Deep Space Mysteries

A comprehensive study of hundreds of galaxies observed by the Keck telescopes in Hawaii and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a surprising pattern to galaxy evolution that extends back 8 billion years, or more than half the age of the universe.

High-end computer simulations offer a vivid look at the future of our Milky Way. Collisions and mergers are central to galaxy evolution, from the earliest dwarf galaxies that formed to the familiar galaxies we see today.

Supercomputer visualization shows small galaxies forming, interacting, and merging to form a Milky Way-type galaxy with spiral arms. A preview of what the new James Webb Telescope will see from NASA Astrophysics.

Deep historical background on the idea of building observatories in the southern hemisphere, to harvest the rich landscapes of the Milky Way and the universe beyond.

On clear nights we can look up at the stars and marvel at the vastness of the universe. To peer much deeper into the night sky astronomers need telescopes with enormous primary mirrors. How large does modern technology allow us to build telescopes?

A new study using observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals the first clear-cut evidence that the expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the fastest-moving matter in the universe. This discovery is a major step toward meeting one of Fermi's primary mission goals.

Here's the start of a journey through the incredible continuum of cosmic energy of which we are a product.

Ripples in the fabric of space-time from monumental collisions between black holes, and how scientists are trying to measure them with lasers and mirrors. From LIGO and the National Science Foundation.

The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope has turned up rare evidence that space-time is smooth as Einstein predicted, and has ruled out the idea that it's foamy enough to interfere with light. From NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Astronomers have discovered the most distant quasar found to date. This brilliant beacon, powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early Universe.

Adaptation of the ground-breaking ���Science on a Sphere�۝ production "Footprints" from NOAA and NASA. An unusual visual style and inspiring words accompany depictions of Earth and its larger cosmic environment. Additional images from ESA Hubble.

An international team of astronomers using the Very Large Telescope in Chile has measured the distance to the most remote galaxy so far, some 600 million years after the birth of the universe.

Ultra high-end supercomputer simulations show how gravity drew primitive galaxies together to form the large scale structures of our universe.

Albert Einstein sought to explain why the gravity of all the stars and gas out there didnt simply cause the universe to collapse into a heap. Following the discovery of the expanding universe, he admitted to the "greatest blunder" of his career.