NASA’s WISE Space Telescope

Jupiter-size star generates titanic white-light ‘superflare’

20 April 2019 Astronomy Now

An enormously powerful superflare from a star the size of Jupiter challenges theories about how magnetic fields in such small suns store energy.

Whopping galaxy cluster spotted with help of NASA telescopes

3 November 2015 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have discovered a giant gathering of galaxies in a very remote part of the universe, thanks to NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The galaxy cluster, located 8.5 billion light-years away, is the most massive structure yet found at such great distances.

Citizen scientists make good black-hole hunters

8 September 2015 Astronomy Now

Trained volunteers are as good as professional astronomers at finding jets shooting from massive black holes and matching them to their host galaxies, research suggests. Scientists working on citizen science project Radio Galaxy Zoo developed an online tutorial to teach volunteers how to spot black holes and other objects that emit energy through radio waves.