Space telescopes as a research area encompass the scientific and technical study, design, deployment, and utilization of astronomical observatories operating above Earth’s atmosphere to access wide spectral ranges (e.g., ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma-ray, infrared) and achieve high-precision photometry, spectroscopy, and imaging. The field addresses orbital dynamics, thermal and structural stability, detector and optics optimization, contamination control, and data calibration pipelines. Research includes mission architecture, survey strategies, multi-messenger and time-domain coordination, and methodologies for extracting cosmological, stellar, and planetary parameters from space-based observations, as well as technology development for next-generation observatories and constellations.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers from the University of Florida and elsewhere have performed infrared observations of a star-forming cloud known as Sagittarius B2. Results of the observational campaign, ...
Australia's SpIRIT nanosatellite has successfully completed the initial phase of its mission, marking a milestone achievement for Australia's place and reputation in the global space industry.
Space Exploration
Sep 22, 2025
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When the ESA launched the Gaia spacecraft in 2013, it didn't generate the same fanfare as the launch of other missions like the JWST, or first light from telescopes like the Vera Rubin Observatory. That's largely because ...
Astronomy
Sep 20, 2025
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83
In our nearby stellar neighborhood, a burned-out star is snacking on a fragment of a Pluto-like object. With its unique ultraviolet capability, only NASA's Hubble Space Telescope could identify that this meal is taking place.
Astronomy
Sep 18, 2025
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66
Florida Tech astrophysicist Howard Chen is offering new insights to help aid NASA's search for life beyond Earth. His latest theoretical work investigates the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, one of the most widely studied exoplanetary ...
Astrobiology
Sep 18, 2025
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57
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help scientists better understand our Milky Way galaxy's less sparkly components—gas and dust strewn between stars, known as the interstellar medium.
Astronomy
Sep 16, 2025
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47
In the search for habitable exoplanets, atmospheric conditions play a key role in determining if a planet can sustain liquid water. Suitable candidates often sit in the "Goldilocks zone," a distance that is neither too close ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 14, 2025
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133
When the JWST finally began its long-awaited science operations in July 2022, there was a long list of targets awaiting its attention. Scientists compete for observing time by submitting proposals, and for every nine submitted ...
Astronomy
Sep 14, 2025
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288
Since the early days of human space exploration, the endeavor has been haunted by a very good question: why spend so much on space when there are so many urgent problems here on Earth?
Space Exploration
Sep 8, 2025
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42
University of Bristol astrophysicists are helping shed new light on an Earth-sized exoplanet 40 light years away where liquid water in the form of a global ocean or icy expanse might exist on its surface. That would only ...
Astronomy
Sep 8, 2025
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