NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Webb optics alignment achieves near perfect focus

21 March 2022 Astronomy Now

In another milestone, the 18 segments of the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror have been aligned with near-flawless precision.

Two galaxies with active galactic nuclei interact in dramatic fashion

13 February 2022 Astronomy Now

Hubble captures a dramatic view of two galaxies, both with active galactic nuclei, interacting in a close encounter that is pulling gas, dust and entire star systems from one toward the other.

The Hubble Space Telescope checks up on an oddball galaxy

8 February 2022 Astronomy Now

Taking a second look with a more powerful camera, Hubble reveals thousands of emission nebulae in an oddball irregular dwarf galaxy 17 million light years from Earth

A 150-million-year-old look at a spectacular spiral

17 January 2022 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope is adept at spotting supernova blasts in remote galaxies, helping astronomers pin down the cosmic distance scale. Galaxy NGC 976 it a typically spectacular example of a Hubble target.

Webb mirrors fully deployed, clearing the way for alignment

10 January 2022 Astronomy Now

Two weeks after its Christmas Day launch, engineers completed the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror deployment, clearing the way for alignment and focusing.

NASA holds up final Webb sunshade deploy to double check readiness

3 January 2022 Astronomy Now

Final tightening of Webb’s critical sunshade will clear the way for deployment of the telescope’s optical elements.

James Webb Space Telescope finally on its way to discovery

26 December 2021 Astronomy Now

After years of delays and cost overruns, the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope begins its journey to Lagrange Point 2.

Hubble Space Telescope completes its annual ‘grand tour’ of the Solar System

13 December 2021 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope takes its annual tour of the outer planets, capturing spectacular views of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune to help astronomers monitor their always changing weather patterns.

Apparent galactic train wreck actually widely separated galaxies in chance alignment

17 November 2021 Astronomy Now

Examples of colliding galaxies are commonplace, but chance alignments showing apparent collisions between widely separated galaxies are more rare, but equally spectacular.

Hubble camera back on line; other instruments remain in ‘safe mode’

17 November 2021 Astronomy Now

Engineers restore Hubble camera to operation amid troubleshooting to bring other instruments back on line after a data synchronisation glitch.