This galaxy's ring of fire "burns, burns, burns" with young stars.

Scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., now have the capability to systematically investigate the molecular evolution of cosmic carbon. For the first time, these scientists are able to automatically interpret previously unknown infrared emissions from space that come from surprisingly complex organic molecules, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are abundant and important across the universe. This allows scientists at Ames were able to interpret the cosmic infrared maps made by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

The supermassive black hole at the core of our Milky Way galaxy is gobbling up hot gas, according to a new study from the Herschel space observatory.

Astronomers are using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to dissect the atmospheres of an exotic class of planets called hot Jupiters.

Herschel has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. It has provided further proof that the interstellar dust which lies throughout our Galaxy is created when massive stars reach the end of their lives.

Astronomers trace water in Jupiter's intermediate atmospheric layer back to the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact of 19 years ago.

On August 8, 2011 IPAC astronomer Bill Latter will live a dream by attempting a grand journey and a great challenge - both physically and mentally. Bill will be traveling the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon course on foot. This is a trek from Badwater Basin in Death Valley to the Mt. Whitney Portals above Owens Valley – a distance of 135 miles with extreme heat and 13,000 feet of ascent.

Sometimes astronomers take trips out to ground-based observatories. They sleep during the day, and, instead of peering up at the night sky, they command the telescopes from computer screens. Some telescopes can also be operated remotely from laptops. JPL scientists Amy Mainzer and Mike Cushing recently spent an evening with the stars in a conference room at NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The summer of 1965 was one of dramatic firsts—Medicaid and Medicare were established, the Beatles played the first stadium concert in rock history, and U.S. astronaut Edward Higgins White made his maiden space walk.

The Wide-Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere at about 11:50 p.m. Pacific Time, May 9, 2011, more than 12 years and 68,000 orbits after launch.

Twenty five years ago moving vans were being loaded at the Union Bank, on South Lake Avenue in Pasadena, for the first delivery of "stuff" to the new IPAC Building (Morrisroe Astroscience Laboratory).

Real space science and insights into teaching astronomy come straight from the classroom to a renowned international conference this week. Nearly 60 teachers, students and astronomy educators will be on hand to present the fruits of their year-long labor as participants in NITARP, the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program, at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Wash. from Jan. 9 through Jan. 13, 2011.