NASA Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA pulls the plug on Spitzer, ending trail-blazing mission

31 January 2020 Astronomy Now

NASA pulls the plug on the Spitzer Space Telescope after more than 16 years of trail-blazing infrared observations, finally bringing the mission to a close.

Retiring Spitzer’s IR views of the Tarantula a fitting legacy

28 January 2020 Astronomy Now

The Spitzer Space Telescope, one of NASA’s original “Great Observatories,” is being retired after more than 16 years of infrared observations, but not before providing another look at the spectacular Tarantula Nebula.

Hottest known exoplanet’s dayside atmosphere a toasty 4,300 C

27 January 2020 Astronomy Now

Temperatures in the dayside atmosphere of the hottest known exoplanet reach a record 4,300 C, hotter than the surfaces of some stars.

Perseus Molecular Cloud comes to life in Spitzer image

24 December 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captures stunning infrared views of the cosmos, including repeated observations of the vast Perseus Molecular cloud where star clusters defy models with closely packed multi-generational suns.

A Warhol-like look at the Whirlpool, courtesy of Spitzer

30 June 2019 Astronomy Now

Combining visible-light and multi-wavelength infrared views of the Whirlpool galaxy reveals a Warhol-like series of images highlighting the dust lanes and star-forming regions of the glorious spiral and the relatively featureless nature of the smaller companion.

Space telescopes find clues to the birth of supermassive black holes

25 May 2016 Astronomy Now

Astrophysicists have taken a major step forward in understanding how supermassive black holes formed. Using data from three of NASA’s space telescopes, Italian researchers have found the best evidence to date that the direct collapse of a gas cloud produced supermassive black holes in the early universe.

Tracing star formation rates in distant galaxies

27 March 2016 Astronomy Now

To understand the physics of the evolution and formation of galaxies it is crucial to know at what rate galaxies form stars, referred to as the star-formation rate. A group of researchers used Earth- and space-based telescopes to create a complete multi-wavelength picture of distant galaxies.

Astronomers discover colossal ‘super spiral’ galaxies

18 March 2016 Astronomy Now

A strange new kind of galactic beast has been spotted in the cosmic wilderness. Dubbed “super spirals,” these unprecedented galaxies dwarf our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, and compete in size and brightness with the largest galaxies in the universe. The galaxies have long hidden in plain sight by mimicking the appearance of typical spirals.

Hubble team breaks cosmic distance record

4 March 2016 Astronomy Now

By pushing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to its limits, astronomers have shattered the cosmic distance record by measuring the distance to the most remote galaxy ever seen in the universe. The galaxy, named GN-z11, has a redshift of 11.1, which corresponds to 400 million years after the Big Bang when the universe was only three percent of its current age.

ATLASGAL survey of southern Milky Way completed

24 February 2016 Astronomy Now

A spectacular new image of the Milky Way has been released to mark the completion of the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL). The APEX telescope in Chile has mapped the full area of the galactic plane visible from the Southern Hemisphere for the first time at submillimetre wavelengths — between infrared light and radio waves.