Tag

Hubble

All articles tagged with #hubble

space23 days ago•10 min saved

Distant Globular-Cluster Stream Illuminates Dark-Matter Halos Beyond the Milky Way

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified a very narrow, ~2 kiloparsec stellar ribbon named Oyashio in the ultra-diffuse galaxy UGC 9050-Dw1, about 115 million light-years away, which likely traces a disrupted globular cluster. If confirmed, this would be the first extragalactic globular-cluster stellar stream and offers a new way to constrain the host galaxy’s dark-matter halo, though current results rely on modeling with wide uncertainties and lack full spectroscopic confirmation. The finding, supported by independent CFHT data and analyzed with a generative dynamical model (X-Stream), points toward a future where more such streams could help map gravity in distant galaxies, with upcoming missions like the Roman Space Telescope and Euclid expanding the sample.

via Space Daily|

#dark-matter #globular-cluster #hubble

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Milky Way–Andromeda Collision Odds Fluctuate as New Data Refine Forecasts

New studies show the forecast of a Milky Way–Andromeda merger is far from settled: a 2025 Nature Astronomy analysis using Hubble and Gaia data suggested roughly 50–50 odds for a merger within the next 10 billion years, while a 2026 follow-up with Gaia-based motions pushed the probability toward about 90% under its preferred model; the results depend on uncertain motions and nearby galaxies (Triangulum and the Large Magellanic Cloud), and they distinguish between a first close approach and a final merger. Precise proper-motion measurements—down to microarcseconds per year—are needed to narrow the forecast.

via Space Daily|

#andromeda #gaia #galaxy-merger

science1 month ago•12 min saved

Saturn’s South Pole Hosts a Ten-Sided Storm, Echoing the Northern Hexagon

NASA/ESA's Hubble observations reveal a roughly 104,000-mile-wide decagon circling Saturn's south pole, a geometric counterpart to the long-running north polar hexagon. The polygon appears as a deep, vertically extended atmospheric wave tied to a fast circumpolar jet and tracked across multiple years by the OPAL program, implying that Saturn's atmosphere can form polygonal jets at both poles under the right conditions. Ongoing monitoring with Hubble, JWST, and atmospheric models will determine its longevity and what it reveals about Saturn's winds and vertical structure.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #decagon #hexagon

science1 month ago•13 min saved

Europa Plume Reanalysis Dashes Confidence in Geyser Claim

A 2026 reanalysis of 14 years of Hubble data finds no localized water-vapour emission from Europa, lowering the original plume-detection confidence from 99.9% to under 90%. The study shows the prior signal could be explained by Europa’s diffuse hydrogen exosphere and small shifts in where the moon’s disk sits on the detector, rather than a true plume. It does not rule out small or intermittent vents, but it does not confirm a geyser or link it to the subsurface ocean. Future missions like NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE will search more directly at closer range to settle the question.

via Space Daily|

#europa #geyser #hubble

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Saturn's South Pole Unveils a New Decagon Storm Cassini Didn't See

A newly formed ten-sided jet around Saturn’s south pole has been confirmed by Hubble, a decagon Cassini never captured during its 13-year mission. The polygon appears to have formed after 2017 as Saturn’s long seasons brought the pole into view, and it strengthens near a southern anticyclone, suggesting the shape is actively forming rather than a long-lived relic.

via Space Daily|

#decagon #hexagon #hubble

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Saturn's South Pole Unveils a Ten-Sided Polar Wave

Scientists have spotted a ten-sided decagon around Saturn’s south pole, the planet’s second polygonal weather feature after the north-pole hexagon. Using 2023–2025 observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and amateur astronomers, the decagon appears as a vast atmospheric wave riding on a strong eastward jet near 60°S, migrating about 10 km/h while the jet runs about 420 km/h. The feature spans multiple altitudes and could not be reproduced by current simulations, leaving its formation mechanism and relation to a nearby anticyclone (the “Red Spot”) open to further study. The finding, published in Science Advances (Sánchez-Lavega et al., 2026), offers a real-time window into how Saturn builds polygonal weather patterns.

via ScienceAlert|

#atmosphere #decagon #hubble

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Saturn’s Hexagon Finds a South Pole Twin: A Growing Decagon Storm

NASA’s Voyager first spotted Saturn’s long-lasting hexagonal polar storm; new Hubble observations reveal a developing 10-sided decagonal pattern at the south pole, likely a transient atmospheric wave rather than a rigid structure, offering fresh insights into Saturnian weather.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #decagon #hexagon

space1 month ago•12 min saved

Seven Cosmic Snapshots from Hubble and Webb Redefine the Universe

A roundup of seven breathtaking telescope images captured by Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, including the Pillars of Creation, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, SMACS 0723, the Cosmic Cliffs, the Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, and the Crab Nebula, illustrating how observing different wavelengths reveals star formation, distant galaxies, and the life cycles of stars, and how multi-wavelength data deepen our understanding of the cosmos.

via Interesting Engineering|

#astronomy #deep-field #hubble

space1 month ago•25 min saved

Andromeda's Star Formation Slows Over 500 Million Years

A Hubble-based study of Andromeda (M31) using PHAT/PHAST surveys finds its star formation has declined for about 500 million years, with a sharper drop in the last 40 million, especially on the side near the satellite galaxy M32. While not proven, M32 is the leading candidate for helping slow star birth. The work highlights Andromeda as a Milky Way analog and points to future Roman Space Telescope observations that could map the entire disk and add hundreds of millions of stars to the record.

via ZME Science|

#andromeda #galaxy #hubble

space2 months ago•104 min saved

Hubble’s deep dive shows Andromeda winding down its star formation

Using two major Hubble surveys mapping roughly two-thirds of Andromeda’s disk, researchers traced star formation over the past 500 million years and found the galaxy’s rate has declined from about 1 solar mass per year to roughly 0.2 per year, with most recent star formation concentrated in a ring about 32,000 light-years from the center. This winding-down pattern suggests Andromeda is returning to a quiescent state after a past starburst likely tied to a merger with its companion M32; its collision with the Milky Way, about 5 billion years away, remains uncertain. The work, published July 27, 2026 in The Astrophysical Journal, underscores Hubble’s detailed view and points to broader surveys by NASA’s Roman Space Telescope.

via Live Science|

#andromeda #galaxy-evolution #hubble

science2 months ago•13 min saved

AI sifts through Hubble archive in 2.5 days, flags 1,339 unusual sources, 811 with no literature reference

A machine-learning system called AnomalyMatch scanned about 99.6 million Hubble image cutouts in roughly two and a half days, ranking rare morphologies and surfacing 1,339 unusual sources. Literature checks found 811 with no prior reference; after human review the team distilled to 147 strong outliers, illustrating how AI can rapidly triage vast archives and move rare astronomical structures toward expert study rather than acting as an autonomous discoverer.

via Space Daily|

#ai #anomalies #astronomy

science3 months ago•2 min saved

Tiny Galaxy Sends Ionizing Light, Illuminating the Early Universe's Fog

Astronomers using Hubble, with confirmation from the James Webb Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope, detected ultraviolet light escaping from MXDFz4.4, a tiny but intensely star-forming galaxy about 250 million years after the end of the Epoch of Reionization. The escaping light suggests the galaxy carved channels in its gas, allowing ionizing photons to travel into intergalactic space and helping clear the hydrogen fog that blanketed the early universe. This is one of the clearest glimpses yet of a galaxy from that era contributing to reionization, and it hints that more such galaxies may lie hidden in the deepest space images.

via The Times of India|

#epoch-of-reionization #hubble #ionizing-radiation

space3 months ago•14 min saved

Hubble’s Dark Patch Reveals a Crowded Cosmos: 3,000 Galaxies in a Tiny Sky

In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope fixed its gaze on a seemingly empty patch of sky for ten days, assembling hundreds of exposures into the Hubble Deep Field and turning a void into a crowded image of roughly 3,000 distant galaxies—each billions of years old—demonstrating that the universe is full of structure even in directions that appear empty and paving the way for deeper surveys with Hubble and Webb.

via Space Daily|

#astronomy #deep-field #galaxies

space3 months ago•4 min saved

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope lands at Cape for final launch prep

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center aboard the Pegasus barge for a ~70‑day prelaunch campaign at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility ahead of an Aug. 30 launch from Launch Complex 39A on a Falcon Heavy. The 43‑foot observatory, designed to operate at L2 about 1.5 million km from Earth with a 300‑megapixel Wide Field Instrument and a chronograph for exoplanets, will survey the universe far faster and wider than Hubble and is expected to last 5–10+ years with propellant after a cooling hiccup en route.

via Spaceflight Now|

#hubble #lagrange-point-2 #nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope

space4 months ago•3 min saved

NASA eyes cheaper Hubble reboost after Swift servicing success

NASA says it could reboost the Hubble Space Telescope if operating costs can be reduced, using lessons from the ongoing Link servicing mission to the Swift Observatory. A successful, lower-cost reboost could extend Hubble’s life beyond the current decay window and signal ROI for future on-orbit servicing, though Hubble’s operating costs are currently high and the project remains high risk.

via SpaceNews|

#hubble #nasa #on-orbit-servicing