Optical astronomy is the research area focused on observing and analyzing electromagnetic radiation in the optical band, typically encompassing near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths accessible to ground- and space-based telescopes using optical elements and detectors. It employs instruments such as imaging cameras, spectrographs, and polarimeters on refracting or reflecting telescopes to study the photometric, spectroscopic, and polarimetric properties of astronomical sources. The field addresses topics including stellar and galactic structure, interstellar medium characterization, planetary systems, and cosmological parameters, and it relies on advanced techniques in adaptive optics, precision calibration, and data reduction to mitigate atmospheric and instrumental effects.
The 1.7 million satellites that companies are aiming to launch into Earth's orbit in the coming years will have "devastating consequences for astronomy," new research warned Wednesday.
Astronomy
Jul 4, 2026
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Astrophysicists working to tackle the growing impact of satellite constellations have pioneered a new ultra-black coating as one possible way to mitigate the problem.
Astronomy
Jul 2, 2026
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A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch more than 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have "devastating consequences for astronomy." ...
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Jul 1, 2026
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In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA has unveiled four cosmic images from its Chandra X-ray Observatory, rendered in red, white and blue, that represent the wonders of the universe the agency explores. ...
Astronomy
Jun 30, 2026
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The largest digital camera ever built is starting to capture images of unseen corners of the universe.
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Jun 30, 2026
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NASA's "rapid-response" space telescope is slowly falling out of orbit, but a daring mission this summer could allow the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to continue scanning the sky for many more years to come. In the first ...
Astronomy
Jun 16, 2026
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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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NASA has completed its final inspection of the primary mirror on the Roman Space Telescope, which measures 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in diameter and contains a layer of silver hundreds of times thinner than a human hair, at 400 ...
Astronomy
Jun 1, 2026
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Think about a census. You could photograph every house in the country and produce a beautiful map, but without knocking on doors and asking questions, you'd know almost nothing about the people living in them.
Astronomy
May 29, 2026
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Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope together with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have looked deeply at thousands of young star clusters in four nearby galaxies, studying clusters at different ...
Astronomy
May 6, 2026
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