Astronomy

There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. There is also a lot of other stuff there as well. Young stars, gas, dust, and stellar-mass black holes. It's a happening place. It is also surrounded by a veil of interstellar gas and dust, which means we can't observe the region in visible light. We can observe stars in the region through infrared and radio, and some of the gas there emits radio light, but the stellar-mass black holes remain mostly a mystery.

Welcome back to our five-part examination of Webb's Cycle 4 General Observations program. In the first and second installments, we examined how some of Webb's 8,500 hours of prime observing time this cycle will be dedicated to exoplanet characterization, the study of galaxies at "Cosmic Dawn," the period known as "Cosmic Noon," and the study of star formation and evolution. In our final installment, we'll examine programs that leverage Webb's unique abilities to study objects in our cosmic backyard—the Solar System!

This original prop from Steven Spielberg's timeless 1982 film hits the auction block.

Nestled in the rolling green hills of the English countryside is an important site in global astronomical history. But now, with its future uncertain, this historic site is at risk.

On March 29, a partial solar eclipse will cause a dark shadow over eastern North America — and weather satellites will pick it up.

Isar Aerospace is set to launch its new Spectrum rocket from Europe's first orbit-capable spaceport facility in Norway.

JWST could potentially detect the signature of methyl halide compounds, produced by microbial life in Earth's ocean, on hypothetical hycean exoplanets.

In 1994 Miguel Alcubierre was able to construct a valid solution to the equations of general relativity that enable a warp drive. But now we need to tackle the rest of relativity: How do we arrange matter and energy to make that particular configuration of spacetime possible?

There are three known types of black holes: supermassive black holes that lurk in the hearts of galaxies, stellar mass black holes formed from stars that die as supernovae, and intermediate mass black holes with masses between the two extremes. It's generally thought that the intermediate ones form from the mergers of stellar mass black holes. If that is true, there should be a forbidden range between stellar and intermediate masses. A range where the mass is too large to have formed from a star but too small to be the sum of mergers. But a new study of data from LIGO suggests that there are black holes in that forbidden range.

A huge sun eruption combines with speedy solar wind from a "coronal hole" for a weekend aurora show, experts predict.

This was a very unusual type of solar eclipse.

"Together, we can inspire a spirit of discovery to change lives and change the world for the better through a passion for exploration."

For an unforgettable stargazing adventure, few places rival the Florida Keys.

On Episode 153 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Robert Zubrin, founder and president of The Mars Society, about making real, actionable plans to send a crew to Mars.

Astronomers have examined infant planets orbiting a star 370 light-years away, seeing the exomoon forming disks of gas and dust around them in unprecedented detail.

This stunning image features a deep field view of the Cassiopeia constellation where the two small planetary nebulas can be found, Abell 6 and the larger HFG1.

We don't have long to wait to see the moon take a "bite" out of the sun, we're ready… are you?

To make a warp drive you have to arrange spacetime so that you never locally travel faster than light but still arrive at your destination…faster than light. And in 1994 Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre figured out how.

Both "The Electric State" and "The Wizard of Oz" latch onto the themes of family, home, tolerance, identity and the interconnectedness of the individuals we share our lives with.