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NASA’s TESS Finds Intriguing World Sized Between Earth, Venus

May 23, 2024

NASA

Using observations by NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and many other facilities, two international teams of astronomers have discovered a planet between the sizes of Earth and Venus only 40 light-years away. Multiple factors make it a candidate well-suited for further study using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. TESS stares at a large swath…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, galaxies, Hubble Space Telescope, lenticular galaxies, Missions, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Views Cosmic Dust Lanes

May 17, 2024

NASA

Featured in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is a nearly edge-on view of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4753. Lenticular galaxies have an elliptical shape and ill-defined spiral arms. This image is the object’s sharpest view to date, showcasing Hubble’s incredible resolving power and ability to reveal complex dust structures. NGC 4753…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, stars, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Views the Dawn of a Sun-like Star

May 15, 2024

NASA

Looking like a glittering cosmic geode, a trio of dazzling stars blaze from the hollowed-out cavity of a reflection nebula in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The triple-star system is made up of the variable star HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3. HP Tau is known as a T…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, Science Mission Directorate, Tech Industry, Tech News

Hubble Celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 4

May 10, 2024

NASA

Fifteen years ago, human hands touched NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope for the last time. As astronauts performed finishing tasks on the telescope during its final servicing mission in May 2009, they knew they had successfully concluded one of the most challenging and ambitious series of spacewalks ever conducted. But they couldn’t have known at the…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, galaxies, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Glimpses a Star-Forming Factory

May 10, 2024

NASA

The celestial object showcased in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the spiral galaxy UGC 9684, which lies around 240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. This image shows an impressive example of several classic galactic features, including a clear bar in the galaxy’s center, and a halo surrounding its…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, galaxies, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, Spiral Galaxies, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Views a Galaxy with a Voracious Black Hole

May 6, 2024

NASA

Bright, starry spiral arms surround an active galactic center in this new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the galaxy NGC 4951. Located in the Virgo constellation, NGC 4951 is located roughly 50 million light-years away from Earth. It’s classified as a Seyfert galaxy, which means that it’s an extremely energetic type of galaxy with…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, galaxies, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, Spiral Galaxies, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays

May 3, 2024

NASA

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. This swirling collection of new and old stars is located in the constellation Virgo, in the Virgo galaxy cluster, 100 million light-years from Earth. Although IC 776 is a dwarf galaxy, it’s also classified as a SAB-type or ‘weakly barred’ spiral. This highly…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Tech Industry, Tech News

NASA’s Hubble Pauses Science Due to Gyro Issue

April 26, 2024

NASA

Updated April 30, 2024 Editor’s note: On April 30, 2024, NASA announced it restored the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science operations April 29. The spacecraft is in good health and once again operating using all three of its gyros. All of Hubble’s instruments are online, and the spacecraft has resumed taking science observations. Published April 26, 2024 NASA…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, galaxies, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Spots a Magnificent Barred Galaxy

April 26, 2024

NASA

The magnificent central bar of NGC 2217 (also known as AM 0619-271) shines bright in the constellation of Canis Major (The Greater Dog), in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Roughly 65 million light-years from Earth, this barred spiral galaxy is a similar size to our Milky Way at 100,000 light-years across. Many stars are concentrated in…
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astrophysics, Astrophysics Division, goddard space flight center, Hubble Space Telescope, Missions, nebulae, planetary nebulae, Tech Industry, Tech News, The Universe

Hubble Celebrates 34th Anniversary with a Look at the Little Dumbbell Nebula

April 23, 2024

NASA

In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary Hubble Space Telescope on April 24, astronomers took a snapshot of the Little Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Messier 76, M76, or NGC 650/651) located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus. The photogenic nebula is a favorite target of amateur astronomers. M76…
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