Space observatory
Appears in 7 stories · Last updated Nov 8, 2026
Source of the archival NIRCam coronagraph data used in the analysis
51 Eridani is a young star with a giant planet, spotted by ground-based telescopes in 2015. When the James Webb Space Telescope looked at the system, the star's glare swallowed the planet whole.
Updated 3 days ago
Observing platform used for the discovery
Astronomers have found three actively feeding supermassive black holes in a single galaxy 12.5 billion light-years away. The research team calls it the first evidence of three active black holes in one galaxy in the distant universe.
Updated Oct 27
Collected the observations analyzed in the study
A brown dwarf 20 light-years away looks chaotic through a telescope. Astronomers at Trinity College Dublin found its atmosphere runs on a surprisingly orderly system, with three recurring weather states rotating in and out of view.
Updated Oct 22
As of September 2026: Collected the archival observations used in the survey
The James Webb Space Telescope surveyed 72 young sun-like stars and found their planet-forming disks lose gas through two distinct wind mechanisms in sequence. Magnetic fields drive strong jets and molecular winds in the youngest systems, then high-energy starlight heats the thinning gas until it escapes in a process called photoevaporation.
Updated Sep 28
As of September 2026: Instrument used for the 2022 Chariklo occultation observation
Chariklo is a small body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, and it hosts two narrow rings discovered in 2013. New James Webb Space Telescope observations show those rings are not stable: the inner ring has grown denser while the outer ring has faded, all within a few years.
Updated Sep 16
As of May 2026: Operational since July 2022
NASA confirmed its 6,000th exoplanet in September 2025, marking a milestone exactly 30 years after astronomers discovered the first planet orbiting a Sun-like star. The tally jumped from 5,000 to 6,000 in just three years—an acceleration driven by space telescopes and AI analysis. Over 8,000 additional candidates await confirmation.
Updated May 19
As of May 2026: Operating since 2022, revolutionizing exoplanet atmospheric science
Cambridge astronomers announced they'd found dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of K2-18b—molecules that, on Earth, only life produces. The detection using JWST's mid-infrared instrument hit 3-sigma confidence, meaning a 0.3% chance it's statistical noise. If real, it's the strongest evidence yet of biology beyond our solar system.
No stories match your search
Try a different keyword
How would you like to describe your experience with the app today?
