Hubble and Webb’s Cat’s Head images show why darkness is not empty
Visible and infrared observations reveal different structures in the same Carina Nebula pillar, including a possible embedded young star.
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NASA’s 19 citizen-science selections include a galaxy project you can already join
Overlap Zoo uses backlit galaxies to study dust. Other selected proposals still need development, data or location-specific equipment.
Webb’s N159 image shows a stellar nursery at several stages at once
Infrared colours separate ionized gas, molecules and dense filaments. The nearby galaxy offers a comparison with less chemically enriched conditions.
Orion’s beautiful gas clouds are also a hostile neighborhood for young planets
Hubble’s archival mosaic shows a stellar nursery shaped by ultraviolet light. Brightness, color and structure each tell a different part of the story.
Rosetta’s comet selfie still explains the distance between arriving and landing
Philae took the 2014 image while still attached to the orbiter. Two exposures let a spacecraft and a dim comet share the frame.
The cosmic web is a map of a model. Dark matter is still a question about matter
An astronomy visualization makes structure visible without photographing the particles behind it. That distinction is the useful part of the image.
Swift has stopped observing. Its greatest instrument was the ability to turn quickly
NASA’s gamma-ray-burst observatory leaves nearly 22 years of observations as atmospheric drag ends the mission. Its archive outlives the spacecraft.
The important galaxy in Hubble’s new image is easy to miss
A faint arc near a foreground galaxy shows why sharp Hubble observations matter for Roman’s much wider surveys.
The Orionids peak tonight. Wait for the Moon to get out of the way
The October 21–22 meteor shower favors a dark interval before dawn. NASA’s sky chart and realistic viewing rates help make the early start worthwhile.