spitzer Archives

Image from NASA's Spitzer Space telescope of the "Jack-o'-lantern Nebula." Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA Spitzer Telescope Spots a Ghoulish Gourd

October 31, 2019 Guest Author or Contributor

A carved-out cloud of gas and dust looks like a celestial jack-o’-lantern in this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. A massive star — known as an O-type star and about 15 to 20 times […]

An artist's concept of interstellar asteroid 1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua) as it passed through the solar system after its discovery in October 2017. Image: European Southern Observatory / M. Kornmesser

NASA Learns More About Interstellar Visitor ‘Oumuamua

November 17, 2018 Guest Author or Contributor

In November 2017, scientists pointed NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope toward the object known as ‘Oumuamua — the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system. The infrared Spitzer was one of many telescopes pointed […]

The atmosphere of the distant "warm Neptune" HAT-P-26b, illustrated here, is unexpectedly primitive, composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Credit: NASA/GSFC.

“Warm Neptune” Has Unexpectedly Primitive Atmosphere

May 12, 2017 Kay Whatley

By Elizabeth Zubritsky, NASA A study combining observations from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes reveals that the distant planet HAT-P-26b has a primitive atmosphere composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Located about 437 light […]

The TRAPPIST-1 system contains a total of seven planets, all around the size of Earth. Three of them -- TRAPPIST-1e, f and g -- dwell in their star's so-called "habitable zone." The habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, is a band around every star (shown here in green) where astronomers have calculated that temperatures are just right -- not too hot, not too cold -- for liquid water to pool on the surface of an Earth-like world. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA Telescope Reveals Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets Around Single Star

February 23, 2017 Kay Whatley

By Elizabeth Landau (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Felicia Chou and Sean Potter (NASA Headquarters) NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are […]

This diagram shows how the different phases of Spitzer's mission relate to its location relative to the Earth over time. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Spitzer Space Telescope Begins ‘Beyond’ Phase

August 25, 2016 Kay Whatley

Released by Elizabeth Landau (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Celebrating the spacecraft’s ability to push the boundaries of space science and technology, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope team has dubbed the next phase of its journey “Beyond.” “Spitzer […]

editorial

Why You Should Take A Local Ghost Walk

October 31, 2020

By Kay Whatley, Editor You know that local ghost walk or downtown haunted tour notice you see each year? The one you ignore because you already know your own town. Or, you don’t believe in […]

national

Human Versus Artificial Intelligence in NASA/Google Drone Race

November 21, 2017

By Andrew Good, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Drone racing is a high-speed sport demanding instinctive reflexes — but humans won’t be the only competitors for long. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, put […]

feature

The Strange-ness: Streets Change with Rain

June 8, 2016

A group in Boston has inscribed poetry on the streets of Boston MA; poetry that is only seen when it rains. Using stencils and water repellent, the poems are placed on a sidewalk or similar […]