Saturn has a minimum of 146 moons, making it the planet with the most moons in the solar system. Credit: dottedhippo via Getty Images When observing the night sky, the moon is typically the brightest and largest object visible without a telescope, making it the only natural satellite most people can see with the naked...
Credit: M. WEISS, CXC/NASA This summer, stargazers have a chance to witness a rare celestial event. By scanning the night sky for the constellation Corona Borealis, you might catch a glimpse of what appears to be a new star. "This brightening point of light is not actually a new star but a nova eruption occurring...
A supermassive black hole in galaxy SDSS1335+0728 has lit up, possibly giving astronomers a look at how such beasts are awakened.M. KORNMESSER/ESO For the last four years, astronomers have observed the supermassive black hole at the center of SDSS1335+0728 undergo a transformation from a dim and inactive state to a bright and active one. This...
Located 1,232 light-years away, WASP-193b is an exoplanet nearly 50 percent larger than Jupiter. Surprisingly, its density is comparable to that of cotton candy, being just over 1 percent of Earth's density. Described as an "absolute dandelion puff-ball of a world," it's one of the most peculiar discoveries in the galaxy.
JWST captured a near-infrared image of the boundary of the Horsehead Nebula. (Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt/University of Arizona, and A. Abergel/IAS/University Paris-Saclay/CNRS) A fresh perspective has just unveiled a renowned feature in our planet's sky. Mid- and near-infrared investigations conducted by the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed never-before-seen characteristics in the Horsehead Nebula...
Archival Chandra image of ACT-CL J0329. Credit: Sikhosana et al., 2024. A global team of astronomers conducted radio observations of the large galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0329.2-2330, uncovering a new radio halo within the cluster. The discovery was detailed in a research paper published on April 5 on the pre-print server arXiv. In fact, radio halos are...
After more than 20 years of planning, the LSST Camera module is now ready to be shipped to Chile for installation on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryJacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has unveiled the completion of the LSST Camera, boasting a remarkable 3,200-megapixel capacity....
The Solar Eclipse The 2024 Solar Eclipse is a rare and scientific opportunity that will provide a unique and awe-inspiring experience for millions of people across North America. This event occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, causing a momentary disruption of the Earth's natural rhythms. As the eclipse takes place,...
An artist's impression of a pair of supermassive black holes that have been locked in foreplay for 3 billion yearsNOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. daSilva/M. Zamani We've all experienced the regret of delaying action on someone special, but at least we can find solace in the fact that we didn't wait a quarter of all time that has ever...
This is likely the first and best image we'll ever get of Didymos and Dimorphos together like this.Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL In September 2022, NASA did a big test in space. They sent the DART mission to crash into an asteroid moon called Dimorphos, which orbits a bigger asteroid named Didymos. It was the...
