Astronomy software as a research area encompasses the design, development, and validation of computational tools, algorithms, and frameworks that support observational and theoretical astrophysics. It includes pipeline software for data reduction and calibration, source detection and characterization, astrometric and photometric analysis, numerical simulations of astrophysical systems, and visualization and archive interfaces for large survey datasets. Research focuses on methods for handling high-throughput, heterogeneous data streams from ground- and space-based instruments, optimizing performance on high-performance and distributed computing architectures, ensuring reproducibility, and developing interoperable standards and APIs that integrate with virtual observatory infrastructures and community data repositories.
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 ...
Astronomy
Aug 11, 2026
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Before Artemis astronauts land on the moon's surface in 2028, NASA will conduct the Artemis III demonstration mission in 2027, allowing teams on Earth and in orbit to practice rendezvous and docking operations between commercial ...
Space Exploration
Jul 16, 2026
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Astronomers spend much of their time mapping the universe, but until now their results have been collected and archived in so many different ways that the data can't talk to each other.
Astronomy
Jul 8, 2026
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19
With new technologies come new opportunities. And that is especially true in astronomy—with every new advanced telescope, we have the potential to see (or in some cases, listen) farther and more clearly than ever before. ...
Astronomy
Jul 6, 2026
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23
NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun full operations for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), one of the world's largest astronomical imaging surveys. Behind the scenes, Japanese researchers and engineers ...
Astronomy
Jul 1, 2026
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36
To truly understand what an asteroid is made of, we need to send a probe to it. Remote sensing from ground-based telescopes, or even orbiting observatories, can only do so much. A new white paper submitted to the U.K. Space ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 12, 2026
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134
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX)—which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe—has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public. Built from ...
Astronomy
Jun 3, 2026
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There are tens of thousands of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that represent some of the most easily accessible resources in the solar system. Planning trajectories to rendezvous with these miniature worlds is notoriously difficult, ...
Space Exploration
May 1, 2026
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33
University of Birmingham experts have created open-source computer software that helps scientists understand how fast-moving particles behave when they interact with electromagnetic waves in space. Understanding how these ...
Space Exploration
Apr 16, 2026
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21
On a chilly yet beautifully clear evening last November, I sat on a video call with colleagues and happened to mention the live feed from the International Space Station—a real-time broadcast from onboard cameras as the station ...
Space Exploration
Apr 16, 2026
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