Telescopes News

RSS

Super Cold Test Begins for James Webb Space Telescope’s Integrated Science Instrument Module

An engineering team lifted and lowered the heart of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope into the giant thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This move marks the start of the third and final cryogenic test at Goddard to prepare the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), or the "heart" of the telescope, for space.

29 Oct 2015

OSIRIS Spectrograph Identifies Surface Mineral Chemical Composition of Jupiter's Moon Europa

Jupiter's moon Europa is believed to possess a large salty ocean beneath its icy exterior, and that ocean, scientists say, has the potential to harbor life. Indeed, a mission recently suggested by NASA would visit the icy moon's surface to search for compounds that might be indicative of life.

28 Oct 2015

New ‘Lobster’ X-Ray Mirror for Space Variable Objects Monitor Satellite Observatory

The University of Leicester announces today the signature of a contract to develop an innovative new type of X-ray mirror for a telescope to be flown on an orbiting observatory to be launched in 2021.

27 Oct 2015

Astronomers Compile Largest Astronomical Image

Astronomers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have compiled the largest astronomical image to date. The picture of the Milky Way contains 46 billion pixels. In order to view it, researchers headed by Prof Dr Rolf Chini from the Chair of Astrophysics have provided an online tool. The image contains data gathered in astronomical observations over a period of five years.

22 Oct 2015

New Hubble Images Provide Detailed Window on Jupiter's Dynamic Features

New maps of Jupiter, produced using images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, provide a detailed window on the giant planet's dynamic features. The views come as the agency prepares for its Juno mission to arrive at Jupiter in a little less than a year.

19 Oct 2015

Pathfinder Telescope Completes First Super-Cold Optical Test

Testing is crucial part of NASA's success on Earth and in space. So, as the actual flight components of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope come together, engineers are testing the non-flight equipment to ensure that tests on the real Webb telescope later goes safely and according to plan.

19 Oct 2015

Hubble Spots Rare Wave in Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt

Scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have produced new maps of Jupiter -- the first in a series of annual portraits of the solar system's outer planets.

14 Oct 2015

NASA Mars Orbiter's Telescopic Camera Reveals Real Regions of Film's Mars Landings

Images from a NASA Mars orbiter's telescopic camera reveal details of real regions on Mars where a new Hollywood movie, "The Martian," places future astronaut adventures.

7 Oct 2015

Deployable Tower Assembly Plays Major Role in James Webb Space Telescope

Building a space telescope to see the light from the earliest stars of our universe is a pretty complex task. Although much of the attention goes to instruments and the giant mirrors on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, there are other components that have big jobs to do and that required imagination, engineering, and innovation to become a reality.

11 Sep 2015

AIAA Honors Herschel and Planck Project Teams with Space Systems Award

The Herschel and Planck project teams are this year's recipients of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Space Systems Award. Both space missions were led by the European Space Agency (ESA), with important participation from NASA.

7 Sep 2015

Featured Equipment