Announcements

'Echo Mapping' in Faraway Galaxies Could Measure Vast Cosmic Distances

Project News • October 1st, 2020

Matter swirling around supermassive black holes creates bursts of light that "echo" in nearby dust clouds. These traveling signals could serve as a new cosmic yardstick.

Astronomers gather clues about unseen cataclysmic collisions

Project News • September 14th, 2020

Two large international collaborations of astronomers joined forces to look for light from some of the most cataclysmic events – the collisions of a neutron star and black hole. They did not find it this time, but the scientific journey has provided important insights on how to better hunt for...

Primary Mirror for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Completed

Project News • September 3rd, 2020

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s primary mirror, which will collect and focus light from cosmic objects near and far, has been completed. Using this mirror, Roman will capture stunning space vistas with a field of view 100 times greater than Hubble images.

Unveiling Rogue Planets With NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

Project News • August 21st, 2020

New simulations show that NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be able to reveal myriad rogue planets – freely floating bodies that drift through our galaxy untethered to a star.

ZTF Finds Closest Known Asteroid to Fly By Earth

Project News • August 19th, 2020

On August 16, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a robotic survey camera located at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, spotted an asteroid that had, just hours earlier, traveled only 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) above Earth's surface. Designated 2020 QG, it is the closest known asteroid to...

Ground System for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Completes Major Review

Project News • July 24th, 2020

The Roman Space Telescope's ground system, which will make data from the spacecraft available to scientists and the public, has just successfully completed its preliminary design review.

Spectacular Ultraviolet Flash May Finally Explain How White Dwarfs Explode

Project News • July 23rd, 2020

For just the second time ever, astrophysicists have spotted a spectacular flash of ultraviolet (UV) light accompanying a white dwarf explosion. An extremely rare type of supernova, the event is poised to offer insights into several long-standing mysteries, including what causes white dwarfs to...

Two Bizarre Brown Dwarfs Found With Citizen Scientists' Help

Project News • July 10th, 2020

Data from NASA's NEOWISE mission, managed by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, fuels the search for these not-quite-planets-but-not-quite-stars. With the help of citizen scientists, astronomers have discovered two highly unusual brown dwarfs, balls of gas that are not massive enough to...

Comet NEOWISE Sizzles as It Slides by the Sun, Providing a Treat for Observers

Project News • July 8th, 2020

A comet visiting from the most distant parts of our solar system is putting on a spectacular nighttime display. Named Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, the comet made its once-in-our-lifetimes close approach to the Sun on July 3, 2020, and will cross outside Earth's orbit on its way back to the outer...

Black Hole Collision May Have Exploded with Light

Project News • June 25th, 2020

When two black holes spiral around each other and ultimately collide, they send out ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. Because black holes do not give off light, these events are not expected to shine with any light waves, or electromagnetic radiation. But some theorists have...