Observatories
Part 2: The History and Future of Planetary Radar
To reach the U.S. National Science Foundation's Green Bank Observatory, you take the road less traveled, winding through scenic and…
The Extremely Large Telescope’s Dome is on the Move
Construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) reached a milestone, with the structure of the dome completed just enough where…
The Biggest Telescope in the World is Half Built
The European Southern Observatory continues to build the largest telescope in the world, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Construction of…
Many of the World’s Greatest Observatories Suffer from Some Light Pollution
In a recent study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, an international team of researchers examined…
Arecibo Won’t Be Rebuilt
The National Science Foundation announced last week that it won’t rebuild or replace the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico,…
Astronomers Watched a “Near-Sun” Comet Disintegrate as it Flew too Close to the Sun
Comets that venture close to the Sun can transform into something beautiful, but sometimes they encounter incineration if they get…
Here are All of Hubble’s Observations in One Picture
Over the past 32 years, Hubble has made about 1.4 million observations of our Universe. Physicist Casey Handmer was curious…
Ground-Based Observatories Could use Starshades to see Planets too
All hail the occulter: an orbiting starshade for ground-based telescopes. (more…)
Astronomy Jargon 101: Adaptive Optics
In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! Adjust your eyeglasses to read about…
The Carina Nebula. Seen With and Without Adaptive Optics
Ever wonder how modern astronomical observatories take such clear images of distant objects? Advances in mirror design have allowed for…