A Space X Starlink satellite is being blamed for ruining photos of the NEOWISE comet.
Musk Promises No Starlink Impact on Astronomy
Elon Musk has promised that Starlink will have “zero” impact on astronomy amid growing concerns the satellites could impede researchers.
Halley’s Comet To Leave Orionids Meteor Shower Today
Halley’s Comet is one of the most popular meteors that pass near the Earth, and it has been doing so for centuries. However, because it is only visible every 75 years, do not expect to get a glimpse of it…
Annie Jump Cannon Gets Google Doodle On 151st Birthday
Annie Jump Cannon is the subject of a doodle today on Google’s homepage, as the search giant celebrates her 151st birthday. Cannon was an astronomer whose work was considered instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. She, along with…
Hubble Space Telescope: Deep Field Image Brightened With Ultraviolet Light
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) is one of the most iconic and impressive images ever taken of deep space. The image, taken of a tiny section of the southern sky, shows thousands of galaxies, putting the vastness of space…
Ganymede Sea Could Be Layered and Harbor Life
For decades now Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has been one of the more interesting objects in our solar system. The moon is one of the few that is known to have a large ocean beneath an icy layer, leading to speculation…
Mars, Earth, And Sun All Set To Form Cosmic Alignment Called An ‘Opposition’
A rare astronomical event that takes place about every 26 months is set to happen on Tuesday, April 8th. Dubbed an “Opposition of Mars”, this spacial phenomenon involves the alignment of Mars with the Earth every 778 days. On this…
Moon Water May Not Be As Abundant As First Thought
In the latest twist surrounding the composition of the moon, scientists have discovered the possibility of the Earth and moon sharing the same source of water. A scientific paper entitled The Lunar Apatite Paradox contains findings of a new study…
Ring System Spotted Around Asteroid
Astronomers today revealed that an asteroid in the outer solar system has been confirmed to have its own Saturn-like ring system. The new findings have been published today in the journal Nature. The asteroid, named Chariklo, is a minor planet…
Moon Craters Mapped by Amateurs as Well as the Pros
CosmoQuest, a collective of amateur astronomers that identify and map craters on various space objects, including the moon, has gotten so adept in their studies that their data has been used in scientific research and at times published. Stuart Robbins,…
Largest Yellow Star Yet Seen Spotted in Binary System
Astronomers this week revealed that they have spotted the largest yellow star ever seen. The object is more than 1300 times the diameter of our Sun and is also one million times brighter. It is also one of the ten…
No “Planet X” Found in WISE Data
For decades before Pluto, Eris, and other distant objects in our solar system were discovered, astronomers had posited that there must be another planet beyond Neptune that would make observed orbital calculations for Neptune and Uranus add up. This planet…
Distant Black Hole Spin Measured by Astronomers
Astronomers this week revealed that the spin of a very distant black hole has been directly measured. The new measurement is part of a new report published this week in the journal Nature and should help cosmologists further investigate the…
Huge Weather Explosions Observed on Venus
Researchers this week announced that they have uncovered a striking phenomenon on the planet Venus. Using the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Venus Express spacecraft, scientists have observed giant weather explosions coming from the top of Venus’ atmosphere. The explosions are…
New Research Reveals Supernova Secrets
Supernovae seem easy enough to understand. Stars age, using up all of their fusion fuel and burst in a fiery display that helps to create the wide variety of elements seen throughout the universe. The trouble is, astronomers don’t yet…
Asteroid 2014: Cosmic Monster Missed Earth This Morning
A couple million miles may not sound like much of a “close call” with an asteroid. But compare it to the vast and empty light years upon light years surrounding this oxygenated rock ball we ride around on in infinite…
Yet Another Early-Universe Galaxy Has Been Spotted
Astronomers this week revealed that yet another galaxy from the very early universe has been spotted. The galaxy, dubbed Abell2744_Y1, is estimated to have existed just 650 million years after the big bang, which took place 13.8 billion years ago.…
“Wobbly” Planet Spotted in Binary Star System
NASA this week revealed that the Kepler Space Telescope has spotted a planet with a very erratic orbit. The planet, named Kepler-413b, orbits around a pair of stars and performs what astronomers are describing as a wobble as its spins.…
NASA Crowdsources WISE Data Mining
NASA this week announced a new website, DiskDetective.org. The website allows visitors to help NASA researchers cull through data to help uncover young systems that could one day spawn planets. “Through Disk Detective, volunteers will help the astronomical community discover…
Water Vapor Discovered on Dwarf Planet Ceres
Astronomers today announced that water vapor has been detected around Ceres. Ceres is the largest object in our solar system’s asteroid belt and has been classified as a dwarf planet, like Pluto. The discovery is the first time water vapor…