Stars Pollute, but Galaxies Recycle
Galaxies were once thought of as lonely islands in the universe: clumps of matter floating through otherwise empty space. We now know they are surrounded by a much larger, yet…
Chandra Spots a Mega-Cluster of Galaxies in the Making
Astronomers using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have put together a detailed map of a rare collision between four galaxy clusters. Eventually all four clusters –…
Hubble Finds Medusa in the Sky
The galaxy pictured in this Hubble image has an especially evocative name: the Medusa merger. Often referred to by its somewhat drier New General Catalogue designation of NGC 4194, this…
Revealing the Milky Way’s Center
The center of our Milky Way galaxy is hidden from the prying eyes of optical telescopes by clouds of obscuring dust and gas. But in this stunning vista, the Spitzer…
NASA’s X-59 QueSST Airplane Takes Shape at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
In the high desert of California, some of the most important aircraft in aviation history have been built and flown. NASA’s X-59 QueSST (short for Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an…