NASA Revives Hubble: The Legendary Telescope is Fully Operational
NASA has successfully fully restored Hubble to full operation, and all four of its active instruments are back online and collecting science observations.
The World’s Largest Digital Camera is Almost Ready to Shoot the Stars
The world's largest digital camera with a resolution of 3.2-gigapixels is being prepared for installation atop a Chilean mountain where it will scan the sky to help scientists gain knowledge about the Milky Way, dark matter, and other phenomena.
NASA Has Revived Hubble’s Most Heavily Used Camera
NASA is making significant progress on reviving the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in safe mode since early November after the synchronization of messages that control its instruments were becoming lost.
Researchers Bundle 24 400mm Lenses into Massive Telescope Array
An international team of researchers has bundled groups of 24 Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 lenses together into what they call the Dragonfly Telephoto Array in order to capture photos of distant stars.
Unistellar eVscope 2 Telescope Review: Fun, But Lacks Image Quality
A few months ago Unistallar and Nikon announced the launch of a new smart-telescope called the eVscope 2. The two companies claimed it was the world's most powerful and simple-to-operate digital telescope for consumers. While I absolutely agree the system is incredibly easy and actually fun to use, dubbing it as the world's most powerful is a hefty over-promise.
Hubble is Down for the Second Time This Year, Now in ‘Safe Mode’
The Hubble Space Telescope's scientific operations have been suspended for the second time this year. It is currently in safe mode and NASA engineers are trying to figure out what went wrong.
Vaonis Launches the 1050mm, 61MP Hyperia Telescope Camera
Vaonis has announced the Hyperia telescope camera, a 165-pound personal observatory that leverages a 61-megapixel sensor and sets it behind a massive 1050mm lens that is mechanically driven to allow for stunning photos of astronomical objects.
Unistellar and Nikon Unveil the eVscope 2 Digital Telescope Camera
Self-described astronomy disruptor telescope brand Unistellar has announced what it calls the world's most powerful and simple to operate digital telescope for consumers - the eVscope 2.
The $4,000 Stellina Smart Telescope Makes Shooting the Stars a Snap
The Stellina is a smart telescope from Vaonis that works alongside a phone or tablet with the app and helps users to find and share the sights of the universe instantly.
Tokina’s 400mm f/8 Reflex Lens Now Available for Canon RF and Nikon Z
Tokina has announced that its SZX Super Tele 400mm F8 Reflex MF lens that was originally announced in July of 2020 for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Fuji X, and Micro 4/3 mounts is now available for Canon RF and Nikon Z.
This is the People’s Choice for Astronomy Photographer of the Year
The Royal Museums Greenwich hosts an annual competition for the best astronomy photos of the year and as a reminder that the deadline for the 2021 competition is fast closing, the organization has announced the people's choice winner from the 2020 competition.
These Photos of Saturn and Jupiter Look Photoshopped, But are Real
During the peak of the astronomical event that was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in December, a photographer named Garret who goes by gm_astrphotography posted a photo that sparked some debate to its authenticity. The fact is, the image is 100% legitimate.
Hubble Releases 30 New Celestial Images to Celebrate its 30th Anniversary
In celebration of its 30th anniversary capturing stunning images of stellar objects, NASA has released 30 newly-processed Hubble images featuring galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae.
The Best Global Map of Mars Ever Shot from Earth’s Surface
French astrophotographer Jean-Luc Dauvergne has published what he claims is the best global map of Mars ever shot from the surface of Earth. This 2-minute video shows both the map and a rotating view of Mars created with the same images.
Photographer Catches the ISS Crossing the Sun and Moon
Photographer Andrew McCarthy is known for shooting incredible astrophotography images from his backyard in Sacramento, California. He recently added two more jaw-dropping images to his portfolio: ultra-clear views of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the Sun and Moon.
NASA Uses Flying Infrared Telescope to Discover Water on the Sunlit Side of the Moon
It's not the kind of astrophotography most of us are going to be doing, but NASA just used infrared imaging to make a major discovery: the space agency has detected traces of water in a crater on the sunlit surface of the Moon.
This is an Ultra-High-Resolution Photo of a Sunspot
The largest solar telescope in Europe has captured groundbreaking photos showing the fine-structure of the Sun. This photo captured at 430nm shows the details of a sunspot, an area that appears dark on the surface of the Sun because it's cooler than other parts around it.
Tilt-Shift Photo of Andromeda Wins Astronomy Photographer of the Year
The Royal Observatory Greenwich has just unveiled the winners of the coveted 2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards. And this year's top prize went to a beautiful photograph of the Andromeda galaxy that makes it seem as if you could actually reach out and touch it.
Scientists Take World’s First 3,200MP Photos with Sensor Made for World’s Largest Digital Camera
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have just captured the world's first 3,200MP photos using an image sensor array that will become the heart of the world's largest digital camera. While higher res photos have been stitched together before, these are the largest single-frame digital photographs ever captured.
Astronomers Capture the First Ever Photo of Two Planets Orbiting a Sun-Like Star
The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO VLT) has captured a world's first: the first ever image of two giant exoplanets orbiting a young 'Sun-like' star 300 light years away from our own. The photograph could provide important information about the formation of our own solar system.
Tokina Unveils Ultra-Compact 400mm f/8 Mirror Lens for Modern Cameras
In a surprising turn of events, Tokina has just unveiled the SZX Super Tele 400mm f/8 Reflex MF: a reflex/mirror lens for modern cameras that uses a catadioptric design to achieve a super-compact, super-light, super-telephoto.
These are the Highest Resolution Images Ever Taken of the Sun’s Surface
The National Solar Observatory has just released the highest resolution images and video ever taken of the sun's surface. The images, captured with the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, capture the sun in unprecedented detail, revealing features as small as 18 miles (30km) in size for the first time ever.
Behind the Scenes: Visiting the World’s Largest Digital Camera and Optical Lens
A couple of weeks ago, we shared some photos of the world's largest optical lens, which had just been shipped to the SLAC laboratory in Menlo Park, CA, where it would be joined with the world's largest digital camera. Unfortunately, we obviously weren't actually there for the reveal of this record breaking lens, but YouTube channel Physics Girl was.
This is the World’s Largest Optical Lens: It’s 5 Feet Wide and Took 5 Years to Make
When you're building the world's largest digital camera, to power one of the world's most impressive telescopes, you're going to need to manufacture one of the world's most incredible lenses. That's how this massive, 5.1-foot wide optic—the largest high-performance optical lens ever made—came to be.
Scientists Who Took the First Picture of a Black Hole Awarded with $3M Prize
The world's first photo of a black hole, revealed this past April, was the result of years of collaboration between 347 astronomers from around the world. Today, those astronomers get to figure out how to split $3,000,000 in prize money for their hard work.
This Photo Shows Jupiter’s Size in the Sky Compared to the Moon
Jupiter and the Moon were in conjunction this week, appearing close together in the night sky. The event led astrophotography enthusiast Rami Ammoun to create this composite photo showing the relative sizes of the two celestial objects in the sky as seen from Earth.
Visiting the World’s Largest Digital Camera
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a telescope that will contain the largest digital camera ever built. Here's a 4-minute video in which the folks at Gizmodo pay a visit to the 3.2-gigapixel camera that's the size of a small car.
$1 Billion Telescope to Shoot Photos 10 Times Sharper Than Hubble’s
Think the Hubble Space Telescope's photos are impressive? The $1 billion Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) under construction in Chile will shoot photos with 10 times the resolution of NASA's Hubble telescope.
I Photographed the ISS Crossing the Full Moon at 17,500mph
This image was taken on November 4th, 2017 at 4:19 am in Titusville, Florida. It shows the International Space Station (with a crew of six currently onboard) transiting the full “Beaver Moon.” As the ISS orbits Earth at 17,500mph, or roughly five miles per second, the transit lasted just 0.90 seconds.
This is the Best Photo Ever Shot of a Star Other Than Our Sun
Astronomers using the ESO Very Large Telescope have created the most detailed photo ever of a star other than our own Sun. The subject of the photo is the supergiant Antares, visible to the unaided eye in the constellation Scorpius.