Science News

Science@NASA

 

What's Up: December Skywatching Tips from NASA
Solar System, Sky Watching
Dec 1, 2022
What to look for: Mars disappears, and Pegasus rides to adventure Viewers in most of the U.S. and Europe can watch Mars slip behind the Moon on Dec. 7, and everyone can find the winged horse constellation Pegasus. Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What's Up, along with... Read More
Photo of the night sky with the tops of trees in the bottom right corner.
Hubble Views a Cloud-Filled, Starry Scene
Universe
Dec 1, 2022
Bright, blue-white stars of the open cluster BSDL 2757 pierce through the rusty-red tones of gas and dust clouds in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image.
VP Harris, French President Get First Look at Galactic Get Together
Universe
Nov 30, 2022
A merging galaxy pair cavort in this image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. This new image of a pair of galaxies, known to astronomers as II ZW 96, was first previewed for Vice President Kamala Harris and French Presid
Hubble Captures a Swarm of Stars
Universe
Nov 30, 2022
Looking like a glittering swarm of buzzing bees, the stars of globular cluster NGC 6440 shine brightly in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. Located some 28,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius, the archer.
Astronomers See Stellar Self-Control in Action
Universe
Nov 29, 2022
A new study shows how some stars can demonstrate “self-control” when forming in groups.
Hubble Spies Sparkling Spray of Stars in NGC 2660
Universe
Nov 29, 2022
This glittering group of stars, shining through the darkness like sparks left behind by a firework, is NGC 2660 in the constellation Vela, best viewed in the southern sky.
NASA’s Juno Mission Spots Two Jovian Moons
Solar System
Nov 28, 2022
NASA’s Juno mission completed its 38th close flyby of Jupiter. As the spacecraft sped low over the giant planet’s cloud tops, its JunoCam instrument captured this look at two of Jupiter’s largest moons.
Photo of the southern hemisphere of Jupiter
Phytoplankton May Be Abundant Under Antarctic Sea Ice, Study Suggests
Earth
Nov 28, 2022
Scientists using underwater instruments and a NASA satellite have found evidence of potentially significant phytoplankton blooms beneath the sea ice encircling Antarctica.
Hubble Glimpses a Glittering Gathering of Stars
Universe
Nov 28, 2022
This glittering gathering of stars is Pismis 26, a globular star cluster located about 23,000 light-years away.
Hubble Hunts an Unusual Galaxy
Universe
Nov 25, 2022
The galaxy merger Arp-Madore 417-391 steals the spotlight in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA’s Webb Reveals an Exoplanet Atmosphere as Never Seen Before
Universe
Nov 22, 2022
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just scored another first: a molecular and chemical profile of a distant world’s skies.
Sending Signals Through the Ice on Ocean Worlds
Solar System
Nov 22, 2022
Detection of extraterrestrial life would be an incredible discovery, revolutionizing humanity’s perception of life and providing us insight into how life begins and persists in various environments.
Artist concept illustrates a cross-sectional view of a potential ocean world with a surface layer of ice above a thicker layer of ocean water above a thinner layer of ocean floor. 3 thumbnail photos below that illustrate hydrothermal vents, ice fractures and ice blocks.
Mars Sample Return: Bringing Mars Rock Samples Back to Earth
Solar System, Mars
Nov 18, 2022
NASA and the European Space Agency are developing plans for one of the most ambitious campaigns ever attempted in space: bringing the first samples of Mars material safely back to Earth for detailed study. The diverse set of scientifically curated samples now being collected by NASA’s Mars... Read More
Image of planet earth with the bottom half fading to black and text overlaid reads Mars Sample Return
Hubble Views a Billowing Cosmic Cloud
Universe
Nov 18, 2022
A small, dense cloud of gas and dust called CB 130-3 blots out the center of this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.