Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 5h

#NASAWebb is clearing up some mysteries about star formation thanks to its infrared capabilities—ideal for seeing the coolest, dimmest stars. ✨ Building on Hubble’s look at the Flame Nebula, Webb revealed new details, including the region’s low mass objects. 🔭 🧪

6 44

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 1d

Columbia University's Kishalay De spoke about efforts toward conducting an all-sky survey of infrared variability, and gave an overview of upcoming infrared surveys, including the first look into the high redshift dusty universe with #NASARoman, today at STScI. 🔭 🧪

A man stands at a lectern, taking about astronomy to an audience in a auditorium. On the screen are images of the Hubble, Webb and Roman space telescopes.

7 35

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 1d

Explore the iconic Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula and the various ways that stars and dust are intertwined in the process of star formation.

The Pillars of Creation and the Interplay of Stars and Dust

This scientific visualization explores the iconic Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula and the various ways that stars and dust are intertwined in the process of star formation. In developing the contextual story and the three-dimensional model, the ...

youtu.be

15 42

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 2d

Sagittarius B2, the most active star-forming region in the heart of our Milky Way, looks dramatically different depending on the light. The near-infrared light captured by #NASAWebb’s NIRCam shows thousands of colorful stars. Webb’s MIRI shows more of the region’s gas and dust structure. 🔭 🧪

Sagittarius B2 in Infrared - James Webb Space Telescope

Sagittarius B2, the most active star-forming region in the heart of our Milky Way, looks dramatically different depending on the light. The near-infrared light captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) shows thousands o...

youtu.be

1 11 56

Reposted by Space Telescope Science Institute

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 2d

First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪

4 56 210

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 2d

Can a small planet maintain an atmosphere in the blazing light of a small, cool red dwarf star? #NASAWebb and Hubble are teaming up to find out. Learn more about the Rocky Worlds program designed to understand the most common type of planetary system in the galaxy: https://go.nasa.gov/3VLUJ1n 🔭 🧪

Artist's concept of a planet with a dark and light gray mottled surface moving out from behind its star. Most of the hemisphere in view is lit by the star, which has dynamic patterning and an orange coloring somewhat darker than the Sun.

8 38

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 3d

On the lower part of the galaxy’s disc, you may see a set of four thin lines. These are an asteroid in our solar system, which was drifting across Hubble’s field of view. The four streaks are due to different exposures that were recorded one after another with slight pauses in between. 🔭 🧪

NGC 6000 — Galaxy — Hubble Space Telescope #shorts

YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute

youtube.com

1 9 88

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 3d

In this Halloween edition of NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings, you will hear about vampire stars, “Black Widow” pulsars destroying their companions, and dark energy: https://bit.ly/4gaTrq6 🔭 🧪

Illustration of an ominous, green bat that emerges from the cosmos, pushing objects like galaxies and stars further apart into the void of outer space.

6 40

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 7d

With #NASAWebb’s infrared sensitivity, astronomers can parse exoplanet atmospheres in great detail, leading to new insights. For example, Webb’s detection of carbon dioxide in system HR 8799’s planets suggests these worlds formed similarly to Jupiter and Saturn. 🔭 🧪

Credit: STScI.

14 46

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 8d

Katherine de Kleer, from the California Institute of Technology, spoke today at the Space Telescope Science Institute about how the ALMA (sub-)millimeter observatory and #NASAWebb are shedding light on the heat flow histories of satellites and small planetary bodies. 🔭 🧪 https://t.co/UP72t93wNo

A speaker at a lectern presents "The Thermal Histories of Solar System Moons and Asteroids from JWST/ALMA" to an audience in a lecture hall. The presentation screen displays images of moons and graphs.

3 36

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 8d

Watch as the familiar pattern of the Gemini constellation on the sky distorts into a whole new perspective when seen in three dimensions.

As the camera pans up, the constellation Gemini (The Twins ♊) takes center stage with its brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, at the top. 🔭 🧪

The Shape of Gemini in Three Dimensions

YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute

youtu.be

10 34

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 8d

Focus on the bright red dot at the center: #NASAWebb showed this galaxy existed 330 million years after the big bang—when the universe was thought to be “bathed” in a thick fog: http://bit.ly/459P9ve 🔭 🧪

A small red dot is in the middle. To its upper left is a face-on spiral galaxy, and to its lower right is an edge-on spiral galaxy. A handful of other small background galaxies are against the black background of space.

13 75

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 9d

The circle of life moves us all, including the Cartwheel Galaxy, which is the result of a larger spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy colliding about 400 million years ago. #NASAWebb highlights the dust in red and star formation regions in blue. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.

A large galaxy on the right, with two smaller companion galaxies on the left. The large galaxy is ring-shaped with an oval outer ring and a small, off-center oval inner ring. The rings and space between are lit with blue and crimson red plumes and dots. The blue areas are pockets of young stars and hydrocarbon dust. The red areas are energized silica dust. The red dust trails from the outer ring toward the inner ring and bright white core. The companion galaxies to the left, one above the other, are much smaller than the main galaxy, and about the same size as each other. The galaxy above has similar coloring and many of the same features as the large ring galaxy, but more of a disturbed s-shape, with no distinct rings. The galaxy below is white with a slight blueish to pinkish tinge. It has a diffuse spiral shape with a white core similar to that of the ring galaxy, but with a smoother texture. The background is full of more distant, orange-red colored galaxies.

21 85

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 9d

WATCH: Two views of a colorful array of massive stars and glowing cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud, the most massive and active star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy. 🔭 🧪

Sagittarius B2 — James Webb Space Telescope — NIRCam/MIRI #shorts

YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute

youtube.com

2 17 84

Reposted by Space Telescope Science Institute

Sierra Grant @sierragrant.bsky.social · 10d

PRESS RELEASE DAY! Could not be prouder of this result and so happy that it's now out!!! 🤩✨

Thanks to the team at @stsci.edu for the wonderful write-up and image!

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 10d

#NASAWebb has found the first direct evidence of potential moon formation around a giant exoplanet. The discovery is shedding light on how such systems evolve and why moons could be potentially habitable worlds: https://bit.ly/46xGodN 🔭 🧪

An illustration of a young planet with a surrounding disk of dust and gas potentially forming moons. The planet, which appears dark red, is shown at lower right, circled by a cloudy, clumpy reddish orange-colored disk. The host star appears at upper left, and glows yellow, with its own reddish disk of debris. The disk that surrounds the planet takes up about half the illustration. The black background of space is speckled with stars. At the bottom of the illustration, graphics of molecules are listed in the following order: Acetylene, Carbon Dioxide, Ethane, Benzene, Hydrogen cyanide. The words Artist’s Concept appear at upper right.

2 8 54

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 10d

In the event of a U.S. government shutdown, STScI will extend the James Webb Space Telescope Cycle 5 proposal submission deadline for affected scientists. Details: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news/jwst/2025/jwst-cycle-5-deadline-extension-in-case-of-government-shutdown #NASAWebb 🔭 🧪 ☄️

20 52

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 10d

#NASAWebb has found the first direct evidence of potential moon formation around a giant exoplanet. The discovery is shedding light on how such systems evolve and why moons could be potentially habitable worlds: https://bit.ly/46xGodN 🔭 🧪

1 32 87

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 13d

STScI's Alyssa Pagan says that there is a methodology for dealing with the wider electromagnetic spectrum: “In terms of assigning color, we generally do some standard chromatic ordering because it has the most scientific value and meaning in it, and usually also gives you aesthetic images.” 🔭 🧪

Astro-color alchemists

Astronomers have a method for colorizing grayscale images from various space- and groundbased observatories.

spie.org

23 91

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 13d

#NASAWebb provides high-resolution details of Herbig-Haro 49/50—an outflow from a nearby still-forming star and background galaxies. Webb reveals the fuzzy object at the tip of the outflow in the Spitzer image is actually a distant spiral galaxy: https://bit.ly/4mXuQHW 🔭 🧪

23 97

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14d

Take us out to the ballgame! Recently, Space Telescope Science staff took a break from looking at the stars to look at the Baltimore Orioles at play.

Project manager Yong Taing was invited onto the field to represent the large group as a “Heavy Hitter.”

Credit: STScI.

A group of standing people hold up signs with different letters to spell “Space Telescope.”

A group of sitting people hold up signs with different letters to spell “Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore.”

A man waves at the crowd from the playing field.

4 40

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14d

This galaxy has a megamaser! It acts like an astronomical laser, with “beams” of microwaves (not visible light) sent out by the bright yellow nuclei. Hubble observed the galaxy, IRAS 16399-0937, in 2016. It's 370 million light-years away. 🔭 🧪

Credit: ESA, NASA; Judy Schmidt.

A galaxy that looks like a stemless rosebud is at the center set against the black background of space. The galaxy takes up about one-sixth of the view. Within the galaxy, a significant dark brown circle is thickest from 11 o’clock, sweeping counterclockwise to 1 o’clock. Both above and below 6 o’clock on the brown dust circle are the brightest regions of the galaxy. They appear in bright shades of orange and yellow. The top orange area looks like a circle, the lower one an irregular blob. Around, behind, and throughout the brown circle are irregular areas of bright blue. From 9 o’clock down and counterclockwise to about 4 o’clock are significantly faded blue areas. There is also a faded blue dot separate from the galaxy to the left of 9 o’clock. There are a few pinpoints of light, in various colors, scattered throughout the background.

19 96

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15d

Astronomers think that analysis of Webb’s data will help unravel enduring mysteries of the star formation process, and why Sagittarius B2 is forming so many more stars than the rest of the galactic center. (4/4) 🔭 🧪

NASA's Webb Explores Largest Star-Forming Cloud in Milky Way - NASA Science

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a colorful array of massive stars and glowing cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud, the most

science.nasa.gov

2 29

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15d

Sagittarius B2 is located only a few hundred light-years from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy called Sagittarius A*, a region densely packed with stars, star-forming clouds, and complex magnetic fields. (3/4)

1 21

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15d

#NASAWebb reveals stunning new views of the region, using both its near-infrared and mid-infrared instruments, to capture both its colorful stars and gaseous stellar nurseries in unprecedented detail. (2/4)

Cosmic clouds of pink and purple, some with bright centers, are surrounded by dark areas that appear like black space dotted with bright blue stars. A group of small clouds to the right is more red than any other area of the image.

1 16

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15d

Sagittarius B2 is the Milky Way galaxy’s most massive and active star forming cloud, producing half of the stars created in the galactic center region despite having only 10 percent of the area’s star-making material. (1/4) 🧵 🔭 🧪

A wide view of a region of space filled with stars and clumps of orange clouds.

1 26 120