High-Resolution Thermal Satellite Takes Earth’s Temperature
A new high-resolution thermal satellite camera has beamed back its first set of spectacular images.
Webb Space Telescope Captures Ethereal View of a Stellar Nursery
Among the James Webb Space Telescope's many scientific objectives are providing astronomers and physicists unprecedented looks at areas where stars are being born. These stellar nurseries are not only of great scientific importance, but they are also visually spectacular.
Galaxies Galore: Hubble Celebrates Galaxies With New Photos All Week
Each day this week, NASA has been publishing a new galaxy image captured by the venerable Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to sharing fascinating information about some of the most interesting galaxies in the universe, each post has also been a visual treat.
Photographer Captures All Four Supermoons in 2023
A photographer has put together a stunning sequence of pictures after he captured all four supermoons in 2023.
The Orion Nebula Is Full of Binary Pairs of ‘Planets’ That ‘Shouldn’t Exist’
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured new images of the Orion Nebula that are visually stunning and a treasure trove for astronomers that shows cosmic objects that defy explanation.
Perseverance Spots Large Dust Devil Tearing Across Mars
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has captured an amazing sight on the Martian surface, a dust-filled twister.
Astronomers Want More Disco Balls to be Installed in Observatories
A group of astronomers have called for more disco balls to be installed in observatories and scientific facilities to better observe the Sun.
National Geographic’s Space Issue Finds Humanity in the Vast Expanse
National Geographic's special Space issue is available now, full of amazing stories and images all about space. From articles about how the James Webb Space Telescope is rewriting astronomy and astrophysics to humankind's return to the Moon as part of the NASA Artemis mission, the NatGeo space issue has something for everyone with interest in the universe.
First Black Hole Ever Photographed is Spinning, Scientists Confirm
Analyzing more than two decades of observational data collected by more than 20 telescopes, an international team of scientists says that the black hole at the center of the nearby M87 galaxy is spinning.
Amateur Astrophotographer Captures Rare Jupiter Explosion
An amateur astrophotographer captured a rare fireball hitting Jupiter marking one of the brightest flashes ever recorded on the planet.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Photographs its Journey Through a Solar Storm
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the first spacecraft to "touch the Sun," sailed directly through a coronal mass ejection (CME).
Astrophotographer Battles Mosquitos and Stray Dogs for Stunning ISS Photo
Backyard astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy captured an amazing view of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the Moon.
Hubble is Still Going Strong, Discovers 11-Billion-Year-Old ‘Absorbing Galaxy’
Although the James Webb Space Telescope gets a lot of attention for its impressive technology and many discoveries, the Hubble Space Telescope has remained very busy, and researchers have been using the observatory to perform incredible science.
What You Need to Know About the ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse Next Month
Next month will see an annular solar eclipse viewable from parts of the United States, which means all but an outer ring of the sun will be covered by the moon. The event will offer a stunning opportunity for photographers. When is the solar eclipse? The eclipse will take place on Saturday, October 14. It will begin in Oregon at 9:13 AM PT and make its way over to Texas, where it will end at 12:03 PM CT. It will last two and a half hours in total, with four to five minutes of duration of the …
Webb Telescope Photo Shows What Our Baby Sun Looked Like
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured an image of Herbig-Haro 211 that is an "infantile analog" of the Sun when it was just a baby star with a mass of about one-twelfth the present-day Sun.
Three Photographers Named ‘Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ for Their Incredible Discovery
Royal Observatory Greenwich has revealed that photographers Marcel Dreschler, Xavier Strottner, and Yann Sainty have been named "Astronomy Photographer of the Year" for their stunning image, Andromeda, Unexpected.
India’s Aditya-L1 Probe Shares First Photos of Space On Its Way To The Sun
The Indian Space Agency (Isro) has shared the first-ever photographs sent by the country's solar observation mission as it makes its way toward the Sun.
Hubble Snaps Incredible New Image of a Glittering Globular Cluster
Approximately half a century ago, Turkish-Armenian astronomer Agop Terzan discovered 11 globular clusters. Today, the Hubble Space Telescope views Terzan's clusters in details he could have only dreamed of at the time.
The World’s First U2 Spy Plane Photo Shoot at the Edge of Space
Eight years of discussions. Six months of training. Two days of final preparations. Much was required to give photographer Blair Bunting two hours at the edge of Earth's atmosphere to conduct the first-ever photo shoot at near-space where he captured images that have never been made before and will likely never be made again.
Hubble Spies a Baby Star 20 Times More Massive Than the Sun
While the James Webb Space Telescope may get the lion's share of the attention these days, the venerable Hubble Space Telescope is still performing vital science and capturing beautiful images.
Photo of a Cosmic Whirlpool Offers New Details on Star Formation
The James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) and Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) have captured the graceful, well-defined bending arms of the grand-design spiral galaxy M51, also known as NGC 5194.
Photographers All Around the World Capture Ultra-Rare Blue Supermoon
These photos only come around once in a blue Moon, literally. The rare sight of a "blue supermoon" attracted photographers from all across the world last night.
Hurricane Idalia as Seen From the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) has captured breathtaking footage of Hurricane Idalia and Hurrican Franklin from space.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission Shares Images of the Moon’s Unexplored South Pole
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has shared new photos and videos captured by its Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander following its successful landing on the Moon's south pole on August 23, a momentous occasion that made India the fourth country to ever land on the Moon successfully and the first to do so near the lunar south pole.
New Photos Contextualize How Huge the Solar System’s Biggest Volcano Is
The European Space Agency (ESA) has released new photos captured by the Mars Express satellite that show evidence of landslides and a turbulent past around the most imposing volcano in the Solar system: Olympus Mons.
Webb Photographs the Ring Nebula in Unprecedented Detail
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the Ring Nebula in spectacular, unprecedented detail using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) imagers.
Oxford-Developed Specialized Camera Will Search for Water on the Moon
NASA's Lunar Trailblazer satellite has been equipped with a new Thermal Mapper instrument that was developed by scientists at Oxford and will play an important role in the satellite's goal of searching for signs of water on the Moon.
Spectroscopy Reveals Details About Cosmic Objects That Simple Photos Can’t
Like all cameras, the sophisticated imaging instruments used in telescopes detect wavelengths of light. While some telescopes see in visible light, as human eyes do, others work in wavelengths that people cannot see.
Photographer Captures Rare Red Sprites in the Night Sky Above Arizona
A photographer looking for storms to capture instead caught the sight of rare red lightning sprites in the night sky above Arizona.
The Best Photos From This Weekend’s Spectacular Perseids Meteor Shower
The Perseids meteor shower peaked this past weekend with photographers out in force capturing the annual cosmic show.
How Two Astrophotographers Discovered a New Nebula
"It is a very common misconception amongst people that the night sky has been explored in its entirety by the great professional space observatories like James Webb, Hubble, NASA, and ESA. People think there is nothing left for the average person to go out and discover in space. But this couldn't be further from the truth," says astrophotographer Bray Falls.
How Scientists Bring Webb’s Images to Life in Beautiful Color
The James Webb Space Telescope YouTube channel released a fascinating new video this week that explains how Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) science visuals developers Joe DePasquale and Alyssa Pagan transform Webb's black-and-white image data into full-color composites.
Photographer Travels 10,000 Miles to Capture Stunning Photo of the Entire Milky Way Galaxy
Backyard astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has always wanted to get a shot of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, but living in Arizona makes it impossible.
17 Year Timelapse Shows Mysterious Exoplanet’s Orbit
Northwestern University astrophysicist Jason Wang led a project to create the longest timelapse of an exoplanet ever assembled. The video compresses 17 years of real data of an exoplanet orbiting its star down to just 10 seconds -- and that 17 years was only enough for the planet to travel about 75% of a single 23.6-year orbit.
Scientists Explain Cosmic ‘Question Mark’ That Puzzled the Internet
The James Webb Space Telescope recently photographed the Herbig-Haro 46/47, a pair of newly forming stars. The beautiful composite is vast and full of rich detail, including a cosmic question mark.
India’s Historic Chandrayaan-3 Orbiter Delivers Incredible Photos of the Moon
India's Chandrayaan-3 rover reached lunar orbit on August 5 and has sent its first images of the Moon to Earth. Successfully entering lunar orbit is a critical step in the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) historic mission to the Moon.
Webb Unveils Strange Distant Galaxies in Incredible New Detail
Webb's new infrared image of the galaxy cluster "El Gordo" ("the Fat One") showcases hundreds of galaxies, some of which have never been seen before in such detail. Using its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb has used the gravitational lensing created by El Gordo to see distant background galaxies more clearly, offering scientists a unique look at the distant universe.
IBM and NASA Create Open-Source AI Model for Analyzing Satellite Data
IBM and NASA have teamed up to develop an open-source, geospatial foundational model that will enable researchers and scientists to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to track the effects of climate change, monitor deforestation, predict crop yields, and analyze greenhouse gas emissions.
James Webb Image of Ring Nebula Looks Like an Epic Sports Stadium
A new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image of the Ring Nebula that boasts an exquisite green looks like a sports stadium lit up at night at first glance.
The Euclid Telescope’s Successful First Test Shows Its Awesome Potential
Nearly a month after launching from Cape Canaveral, the European Space Agency's new space probe, Euclid, has sent its first test images to Earth, and they are spectacular.
Webb’s Photo of This Influential Galaxy Teaches a lot About the Early Universe
The James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a colorful image of the irregular galaxy NGC 6822. Using its Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), Webb observed different aspects of NGC 6822, including gas-rich regions and specific organic compounds critical for star and planetary formation.
NASA is Launching its Own Streaming Platform
NASA is launching its very own on-demand streaming platform. Called NASA+, it will incorporate all of the live broadcasts it already does but will also show original documentaries.
Webb Photographs Newly Forming Stars in Incredible, Colorful Detail
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured an amazing image of Herbig-Haro 46/47 using its near-infrared instrument, NIRCam. The image, processed by Joe DePasquale of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), showcases a "tightly bound pair of actively forming stars" in brilliant detail and color.
Photographer Captures Rare Rainbow Contrails Pumping Out of an Airplane
A photographer who zoomed in on an airplane flying overhead couldn't believe his eyes after he saw a bright rainbow contrail coming out of the back of it.
Comet Shaped Like the Millennium Falcon Captured in the Night Sky
A comet in the night sky has unexpectedly brightened 100-fold and grown swept-back horns so it resembles the Millennium Falcon -- the fictional starship from the Star Wars movies.
How Editors Blend Art and Science to Bring NASA’s Space Photos to Life
Since it began its full scientific operations at the second Lagrange point (L2), about one million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth last year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has enchanted people around the world. Webb's photos have inspired many people to learn more about space and look at the night sky with unprecedented wonder and curiosity.
A Complete Guide to Capturing Gorgeous Photos of the Night Sky
Peter Baumgarten is an award-winning nature photographer, educator, and OM SYSTEM Ambassador based on Canada’s Manitoulin Island. The island’s dark sky location provides Baumgarten with stunning nature and minimal light pollution, which allows the photographer to capture bright stars, the Milky Way, and northern lights from right outside his front door.
Photographer Captures SpaceX Rocket Punching a Hole in the Atmosphere
A photographer captured a SpaceX rocket leaving behind an aurora-like red glow after it punched a hole in the ionosphere.
Scientists Capture First Evidence That Two Planets Can Share the Same Orbit
An international team of scientists has captured the first observational evidence showing that two planets can share the same orbit around a star.
Melania Trump’s Apollo 11 NFT Violates NASA’s Photo Rules
Melania Trump's latest NFT drop that celebrates the Apollo 11 lunar landing prominently uses a photo from NASA's archives, which is a violation of the space agency's image usage rules.