15 Incredible Photos from 2023 Milky Way Photographer of the Year
Travel and adventure photography blog Capture the Atlas has announced the winners of its sixth annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest.
Researchers Can Now Explain Jupiter’s Mysterious Shifting ‘Stripes’
Much to the chagrin of tigers everywhere, Jupiter can change its stripes, although an explanation of how the gas giant changes its colors and famous "stripes" has long evaded scientists. Researchers at the University of Leeds in England believe they've found the answer and can explain why the bands on Jupiter move and change.
Incredible Composites Blend Data from NASA’s Chandra, Webb, and Hubble
Scientists have once again combined X-ray data from NASA's Chandra Observatory and groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope to create stunning composite images that showcase the incredible capabilities of each telescope.
Lucky Photographer Catches Largest Supernova in a Decade
The largest supernova seen in over a decade just exploded (from the perspective of observers on Earth), and one lucky photographer managed to capture it in a before-and-after sequence of photos.
NASA Perseverance Rover Captures 152-image Mosaic of Belva Crater
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently captured a series of 152 images while investigating the Belva Crater which NASA has stitched into a dramatic and striking mosaic.
Unistellar’s New Smart Solar Filter Lets Its Telescopes Photograph the Sun
Unistellar has announced a new Smart Solar Filter for use with its smart telescopes, allowing them to be able to photograph the sun and observe sunspots in real-time.
NASA’s ShadowCam Shoots Portrait of Lunar Orbiter as it Flies at 7,100 MPH
ShadowCam recently grabbed a stunning shot of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as it orbited below KPLO.
Webb Finds Water in Rare Main-Belt Comet, Spurring New Mysteries
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has helped scientists achieve another breakthrough. Solar system scientists working to understand the origins of Earth's abundant water have used Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument to confirm water vapor around a comet in the main asteroid belt for the first time.
Making an ‘Impossible’ Multi-Season, Time-Blended Milky Way Panorama
Award-winning astrophotographer Mihail Minkov captured an incredible 360-degree panorama that shows two Milky Way arches, a shot only possible during a specific time.
Webb Snaps First Photo of Asteroid Belt Outside the Solar System
The James Webb Space Telescope has achieved another milestone by capturing an image of the first asteroid belt ever seen outside the Solar System.
How One Astrophotographer Made a New Scientific Discovery
Astrophotographer Bray Falls recently posted a series of striking images on Instagram that instantly caught PetaPixel's eye. Falls' photos aren't just visually stunning; they represent a brand-new discovery, a significant accomplishment for any astrophotographer.
NASA’s ShadowCam Sheds Light on Moon’s Darkest Regions
NASA has released incredible new images of the shadowy region of the Moon's south pole. The detailed photos were captured by NASA's impressive ShadowCam instrument.
Researchers Have Created an Incredibly Detailed Global Map of Mars
A team of scientists led by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Center for Space Science has created a high-resolution map of Mars that holds great potential for researchers aiming to understand the red planet's history, and how its arid, barren landscape came to be.
New Wide-Angle Image Shows the Power of Supermassive Black Hole
Radio astronomers have captured a novel wide-angle image of the famous giant black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87).
The Story Behind ‘Earthrise,’ One of NASA’s Most Iconic Images
Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. As the Apollo 8 crew members Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William (Bill) Anders orbited the moon aboard the spacecraft, Anders spotted and captured Earthrise, one of the most iconic space photos ever made.
Space Probe Captures Detailed Images of Mars’ Moon Deimos
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency has unveiled the most-detailed images ever of Deimos, the smaller and outermost of Mars' two natural satellites (the other is Phobos).
SuperBIT Telescope Captures Space from a Stadium-Sized Balloon
The Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) was recently carried about 20.5 miles (32.9 kilometers) above Earth's surface on a massive NASA helium balloon, capturing the balloon-based telescope's first research images.
This Optical Illusion Photo Was Not Taken from Space
A viral photo has internet users scratching their heads as an apparent image of Earth taken from space isn't what it seems.
NASA’s Photographer of the Year Awards Showcase Stellar Shots
NASA has announced the winners of its fifth annual Photographer of the Year awards. The winning photos showcase NASA's people, places, and projects, as captured by NASA's talented photographers.
Webb Captures Star-Forming Galactic Merger Brighter Than 1 Trillion Suns
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning "smash-up" of two spiral galaxies. Collectively called Arp 220, the collision of the pair of galaxies has facilitated massive star formation.
’60 Minutes’ Investigates Deep Space and the James Webb Space Telescope
Since NASA shared the first five images from the James Webb Space Telescope last July, astronomers have been busy using the telescope to study the cosmos and uncover new information about the origins of the universe. Scott Pelley took a closer look at Webb and its images in the most recent episode of "60 Minutes."
The Story Behind NASA’s Iconic and Timeless Artemis II Portraits
Last week, NASA revealed the four astronauts embarking on the Artemis II mission. It's a momentous mission for NASA and humanity because Artemis II will be the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that a crewed spacecraft will travel to the Moon and beyond low Earth orbit.
Researchers Unveil Novel AI Algorithm That Can Unblur the Cosmos
While vital to humanity's existence on Earth, the planet's atmosphere is a major nuisance for astronomers trying to learn more about what's beyond Earth. The cosmos would be much easier to study without the pesky atmosphere. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago and Tsinghua University in Beijing have unveiled a new artificial intelligence-powered approach to cleaning up images captured by ground-based telescopes.
Scientists Have Created a Huge 5.7-Terapixel Global Image of Mars
A group at Caltech's Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization has unveiled a 5.7-terapixel global image of Mars.
Webb Captures a Spectacular Photo of Uranus and its Rings
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a gorgeous photo of the seventh planet from the Sun, Uranus. Not only that, but the rings around the ice giant are clearly visible for only the third time.
Distant, Lonely Galaxy is Isolated Because it Annihilated Its Neighbors
Astronomers used NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the International Gemini Observatory to discover a distant, lonely galaxy that has assimilated its former nearby galaxies, essentially having cannibalized its neighbors.
Nikon is Investing in Smart Telescope Company Unistellar
Nikon has announced that it has invested a financial stake in Unistellar SAS, a France-based smart telescope company. Nikon says that it hopes the investment will promote "the creation of business synergies" for both companies.
Webb’s ‘Cosmic Seahorse’ Photo Shows Gravity Bending Spacetime
One of the first images the James Webb Space Telescope ever captured was only possible thanks to a gravitational lens. Its latest is another example of this phenomenon, this time featuring a galaxy called the Cosmic Seahorse.
Webb Photographs the Rarely-Seen Moments Just Before a Supernova
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured what is known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the brief phase that comes just before it goes supernova. Due to how short the time is that a star is in this phase, it is one of the rarest astronomical observations.
Astronaut’s Image Refracted Through a Weightless Water Bubble in Space
Space provides all kinds of photo opportunities and one astronaut took advantage of microgravity for this unique image.