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.
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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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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35
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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68
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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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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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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Using preliminary data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scientists have discovered over 11,000 new asteroids. The data were confirmed by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC), making this the ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 2, 2026
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84
In September 2022, humanity crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid—on purpose. The objective of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was to see if we could intentionally modify the orbit of Dimorphos, the small moonlet ...
Space Exploration
Mar 30, 2026
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47
Astronomers at the University of Warwick have validated over 100 exoplanets, including 31 newly detected planets, using a new artificial intelligence tool applied to data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite ...
Astronomy
Mar 24, 2026
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