Astronomy & Space Discoveries

NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

Showing: 1-19 of 19

		Archaeology of the Stars Michigan State researcher Timothy Beers studies the formation and evolution of stars born many billions of years before the Sun Released  September 17, 2008
		Cracking the Code of Images New software easily detects pictures' hidden messages Released  July 15, 2008
		Not a Quirk But a Quark ... a Quark Star! Super-luminous stellar explosion observed via Caltech's Palomar Observatory, possibly resulting in a quark star Released  June 26, 2008
		International Gemini Observatory Captures Birth of a Supernova Stellar discovery marks a new epoc in astronomical research Released  May 28, 2008
		2007: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported advances and activities reported last year Released  January 30, 2008
		Search Is on for Hot Young Stars Long duration gamma-ray bursts allow astronomers to collect more information than ever imagined Released  September 21, 2007
		Planetary Construction Zone? Astronomers detect the beginnings of planet formation in a dusty disk surrounding a nearby star Released  July 5, 2007
		2006: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported activities highlighted last year Released  January 9, 2007
		Teachers Strike Scientific Gold at Kitt Peak Workshop participants take lucky images of a brand-new supernova Released  August 26, 2005
		New Mexico Graduate Student Receives Costa Rica's Top Science Honor At 26, Esteban Araya is the youngest person to ever receive the top science award from his native Costa Rica. A graduate student in astronomy at New Mexico Tech, Araya was honored for his research into the formation of massive stars. Released  August 5, 2005
		Star Killed by Companion Bizarre remains bear silent witness Released  March 2, 2005
		A New Camera for Extrasolar Planets It hasn't found planets yet—but in its first year of operation, the instrument has already proved its worth Released  January 31, 2005
		Of Microbes and Mars Desert microbe discovery has extraterrestrial implications Released  December 17, 2004
		Voyage to the Center of the Sun The Sun "rings" like a bell---which lets GONG probe its deepest secrets. Released  December 17, 2004
		Cold Flashes: Astrophysics at the South Pole What one scientist calls the world’s weirdest telescope was built to detect high-energy particles, not the light from distant stars. In 1997, AMANDA recorded the first precise map of neutrinos from outer space as they zipped through Antarctic ice. Released  October 13, 2004
		From Moonbounce to Hard Drives: Correcting More Errors Than Previously Thought Possible What does a Nobel laureate need to bounce a radio signal off the moon? A good error-correcting code, for one thing. Now, a breakthrough error-correction method has turned almost 40 years of conventional wisdom in digital communications on its head. Released  August 11, 2004
		Ogling Distant Stars An NSF-funded project that monitors the brightness of stars has given astronomers a potent tool for discovering planets far beyond our part of the galaxy. We can expect to find more "exoplanets" in the decade ahead. Released  August 9, 2004
		Distant Planetary System Has "Hometown" Look After 15 years of observation and a lot of patience, the world's premier planet-hunting team found the first planetary system that reminded them of our home solar system. Released  July 30, 2004
		Wireless Network Helps Astronomers Observe Elusive Gamma-Ray Bursts A gamma-ray burst (GRB) is one of the universe's most mysterious and explosive events. The High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network has given Palomar Observatory the speed astronomers need to pinpoint GRBs and catch them in the act. Released  April 8, 2004