such a speed that it will shoot out of the Milky Way and head out into intergalactic space......»»
Mosquitoes sense infrared from body heat to help track humans down, study shows
While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and other diseases ev.....»»
Astronomers discover spectacular increase in the deuterium to hydrogen ratio in Venus"s atmosphere
Thanks to observations by the Solar Occultation in the Infrared (SOIR) instrument on the Venus Express space probe of the European Space Agency (ESA), researchers have discovered an unexpected increase in the abundances of two water molecule variants.....»»
Tracking a newly discovered hypervelocity star spotted by citizen scientists
It may seem like the sun is stationary while the planets in its orbit are moving, but the sun is actually orbiting around the Milky Way galaxy at an impressive rate of about 220 kilometers per second—almost half a million miles per hour......»»
NASA shuts down asteroid-hunting telescope, but a better one is on the way
The NEOWISE spacecraft is on a course to fall out of orbit in the next few months. Enlarge / Artist's illustration of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Last week, NASA deco.....»»
Are Andromeda and the Milky Way doomed to collide? Maybe not
Scientists discovered the Andromeda galaxy, known as M31, hundreds of years ago, and around a century ago, we realized that it had negative radial velocity toward the Milky Way. In other words, eventually, the two galaxies would merge spectacularly......»»
Astronomers use AI to find elusive stars "gobbling up" planets
Astronomers have recently found hundreds of "polluted" white dwarf stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. These are white dwarfs caught actively consuming planets in their orbit. They are a valuable resource for studying the interiors of these dist.....»»
Uncovering Magnetism’s Mysterious Role in the Galaxy
Susan Clark is helping to unravel the mysterious workings of the Milky Way’s magnetic field, a critical missing piece of the galactic puzzle......»»
Near-infrared photobiomodulation technique targets brain inflammation
As the world grapples with an aging population, the rise in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is becoming a significant challenge. These conditions place a heavy burden not only on those afflicted but also on their famili.....»»
Saturday Citations: Scientists study monkey faces and cat bellies; another intermediate black hole in the Milky Way
This is not a rerun of last week's roundup; another group of astronomers found a second intermediate-mass black hole in the Milky Way and I can't avoid highlighting it. They're cool! They may have formed in the primordial universe, they comprise the.....»»
Wetland wonders unfold: Aerial systems shed light on ecosystem services
Coastal wetlands, situated at the junction of land and water, are vital ecosystems known for their high productivity. They play a key role in carbon sequestration, storm buffering, and providing habitats for diverse species. However, these critical a.....»»
Studies find China-based emissions of three potent climate-warming greenhouse gases have spiked in past decade
When it comes to heating up the planet, not all greenhouse gases are created equal. They vary widely in their global warming potential (GWP), a measure of how much infrared thermal radiation a greenhouse gas would absorb over a given time frame once.....»»
Double trouble: Gaia hit by micrometeoroid and solar storm
Launched in December 2013, ESA's Gaia spacecraft is on a mission to map the locations and motions of more than a billion stars in the Milky Way with extreme precision......»»