Tag

Hubble Space Telescope

All articles tagged with #hubble space telescope

science2 days ago•9 min saved

Astronomers Identify First 'Phoenix Planet' Formed From Dead Star's Ashes

A team led by the University of Warwick has identified a likely second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832. Published in Nature Astronomy, the study suggests this world formed from debris ejected by the star during its dying phase, rather than from the original protoplanetary disk. The discovery, confirmed by Hubble and TESS data, marks the first time such a planet has been found around a white dwarf, challenging the assumption that planetary formation is a one-time event tied to a star's youth.

via NDTV|

#astronomy #exoplanets #hubble-space-telescope

science4 days ago•18 min saved

White Dwarf HS 0209+0832 Accretes 'Second-Generation' Planet Formed from Stellar Ashes

Astronomers have identified a white dwarf, HS 0209+0832, that is accreting material from a 'second-generation' planet. This planet formed not from the original protoplanetary disk, but from the ejected envelope of the star's red giant phase. The composition of the accreted material, rich in s-process elements like niobium and depleted in rock-forming elements, confirms this unique origin.

via The Register|

#astronomy #exoplanets #hubble-space-telescope

space13 days ago•3 min saved

Faintest Galaxy Found Near Andromeda Defies Standard Formation Models

Astronomers at the University of Michigan have identified Andromeda XXXV, the faintest and smallest satellite galaxy ever detected outside the Milky Way. Located near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), this object contains only about 20,000 solar masses and hosts stars roughly 6 billion years old. Its existence challenges current theories, which suggest such low-mass galaxies should have ceased star formation long ago due to gas depletion or cosmic reheating. The discovery, confirmed via Hubble Space Telescope observations, suggests that larger neighbors may siphon gas from smaller galaxies, abruptly halting their evolution, and highlights gaps in our understanding of how dwarf galaxies survive in the local universe.

via Futura, le média qui explore le monde|

#andromeda-xxxv #galactic-evolution #hubble-space-telescope

science19 days ago•9 min saved

Hubble’s Solar System Showreel: Mars to Comets in Stunning Detail

The piece surveys the Hubble Space Telescope’s most striking Solar System images—from Mars and the giant planets to Pluto, moons, comets and asteroids—highlighting auroras, storms, rings and newly discovered moons. It also notes that inner planets aren’t imaged from Hubble because of brightness and proximity to the Sun, and it celebrates Hubble’s transformative role in solar-system imaging with extensive image credits.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#hubble-space-telescope #jupiter #mars

space20 days ago•13 min saved

Hubble’s Slews Without Fuel: Wheels and Earth’s Field Do the Pointing

Hubble steers by trading angular momentum among four internal reaction wheels and using magnetic torquer bars to transfer excess momentum to Earth’s magnetic field, a propellant-free attitude-control method that avoids contamination. The system provides three-axis redundancy, and slews are deliberately slow (about 14 minutes for a 90-degree turn) to ensure accuracy, with gyros sensing motion and wheels applying the torque. Magnetic unloading replaces thrusters (which would eject exhaust), keeping the telescope stable for observations; servicing has allowed extensions, but the platform cannot raise its orbit on its own.

via Space Daily|

#attitude-control #hubble-space-telescope #magnetic-torquer-bars

space25 days ago•12 min saved

Webb-Hubble survey uncovers unexpectedly sparse tiny Kuiper Belt objects

A deep Webb survey directly detected 27 faint trans-Neptunian objects (as small as ~5–10 km) with Hubble colors for some detections, finding a slower-than-expected rise in numbers toward smaller sizes. This suggests the Kuiper Belt was not ground down as much by collisions as some planet-formation models predicted, and that tiny TNOs retain clues to their primordial origins while maintaining color continuity with larger belt objects.

via Space Daily|

#hubble-space-telescope #james-webb-space-telescope #kuiper-belt

space26 days ago•136 min saved

Webb and Hubble Uncover 27 Tiny Distant Objects Beyond Neptune

The JWST and Hubble teamed up to identify 27 newly discovered Trans-Neptunian Objects beyond Neptune, each under about 40 km across. Using infrared measurements to determine sizes and analyzing color/composition, the researchers found that the smallest TNOs retain pristine surfaces, challenging expectations that collisions would heavily alter them. The deep survey—described in two papers in The Astronomical Journal—reveals similar size distributions for both the cold Kuiper Belt and the hot scattered-disk populations, implying planetesimal formation produced comparable sizes regardless of the disk’s conditions and raising questions about the rate or effects of distant impacts.

via Space|

#hubble-space-telescope #james-webb-space-telescope #kuiper-belt

space26 days ago•108 min saved

Hubble captures a cosmic birth–destruction cycle in a nearby nebula

A new Hubble image of LHA 120-N44 in the Large Magellanic Cloud reveals a 210-by-140 light-year superbubble filled with almost 30,000 newborn stars, showing how massive stars carve out cavities with winds and supernovas while compressing surrounding gas to trigger new star formation—the cosmic cycle of destruction and creation.

via Live Science|

#hubble-space-telescope #large-magellanic-cloud #n44-nebula

space1 month ago•6 min saved

Saturn Unveils a New 10-Sided Polar Polygon

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have detected a new 10-sided polygon (a decagon) at Saturn’s south pole, adding to the planet’s famous north-pole hexagon. The pattern is a cloud-formed atmospheric feature, not a solid surface, likely shaped by waves and jet streams; researchers will continue monitoring with Hubble and JWST to understand its origin, duration, and how deep these structures extend.

via wired.com|

#atmospheric-dynamics #decagon #hexagon

space1 month ago•134 min saved

Hubble Captures a Giant Superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The Hubble Space Telescope imaged LHA 120-N44 (N44), a star-forming nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, revealing a colossal central cavity dubbed a “superbubble” that spans about 210 by 140 light-years. The glowing, ionized gas is likely carved out by winds from young stars or past supernovae, with ongoing star formation continuing around the shell in this neighboring galaxy about 160,000 light-years away.

via Space|

#hubble-space-telescope #large-magellanic-cloud #n44-nebula

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Saturn’s South Pole Reveals a Rare Ten-Sided Storm

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted a rare 10-sided decagonal storm encircling Saturn’s south pole, a newly formed atmospheric pattern not seen before in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature appears distinct from the famous northern hexagon and seems to be developing, with traces dating back to observations starting in 2023. Researchers plan further study with Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, and computer models to understand how it formed, how long it will last, and how it compares to Saturn’s north-pole pattern.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#atmospheric-dynamics #decagon #hubble-space-telescope

science1 month ago•53 min saved

Saturn’s South Pole Unveils a Rare Ten-Sided Atmospheric Wave

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, alongside amateur observers and researchers from the University of Leicester, have documented a decagonal (10-sided) atmospheric wave around Saturn’s south pole—the first large, regular polygon observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature mirrors Saturn’s well-known north-p pole hexagon and has emerged as the southern hemisphere becomes more visible from Earth, with data from 2023–2025 and earlier observations published in Science Advances. Scientists say this discovery raises fundamental questions about atmospheric dynamics on gas giants and how long this decagon might persist, warranting further observations.

via Yahoo|

#amateur-astronomers #decagon #hexagon

space1 month ago•134 min saved

Saturn's south pole reveals a colossal decagonal cloud pattern

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have detected a giant ten‑sided cloud pattern circling Saturn's south pole—a rare decagonal feature about 167,820 kilometers across that likely formed from a meandering atmospheric jet and waves. Its rotation takes about 800 days, and scientists are studying its evolution and 3D structure to understand how it compares with Saturn's long‑standing north‑polar hexagon.

via Space|

#cloud-pattern #decagon #hubble-space-telescope

science1 month ago•3 min saved

M74: A Face-On Masterpiece of Spiral Design

Using a sharp Hubble-based composite, M74 appears as a nearly face-on grand-design spiral galaxy about 32 million light-years away in Pisces, spanning ~30,000 light-years with bright blue star clusters and dark dust lanes tracing its arms and highlighting large star-forming regions.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#astronomy #galaxy #hubble-space-telescope

space1 month ago•136 min saved

Hubble uncovers multi-age stars in the Milky Way’s chandelier cluster

A new Hubble image of NGC 6723 (the Chandelier Cluster) shows tens of thousands to millions of stars with blue, younger stars concentrated toward the center and orange, older stars toward the edges, indicating multiple stellar populations and a more complex formation history than once thought. Two star-formation epochs are implied, the second about 634 million years after the first, suggesting globular clusters may form from early gas clouds or be remnants of ancient dwarf galaxies. Globular clusters are common around large galaxies—Milky Way ~150, Andromeda ~460, M87 ~15,000.

via Live Science|

#globular-cluster #hubble-space-telescope #milky-way