The secondary mirror—visible in the top right corner of the image—is among the most important pieces of equipment on the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and is essential to the success of the mission.
Astronomy
Aug 21, 2019
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In order to do groundbreaking science, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope must first perform an extremely choreographed series of deployments, extensions, and movements that bring the observatory to life shortly after launch. ...
Space Exploration
Aug 6, 2019
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597
On July 23, 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center carrying the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In the two decades that have passed, Chandra's powerful and unique X-ray eyes have contributed ...
Astronomy
Jul 23, 2019
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A Southwest Research Institute-led team studied the orientation of distant solar system bodies to bolster the "streaming instability" theory of planet formation.
Astronomy
Jun 25, 2019
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A radically different type of X-ray space telescope has been designed by scientists in Sweden, using advanced optic techniques that were originally developed in medical imaging research.
Astronomy
Jun 18, 2019
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The Solar System's second largest planet both in mass and size, Saturn is best known for its rings. These are divided by a wide band, the Cassini Division, whose formation was poorly understood until very recently. Now, researchers ...
Space Exploration
Jun 11, 2019
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If it wasn't for launch capabilities we would never have delved deep into the echo of the Big Bang nor lived out the adventures of Rosetta and Philae at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Nor would we have captured some of ...
Space Exploration
Jun 4, 2019
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14
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully cleared another critical testing milestone, taking this ambitious observatory one step closer to its 2021 launch. The spacecraft has gone through its final thermal vacuum ...
Space Exploration
May 30, 2019
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Astronomers have assembled a mosaic of nearly 7,500 images of one part of the sky, creating the largest and most comprehensive history book of the universe.
Astronomy
May 2, 2019
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1434
The Smithsonian today made available a new online interactive experience that allows users to explore a three-dimensional (3-D) visualization of the remnants of a supernova, or exploded star.
Space Exploration
May 1, 2019
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