Telescope

A next-generation space observatory has inched closer to lift-off, with NASA unfolding the James Webb Space Telescope’s five-layer sunshield in the same way it expects it to after arriving in orbit, as part of successful testing here on Earth.

NASA has released a collection of 50 stunning Hubble images to celebrate the veteran telescope’s 30th anniversary, which took place earlier this year. The images show 30 cosmic objects, visible to amateur astronomers across the globe.

Astronomers have released a stunningly detailed image captured by the by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, revealing the structure of a massive sunspot as it temporarily darkened the Sun’s surface on January 28, 2020.

In a dramatic ending, the 1,000-ft Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico collapsed this Tuesday at around 7:55 am local time. The 900-ton instrument platform fell and crashed into the dish from a height of 492 ft.

Astronomers have found a distant galaxy that has managed to continue making stars despite the presence of a "cold quasar" raging at its core. The discovery goes against current scientific knowledge and has prompted a rethink of how galaxies evolve.

The Arecibo Observatory's famous 1,000-ft (305-m) radio telescope is to be demolished after a second support cable failed. An assessment has determined that the radio dish and its 900-ton instrument platform are too unstable to be safely repaired.

By analyzing data from radar and optical telescopes, scientists have given radar the ability to make observations of meteors that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere that have previously only possible using optical telescopes.

A team of astronomers has completed a massive survey of the Milky Way’s central bulge, which captured the light fingerprint of over 250 million stars, and could help provide new insights into our galaxy’s history and creation.

The focal plane for what will be the world’s largest digital camera has been used to snap the first ever 3,200-megapixel images, with the team now preparing to install this sensor array into a next-generation telescope to study the universe.

Given how many satellites and bits of orbital debris are now orbiting the Earth, it's becoming increasingly important to keep track of where they all are. A new telescope system allows space agencies and other clients to do so – even in broad daylight.

Astronomers have identified an asteroid that made the closest pass to Earth ever recorded, and it was only spotted after it had passed. The object skimmed Earth’s atmosphere over the weekend, close enough to have its orbit changed by the gravity.

Science operations have been suspended at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico after the radio telescope was damaged on Monday August 10. An auxiliary cable supporting a platform appears to have snapped and fallen, damaging the dish.