Deep Space(Page 2)

The latest on the missions plunging far beyond of Earth's orbit, including Voyager I, the Parker Solar Probe, and JUICE.

Latest in Deep Space

This artist concept illustrates a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our Sun. Supermassive black holes are enormously dense objects buried at the hearts of galaxies.

Searching for the secrets behind the Little Red Dots Searching for the secrets behind the Little Red Dots

By Fabio Pacucci / The Conversation

Illustration of the cases where one impulse Δv = 10−1 m s−1 from a small asteroid impact has been applied to Apophis.

Astrophysicist predicts (slightly) higher chance for major asteroid impact in 2029 Astrophysicist predicts (slightly) higher chance for major asteroid impact in 2029

The Green Bank Observatory contains eight dishes that detect radiation from objects in space in the form of radio waves.

Why the ‘Wow!’ signal is probably not from aliens after all Why the ‘Wow!’ signal is probably not from aliens after all

By Briley Lewis

a space telescope image of multiple shining stars in reddish clouds

JWST spots six new ‘rogue worlds,’ neither planet nor star JWST spots six new ‘rogue worlds,’ neither planet nor star

By Laura Baisas

ALMA antennae bathed in red light. in the background there is the southern Milky Way on the left and the Magellanic Clouds at the top.

Why astronomers keep staring at the same spot in the sky Why astronomers keep staring at the same spot in the sky

By Briley Lewis

Two images displaying possible kilonova

Scientists want your help finding black holes with your phone Scientists want your help finding black holes with your phone

Artist impression of a large asteroid impacting on Earth such as the Chicxulub event that caused the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, 66 million years ago. The illustration shows an asteroid impacting at Chicxulub. Shown in the background are planet Mars and asteroid bodies.

Dinosaur-killing asteroid likely came from deep space beyond Jupiter Dinosaur-killing asteroid likely came from deep space beyond Jupiter

Ancient star, but not one of the first: One of the oldest known stars ever observed is a subgiant star in the Milky Way, just 190 light-years from Earth. The star, known as HD 140283 or the Methuselah star, appears to be almost as old as the universe. However, we know it is not one of the first stars because of it contains metals that must have formed in the core or during the explosion of even earlier stars.

The hunt for the first stars in the universe The hunt for the first stars in the universe

By Briley Lewis

The central region of a spiral galaxy. Its core is a small bright point radiating bright, bluish-white light over the scene. The white light is diffuse and many point-like stars in the galaxy (and even background galaxies) can be seen through it. The galaxy’s arms can be seen as broad, swirling streaks of glowing gas and dust, coloured red and orange. Two additional arms are revealed in green

You’ve never seen a prettier radiation-spewing supermassive black hole You’ve never seen a prettier radiation-spewing supermassive black hole

By Laura Baisas

a red aurora along with the stars of the milky way over mountains

19 magnificent images from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist 19 magnificent images from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist

By Popular Science Team

In the foreground to the left is a sphere half illuminated on the right side, almost filling the image vertically. The surface consists of several parallel, pale-coloured bands aligned horizontally. To the top right is a much smaller orange, circular light source, illuminating the large sphere in the foreground. The background is black with numerous tiny white dots.

JWST detects a new exoplanet six times larger than Jupiter JWST detects a new exoplanet six times larger than Jupiter

25 images of space

NASA drops 25 dazzling images to celebrate Chandra X-ray space telescope NASA drops 25 dazzling images to celebrate Chandra X-ray space telescope

By Popular Science Team

Close up of pills in blister packs

How will astronauts handle expired drugs on Mars? How will astronauts handle expired drugs on Mars?

Astronomy: a 40-foot telescope constructed by William Herschel, in use outdoors. Coloured etching, 18--. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark.

400 years of telescopes: A window into our study of the cosmos 400 years of telescopes: A window into our study of the cosmos

By Bill Gourgey

a flat map of the planet jupiter, showing reddish-orange lines and the planet's great red spot

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot keeps shrinking Jupiter’s Great Red Spot keeps shrinking

By Laura Baisas

A team of astronomers led by Penn State scientists have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet’s extreme circuit — which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle — follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of all known exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. The planet, , named TIC 241249530, is also orbiting its star backwards, lending insight into the mystery of how close-in massive gas planets, known as hot Jupiters, form, stabilize and evolve over time.

Newly discovered exoplanet’s orbit is like a ‘cucumber’ Newly discovered exoplanet’s orbit is like a ‘cucumber’

Screenshot from music video for Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"

NASA beamed Missy Elliott’s ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ to her favorite planet NASA beamed Missy Elliott’s ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ to her favorite planet

Image of Omega Centauri star cluster with black hole and evidence stars highlighted

Astronomers discover Earth’s closest black hole Astronomers discover Earth’s closest black hole

an illustration of a blue exoplanet with white swirls near a sun-like star

A nearby exoplanet reeks of rotten eggs A nearby exoplanet reeks of rotten eggs

By Laura Baisas

the tall and straight pillars of creation as seen with two space telescopes. these celestial bodies are finger-like figures of gas and dust

Ethereal Pillars of Creation come to life in new 3D visualization Ethereal Pillars of Creation come to life in new 3D visualization

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of two merging quasars in space. they are round yellow and orange disks, with a black hole in the center. white light is coming out of the center of the black hole.

In a first, astronomers spot merging quasars from the Cosmic Dawn In a first, astronomers spot merging quasars from the Cosmic Dawn

By Laura Baisas

Pegasus Shooting Star Vodka promo art next to meteorite

The $200 meteorite-infused vodka is refreshingly tasty The $200 meteorite-infused vodka is refreshingly tasty

Artist concept art of Voyager 1

Voyager 1 defies the odds yet again and is back online Voyager 1 defies the odds yet again and is back online

Image of June 3, 2024, solar flare

Watch a wild ‘failed eruption’ solar flare Watch a wild ‘failed eruption’ solar flare

JWST discovers earliest galaxy ever observed

JWST discovers earliest galaxy ever observed JWST discovers earliest galaxy ever observed

$A spherical collection of stars which fills the whole view. The cluster is dominated by a concentrated group of bright white stars at the center, with several large yellow stars scattered throughout the image. Many of the stars have visible diffraction spikes. The background is black$

The 8 most extraordinary JWST images of 2024, so far The 8 most extraordinary JWST images of 2024, so far

By Popular Science Team

an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star

Newly discovered exoplanet may be habitable (or a Venus-like hellscape) Newly discovered exoplanet may be habitable (or a Venus-like hellscape)

By Laura Baisas

a pink and red galaxy (left). an illustration of the cylindrical euclid space telescope (right)

See 5 dazzling new images from Euclid, the ‘dark universe detective’ See 5 dazzling new images from Euclid, the ‘dark universe detective’

By Laura Baisas

This artist's concept illustrates a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun. Supermassive black holes are enormously dense objects buried at the hearts of galaxies.

Astronomers use wobbly star stuff to measure a supermassive black hole’s spin Astronomers use wobbly star stuff to measure a supermassive black hole’s spin

By Laura Baisas

An illustration of what exoplanet WASP-39 b could look like. It is also a hot and puffy gas giant like exoplanet WASP 193b.

A massive cotton candy-like exoplanet stumps astronomers A massive cotton candy-like exoplanet stumps astronomers

By Laura Baisas

How ‘safe mode’ protects space telescopes like Hubble and TESS

How ‘safe mode’ protects space telescopes like Hubble and TESS How ‘safe mode’ protects space telescopes like Hubble and TESS

By Briley Lewis

Artist rendering of exoplanet WASP-43b

JWST measures ‘Hot Jupiter,’ a distant exoplanet hot enough to forge iron JWST measures ‘Hot Jupiter,’ a distant exoplanet hot enough to forge iron

Astronomers fight to save a major X-ray space telescope

Astronomers fight to save a major X-ray space telescope Astronomers fight to save a major X-ray space telescope

By Briley Lewis

An artist’s concept of NASA’s Voyager 1 traveling through interstellar space–or the space between stars.

Greetings, Earth! NASA can understand Voyager 1 again Greetings, Earth! NASA can understand Voyager 1 again

By Laura Baisas

Where do all those colors in space telescope images come from?

Where do all those colors in space telescope images come from? Where do all those colors in space telescope images come from?

By Briley Lewis

a galaxy that looks like an hourglass pinched at the center with a shining protostar

Plunge into an immersive IMAX movie featuring the James Webb Space Telescope Plunge into an immersive IMAX movie featuring the James Webb Space Telescope

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of a black hole with a companion star. the star is bright with a blue line indicating where the black hole is.

Humongous stellar-mass black hole is the biggest ever found in Milky Way Humongous stellar-mass black hole is the biggest ever found in Milky Way

By Laura Baisas

An image of the core of our Milky Way galaxy. This view combines the sharp imaging of Hubble’s Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) with color imagery from a previous Spitzer Space Telescope survey done with its Infrared Astronomy Camera (IRAC).

Youth-stealing stars could explain ‘missing giants’ at the Milky Way’s center Youth-stealing stars could explain ‘missing giants’ at the Milky Way’s center

By Briley Lewis

LSST Camera Deputy Project Manager Travis Lange shines a flashlight into the LSST Camera.

A 3,200-megapixel digital camera is ready for its cosmic photoshoot A 3,200-megapixel digital camera is ready for its cosmic photoshoot

M74 aka the Phantom Galaxy shown in a combined optical/mid-infrared image, featuring data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. It is one of the celestial objects featured

Listen to three breathtaking NASA images Listen to three breathtaking NASA images

By Laura Baisas

A combination of a Hubble Space Telescope image of SN 1987A and the compact argon source. The faint blue source in the center is the emission from the compact source detected with the James Webb Space Telescope. Outside this is the stellar debris, which contains most of the mass. The inner bright “string of pearls” is the gas from the outer layers of the star that was expelled about 20,000 years before the final explosion. The fast debris is now colliding with the ring, explaining the bright spots. Outside of the inner ring are two outer rings, presumably produced by the same process as forming the inner ring. The bright stars to the left and right of the inner ring are unrelated to the supernova.

JWST detects evidence of a neutron star in fiery supernova remains JWST detects evidence of a neutron star in fiery supernova remains

By Laura Baisas

An artist’s impression of quasar J059-4351, the bright core of a distant galaxy that is powered by a supermassive black hole. This quasar has been found to be the most luminous object known in the universe to date.

Fastest-growing black hole eats the equivalent of one sun a day Fastest-growing black hole eats the equivalent of one sun a day

By Laura Baisas

Galaxy AM 1054-325 has been distorted into an S-shape from a normal pancake-like spiral shape by the gravitational pull of a neighboring galaxy, seen in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. A consequence of this is that newborn clusters of stars form along a stretched-out tidal tail for thousands of light-years, resembling a string of pearls. They form when knots of gas gravitationally collapse to create about one million newborn stars per cluster.

NASA’s Hubble space telescope reveals a galactic ‘string of pearls’ NASA’s Hubble space telescope reveals a galactic ‘string of pearls’

By Laura Baisas

Two different versions of the eROSITA map. Extended X-ray emissions (left) and point-like X-ray sources (right).

New map of half the known universe shines with cosmic energy New map of half the known universe shines with cosmic energy

By Laura Baisas

Face-on spiral galaxy, NGC 628, is split diagonally in this image: The James Webb Space Telescope’s observations appear at top left, and the Hubble Space Telescope’s on bottom right. JWST’s observations combine near- and mid-infrared light and Hubble’s showcase visible light. Dust absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, and then re-emits it in the infrared. In JWST’s images, we see dust glowing in infrared light. In Hubble’s images, dark regions are where starlight is absorbed by dust.

JWST images show off the swirling arms of 19 spiral galaxies JWST images show off the swirling arms of 19 spiral galaxies

By Laura Baisas

A bright young star within a colorful nebula. The star is identifiable as the brightest spot in the image, surrounded by six large spokes of light that cross the image. A number of other bright spots can also be seen in the clouds, which are shown in great detail as layers of colorful wisps.

Check out JWST’s new image of a star factory Check out JWST’s new image of a star factory

By Laura Baisas

Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot and the surrounding turbulent zones, shown in shades of white and brown.

Earth isn’t the only planet with seasons, but they can look wildly different on other worlds Earth isn’t the only planet with seasons, but they can look wildly different on other worlds

By Gongjie Li / The Conversation

Four of the best telescopes for deep space side by side on a plain background.

Gear

The best telescopes for deep space The best telescopes for deep space

By Abby Ferguson

Robert Lodder sends Lexington tourism data ad into space at evening launch event with horses in background

Lexington, Kentucky sent a tourism ad to ‘extraterrestrials’ with a DIY laser rig Lexington, Kentucky sent a tourism ad to ‘extraterrestrials’ with a DIY laser rig

Screenshot of cat video sent from Psyche spacecraft to NASA

Taters the cat stars in first ‘ultra-HD’ video sent from deep space Taters the cat stars in first ‘ultra-HD’ video sent from deep space

This image from the Near-Infrared Camera instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, which are the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.

Record-breaking ‘failed star’ spotted by JWST Record-breaking ‘failed star’ spotted by JWST

By Laura Baisas

Artist art of Voyager space probe against purple cosmic background

Voyager 1 is sending back bad data, but NASA is on it Voyager 1 is sending back bad data, but NASA is on it

A new high-definition image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam unveils intricate details of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A and shows the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded.

JWST releases new image of famous supernova remnant—with a twist JWST releases new image of famous supernova remnant—with a twist

By Laura Baisas

International Liquid Mirror Telescope

Looking at the stars through a puddle of mercury Looking at the stars through a puddle of mercury

By Briley Lewis

LHS 3154b, a newly discovered massive planet that should be too big to exist.

The planet that should not exist The planet that should not exist

By Suvrath Mahadevan et al./The Conversation

Scientists want to use the sun’s gravity to communicate between stars Scientists want to use the sun’s gravity to communicate between stars

By Briley Lewis

The full view of the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals a 50 light-years-wide portion of the Milky Way’s dense center. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C region, along with some as-yet unidentified features. A vast region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, wraps around an infrared-dark cloud, which is so dense that it blocks the light from distant stars behind it. Intriguing needle-like structures in the ionized hydrogen emission lack any uniform orientation. Researchers note the surprising extent of the ionized region, covering about 25 light-years.

Chaotic region shines bright with 500,000 stars in new JWST image Chaotic region shines bright with 500,000 stars in new JWST image

By Laura Baisas

NASA Psyche spacecraft surrounded by engineers in lab

NASA’s Psyche wins first deep space laser relay NASA’s Psyche wins first deep space laser relay

UNCOVER z-13 and UNCOVER z-12 are the second and fourth most distant galaxy ever observed. The James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) helped confirm their existence within Pandora’s Cluster (Abell 2744). They are shown here as near-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated to visible-light colors.

JWST spots two of the most distant galaxies astronomers have ever seen JWST spots two of the most distant galaxies astronomers have ever seen

By Laura Baisas

Space Telescope with visible-light data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The resulting wavelength coverage, from 0.4 to 5 microns, reveals a vivid landscape of galaxies whose colors give clues to galaxy distances: The bluest galaxies are relatively nearby and often show intense star formation, as best detected by Hubble, while the redder galaxies tend to be more distant, or else contain copious amount of dust, as detected by JWST.

‘Christmas tree’ galaxy shines in new image from Hubble and JWST ‘Christmas tree’ galaxy shines in new image from Hubble and JWST

By Laura Baisas

This square astronomical image is divided horizontally by a waving line between a white-orange cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively blue-purple-pink upper portion. From the nebula in the bottom half of the image, an orange cloud shaped like a horsehead sticks out. In the bottom left of the image, a white round glow is visible. The clouds from the bottom half of the image shine purple/blue light into the upper half. The top of the image shows the black expanse of space. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing stars of varying sizes and colors. Blue stars are younger and red stars are older.

Euclid telescope spies shimmering stars and galaxies in its first look at the ‘dark’ universe Euclid telescope spies shimmering stars and galaxies in its first look at the ‘dark’ universe

By Laura Baisas

Astronomers found the most distant black hole ever detected in X-rays (in a galaxy dubbed UHZ1) using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. X-ray emission is a telltale signature of a growing supermassive black hole. This result may explain how some of the first supermassive black holes in the universe formed. These images show the galaxy cluster Abell 2744 that UHZ1 is located behind, in X-rays from Chandra and infrared data from JWST, as well as close-ups of the black hole host galaxy UHZ1.

Farthest black hole ever recorded by astronomers is nearly as old as our universe Farthest black hole ever recorded by astronomers is nearly as old as our universe

By Laura Baisas

The gold mirrors of JSWT sit in front of an extremely large, circular door in a vast room with scientists working.

This NASA photographer documented the 30-year journey to build the James Webb Space Telescope This NASA photographer documented the 30-year journey to build the James Webb Space Telescope

By Abby Ferguson

An artist's rendition of the infrared aurora superimposed on a Hubble Space Telescope photograph of Uranus. The planet is blue with a white ring around it and the aurora is shown in red at its poles.

Uranus has a weird infrared aurora Uranus has a weird infrared aurora

By Laura Baisas