astronomy
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Voyager probes detect a new form of cosmic ray burst from the Sun
The Voyager 1 and 2 probes have detected a new kind of cosmic ray electron burst emanating from the Sun, decades after they started their missions.
Japan will send an 8K camera to Mars and its moons
Japan's JAXA and NHK are sending an 8K camera to Mars and its moons to capture images in unprecedented detail.
Outlier adds Astronomy and Statistics classes to its online university
Fancy learning astronomy or statistics from star academics with real college credit?
Hitting the Books: Volcanoes, mortal enemy of the mighty telescope
In The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers, author Emily Levesque shines a light on today’s astronomers, a hearty breed of scientist willing to endure uncomfortable work conditions, odd hours, and some of the most remote sites on the planet for a chance to unlock the secrets of the cosmos. In the excerpt below, Levesque recalls the time a volcanic eruption in Washington state derailed a sky survey in Hawaii and led to one of the most epic log entries in scientific history. Telescopes actually have something of an interesting quirk when it comes to these tremors: they’re pointed so incredibly carefully and kept so incredibly still that even the tiniest and earliest shake of an earthquake can show up dramatically in the view of the telescope.
Astronomers find the first known exposed core of a gas giant
Scientists have discovered what's believed to be the first known exposed core of a gas giant.
Astronomers may have spotted light from colliding black holes
Astronomers believe they've seen the first known light resulting from colliding black holes.
Astronomers find the first known regular pattern of fast radio bursts
Researchers have spotted the first known fast radio bursts with regular rhythm, but it's not clear what's generating them.
Scientists locate the first fast radio burst in the Milky Way
Astronomers have found the first known fast radio burst in the Milky Way, potentially solving one of the universe's greater mysteries.
Scientists find a likely Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet that's not only comparable to Earth, but is orbiting a Sun-like star.
SpaceX's latest batch of internet satellites includes one with a sun shield
SpaceX is launching more Starlink satellites, bu this time one will have a visor that stops the sun from reflecting off its body.
China's giant radio telescope will start searching for aliens in September
China's FAST radio telescope will join the search for signs of extraterrestrial life in September.
Astronomers spot a strange, first-of-its-kind asteroid near Jupiter
Scientists have discovered a strange, unique object near Jupiter that's a cross between an asteroid and comet.
Astronomers may have witnessed a planet's birth
Scientists believe they have observed a planet being formed for the first time.
Scientists find the closest known black hole to date
Astronomers have found the closest black hole known so far -- just 1,000 light-years away.
Watch a mile-long asteroid sling past the Earth tonight at 7 PM ET
The asteroid known as 1998 OR2 will come pretty close to the Earth. Armchair astronomers can tune into a livestream to watch it fly by.
SpaceX will make its Starlink satellites less of a blight on the night sky
SpaceX's future Starlink satellites will be equipped with sunshades that reduce reflectivity. This will prevent them from disrupting astronomers' work.
Scientists find an Earth-like planet hiding in old Kepler data
The newly discovered Kepler-1649c is a close parallel to Earth, but whether or not it supports life is another story.
Scientists visualize a black hole plasma jet in unprecedented detail
Scientists visualize a black hole plasma jet in unprecedented detail
NASA decommissions Spitzer Space Telescope after 16 years of service
NASA is flipping the switch on the Spitzer Space Telescope today. The observatory has made groundbreaking discoveries about the universe since its launch in 2003, from imaging some of the oldest stars in the universe to detecting the light reflected by exoplanets. The Spitzer was previously scheduled to go offline in 2018, but has continued operating due to NASA's followup telescope being postponed. With the James Webb Space Telescope nearing completion, Spitzer's mission is over.
The Hayden Planetarium’s new show celebrates unmanned space probes
The astronomy I learned as a kid was pretty limited — the Earth revolves around the Sun and, of course, the whole "My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" thing. Of course, that expression no longer applies because our understanding of the solar system is a lot more nuanced these days. Not just because we're adults now, but because the entire field has been revolutionized by probes, plumbing the depths of distant bodies and returning that data to us over decades. That deeper understanding of our solar system is at the heart of the American Museum of Natural History's new space show, Worlds Beyond Earth, but its unsung hero is the technology that made it possible.