Project News

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope to Uncover Echoes of the Universe’s Creation

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope • Project News • November 18th, 2020

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will detect vestiges of sound waves that once rippled through the primordial cosmic sea.

16-Year-Old Cosmic Mystery Solved, Revealing Stellar Missing Link

Spitzer • News Release • November 18th, 2020

The Blue Ring Nebula, which perplexed scientists for over a decade, appears to be the youngest known example of two stars merged into one.

ARIEL Moves from Blueprint to Reality

Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey • Project News • November 12th, 2020

ESA's exoplanet mission Ariel, scheduled for launch in 2029, has moved from study to implementation phase, following which an industrial contractor will be selected to build the spacecraft.

Data reveals evidence of molecular absorption in the atmosphere of a hot Neptune

Spitzer • From Partners • October 26th, 2020

An international team of scientists recently measured the spectrum of the atmosphere of a rare hot Neptune exoplanet, whose discovery by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was announced just last month.

Celebrating ZTF-I & Soft Launch of ZTF-II

ZTF • News Release • October 26th, 2020

On Friday Oct 23, 2020, a virtual meeting was held to celebrate the conclusion of Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Phase I ("ZTF-1") which was fully commissioned by March 2018 and formally ended this Fall. The meeting also serves as a formal vote of thanks for the ZTF Community Science Advisory...

ZTF receives NSF support for phase II

ZTF • News Release • October 26th, 2020

Thanks to continued funding from the National Science Foundation in the USA and partner institutions, the global ZTF partnership will continue to operate ZTF in the coming three years. The end of ZTF Phase II in Sept 2023 will also marks the rise of the Vera Rubin Observatory.

3 UCF Researchers Part of Nature Astronomy Articles Chronicling Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy

Spitzer • News Release • October 12th, 2020

The papers provide an inventory of some of the greatest discoveries of the past decade and suggest targets for the next generation telescope, scheduled to launch in 2021.

'Echo Mapping' in Faraway Galaxies Could Measure Vast Cosmic Distances

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • Project News • October 1st, 2020

Matter swirling around supermassive black holes creates bursts of light that "echo" in nearby dust clouds. These traveling signals could serve as a new cosmic yardstick.

Data Sonification: Sounds from Around the Milky Way

Spitzer • News Release • September 24th, 2020

Telescopes give us a chance to see what the Galactic Center looks like in different types of light. By translating the inherently digital data (in the form of ones and zeroes) captured by telescopes in space into images, astronomers create visual representations that would otherwise be invisible...

NASA Missions Spy First Possible Planet Hugging a Stellar Cinder

Spitzer • News Release • September 16th, 2020

The violent events leading up to the death of a star would likely drive away any planets. The newly discovered Jupiter-size object may have arrived long after the star died.

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope to Uncover Echoes of the Universe’s Creation

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope • November 18th, 2020

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will detect vestiges of sound waves that once rippled through the primordial cosmic sea.

16-Year-Old Cosmic Mystery Solved, Revealing Stellar Missing Link

Spitzer • November 18th, 2020

The Blue Ring Nebula, which perplexed scientists for over a decade, appears to be the youngest known example of two stars merged into one.

ARIEL Moves from Blueprint to Reality

Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey • November 12th, 2020

ESA's exoplanet mission Ariel, scheduled for launch in 2029, has moved from study to implementation phase, following which an industrial contractor will be selected to build the...

Data reveals evidence of molecular absorption in the atmosphere of a hot Neptune

Spitzer • October 26th, 2020

An international team of scientists recently measured the spectrum of the atmosphere of a rare hot Neptune exoplanet, whose discovery by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey...

Celebrating ZTF-I & Soft Launch of ZTF-II

ZTF • October 26th, 2020

On Friday Oct 23, 2020, a virtual meeting was held to celebrate the conclusion of Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Phase I ("ZTF-1") which was fully commissioned by March 2018...

ZTF receives NSF support for phase II

ZTF • October 26th, 2020

Thanks to continued funding from the National Science Foundation in the USA and partner institutions, the global ZTF partnership will continue to operate ZTF in the coming three...

3 UCF Researchers Part of Nature Astronomy Articles Chronicling Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy

Spitzer • October 12th, 2020

The papers provide an inventory of some of the greatest discoveries of the past decade and suggest targets for the next generation telescope, scheduled to launch in 2021.

'Echo Mapping' in Faraway Galaxies Could Measure Vast Cosmic Distances

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • October 1st, 2020

Matter swirling around supermassive black holes creates bursts of light that "echo" in nearby dust clouds. These traveling signals could serve as a new cosmic yardstick.

Data Sonification: Sounds from Around the Milky Way

Spitzer • September 24th, 2020

Telescopes give us a chance to see what the Galactic Center looks like in different types of light. By translating the inherently digital data (in the form of ones and zeroes)...

NASA Missions Spy First Possible Planet Hugging a Stellar Cinder

Spitzer • September 16th, 2020

The violent events leading up to the death of a star would likely drive away any planets. The newly discovered Jupiter-size object may have arrived long after the star died.