Astrophysics Division

Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)
The Universe
From new perspectives on the early universe to illuminating the extreme environment near a black hole, discoveries from NASA missions will be highlighted at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The meeting will take place Jan. 12-16 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Posted January 10, 2025
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Elliptical Galaxies
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Gravitational Lensing
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
The Universe
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a tiny patch of sky in the constellation Hydra. The stars and galaxies depicted here span a mind-bending range of distances. The objects in this image that are nearest to us are stars within our own Milky Way galaxy. You can easily spot these stars by their diffraction […]
Posted January 10, 2025
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Science-enabling Technology
Technology Highlights
The Universe
XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission)
X-rays are radiated by matter hotter than one million Kelvin, and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy can tell us about the composition of the matter and how fast and in what direction it is moving. Quantum calorimeters are opening this new window on the Universe.
Posted December 17, 2024
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643, which is located roughly 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus, the Wolf. NGC 5643 is a grand design spiral, which refers to the galaxy’s symmetrical form with two large, winding spiral arms that are clearly visible.
Posted December 13, 2024
Scientific Balloons
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Wallops Flight Facility
NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program has returned to Antarctica’s icy expanse to kick off the annual Antarctic Long-Duration Balloon Campaign, where two balloon flights will carry a total of nine missions to near space. Launch operations will begin mid-December from the agency’s Long Duration Balloon camp located near the U.S.
Posted December 10, 2024
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Quasars
Astronomers have used the unique capabilities of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to peer closer than ever into the throat of an energetic monster black hole powering a quasar. A quasar is a galactic center that glows brightly as the black hole consumes material in its immediate surroundings. The new Hubble views of the environment around […]
Posted December 5, 2024
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Stars
In 1936, astronomers saw a puzzling event in the constellation Orion: the young star FU Orionis (FU Ori) became a hundred times brighter in a matter of months. At its peak, FU Ori was intrinsically 100 times brighter than our Sun. Unlike an exploding star though, it has declined in luminosity only languidly since then. […]
Posted November 21, 2024
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image depicts the cosmic tangle that is MCG+05-31-045, a pair of interacting galaxies located 390 million light-years away and a part of the Coma galaxy cluster. The Coma Cluster is a particularly rich cluster that contains over a thousand known galaxies.
Posted November 15, 2024
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Hubble Space Telescope
Irregular Galaxies
Spiral Galaxies
The Milky Way
A story of survival is unfolding at the outer reaches of our galaxy, and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is witnessing the saga. The Large Magellanic Cloud, also called the LMC, is one of the Milky Way galaxy’s nearest neighbors. This dwarf galaxy looms large on the southern nighttime sky at 20 times the apparent diameter […]
Posted November 14, 2024
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
Stars
On an airplane, motions of the air on both small and large scales contribute to turbulence, which may result in a bumpy flight. Turbulence on a much larger scale is important to how stars form in giant molecular clouds that permeate the Milky Way. In a new NASA-funded study in the journal Science Advances, scientists […]
Posted October 30, 2024
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