Podcast: NuStar: NASA’s Newest X-Ray Eyes
- By Sara Mitchell
- October 12, 2012
- Comments Off on Podcast: NuStar: NASA’s Newest X-Ray Eyes
Click to listen! (7.5MB MP3, right-click to save) Transcript (Text, PDF) It’s an exciting experience for any space geek to watch a new satellite launch into orbit. Even through an online video feed, it’s thrilling to see something that Earthlings worked for years to create headed for its new home, … Continue Reading →
Awesomeness Round-Up – 6/11/2012
- By Alexe Helmke
- June 11, 2012
- 5 Comments
On Tuesday, June 5, Venus passed in front of the Sun – an event that was visible on seven continents for those that were fortunate enough to have clear weather. These “transits” of Venus are very rare, coming in pairs separated by more than a hundred years. This June’s transit, … Continue Reading →
An “X-ray Astronomer” Among Radio Telescopes
- By Koji Mukai
- April 30, 2012
- 2 Comments
To me, an observational astronomer, there is no such thing as X-ray astronomy. What I do is astronomical research on objects that happen to emit X-rays, as well as ultraviolet, visible, and infrared, etc. light. My research interest is not X-rays, but astronomical objects called cataclysmic variables and symbiotic stars … Continue Reading →
Meet NuSTAR!
- By Maggie Masetti
- February 1, 2012
- Comments Off on Meet NuSTAR!
Meet the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array or NuSTAR – a new X-ray telescope that’s being launched in March of 2012. Below is the actual telescope in its pre-launch configuration: Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Orbital And here is what it will look like post-launch! Credit: NASA NuSTAR has an interesting design that includes a … Continue Reading →
Awesomeness Round-Up – 12/22/2011
- By Maggie Masetti
- December 22, 2011
- Comments Off on Awesomeness Round-Up – 12/22/2011
Credit: NASA/ESA/HubbleSite Looking for a space-themed way to say “Happy Holidays!” to your family and friends? How about some printable holiday cards with Hubble images? Every card features fabulous astronomical objects… and when you go to download a card, you’ll find links to articles about related Hubble discoveries! The ornaments … Continue Reading →
A Fond Farewell to ROSAT
- By Maggie Masetti
- October 17, 2011
- Comments Off on A Fond Farewell to ROSAT
It’s time for me to be nostalgic about another satellite. Last time it was the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer which I really started my career in websites/education/outreach on. This time, it’s the Röntgensatellit, or ROSAT, a German-led X-ray telescope. When I was an intern here, my first job was to … Continue Reading →
Awesomeness Round-Up – 10/3/2011
- By Maggie Masetti
- October 3, 2011
- 1 Comment
There are gorgeous new shots of a full-scale test version of one layer of the James Webb Space Telescope’s tennis court-sized sunshield: Credit: NGAS Credit: NGAS There are two more on their Flickr.
Try It At Home: X-ray Data: Light curves, Spectra & Images Activity
- By Maggie Masetti
- September 23, 2011
- Comments Off on Try It At Home: X-ray Data: Light curves, Spectra & Images Activity
Here at the Astrophysics Science Division, we have a large group that studies X-ray astronomy. X-ray astronomy doesn’t get as much press as observations from telescopes like the Hubble, but nevertheless is a very valuable tool for understanding how the universe works. In this blog entry we’ll talk about how … Continue Reading →
Awesomeness Round-Up – 6/21/11
- By Faith Tucker
- June 21, 2011
- 3 Comments
As Maggie mentioned in her intriguing post last week, things have been quite busy around here recently. So here is a bit of a catch-up edition of your weekly Awesomeness Round-Up. Enjoy! Historically, astronomy has always required a great deal of patience as astronomers spent long, cold nights at the … Continue Reading →
Awesomeness Round-up – 4/4/11
- By Sara Mitchell
- April 4, 2011
- 1 Comment
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program, employees down at Kennedy Space Center came together for this impressive themed aerial portrait. I’m not sure what image we would pick at Goddard, since the research here is so diverse! Any ideas? Post them in the comments! There’s … Continue Reading →
