Pan Clearing a Gap in Saturn’s Rings
If you want to understand what causes the gaps in Saturn's rings, just look at this picture. The bright object…
Starburst Galaxy NGC 1313
This is an image of galaxy NGC 1313, taken with the FORS instrument at the ESO's Very Large Telescope. It's…
What Venus and Saturn Have in Common
Astronomers have known about a strange vortex at the south pole of Venus since the 1970s, when it was discovered…
Double Supernovae in a Distant Galaxy
NASA's Swift satellite has found a galaxy positively popping with supernovae. NGC 1316 has had two supernovae go off in…
Back to Venus with Vesper
While Venus is the same size as our Earth, its hellish surface environment makes it inhospitable to life. What went…
NASA Losing Hope for Mars Global Surveyor
NASA is starting to lose hope that they'll be able to communicate with the Mars Global Surveyor, which hasn't called…
Podcast: A Universe of Dark Energy
The discovery of dark energy was one of the biggest surprises in astronomy. Instead of a nice, predictable expanding Universe,…
Dark Matter Halo Around the Milky Way
NASA's most powerful supercomputer has helped researchers simulate the halo of dark matter that surrounds the Milky Way. This dark…
Black Hole Spins Nearly 1000 Times a Second
Black holes bend our understanding of the Universe and laws of physics. But astronomers have discovered a black hole spinning…
Enhanced Vision for the Subaru Telescope
The Subaru telescope has been equipped with a new adaptive optics system that has enhanced its already impressive vision by…