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Extrasolar

The idea of finding life forms on other planets, either inside or outside of our solar system, has always been a big deal. But these days it feels like we are closer than ever. Just the other day was this announcement that Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede, the largest moon in our … Continue Reading →

X-ray Detectors on the Move

Here at NASA Goddard, in Astrophysics, we have quite a large group that studies high-energy light – that is, X-rays and gamma-rays. Not only do our astrophysicists study the objects that emit light at these energies, some of them build the instruments to collect this astronomical data. One such astrophysicist … Continue Reading →

A Secondary Space Mirror

One of the cool things about the James Webb Space Telescope’s design is the giant boom that sticks out in front of the telescope. This structure is what holds the telescope’s secondary mirror. It’s the “small” round gold thing, visible in this artist’s conception. Credit: NASA Here’s what it looks … Continue Reading →

NASA at SXSW 2014

It’s that time of year again – for the South by Southwest music, film, & tech festival in Austin, Texas. As you might recall from last year, we had the giant full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope and a huge tent full of information about the mission. Credit: … Continue Reading →

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day from NASA Blueshift. We spotted this image go by on social media this morning and Rick Wiggins was kind enough to grant us permission to repost it. This is the Heart Nebula, or IC 1805. It’s about 7500 light years away from Earth, and can be located … Continue Reading →

Special Guest Blog: Things That Go “Pop” in the Night

  • By Maggie Masetti
  • February 11, 2014
  • Comments Off on Special Guest Blog: Things That Go “Pop” in the Night

We have an extra-special guest blog today! Nick Howes, astronomer at the Kielder Observatory in the UK, collaborator on a range of NASA programs and Pro-Am Programme Manager for the Faulkes Telescope Project, explains the significance of the new supernova detected in nearby galaxy Messier 82. Stars have a life … Continue Reading →

The Fermi All-Sky Cake

If the idea of a Fermi cake sounds familiar, it’s because we featured the cake replica of the Fermi satellite for its 5th birthday. Our science bakers were at it again for a Science as Food competition that was part of a recent science poster event. Judy Racusin along with … Continue Reading →

Hubble WFPC2

A Close-up of a Space Camera

A co-worker told me that WFPC2 was sitting out, unconvered, over in our Integration & Test facility. It didn’t really register. We have models of Hubble instruments on display elsewhere at Goddard. But no, it’s the real thing. The actual Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, which until a few … Continue Reading →

Galaxy Face-off

I recently stumbled across this gorgeous image of NGC 4921, so I thought perhaps a post showing a selection of gorgeous face-on galaxies would be in order. First up, the aforementioned barred spiral, NGC 4921. Note its bright nucleus, the bright central bar, and the ring of dark dust. Outside … Continue Reading →

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Nova

Recently those in the Southern Hemisphere were treated to a new sight in the sky – a nova that was so bright it could be seen with the naked eye. Indeed, Nova Centauri 2013 was one of the brightest in years. Image credit: NASA/MSFC/ESSSA/Aaron Kingery What is a nova? It … Continue Reading →

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