Ground-based telescopes have a fundamental problem that no amount of engineering can fix. They’re trying to observe the universe through Earth’s atmosphere, a constantly moving blanket of air that distorts and blurs incoming light. It’s a little like trying to take a photograph of the bottom of a stream where the water is gently flowing! Space telescopes like Hubble easily …
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After Christmas dinner in 2021, our family was glued to the television, watching the nail-biting launch of NASA’s US$10 billion (AU$15 billion) James Webb Space Telescope. There had not been such a leap forward in telescope technology since Hubble was launched in 1990. En route to its deployment, Webb had to successfully navigate 344 potential points of failure. Thankfully, the …
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An illustration of a habitable zone planet orbiting the star called TRAPPIST – credit NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI) One of the major things that the mightily impressive James Webb Space Telescope was supposed to reveal has now potentially been revealed. Groundbreaking new research from the University of St. Andrews has identified signs of a possible atmosphere surrounding an …
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BRIGHTON, MI — Calling all stargazers, this weekend dozens of telescopes will be pointed at distant planets, stars, and galaxies. Astronomy Clubs across Southeast Michigan are gathering in one spot to offer free views of the night sky. The Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Club is hosting its annual event 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. …
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QUICK FACTS What it is: A 3D map of where stars form in the Milky Way Where it is: Up to 4000 light-years away, in the star-forming regions of the Milky Way When it was shared: Sept. 16, 2025 A craggy mountain peak, a tower, perhaps even a finger — in this new celestial dreamscape from the James Webb Space …
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QUICK FACTS What it is: Pismis 24, a young star cluster Where it is: 5,500 light-years away, in the constellation Scorpius When it was shared: Sept. 4, 2025 A craggy mountain peak, a tower, perhaps even a finger — in this new celestial dreamscape from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), something seems to be pointing at a cluster of …
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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, A. Pagan (STScI) QUICK FACTS What it is: Pismis 24, a young star cluster Where it is: 5,500 light-years away, in the constellation Scorpius When it was shared: Sept. 4, 2025 A craggy mountain peak, a tower, …
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The world is set for a once-in-a-decade event as the large and potentially hazardous asteroid 2025 FA22 makes a close approach to Earth. As it does so, the object should be visible to amateur astronomers equipped with small telescopes. 2025 FA22 was discovered on March 29 this year by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS 2) observatory …
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Astronomers worldwide are turning their focus to a rare and baffling cosmic visitor: interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. First detected in early July as it sped toward the Sun from deep space, the object is only the third interstellar body ever observed in human history, following ʻOumuamua in 2017 and Comet Borisov in 2019. Now, four powerful space-based observatories, NASA’s Hubble Space …
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By definition, scientists don’t know what to expect as they inspect the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, since it’s only the third object detected from beyond the solar system in human history. But the surprises just keep coming. The mysterious entity, which was first spotted hurtling towards the Sun from far beyond in early July, has fascinated researchers ever since. As Science Alert …
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