The Blue Ring Nebula, which perplexed scientists for over a decade, appears to be the youngest known example of two stars merged into one.
LATEST IMAGE
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
|
NASA Missions Help Pinpoint the Source of a Unique X-ray, Radio Burst
This is the first time one of these mysterious, repeating radio burst has been identified in our own galaxy, and the first identification of an object that caused one.
|
|
'Echo Mapping' in Faraway Galaxies Could Measure Vast Cosmic Distances
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.
|
|
NASA Missions Spy First Possible Planet Hugging a Stellar Cinder
The violent events leading up to the death of a star would likely drive away any planets. The newly discovered Jupiter-size object may have arrived long after the star died.
|
 |
Underwater ‘White Smoker’ Vents: Is This Where Life Began? Where did life originate on Earth? Could the process hold clues for finding life elsewhere? |
 |
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope: Unveiling the Universe After 16 years of unveiling the infrared universe, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has left a singular legacy. |
 |
NASA's New Planet Tracker, NEID A new NASA-funded planet-hunting instrument has been installed on the WIYN telescope, on Arizona’s Kitt Peak. |
Read more