space telescope

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Space Telescope Hit by 'Unavoidable Chance Event'

NASA says it's still performing above expectations after micrometeoroid strike

(Newser) - The massive mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope has been hit by what NASA calls an "unavoidable chance event"—a strike from a piece of space debris larger than they expected. NASA says one of the mirror's segments was hit by a micrometeoroid, which it defines...

'Earendel' Is Most Distant Star Ever Seen

Light from long-dead star took 12.8 billion years to reach us

(Newser) - Scientists are expecting great things from the new James Webb Space Telescope, but its predecessor is still helping them spot cosmic wonders including what is believed to be the most distant star ever seen. Light from Earendel, which got its nickname from the Old English word for morning star,"...

$10B Space Telescope Is Beating Expectations

'We are excited about what this means for science'

(Newser) - "All of the sleepless nights I've had and the worries I've had, they're all behind us now," NASA associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said after tests confirmed that the James Webb Space Telescope is performing even better than expected. Engineers say the "fine phasing" process,...

For NASA's Space Telescope, 'a Real Wow Moment'

James Webb Space Telescope captures its first starlight, plus a selfie

(Newser) - NASA's new space telescope has captured its first starlight and even taken a selfie of its giant gold mirror. All 18 segments of the primary mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope seem to be working properly one and a half months into the mission, officials said Friday, per...

'We’re One Step Closer to Uncovering the Mysteries of the Universe'

James Webb Space Telescope reaches final orbit

(Newser) - "We're one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe," a jubilant NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Monday after the James Webb Space Telescope reached its final orbit. "And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!...

Astronomers Puzzled by 'Radically Different' Solar System

Planets around HD 3167 have perpendicular orbits

(Newser) - In some solar systems, including our own, planets orbit around the star's equator. In others, they orbit around the star's poles—and in one that has puzzled astronomers, both kinds of orbit have been observed. Researchers say that in the HD 3167 system around 150 light years away,...

On Sacred Hawaii Peak, Science Wins a Clash With Religion

Thirty Meter Telescope project gets go-ahead after years of legal battles

(Newser) - After years of protests and legal battles, a massive telescope that will allow scientists to peer into the most distant reaches of our early universe will be built on Mauna Kea, a Hawaiian volcano that some consider sacred. The state announced a "notice to proceed" for the Thirty Meter...

Private Mission Planned to Save Earth From Asteroids

With thousands of asteroids lurking, 'time's a wastin',' says B612 chairman

(Newser) - A California-based nonprofit group seeking to prevent the Earth from being struck by killer asteroids has announced plans to send an infrared telescope into space to hunt for dangerous near-Earth objects, reports Wired . The B612 Foundation's Sentinel Mission would be the first privately funded deep-space mission, aiming to put...

NASA Thinks 4,700 Asteroids Threaten Earth

And twice as many as previously believed are in orbits similar to Earth's

(Newser) - NASA thinks it's got a pretty solid estimate on the number of gigantic asteroids that could plausibly cause regional or global catastrophe by smashing into Earth: 4,700, give or take 1,500. Included in that number are all the rocks that exist, or which they suspect exist, that...

Coming Soon: First-Ever Picture of a Black Hole

It will take an array of 50 telescopes to spot its shadow

(Newser) - How do you photograph a black hole, which is normally invisible due to the fact that its gravity is so intense it pulls in even light ? You probably won't be surprised to hear that it's never been done before—and that to do it for the first...

Thunderstorms Spawn Antimatter
Thunderstorms
Spawn Antimatter
Jan 12, 2011 7:06 AM CST

Thunderstorms Spawn Antimatter

'This is a fundamental new discovery about how our planet works'

(Newser) - Scientists have been amazed to discover that thunderstorms on Earth send bursts of antimatter into space. The phenomenon was spotted by NASA researchers using the Fermi space telescope, the Los Angeles Times reports. Scientists at CERN have only been able to produce antimatter—the mirror image of matter, with the...

Telescope Spots 'Impossible' Star

 Telescope Spots 
 'Impossible' Star 
so big it dwarfs our sun
May 11, 2010 8:40 AM CDT

Telescope Spots 'Impossible' Star

Will become one of biggest and brightest in galaxy

(Newser) - The Herschel telescope has made an "impossible" discovery: a star so large it dwarfs our sun—and it's still growing. The newborn is already eight to 10 times the size of the sun, and will continue to feed off the 2,000 solar masses that surround it. While scientists...

Monster Black Hole Sucking Up Space

(Newser) - A monstrous black hole near the center of a distant galaxy is sucking up stars, gas and dust, and spitting out baby stars, NASA scientists have discovered. The black hole is 100 million times the mass of the sun, reports the Telegraph. It lies at the center of a galaxy...

Jupiter Slammed by Mystery Object

(Newser) - A massive mysterious object scientists believe may be a comet slammed into Jupiter yesterday, AP reports. The Earth-size impact "scar" left by the object was caught on NASA's powerful infrared telescope in Hawaii. The agency was alerted to the new mark on the planet by an amateur astronomer in...

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Pricey telescope enhances our understanding of space

(Newser) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking...

Kepler Begins Search for Other 'Earths'

Spacecraft will spend next 3 years searching for planet in 'Goldilocks zone'

(Newser) - NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft Kepler was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral last night, Space.com reports. Kepler, the widest-field telescope ever sent into space, will spend the next three years scanning the sky for a planet in the "Goldilocks zone" where conditions are just right for liquid water to exist...

NASA Begins Hunt for Earth-Like Planets

(Newser) - NASA will launch its Kepler space telescope tomorrow on a 3-year mission to look for planets as habitable to life as Earth, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Kepler will use a sophisticated digital camera, 10 times more sensitive than consumer models, to survey distant stars for orbiting planets with just...

If Another Earth Is Out There, Kepler Will Find it

NASA telescope designed to look for life-sustaining planets

(Newser) - If there's truly no place like home, then NASA's new Kepler mission will help scientists prove it. The space telescope, set to launch March 5, will scan the skies for planets with the approximate size and temperature range of Earth. Matches could be candidates for extraterrestrial life; if Kepler finds...

Hubble Glitch Delays NASA Repair Mission

Telescope malfunction will require retraining of crew, delay launch

(Newser) - A repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed after the apparatus stopped transmitting data Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Shuttle crews will be retrained to deal with the new problem, and the launch rescheduled so NASA can have a second shuttle ready in case a rescue mission...

Upgrade Will Boost Hubble Vision

Upgrade will create spectacular images

(Newser) - Spectacular images from the Hubble telescope are about to get even more awe-inspiring, thanks to a $900-million upgrade during an upcoming space shuttle mission—the fifth and last mission to the orbiting observatory. Two new high-tech instruments and a series of repairs will make Hubble able to probe even deeper...

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