Astronomy

  1. Astronomy

    Black hole survey

    Scanning the sky for high-energy X rays, a NASA satellite found more than 200 supermassive black holes within 400 million light-years of Earth.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Astronomy

    New eye on the sun

    The recently launched Hinode spacecraft captured an X-ray portrait of several-million-degree gas in the sun's outer atmosphere.

    By Ron Cowen
  3. Astronomy

    Rejuvenating Observatory: Green light given for space telescope repairs

    NASA this week gave the go-ahead for a shuttle crew to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope and to install new detectors that would vastly improve its capabilities.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Astronomy

    A Swarm of Umbrellas vs. Global Warming: Astronomer thinks small to save Earth

    A trillion miniature spacecraft could provide a giant sunshade for Earth, significantly reducing global warming.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Astronomy

    Web Special: Hubble Repair Mission Is a Go

    After several years of uncertainty following the Columbia shuttle disaster, NASA this week gave the go-ahead for a shuttle crew to replace and repair parts on the 16-year-old Hubble Space Telescope.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Astronomy

    Galactic spider

    A Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a large galaxy in the early universe assembling from the merger of smaller ones.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Astronomy

    Feeling the heat of an extrasolar planet

    Astronomers have measured the temperature variation between the lit and unlit sides of a planet outside the solar system.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Astronomy

    Assault on Andromeda: Nearby galaxy had recent collision

    New findings suggest that a small galaxy recently plunged into Andromeda, opening a new window on collisions that are rare today but were common in the early universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Astronomy

    Record-breaking galaxy

    Looking ever deeper into space and farther back in time, astronomers have found a galaxy more distant than any other known in the universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Astronomy

    Enigmatic Eruption

    An erupting star near the outskirts of the Milky Way has become one of the most puzzling objects in the galaxy.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Astronomy

    Jet Set: Astronomers identify the makeup of quasar streams

    Astronomers have identified the particles in jets emanating from supermassive black holes as electrons and protons, which carry much more energy than some computer models had suggested.

    By Ron Cowen
  12. Astronomy

    Oversize supernova

    Researchers have found a supernova so luminous that it must have been produced by a much heavier star than the standard theory allows.

    By Ron Cowen