telescope news stories on Newser

See the Satellite That Could Fall on You

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:03:57 CDT

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite won't hit Earth until tomorrow afternoon , but an amateur astronomer managed to capture images of it tumbling toward us last week. Thierry Legault used a camera attached to a 14-inch telescope to record UARS as it passed over northern France last Thursday, reports the BBC...

'Sky Halo' Spotted Over Hawaii

Rob Quinn — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:21:44 CDT

A strange expanding halo of light captured by a webcam outside an observatory in Hawaii left puzzled astronomers turning to "Citizen Science" for help. Users of the Starship Asterisk determined that a Minuteman III missile had been launched from California the same night and was almost certainly responsible for the...

Astronomers Spot Most Distant Galaxy

Matt Cantor — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:10:00 CDT

Astronomers in Chile have spotted the most distant galaxy in the universe—some 13.1 billion light years away. Its light has taken almost the whole life of the universe to get to us: The light photons detected by the astronomers started their journey when the universe was just 4%...

NASA Releases Explosive Sun Shots

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:00:00 CDT

NASA has released astounding new photos and videos of the sun for the first time revealing high definition, close-up views of the solar surface and exploding flares. The images were captured by the space telescope of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and are providing historic new insight into sun mechanics, notes...

Galileo's World-Changing Telescope Turns 400

Jason Farago — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:37:00 CDT

On August 25, 1609—400 years ago today—Galileo Galilei introduced Venice to the telescope, and the discoveries it enabled were every bit as revolutionary as Darwinism, writes Peter Walker of the Guardian . With his telescope, a brown stick weaker than today's store-bought models, Galileo detected moon-like phases of Venus,...

Amateurs Enlisted to Solve Astronomy Mystery

Jane Yager — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:29:50 CDT

Scientists are calling on amateur astronomers to help solve the centuries-old puzzle of a super-bright star that goes dim every 27 years. Epsilon Aurigae will fade out from this fall to spring 2011; this time around, scientists are looking to ordinary sky-watchers to provide extra data on the mysterious companion...

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Wesley Oliver — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:07:01 CDT

The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking the...

Hubble Gets New Camera

John Johnson — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:58:47 CDT

The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to budge at...

Search for 'Earth's Twin' Finds Similar-Sized Planet

Harry Kimball — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:36:46 CDT

Astronomers in Chile looking for an Earth-like planet have discovered the closest one in size yet, the BBC reports. Don’t get your hopes up: Though Gliese 581 e, which lies outside our solar system, is just twice as large as Earth, it travels far too close to its sun to...