Project News

Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • Project News • September 19th, 2011

Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not likely the culprit, keeping open the case on one of Earth's greatest mysteries.

NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars

Kepler • Project News • September 15th, 2011

NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth.

The turbulent lives of stars

Kepler • Project News • September 14th, 2011

The stars are boiling! The reason is the energy generated in the center of the star that wants to escape. If this does not happen quickly enough, the star starts to ‘boil’ in the outer layers causing vibrations that result in light variations, like in the Sun.

Invisible World Discovered

Kepler • Project News • September 8th, 2011

Kepler-19b transits its star every 9 days and 7 hours. It orbits the star at a distance of 8.4 million miles, where it is heated to a temperature of about 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA'S Wise Mission Discovers Coolest Class of Stars

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • Project News • August 23rd, 2011

Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body.

Alien World is Blacker than Coal

Kepler • Project News • August 11th, 2011

A Press Release from Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA announcing that astronomers have discovered the darkest known exoplanet: Jupiter-sized gas giant known as TrES-2b that reflects less than one percent of the sunlight falling on it, making it blacker than coal or any...

NASA's WISE Finds Earth's First Trojan Asteroid

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • Project News • July 27th, 2011

Astronomers studying observations taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission have discovered the first known "Trojan" asteroid orbiting the sun along with Earth. Trojans are asteroids that share an orbit with a planet near stable points in front of or behind the planet....

Gemini Image Captures Elegant Beauty of Planetary Nebula Discovered by Amateur Astronomer

Kepler • Project News • July 25th, 2011

The new nebula (named Kronberger 61, or Kn 61, after its discoverer) is within a relatively small patch of sky being intensely monitored by NASA’s Kepler planet finding mission.

Kepler-14b, Supergiant, is orbiting one of the stars in a binary star system

Kepler • Project News • July 20th, 2011

Kepler-14b is a planet 8 times more massive than Jupiter, orbiting one of the stars in a binary star system. The planet has a short orbital period of just 7 days, while the two stars orbit each other with a much longer period of about 2800 years.

Hubble Space Telescope's One Millionth Science Observation is of Kepler-2b

Kepler • Project News • July 4th, 2011

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope logged its one millionth science observation — a search for water in an exoplanet's atmosphere 1,000 light-years away. Hubble's millionth exposure is of the planet HAT-P-7b, a gas giant planet larger than Jupiter orbiting a star hotter than our sun. HAT-P-7b, also...

Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • September 19th, 2011

Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not...

NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars

Kepler • September 15th, 2011

NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth.

The turbulent lives of stars

Kepler • September 14th, 2011

The stars are boiling! The reason is the energy generated in the center of the star that wants to escape. If this does not happen quickly enough, the star starts to ‘boil’ in...

Invisible World Discovered

Kepler • September 8th, 2011

Kepler-19b transits its star every 9 days and 7 hours. It orbits the star at a distance of 8.4 million miles, where it is heated to a temperature of about 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA'S Wise Mission Discovers Coolest Class of Stars

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • August 23rd, 2011

Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body.

Alien World is Blacker than Coal

Kepler • August 11th, 2011

A Press Release from Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA announcing that astronomers have discovered the darkest known exoplanet: Jupiter-sized gas...

NASA's WISE Finds Earth's First Trojan Asteroid

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • July 27th, 2011

Astronomers studying observations taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission have discovered the first known "Trojan" asteroid orbiting the sun along...

Gemini Image Captures Elegant Beauty of Planetary Nebula Discovered by Amateur Astronomer

Kepler • July 25th, 2011

The new nebula (named Kronberger 61, or Kn 61, after its discoverer) is within a relatively small patch of sky being intensely monitored by NASA’s Kepler planet finding mission.

Kepler-14b, Supergiant, is orbiting one of the stars in a binary star system

Kepler • July 20th, 2011

Kepler-14b is a planet 8 times more massive than Jupiter, orbiting one of the stars in a binary star system. The planet has a short orbital period of just 7 days, while the two...

Hubble Space Telescope's One Millionth Science Observation is of Kepler-2b

Kepler • July 4th, 2011

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope logged its one millionth science observation — a search for water in an exoplanet's atmosphere 1,000 light-years away. Hubble's millionth exposure...