β Pictoris is a young nearby A5V star, about 20 Myr old, embedded in a prominent debris disc. For the past 40 years, variable absorption features have been observed in […]
Hubble
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry: Hubble Observes Lupus 3 Star-forming Cloud
While this eerie NASA Hubble Space Telescope image may look ghostly, it’s actually full of new life. Lupus 3 is a star-forming cloud about 500 light-years away in the constellation […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, tau Ceti
HST Observations of HD 166620 and Tau Ceti: First UV Spectra of a Magnetic Grand Minimum Star and the Extent of Tau Ceti’s Astrosphere
We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV spectra of the K2 V star HD 166620, the first star clearly recognized to be in a “magnetic grand minimum” state analogous […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
The MUSCLES Extension for Atmospheric Transmission Spectroscopy: Spectral energy distributions For 20 Exoplanet Host Stars That JWST Observed in Cycle 1
Correctly interpreting JWST spectra of close-in exoplanets requires a measurement of the X-ray and ultraviolet light that the planets receive from their host stars. Here we provide spectral energy distributions […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Persistent Thermal Anomalies In Rocky Worlds
Observing the dayside thermal emissions of rocky exoplanets provides essential insights into their compositions and the presence of atmospheres.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Hubble Reveals The Largest Chaotic Birthplace of Planets Yet Discovered
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have imaged the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed circling a young star. For the first time in visible light, Hubble has revealed the disk […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fomalhaut, Press Release
Astronomers See Fireworks From Violent Collisions Around Nearby Star
Young star systems are a place of violent collisions. Rocks, comets, asteroids and larger objects bounce off one another and occasionally coalesce, gradually turning the primordial dust and ice of […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fomalhaut, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Second Planetesimal Collision In The Fomalhaut System
The nearby star Fomalhaut is orbited by a compact source, Fomalhaut b, which has previously been interpreted as either a dust-enshrouded exoplanet or a dust cloud generated by the collision […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fomalhaut, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Hubble Sees Asteroids Colliding at Nearby Star for First Time
Like a game of cosmic bumper cars, scientists think the early days of our solar system were a time of violent turmoil, with planetesimals, asteroids, and comets smashing together and […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Rocky Worlds Status Report 2 Dec 2025
The Rocky Worlds Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) Program is a joint James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Program.