Astronomy
207 reportsPhotometry and astronomical surveys reveal where results converge and where they diverge. The comparison asks what spectra reveal and how observations are calibrated, showing how sparse measurements or incomplete records limit certainty.
Hubble Data Point to a Possible Second-Generation Planet
NASA Hubble observations of the white dwarf HS 0209+0832 reveal a chemical clue consistent with a Jupiter-sized planet formed from material shed after its star became a red giant
Webb Reveals Stellar Jets Carving Through NGC 7129
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has resolved protostars and stellar outflows in NGC 7129, about 3,300 light-years away, showing how hot gas carves cavities while compressed clouds continue producing new stars.
Hubble Data Point to a Possible Planet Born After Its Star Died
Reanalyzed NASA Hubble spectroscopy and archival FUSE ultraviolet data reveal extreme niobium enrichment around the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, while TESS detected a 4.4-day brightness cycle consistent with-but not proving-the presence of a close-orbiting gas-giant candidate.
Webb Traces Planet Shattering Collisions Around Young Stars
James Webb and Spitzer observations of 21 rare extreme debris disks show how mineral fingerprints distinguish Mars-scale planetary impacts from smaller collisions that reshape young stellar systems
Volunteers Will Map Dust Through Overlapping Galaxies
NASA's Overlap Zoo asks volunteers to identify and outline overlapping galaxy pairs so astronomers can study dust silhouettes that dim distant starlight and improve measurements of cosmic distances.
Algol's Blinking Eye Reveals an Eclipsing Star System
Algol appears to blink because two stars regularly eclipse each other. NASA's TESS data records the change while Perseus and the Witch Head Nebula add darker targets to October's night sky.
Hubble Reveals a Spiral Galaxy With Arms That Avoid Its Core
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy about 55 million light-years away in Virgo, with arms concentrated in an outer ring-like disk rather than winding into its bright center.
Chandra Finds 84 Hypersoft X-ray Sources Across Six Nearby Galaxies
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has identified 84 hypersoft X-ray sources in six nearby galaxies. Their concentration of very low-energy X-rays may offer clues to Type Ia supernova progenitors and the ultraviolet radiation environment between galaxies.
Equinoxes Reveal Earth's Changing Balance of Sunlight
The 2026 equinoxes mark the moments when the Sun crosses Earth's equatorial plane, revealing why the seasons reverse between hemispheres and why day and night are never perfectly equal.
XRISM Tracks Stellar Wind Falling Onto a Pulsar
XRISM has traced iron-rich plasma moving toward the pulsar GX 301-2 at about 540,000 kph, providing spectroscopic evidence that a neutron star captures its giant companion's stellar wind and powers recurring X-ray flares.
COSI Detector Assembly Moves Toward Gamma-Ray Science
A detector assembly for NASA's COSI gamma-ray telescope was raised from a laboratory table on July 8, 2026, revealing hardware designed to study matter, antimatter and dying stars as the mission prepares for a planned 2027 launch.
Hubble captures a spiral galaxy with a twisted core
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has imaged NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy in Virgo whose central bulge and inner rotation axis are set at right angles to its disk, hinting at a past shaped by external gas or a minor merger.
Youngest exoplanet yet found emerges from archival telescope data
Astronomers have identified Elias 2-24 b, the youngest known exoplanet, using direct imaging techniques and archival data from the Keck Observatory. The planet is less than a million years old and still sits within its birth disk.
Solar Storm Forces Historians to Revise Timeline of Early Technology Disruption
A new review of historical records has corrected the date of a well-known 19th-century train delay caused by a solar storm, offering a clearer picture of how early electrical systems responded to space weather.
Vampire white dwarfs can collapse into neutron stars under precise conditions
Researchers have modeled how certain white dwarfs feeding on companion stars can collapse into neutron stars if their mass and accretion rate fall within a narrow range, revealing a rare but physically distinct pathway for stellar evolution.
Neil deGrasse Tyson releases Lost in Space, a new encyclopedia of the cosmos
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lindsey Nyx Walker introduce Lost in Space, a 400-page National Geographic encyclopedia packed with thousands of facts, images, and profiles of planets, telescopes, and cosmic phenomena.
Webb spots puzzling changes in Chariklo's rings between Saturn and Uranus
The James Webb Space Telescope has recorded unexpected changes in the rings of Chariklo, a small centaur object between Saturn and Uranus, challenging assumptions about the stability of minor ring systems in the outer solar system.
Hubble captures a superbubble shaping star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud
A new Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a vast cavity in nebula LHA 120-N44, showing how massive stars reshape their surroundings and spark new star birth in a neighboring galaxy.
Why Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury, Even Though It's Farther from the Sun
Venus's surface is hotter than Mercury's, despite being farther from the Sun. The reason lies in Venus's thick, heat-trapping atmosphere-not its distance from our star.
Mercury's Surface Hides Evidence of Greater Planetary Shrinkage
A new study using NASA MESSENGER data finds Mercury may have shrunk by up to 30 percent more than earlier models indicated, with impact debris masking the true scale of planetary contraction
AI reconstructs black hole jet motion from decades of radio data
A new AI-driven analysis of 27 years of radio telescope data has produced the sharpest reconstruction yet of a black hole jet, revealing unexpected details about plasma motion in the blazar 3C 345
September sky offers rare view of five planets and the Harvest Moon
Astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere can observe all five naked-eye planets and the Harvest Moon this September as earlier sunsets and mild weather create optimal conditions for stargazing
ALMA reveals chaotic birth of massive binary stars in real time
Astronomers using ALMA have reconstructed the formation of a massive binary star system just 5,300 light-years away, finding evidence that the two stars joined forces only decades ago rather than forming together
Zodiacal Light to Illuminate September Skies Before Sunrise
A faint pyramid of zodiacal light will become visible in the eastern sky before dawn this September, offering a rare opportunity for observers to witness sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust using only the naked eye under dark conditions
High Energy Photon From Distant Gamma Ray Burst Challenges Physics Limits
A photon with record-breaking energy from the gamma ray burst GRB 221009A reached Earth despite theoretical barriers. New analysis suggests a possible explanation involving axion-like particles and Lorentz invariance violation
Gemini North Telescope Captures Spiral Galaxies in Active Merger
A new image from the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea reveals two spiral galaxies, NGC 7253, in the process of merging. The observation, led by local students, highlights the dynamic interactions that drive galaxy evolution
NASA's 100th Astronaut Flight Tested Space Station Assembly in Orbit
NASA's space shuttle Endeavour launched the STS-69 mission on September 7, 1995, deploying and retrieving two satellites and conducting a spacewalk to test International Space Station assembly techniques
Simulations Reveal Moon May Have Formed in Hours After Giant Impact
New computer models suggest the Moon could have assembled rapidly from debris after a collision between early Earth and a Mars-sized body, with the timing and temperature of the impact playing a critical role
Crescent Moon to Occult Jupiter in Rare Daytime Event
A rare daytime occultation will see the Moon pass in front of Jupiter on September 8, with the best viewing opportunities for North America. Observers will need careful planning and optical aid to catch the event in daylight
Webb Telescope Reveals Rare O-Type Star Cluster in Carina Nebula
A new James Webb Space Telescope image exposes a dense cluster of newborn stars, including a rare O-type giant, inside the Treasure Chest globule in the Carina Nebula, offering a detailed look at early stellar evolution in one of the Milky Way's most active star-forming regions
NASA adds new Goldstone antenna to expand deep space communications
NASA has activated a new 34 meter antenna at Goldstone to increase the Deep Space Network's capacity as Artemis and other missions strain existing communication infrastructure
Venus Reveals Its Crescent Phase as It Approaches Inferior Conjunction
Venus is now visible as a striking crescent through small telescopes as it draws closer to Earth and prepares to pass between our planet and the Sun, offering a rare chance to observe its changing phases and orbital motion
MeerKAT Telescope Maps Ancient Hydrogen Across Billions of Light Years
Researchers using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope have detected faint hydrogen signals from galaxies 4 to 5 billion light-years away, offering a new approach to mapping the universe's large-scale structure through radio intensity mapping
Meteorite dust reveals magnetic forces shaped the infant solar system
Analysis of ancient meteorite grains has uncovered evidence that strong magnetic fields influenced the earliest stages of the solar system's formation, challenging the long-held view that gravity alone sculpted the protoplanetary disk
Hubble Reveals Giant Superbubble Structure in Large Magellanic Cloud
A new Hubble Space Telescope image captures the nebula N44 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, highlighting a vast superbubble at its center and offering fresh insight into the impact of massive stars on their galactic environment
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