Herschel links Jupiter's water to comet impact

(Phys.org) —ESA's Herschel space observatory has solved a long-standing mystery as to the origin of water in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, finding conclusive evidence that it was delivered by the dramatic impact of comet ...

A fresh take on the Horsehead Nebula

(Phys.org) —To celebrate its 23rd year in orbit, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has released a stunning new image of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies: the Horsehead Nebula. This image shows the nebula ...

Asteroid tracking sensor passes key test

An infrared sensor that could improve NASA's future detecting and tracking of asteroids and comets has passed a critical design test.

The distant cosmos as seen in the infrared

(Phys.org) —At some stage after its birth in the big bang, the universe began to make galaxies. No one knows exactly when, or how, this occurred. For that matter, astronomers do not know how the lineages of our own Milky ...

NGC 602: Taken under the 'wing' of the small magellanic cloud

(Phys.org) —The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors. Even though it is a small, or so-called dwarf galaxy, the SMC is so bright that it is visible to the unaided eye from the ...

Astrophoto: Beautiful new look at the Orion Nebula

The enormous cloud of dust and gas that makes up the Orion Nebula is featured in this beautiful astrophoto. This image was a joint effort, with images taken by Gary Gonnella – a regular on our Virtual Star Parties – and ...

NASA provides a super-speed look at Webb Telescope progress

(Phys.org) —NASA released a new sped-up, 32-second video that shows engineers working on some of the James Webb Space Telescope's flight components to integrate them together to ensure they will work perfectly together ...

Swift, Chandra explore a youthful 'star wreck'

(Phys.org) —While performing an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions, NASA's Swift satellite has uncovered the previously unknown remains of a shattered star. Designated G306.3.9 after the coordinates ...

Herschel space observatory to finish observing soon

(Phys.org) —ESA's Herschel space observatory is expected to exhaust its supply of liquid helium coolant in the coming weeks after spending more than three exciting years studying the cool Universe.

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