A space telescope in orbit since 1990, mapping the cosmos with sharp, ultraviolet-to-near-infrared vision.
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a rare object, MoM-BH*-1, described as a black hole star. It resembles a star in size but emits energy hundreds of billions of times stronger than a typical star, driven by a central black hole surrounded by a dense gas envelope. The finding could illuminate the origins of supermassive black holes and the abundance of little red dots seen in deep-space images.
NASA and partners are pursuing a high‑risk salvage to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory into a higher, stable orbit. A Katalyst Space Technologies robot will capture Swift and lift it from 224 miles to about 373 miles, extending its life as solar activity threatens its destruction in October.
NASA has hired Katalyst Space Technologies to send Link, a three-armed drone, to grab the Swift Observatory and lift it to a higher orbit. The mission, launched from the Marshall Islands, aims to prevent Swift from burning up in Earth’s atmosphere and keep it scanning gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars.
Astronomers have detected helium escaping from LHS 1140b, a rocky 'super-Earth' 48 light-years away that orbits in its star's habitable zone. The finding has confirmed an atmosphere around a habitable-zone rocky exoplanet for the first time and has been published in Science; teams used ground-based infrared spectroscopy and modelling.
UKRI has pulled the Lovell telescope funding, triggering a funding crisis at Jodrell Bank. Observations are due to end in March 2028 unless new funds are found. A broad coalition is calling for immediate alternative funding.