Monster black holes sometimes lurk behind gas and dust, hiding from the gaze of most telescopes.
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Astronomers were surprised to see these data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in January 2013, showing a huge eruption of dust around a star called NGC 2547-ID8. In this plot, infrared brightness is represented on the vertical axis, and time on the horizontal axis.
Galaxy Evolution Explorer
Uses ultraviolet wavelengths to measure the history of star formation 80 percent of the way back to the Big Bang.
› Mission home page
Exoplanet
Updates, documents, and in-depth information about NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program.
› Exoplanet web site
Keck Interferometer
Links two 10-meter (33-foot) telescopes, which form the world's most powerful optical telescope system.
› Telescope home page
Kepler Mission
The Kepler Mission will search for Earth-like planets with the "transit" method.
› Kepler home page
Palomar Observatory
A joint effort between JPL and the California Institute of Technology, the Palomar Observatory houses a collection of famous telescopes.
› Palomar home page
PlanetQuest web site
The latest news, images, and information about NASA's search for exoplanets and another Earth.
› PlanetQuest web site
Spitzer Space Telescope
Uses infrared technology to study celestial objects that are too cool, too dust-enshrouded or too far away to otherwise be seen.
› Mission home page
Voyager to the Outer Planets
Voyager 1 and 2 flew past Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 is now approaching interstellar space.
› Mission home page
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
WISE is mapping the entire sky in infrared light, uncovering the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets.
› Mission home page
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The Case of the 'Missing Link' Neutron Star
A mysterious neutron star has been caught behaving like two distinct objects -- a radio pulsar and a magnetar -- and could be important to understanding the evolution of these objects.
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How Far Away is That Galaxy? Vast Catalog Has Answers
A team of researchers has compiled a special catalog to help astronomers figure out the true distances to tens of thousands of galaxies beyond our own Milky Way.
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Are planets like those in 'Star Wars: Rogue One' really out there? NASA plans to find out
In the "Star Wars" universe, ice, ocean and desert planets burst from the darkness as your ship drops out of light speed. But these worlds might be more than science fiction.
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Spitzer Beyond This mission was designed to last at least two-and-a-half years; 13 years later, Spitzer has operated far beyond the scope of the original mission. |
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Crazy Engineering: Starshade/Coronagraph Sometimes light just gets in the way. A look at two technologies that block starlight to give telescopes a better view of distant Earth-like planets. |
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Crazy Engineering: The Camera that Fixed Hubble When the first images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope were too blurry, JPL scientists and engineers devised a genius fix: a camera with corrective vision. |
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