Black holes are thought to gobble up so much surrounding material that they put an end to the life of their host galaxy. In that process they create a highly energetic object called a quasar which was previously thought to ...
Astronomy
Nov 27, 2020
31
6284
A new study using the now-retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has pieced together the first detailed, wide-area map of water distribution on the moon. SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the ...
Space Exploration
Mar 27, 2023
0
132
Observations from Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) indicate that the magnetic field near our galaxy's core is strong enough to control the material moving around the black hole, even in the presence ...
Astronomy
Jun 2, 2020
22
3608
Using data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)—a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR—Southwest Research Institute scientists have discovered, for the first time, ...
Astrobiology
Feb 12, 2024
1
5485
Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and our Milky Way is no exception. But many other galaxies have highly active black holes, meaning a lot of material is falling into them, emitting high-energy ...
Astronomy
Jun 12, 2019
533
1611
To have a full picture of the lives of massive stars, researchers need to study them in all stages – from when they're a mass of unformed gas and dust, to their often dynamic end-of-life explosions.
Astronomy
Jan 13, 2018
0
60
As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft closes in on Pluto—scheduled to make its closest approach on July 14—another mission much closer to Earth has caught sight of the dwarf planet's shadow: On June 29, SOFIA (Stratospheric ...
Space Exploration
Jul 8, 2015
0
2042
Observations made with NASA's flying observatory, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) indicate that nova eruptions create elements that can form rocky planets, much like Earth.
Astronomy
Mar 9, 2016
2
559
In the absence of direct observations of extraterrestrial life, scientists often focus on searching for biosignatures, chemical by-products of life, that can be detected with remote sensing. Although Mars has received the ...
Astrobiology
Dec 2, 2022
1
108
(PhysOrg.com) -- On June 23, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) observed the dwarf planet Pluto as it passed in front of a distant star. This event, known as an "occultation," allowed scientific ...
Space Exploration
Jun 24, 2011
4
0
