Shining a New Light on Dark Energy

The Dark Energy Survey has released a massive, public collection of astronomical data and calibrated images from six years of work. Containing data on nearly 700 million astronomical objects, this second data release in the Survey’s seven-year...
14-Jan-2021 11:05 AM EST Add to Favorites

Doubling the Number of Known Gravitational Lenses

Data from the DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) Legacy Imaging Surveys have revealed over 1200 new gravitational lenses, approximately doubling the number of known lenses. Discovered using machine learning trained on real data, these...
13-Jan-2021 4:55 PM EST Add to Favorites

Mapping Our Sun’s Backyard

Astronomers have curated the most complete list of nearby brown dwarfs to date thanks to discoveries made by thousands of volunteers participating in the Backyard Worlds citizen science project. The list and 3D map of 525 brown dwarfs — including...
13-Jan-2021 4:35 PM EST Add to Favorites

Giant Map of the Sky Sets Stage for Ambitious DESI Survey

Astronomers using images from Kitt Peak National Observatory and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory have created the largest ever map of the sky, comprising over a billion galaxies. The ninth and final data release from the ambitious DESI...
13-Jan-2021 4:35 PM EST Add to Favorites

The Earliest Supermassive Black Hole and Quasar in the Universe

The most distant quasar known has been discovered. The quasar, observed just 670 million years after the Big Bang, is 1000 times more luminous than the Milky Way. It is powered by the earliest known supermassive black hole, which weighs in at more...
12-Jan-2021 2:05 PM EST Add to Favorites

Deep Dive into a Galaxy Cluster

A stunning long-exposure observation from the Kitt Peak National Observatory reveals the spiral galaxy NGC 1003 in glorious detail. The deep observation also shows a treasure trove of background galaxies spread throughout the image.
8-Jan-2021 1:55 PM EST Add to Favorites

NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope Releases First Image of a Sunspot

The U.S. NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope just released its first image of a sunspot. The telescope’s four-meter primary mirror will give the best views of the Sun from Earth throughout the next solar cycle. This image is an indication of...
4-Dec-2020 9:45 AM EST Add to Favorites

Dark Energy Camera Snaps Deepest Photo yet of Galactic Siblings

Images from the Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History (SMASH) reveal a striking family portrait of our galactic neighbors — the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The images represent a portion of the second data release from the deepest, most...
1-Dec-2020 4:55 PM EST Add to Favorites

See All News