Visual Science Stories
77 reportsNew findings on correction history are read with false-color processing and satellite observations. This comparison explores where visualization can mislead and how the image was produced, making peer review status and later corrections explicit.
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.
Crew-13 Falcon 9 Stands Ready for Its October Launch
A Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 ahead of NASA's Crew-13 mission, which is scheduled to carry four international crew members to the International Space Station.
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.
Unitree Humanoids Bring Chinese Water Sleeve Dance to America's Got Talent
Eight Unitree G1 humanoid robots joined Sichuan dancer Wu Yufei for a synchronized water-sleeve routine in the Season 21 finale of America's Got Talent, demonstrating carefully programmed coordination rather than independent machine improvisation.
Reid Wiseman Brings Artemis II to Baltimore Ravens Fans
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman returned to his Baltimore roots at M&T Bank Stadium on Sept. 20, 2026, as NASA used the Ravens-Saints game to bring space exploration closer to local fans.
Tiny Drones Navigate Dark Spaces With Artificial Whiskers
Researchers at Delft University of Technology demonstrated a tiny drone that uses pressure-sensitive artificial whiskers to navigate clear-wall test environments without relying on visual information.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Landsat 8 Captures Anak Krakatau Eruption from Orbit
NASA and USGS's Landsat 8 satellite recorded Anak Krakatau's eruption as volcanic gas and ash reached the atmosphere, grounding flights and halting local activity while the volcano remains active
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
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
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
Comet McNaught Surges in Brightness After Solar Outbursts
Comet 220P/McNaught unexpectedly brightened by a factor of 20,000 during two recent outbursts near its closest approach to the Sun, offering a rare opportunity for telescopic observation before it fades from view
Falcon Heavy Launches NASA's Roman Telescope Toward Deep Space Science
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket has launched NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, sending the observatory on a million-mile journey to its operational orbit beyond Earth
NASA Telescopes Reveal Unusual Extra Arms in Spiral Galaxy NGC 4258
A composite image from NASA's Chandra, Hubble, and James Webb telescopes reveals the spiral galaxy NGC 4258, highlighting two anomalous extra arms shaped by its central supermassive black hole
New Algorithm Brings Humanlike Depth Perception to Humanoid Robots
A research team at York University has introduced a convergent binocular stereo algorithm that enables humanoid robots to estimate depth and object orientation more like humans, with tested improvements on a challenging benchmark dataset
ALMA Reveals Persistent Hotspots on Betelgeuse's Turbulent Surface
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array have mapped Betelgeuse's surface in unprecedented detail, revealing long-lived hotspots and complex plasma flows that challenge current models of red supergiant stars
Earth-Facing Sunspot Fires M6.9 Flare and CME Toward Earth
A highly active sunspot has produced an M6.9-class solar flare and launched a coronal mass ejection toward Earth, raising the possibility of geomagnetic disturbances and enhanced auroral activity later this week
ISS Spacewalk Removes Failed Antenna but Leaves Replacement Unfinished
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spent over six hours outside the International Space Station on August 18, 2026, removing a malfunctioning antenna during a technically demanding extravehicular activity
Dark Energy Camera Reveals Ancient Stars and Stellar Birth in Corona Australis
A new image from the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4-meter Telescope captures the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, highlighting both newborn stars and one of the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way
Mars Express Reveals Detailed 3D View of Schiaparelli Crater
ESA's Mars Express orbiter has produced a new high-resolution 3D visualization of Schiaparelli Crater and the Southern Highlands, offering fresh insight into ancient Martian water activity and surface evolution
Richat Structure's Concentric Rings Imaged from the International Space Station
A new photograph from the International Space Station captures the Richat Structure, a 40-kilometer-wide geologic formation in Mauritania, revealing its striking concentric rings as seen from orbit
Total Solar Eclipse Observed Over Greenland's Remote Fjords
A rare total solar eclipse was observed from the deck of a research vessel in East Greenland, offering scientists and eclipse chasers a unique view of totality above icebergs and glaciers under clear Arctic skies
Five Essential Night Sky Targets for Binocular Astronomy
Astronomers highlight five celestial objects and regions that reveal striking detail through binoculars, from the Moon's shifting shadows to the Andromeda Galaxy's faint glow, offering accessible entry points for skywatchers of all experience levels
NASA Johnson Photographers Document Human Spaceflight Milestones
NASA's Johnson Space Center photography team has recorded decades of astronaut training, mission operations, and engineering tests, providing a visual record of human spaceflight and the people behind major missions using a range of imaging techniques
Deneb and Cygnus: Tracing Stellar Remnants and a Nearby Black Hole
Astronomers use optical and X-ray observations to study Deneb, the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, and the black hole Cygnus X-1, revealing the complex structure of the Cygnus constellation and its hidden extremes
NASA Telescopes Map Energy Loss in Tarantula Nebula
A composite image from Chandra, Webb, and Hubble reveals how the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud is shaped by young stars and energetic gas, offering new insight into star formation and nebular evolution
Wildfire Smoke from Space: ISS Images Pacific Northwest Volcanoes
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have recorded extensive wildfire smoke blanketing Mount Rainier and other Cascade volcanoes, revealing the scale of ongoing fires in the Pacific Northwest as seen from orbit
Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks in August Night Skies
The Perseids meteor shower, one of the brightest annual displays, reached its peak on August 12-13, with meteors visible against the backdrop of Orion. Observations were made from dark-sky sites using unaided eyes and standard cameras.
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