Explore Astronomy

Hubble has found stars clusters where no star clusters should be— cast adrift in the open space between galaxies. The clusters may give hints about the nature of the early universe.

Scientists hit the jackpot with a remarkably lucky find – a double Einstein ring. A rare alignment of a trio of galaxies distorts light, forming a duo of rings that could reveal information about a host of galactic mysteries.

A new book opens the universe of modern telescope images to the blind. “Touch the Invisible Sky” combines Braille with embossed pictures to show visually impaired students what astronomical objects look like in different types of radiation, or the “invisible” light referred to in the title.

• Hubble Finds that "Blue Blobs" in Space Are Orphaned Clusters of Stars
• Hubble Finds Double Einstein Ring
• NASA Unveils Cosmic Images Book in Braille for Blind Readers

A researcher describes the fireball created when a small asteroid explodes in the atmosphere. Credit: Sandia

In 1908, a tremendous explosion rocked a sparsely populated region of Siberia, destroying hundreds of square miles of forest. The destruction was likely caused by an asteroid colliding with Earth. Now new computer simulations point toward a smaller asteroid than was previously thought. That smaller asteroids could cause such devastation is an eye-opener for astronomers who look to protect Earth from inevitable future collisions.

• News release from Sandia National Laboratories.
• Wikipedia on Tunguska.
• Astronomer David Darling on Tunguska.

A Martian meteorite. Could meteorite showers contribute to extinction?

What a headache! New findings from examination of mammoth tusks and bison skull remains suggest that 30,000 to 40,000 years ago a meteorite shower peppered the Alaska region with pellets. Amazingly some of the animals may have survived this event, although they were probably severely injured.

The individual who found these tusks, Allen West, later searched through over 15,000 artifacts to find the micrometeorites imbedded in some of the tusks and bones. With help from Lawrence Berkeley Lab, they were able to determine when the event happened. Is this one of the explanation for other large animal extinctions?

• BBC News reports on the tusk markings.
• Nature discusses the discovery.

The red planet may need to brace for impact.

An asteroid 164 feet wide could be on a collision course with Mars. The asteroid is expected to cross Mars’ orbit later this month and may come as close as 30,000 miles to Mars. Astronomers calculate a one-in-20 chance of the asteroid actually striking the red planet.

• Space.com on the asteroid.
• NASA discusses the asteroid.
• Discovery.com on the asteroid.

The famous Orion Nebula is closer than we believed.

The Orion Nebula is 300 light-years closer to Earth than previously thought. Radio telescopes have obtained the most precise measure ever of distance to this giant star-forming region. Because the distance to the Nebula is shorter than expected, the stars in the nebula must also be less bright than we believed, and thus older.

• Space.com report on the measurement.

Dying red giant stars may zoom out of position as they expire. The stars may eject their mass mainly in one direction, causing the star to move in the opposite direction. Comet Holmes continues to defy understanding, shielding its secrets with a cloud of bright dust. And we bring you a special report on dark energy from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

• How White Dwarfs Get Their Kicks
• Hubble Zooms in on Heart of Mystery Comet

Shells of stars formed in a galactic collision.

Sometimes those serene, rounded elliptical galaxies harbor much deeper and more interesting structures. In Hubble Space Telescope observations, one elliptical galaxy shows shells-shaped groups of stars that probably originated in a violent collision between galaxies. The material from the merger is feeding a supermassive black hole in the galaxy’s center, creating a quasar that emits enough energy to be seen across the universe.

• Hubble Spies Shells of Sparkling Stars Around Quasar

An artist's concept of an Earth-like planet circling a distant star.

We’ve found planets beyond our solar system, but nothing Earth sized. Still, astronomers are considering what such a world might look like.

Computer models provide ideas of 14 different theoretical planet types, to help planet hunters spot telltale indicators. Researchers hope that the models will provide information about planet composition and similar characteristics when astronomers begin finding Earth-sized planets.

• NASA news release about the project.