Category: Information and Update

Artist concept shows the collision of a large moon-sized planetary body penetrating all the way down to the Earth’s core, with some particles ricocheting back into space. Credits: Southwest Research Institute/Simone Marchi Planetary collisions are at the core of our solar system’s formation. Scientists have long believed that after the… Read more“NASA-funded Simulations Show How Massive Collisions Delivered Metal to Early Earth”

This artist’s concept shows the most distant supermassive black hole ever discovered. It is part of a quasar from just 690 million years after the Big Bang. Credits: Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science Scientists have uncovered a rare relic from the early universe: the farthest known supermassive black hole. This… Read more“Found: Most Distant Black Hole”

By James L. Green, Director, NASA Planetary Science Division The twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are still operating and traveling where no spacecraft – or anything touched by humanity – has gone before. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Voyager 1 launch on Sept. 5, we reflect… Read more“The Legacy of NASA’s Voyager Mission”

Got a stellar Hubble image on a T-shirt? Or maybe you’ve spotted a Hubble tattoo! Share your photos on Instagram, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook with #SpotHubble and maybe you’ll get a shout-out from @NASAHubble! Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jenny Hottle Learn More about #SpotHubble Phenomena across the Universe emit… Read more“Hubble’s Megamaser Galaxy”

Most satellites, not designed to withstand high levels of particle radiation, wouldn’t last a day in the Van Allen Radiation belts. Trapped by Earth’s magnetic field into two giant belts around the planet, high-energy particles in the region can batter the spacecraft and even interfere with onboard electronics. But NASA’s… Read more“NASA’s Van Allen Probes Survive Extreme Radiation Five Years On”

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is shown heading for the gap between Saturn and its rings during one of 22 such dives of the mission’s finale in this illustration. The spacecraft will make a final plunge into the planet’s atmosphere on Sept. 15. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Full image and caption NASA’s Cassini spacecraft… Read more“Saturn Plunge Nears for Cassini Spacecraft”

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has successfully passed the center of curvature test, an important optical measurement of Webb’s fully assembled primary mirror prior to cryogenic testing, and the last test held at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before the spacecraft is shipped to NASA’s Johnson Space… Read more“NASA’s Webb Telescope Completes Goddard Testing, Heading to Texas for More”