Astronomical imaging

The winter nights may be long, but they don’t have to be dull, even for folks with small apartments who don’t have room for an extra big telescope. Unistellar’s latest telescope, the Odyssey, is half the size and less than half the weight of the company’s last big release from 2023. However, with a few taps on your phone, it still makes it easier than ever to zoom in on your favorite planet, star, nebula, or distant galaxy.Will You Click Windows’ New Copilot Button?Last year’s Unistellar model, the eQuinox 2, also…

The Einstein Probe, an X-ray telescope managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be ready to launch next month. The probe will look for transient events in X-ray light and try to answer some fundamental questions about black holes and gravitational waves.Gizmodo’s Top Five Gadgets of 2023Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, and Webb. Undoubtedly iconic names, but now, in a long overdue development, we’re finally going to have a space-based telescope named after the famed German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein.The…

A new NASA experiment will take to the skies on a balloon, scanning the space between the stars of our galaxy and listening for cosmic ingredients to understand how the Milky Way evolved over time.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeGUSTO, or Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory, is launching no earlier than Thursday from the largest ice shelf in Antarctica known as the Ross Ice Shelf, according to NASA. From there, the telescope will float 120,000 feet over Antarctica while…

Amateur astronomy is so hot right now, and it’s never been easier for backyard enthusiasts to gaze into the cosmos and contemplate their puny, meaningless existences. We’ve assembled a collection of exceptional gift ideas to help your favorite space enthusiast take their skywatching skills to the next level.Google’s AI Isn’t a Gimmick, It’s the Future | AI UnlockedFor those looking to enhance their night sky experience, finding the right equipment is key. From advanced robotic telescopes to essential accessories like…

It’s been two and a half years since the Arecibo Observatory’s collapse, and the future of the famous radio telescope’s site remains in limbo. Now, observatory astronomers have refined their plans for Arecibo’s successor by reducing the scope of their plans.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeThe downsizing appears to be a result of lack of funding; even before the telescope’s collapse in December 2020, the National Science Foundation was seeking to reduce its spending on the massive observatory, according to…

Unistellar’s automated eQuinox 2 is the latest addition to the growing family of smart telescopes, making it possible for backyard astronomers to easily capture clear views of space, even in severely light-polluted conditions. The cost may pose a barrier, as does the absence of an eyepiece, but on balance this telescope has much to offer, whether you’re an experienced astrophotographer or someone who’s just getting started.What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?Unistellar eQuinox 2 Smart TelescopeThe telescope makes…

The SETI Institute said this week that the Very Large Array, a National Science Foundation telescope in New Mexico, will join the hunt for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeThese signals would be technosignatures, so called because they are radio waves that can only be produced by artificial transmitters. SETI, or the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, has long focused on radio searches. Some unusual radio signals from deep space, like pulsars, were…

A team of researchers using the Global Millimeter VLBI Array, a network of radio telescopes around the world, has produced a new image of the black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeThe new composite image resolves aspects of the black hole, including the structure of the superheated material surrounding it, the high-speed relativistic jet spewing from it, and (of course) the menacing shadow of the black hole itself.Radio telescopes like the GMVA and the Event Horizon…

Lunar exploration is undergoing a renaissance. Dozens of missions, organised by multiple space agencies—and increasingly by commercial companies—are set to visit the Moon by the end of this decade. Most of these will involve small robotic spacecraft, but NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, aims to return humans to the lunar surface by the middle of the decade.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeThere are various reasons for all this activity, including geopolitical posturing and the search for lunar resources,…

In a bid to understand even more about our mysterious and massive universe, NASA is partnering with the Department of Energy on an ambitious lunarproject. The two agencies announced that they will develop and deploy a radio telescope, called the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment – Night (LuSEE-Night), on the far side of the Moon as part of a larger effort to study the Dark Ages of the universe.Temperatures on the Moon’s surface can oscillate between 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) and -280 F (-173…