Astrophysics Division

Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Exoplanet Atmosphere
Exoplanet Exploration Program
Exoplanet Science
Exoplanet Transits
Exoplanets
Goddard Space Flight Center
Studying Exoplanets
The Universe
Pandora, NASA’s newest exoplanet mission, is one step closer to launch with the completion of the spacecraft bus, which provides the structure, power, and other systems that will enable the mission to carry out its work. “This is a huge milestone for us and keeps us on track for a launch in the fall,” said […]
Posted January 16, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Stars
The Universe
For humans, the most important star in the universe is our Sun. The second-most important star is nestled inside the Andromeda galaxy. Don’t go looking for it — the flickering star is 2.2 million light-years away, and is 1/100,000th the brightness of the faintest star visible to the human eye. Yet, a century ago, its […]
Posted January 15, 2025
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Stars
The name “blue lurker” might sound like a villainous character from a superhero movie. But it is a rare class of star that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope explored by looking deeply into the open star cluster M67, roughly 2,800 light-years away. Forensics with Hubble data show that the star has had a tumultuous life, mixing […]
Posted January 13, 2025
Active Galaxies
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Quasars
The night sky has always played a crucial role in navigation, from early ocean crossings to modern GPS. Besides stars, the United States Navy uses quasars as beacons. Quasars are distant galaxies with supermassive black holes, surrounded by brilliantly hot disks of swirling gas that can blast off jets of material.
Posted January 13, 2025
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
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