AAS Press Office
LightNews LightNews
banner
press.aas.org
AAS Press Office
@press.aas.org
270 followers 25 following 1.1K posts
Astronomy news curated by the Press Office of the American Astronomical Society. Note: Posting is not endorsing, only informing. aas.org/press Header Image: https://shorturl.at/vb7A1
Posts Replies Media Videos
press.aas.org
European Space Agency: The Epic Adventures of BepiColombo – Part 2: It’s a Long Way to Mercury www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
The epic adventures of BepiColombo - Part 2: It’s a long way to Mercury
www.esa.int
November 24, 2025 at 2:42 PM
press.aas.org
European Space Agency: Marking One Year Until BepiColombo Reaches Mercury www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Marking one year until BepiColombo reaches Mercury
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has been cruising towards Mercury since October 2018. With just one year to go until it arrives at its destination, what has the mission achieved so far? And what can ...
www.esa.int
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
press.aas.org
European Space Agency: Finding Star Clusters in the Lost Galaxy www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
www.esa.int
November 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
press.aas.org
European Space Agency: 40,000 Near-Earth Asteroids Discovered! www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
40 000 near-Earth asteroids discovered!
Astronomers recently discovered the 40 000th near-Earth asteroid! These space rocks range from a few metres to a few kilometres in size and are on orbits that bring them relatively close to Earth. Eac...
www.esa.int
November 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
press.aas.org
Brookhaven National Laboratory: Destination: Mars. First Stop: Iceland? www.bnl.gov/newsroom/new...
Destination: Mars. First Stop: Iceland?
With terrain and climate similar to Mars, Iceland’s minerals may offer clues about rocks 194 million miles away on Mars.
www.bnl.gov
November 20, 2025 at 3:28 PM
press.aas.org
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory: NASA’s Mars Spacecraft Capture Images of Comet 3I/ATLAS www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-m...
NASA’s Mars Spacecraft Capture Images of Comet 3I/ATLAS
Two orbiters and a rover captured images of the interstellar object — from the closest location any of the agency’s spacecraft may get — that could reveal new details.
www.jpl.nasa.gov
November 19, 2025 at 10:12 PM
press.aas.org
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: Experiments Show How Water Could Form on Exoplanets, Disrupting Current Theories www.llnl.gov/article/5360...
Experiments show how water could form on exoplanets, disrupting current theories
In the search for extraterrestrial life, the presence of water is a key signature of possible habitability. Identifying why some planets are wet and others are dry could help with the hunt. In a recen...
www.llnl.gov
November 19, 2025 at 6:55 PM
press.aas.org
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab): Students in Hawai‘i Name Mesmerizing Image Ua ʻŌhiʻa Lani for the International Gemini Observatory’s 25th Anniversary noirlab.edu/public/news/...
Students in Hawai‘i Name Mesmerizing Image Ua ʻŌhiʻa Lani for the International Gemini Observatory’s 25th Anniversary - Gaseous pillars and a sparkling star cluster, reminiscent of rain in ʻŌhiʻa fore...
To celebrate 25 years since the completion of the International Gemini Observatory, students in Hawai‘i voted for the Gemini North telescope to image NGC 6820 — a striking emission nebula and open sta...
noirlab.edu
November 19, 2025 at 5:55 PM
press.aas.org
Space Telescope Science Institute: JWST First to Show Four Dust Shells "Spiraling" Apep, Limits Long Orbit science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
Webb First to Show 4 Dust Shells 'Spiraling' Apep, Limits Long Orbit - NASA Science
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a first of its kind: a crisp mid-infrared image of a system of four serpentine spirals of dust, one expanding
science.nasa.gov
November 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
press.aas.org
European Space Agency: JWST Spots Greedy Supermassive Black Hole in Early Universe www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Webb spots greedy supermassive black hole in early Universe
Researchers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed an actively growing supermassive black hole within a galaxy just 570 million years after the Big Bang. Part of a class of s...
www.esa.int
November 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
press.aas.org
European Gravitational Observatory: LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA Complete the Richest Observation Run to Date www.ego-gw.it/blog/2025/11...
LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA complete the richest observation run to date - EGO - European Gravitational Observatory
These developments have led to numerous new discoveries in recent years. Also some of the most significant results of this latest observational cycle have already been announced and published, contributing to a further deepening of our understanding of the nature of compact binary systems and certain fundamental physical processes in the universe.
www.ego-gw.it
November 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
press.aas.org
Washington University in St. Louis: A New Angle of Study for Unveiling Black Hole Secrets source.washu.edu/2025/11/a-ne...
A new angle of study for unveiling black hole secrets
Physicists from Washington University in St. Louis share results from an international collaboration for measuring the hard X-ray polarization from the black hole Cygnus X-1.
source.washu.edu
November 18, 2025 at 4:31 PM
press.aas.org
University of Cologne: A Sparkling “Diamond Ring” in Space: Astronomers in Cologne Unravel the Mystery of a Cosmic Ring www.uni-koeln.de/en/universit...
A sparkling ‘Diamond Ring’ in space: Astronomers in Cologne unravel the mystery of a cosmic ring
The structure of gas and dust resembles a glowing diamond ring. Computer simulations and observations made on board the 'flying observatory' SOFIA are now able to explain the special shape .
www.uni-koeln.de
November 18, 2025 at 4:30 PM
press.aas.org
RIKEN, Japan: The Simulated Milky Way: 100 Billion Stars Using 7 Million CPU Cores www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs...
The simulated Milky Way: 100 billion stars using 7 million CPU cores
www.riken.jp
November 18, 2025 at 4:27 PM
press.aas.org
Chinese Academy of Sciences: Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) Uncovers Mystery of Cosmic Ray "Knee" Formation english.cas.cn/head/202511/...
english.cas.cn
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
press.aas.org
NASA: NASA to Share Comet 3I/ATLAS Images from Spacecraft, Telescopes www.nasa.gov/news-release...
NASA to Share Comet 3I/ATLAS Images From Spacecraft, Telescopes - NASA
NASA will host a live event at 3 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Nov. 19, to share imagery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS collected by a number of the agency’s
www.nasa.gov
November 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM
press.aas.org
German Aerospace Center (DLR): Water Ice on the Moon — Simulated Detection in the LUNA Facility www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...
Water ice on the Moon – simulated detection in the LUNA facility
It is very likely that there is water ice on the Moon, for example in its south pole region where some craters never see sunlight. To address these and other unanswered questions, DLR has teamed up wi...
www.dlr.de
November 17, 2025 at 5:29 PM
press.aas.org
European Space Agency (ESA): ESA Pinpoints 3I/ATLAS’s Path with Data from Mars www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
www.esa.int
November 17, 2025 at 4:18 PM
press.aas.org
Chinese Academy of Sciences: Chang'e-6 Samples Reveal First Evidence of Impact-Formed Hematite and Maghemite on the Moon english.cas.cn/newsroom/res...
english.cas.cn
November 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
press.aas.org
KU Leuven: Dying Giant Star Found to Have a Close Companion fys.kuleuven.be/ster/news/20...
Dying giant star found to have a close companion
Researchers at KU Leuven have, for the first time, directly observed a star orbiting closely around a dying giant star. This discovery offers the first conclusive proof that such companions do exist a...
fys.kuleuven.be
November 17, 2025 at 3:59 PM
press.aas.org
Monash University: Scientists Identify Close Companion Orbiting Giant Red Star www.monash.edu/science/news...
Scientists identify close companion orbiting giant red star
Close companions can influence stellar evolution in many ways. Whilst some companions can be detected around young stellar objects, direct observational evidence of companions around asymptotic giant ...
www.monash.edu
November 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
press.aas.org
NASA: Blue Origin Launch Two Spacecraft to Study Mars, Solar Wind www.nasa.gov/news-release...
NASA, Blue Origin Launch Two Spacecraft to Study Mars, Solar Wind - NASA
A pair of NASA spacecraft ultimately destined for Mars will study how its magnetic environment is impacted by the Sun. The mission also will help the agency
www.nasa.gov
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
press.aas.org
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP): Shocked Galaxy Clusters: Unravelling the Mysteries of Radio Relics www.aip.de/en/news/shoc...
Shocked galaxy clusters: Unravelling the mysteries of radio relics
When galaxy clusters collide, huge shock waves are sent out. These energise electrons, giving rise to so-called ‘radio relics’ – vast structures that emit radio waves. Using computer simulations, a re
www.aip.de
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
press.aas.org
Tsinghua University: A “Living Fossil” of the Very Early Universe? Discovery of a First-Generation Galaxy at Cosmic Noon astro.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1026...
astro.tsinghua.edu.cn
November 14, 2025 at 3:41 PM
press.aas.org
Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS): Massive Star Formation Driven by Colliding Filaments in Cloud F-NE english.xao.cas.cn/news/202511/...
Massive star formation driven by Colliding Filaments in Cloud F-NE--Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory
Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory、Chinese Academy of Sciences Research at XAO is comprised of three divisions: Radio Astronomy Research Division, Optical Astronomy Research Division and Computer Applicat...
english.xao.cas.cn
November 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM