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 ...

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.

Gravitational telescope creates space invader mirage

(Phys.org)—The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most powerful available to astronomers, but sometimes it too needs a helping hand. This comes in the form of Einstein's general theory of relativity, which makes ...

SOFIA spots recent starburst in the Milky Way galaxy's center

(Phys.org)—Researchers using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured new images of a ring of gas and dust seven light-years in diameter surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center ...

Telescopes find evidence for asteroid belt around Vega

(Phys.org)—Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ...

Herschel confirms the origin of cosmic dust

(Phys.org)—The Herschel space observatory has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. It has provided further proof that the interstellar dust which lies throughout ...

Shot away from its companion, giant star makes waves

(Phys.org)—Like a ship plowing through still waters, the giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is speeding through space, making waves in the dust ahead. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a dramatic, infrared portrait of these ...

Explosive origins for cosmic dust

(Phys.org)—The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. This new view provides further proof that the ...

Hidden black hole: Spiral galaxy NGC 3627

(Phys.org)—The spiral galaxy NGC 3627 is located about 30 million light years from Earth. This composite image includes X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope ...

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