Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Dark energy measured with record-breaking map of 1.2 million galaxies

A team of hundreds of physicists and astronomers have announced results from the largest-ever, three-dimensional map of distant galaxies. The team constructed this map to make one of the most precise measurements yet of the dark energy currently driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe.

July 14, 2016 Read more

Surprising neutrino decoherence inside supernovae

Theory to explain collective effects of neutrinos inside supernovae strengthened.

July 12, 2016 Read more

Study explains why galaxies stop creating stars

A team of astronomers examined around 70,000 galaxies to address an important unsolved mystery in astrophysics.

July 9, 2016 Read more

Astronomers find evidence for 'direct collapse' black hole

Astronomers have discovered evidence for an unusual kind of black hole born extremely early in the universe. They showed that a recently discovered unusual source of intense radiation is likely powered by a 'direct-collapse black hole', a type of object predicted by theorists more than a decade ago.

July 7, 2016 Read more

Dead X-ray satellite reveals 'quiet' center of massive galaxy cluster

Scientists find gas at center of Perseus cluster travels much more slowly than expected.

July 7, 2016 Read more

Astronomers find evidence of water clouds in first spectrum of coldest brown dwarf

Difficult spectroscopic observations reveal properties of a nearby brown dwarf, the coldest known object outside of our solar system.

July 7, 2016 Read more

Let there be light; a team of super bright galaxies in the early Universe

Astronomers have shed further light on the evolution of the early Universe with the discovery of a 'team' of super bright galaxies.

July 5, 2016 Read more

Making astrophysical simulations more accurate

New research work may result in better simulations of large astrophysical events such as supernova explosions. This work also raises hopes of finding out more about how atomic nuclei behave in neutron stars.

July 5, 2016 Read more

Astronomers release spectacular survey of the distant Universe

Astronomers have released spectacular new infrared images of the distant Universe, providing the deepest view ever obtained over a large area of sky.

June 30, 2016 Read more

A new method for identifying black holes (w/video)

Techniques connect solutions to Einstein's equations directly with observations.

June 30, 2016 Read more

Universe becoming cleaner as cosmic dust gets mopped up by stars, astronomers reveal

Brand new images from the Herschel telescope give unprecedented insight into the lives of stars and galaxies.

June 29, 2016 Read more

A water detection technique to shortlist potentially-habitable exoplanets

To help detect suitable candidates, identify the range of atmospheric conditions on planets with water and shed light on how planetary magnetic fields originate and evolve, the HOTMOL project is devising new tools relying on spectro-polarimetry.

June 27, 2016 Read more

Interstellar greenhouses: how a single molecule could be key to growing plants in microgravity

A single molecule that also plays a big role in making sure plants grow on Earth, could be key to understanding how to make interstellar greenhouses successful.

June 27, 2016 Read more

Successful first observations of galactic center

The GRAVITY instrument is now operating with the four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes of ESO's Very Large Telescope, and even from early test results it is already clear that it will soon be producing world-class science.

June 23, 2016 Read more

X-ray echoes of a shredded star provide close-up of 'killer' black hole (w/video)

Some 3.9 billion years ago in the heart of a distant galaxy, the intense tidal pull of a monster black hole shredded a star that passed too close. When X-rays produced in this event first reached Earth, they were detected by NASA's Swift satellite.

June 23, 2016 Read more

New study predicts a universe crowded with black holes

A new study presents one of the most complete models of matter in the universe and predicts hundreds of massive black hole mergers each year observable with the second generation of gravitational wave detectors.

June 23, 2016 Read more

Astronomers find the first 'wind nebula' around a magnetar

Astronomers have discovered a vast cloud of high-energy particles called a wind nebula around a rare ultra-magnetic neutron star, or magnetar, for the first time. The find offers a unique window into the properties, environment and outburst history of magnetars, which are the strongest magnets in the universe.

June 21, 2016 Read more

'Space tsunami' causes the third Van Allen belt

New research findings will help mitigate effects of extreme space weather.

June 20, 2016 Read more