German SOFIA Institute – Astronomy Now

24 July 2021

Latest News

[ 24 July 2021 ] In a first, ALMA spies huge moon-forming disc around exoplanet News
[ 23 July 2021 ] Perseverance Mars rover poised to collect first rock samples News
[ 17 July 2021 ] Whew! Hubble Space Telescope back in operation News
[ 13 July 2021 ] Astronomers spot two stars locked in supernova death spiral News
[ 2 July 2021 ] Smallest, most massive white dwarf on verge of collapse to neutron star News

Telltale signs of a planetary collision in binary star system

24 October 2019 Astronomy Now

Relatively warm clouds of dust swirling around a binary star system may be the result of a cataclysmic collision between two rocky exoplanets.

SOFIA detects long-sought primeval molecule

18 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Using the SOFIA airborne observatory, scientists have finally detected helium hydride, the first molecule formed in the wake of the Big Bang.

SOFIA in the right place at the right time for Pluto observations

4 July 2015 Astronomy Now

Currently operating out of Christchurch, New Zealand, the NASA/DLR SOFIA airborne 2.5-metre infrared telescope had to make last-minute flight path corrections to successfully secure observations of Pluto’s atmosphere as it occulted a distant star.