NEOWISE

Astronomers have observed the first compelling evidence of a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet, a fate that may befall the Earth when our own Sun nears the end of its life in about five billion years

Space

Astronomers witness apocalyptic end of a world from across the galaxy

Astronomers have witnessed an apocalypse from across the galaxy, as a planet crashed into its star. It’s an event long assumed to happen in many star systems – including our own someday – but this is the first time it’s ever been seen directly.

An infrared image of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Space

New Milky Way map reveals wake of dwarf galaxy on a collision course

A team has made some intriguing discoveries in the outer regions of the Milky Way. Astronomers mapped the fringes of the sparse halo that envelops our home galaxy, and found the wake of a dwarf galaxy on an eventual collision course with the Milky Way.

Artist's impression of the NEOWISE telscope

Space

New NASA video reveals a solar system swarming with comets and asteroids

NASA has released a video showing the locations and motions of 29,375 asteroids and comets discovered by the agency’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) since the start of its mission in December 2013.

Over the last year, NASA's NEOWISE satellite has picked out eight potentially hazardous Near-Earth Objects or NEOs

Space

Space telescope picks out potentially hazardous asteroids

NASA's NEOWISE telescope has had a pretty interesting life. First operational between 2009 and 2011 as the WISE telescope, the probe was brought out of hibernation in 2013, and tasked with an all new mission – spotting, tracking and characterizing asteroids and comets that approach closet to Earth.

2013 YP139 showing up as a red dot traveling across the sky (Image: NASA)

Space

NASA's NEOWISE discovers its first new near-Earth asteroid since returning to work

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) discovered a never-before-seen asteroid on December 29 – the first discovery of its new mission to seek out potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs).

Path of asteroid (872) Holda, as seen by NEOWISE, shown as a dotted red line (Image: NASA)

Space

NEOWISE returns first test images post hibernation

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) has sent back the first test images from its 16-in (40-cm) telescope and infrared cameras as it begins its new mission to seek out potentially dangerous asteroids.