Hβ · 486.1 nm
Observatory construction, instrument commissioning, first light, survey data releases, and the funding fights that decide which of them get built.
Telescopes & Instruments
A distant black hole star is providing strong evidence that these objects lie at the hearts of the mysterious little red dots found shortly after the Big Bang by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Little red dots have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data from the universe's deep past. Their "powering engines" might resemble a newly discovered phenomenon dubbed a "black hole star"—an early, rapidly growing black hole wrapped…
This article is for students grades 5-8. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory. The telescope will scan large sections of space. Roman will help astronomers answer questions about dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and more…
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is a partner, have captured the first direct, high-resolution images of a magnetic field wrapped tightly…
Observing across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. The nebula’s “mane” is clear and detailed in this image released on Aug. 10, 2026, due to Webb’s high-resolution imaging. See more images…
I'll admit to using AI for things it was probably never designed for. When my van threw a fault I couldn't immediately figure out—one that seems notorious for trips back and forth to a repair shop—I ended up in a long (but cheaper) back-and-forth with an AI system, working…
In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is going to be a critical technical component of any human expansion out into the solar system. Our first challenge with utilizing those resources, though, is finding them. We know how, at least in theory - send a probe to an asteroid, or a…
The Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Greg Meyer, taken from Starfront Observatory, near Brady, Texas Two faint planetary nebulae glow in Cassiopeia — Abell 6 (lower left), about 3,750 light-years away, and HFG1 (upper right), roughly 2,300 light-years distant. These objects are dying, Sun-like stars shedding their…
Additional planetary signals may be hidden in TESS data, say astronomers
Correcting heat-induced distortions in interferometer mirrors will dramatically increase the sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors
Andromeda has slowed its star-forming rate over the last 40 million years. Scientists think they finally know why.
Easy to use and with an excellent build quality, the ZWO ASI174MM is a fast, monochrome USB 3.0 camera that’s perfect for solar and lunar imaging.
Since it became operational in 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released some truly breathtaking views of the cosmos. These images highlight how advancements since the days of the venerable Hubble Space Telescope are now providing the deepest and clearest views of…
The James Webb Space Telescope's strange "little red dots" may be evolving into spiral galaxies.
In June, NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI) brought together leading voices in astronomy and artificial intelligence (AI)...
All you really need for stargazing is your eyes and dark skies . . . right?
Scientists observing the Sun with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have caught a wave-like shape that's never been seen on the Sun's visible surface.
Astrobites reports on a whodunit of cosmic significance: who killed star formation in massive elliptical galaxies?
Jiazheng Zhu et al 2026 ApJL 1004 L10 Discovered just 6 billion years after the Big Bang, AT2025wet is the highest-redshift non-jetted tidal disruption event known, allowing researchers to probe the missing-energy puzzle.
Spain has offered a package worth up to €1 billion to support the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The Spanish site is currently the project’s designated alternative, with Mauna Kea in Hawaii remaining the preferred location…
Scientists have built the first all-optical photonic time crystal, allowing them to reshape the behavior of terahertz light at extraordinary speeds. The breakthrough could open the door to ultrafast computing, smarter communication systems, advanced imaging, and a new generation…
Astronomers may have been listening for alien civilizations in only a small slice of the radio spectrum while overlooking a largely unexplored range of higher frequencies. Using archived data from the ALMA telescope in Chile, researchers conducted the observatory’s first SETI…
Cameron Lemon et al 2026 ApJL 1003 L47 Researchers have discovered a supernova that occurred when the universe was roughly 5 billion years old; if the supernova’s luminosity is similar to that of nearby events, it must have been magnified by a factor of 250.
Keith Cooper reviews It’s (Just) Rocket Science: Exploring Physics Through Spaceflight Missions by Trisha Muro
One of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy is how the Universe managed to grow enormous black holes so quickly.
A giant planet had been hiding inside one of astronomy’s most closely studied planetary systems, concealed by a bright disk of cosmic dust. Webb revealed Beta Pictoris d through atmospheric traces of carbon monoxide, water vapor, and methane, showcasing a promising new method…
Observations made with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) have revealed evidence for a moon-like object in the CD-35 2722 system. Unlike moons in our Solar System, the newly found object does not orbit a planet, raising questions about what to…
Seven members of the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team of the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy...
NASA’s next flagship orbital observatory will reshape what we know about planets throughout the galaxy.
A. N. Ortiz Capeles et al 2026 ApJ 1003 65 Using data from JWST, the Subaru Telescope, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, researchers have identified a previously unseen collimated protostellar jet in a Herbig–Haro object.
Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – host Zsófi Szalavári travels from our Sun out into the depths of space to…
A team of astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b — the first planet discovered in the same system — and is among the lightest exoplanets ever to be imaged from the…
New optical device could fly on future space missions that study solar magnetic fields and space weather
The massive globular star cluster Omega Centauri has puzzled astronomers for decades. It should be filled with black holes left behind by exploding stars, yet evidence for them is scarce. Now, astronomers using archival data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and…
New analysis of JWST observations suggests that the Bullet Cluster of galaxies might only have half as much dark matter as previously believed
Ritvik Sai Narayan et al 2026 AJ 171 282 Simulations predict that the Roman Space Telescope will discover 33 ± 9 young exoplanets in a one-month survey, expanding our understanding of the properties of planets around very young stars.
An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to watch the Jupiter-sized exoplanet WD 1856 b transit its host star, measuring the planet’s mass and temperature and even detecting its atmosphere. They found that the planet is…
What's behind the population of compact, reddish objects spotted by JWST? Two recent research articles have explored theories involving young globular clusters and little red dots with little blue companions.
Ian McConachie et al 2026 ApJ 1002 74 Analysis of JWST and Hubble Space Telescope observations of the galaxy “Eridu” suggests that the galaxy formed within 300 million years of the Big Bang and was quenched by a redshift of z ~ 10.
The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will take a picture of the southern night sky every 3–4 nights
NASA ·
NOIRLab/NSF/AURA ·
APOD · Marcin Rosadziński ·
The vocabulary below is the actual list this subject is matched on — nothing is hidden and nothing is inferred. Terms on the top line settle it on their own; the second line counts, but needs company.
james webb space telescopehubble space telescopevera rubin observatoryextremely large telescopenancy grace romanfirst lightadaptive opticsinterferometerradio telescopesquare kilometre arraychandra x-rayspectrographobservatory constructiondata releasevery large telescopealma arrayevent horizon telescope
jwstwebb telescopehubbletelescopeobservatoryinstrument commissioningground-based observatorymirror segmentdetector arraysurvey telescopegaia missionxrismeuclid
