Project News

Are planets like those in 'Star Wars: Rogue One' really out there? NASA plans to find out

Roman • December 15th, 2016

In the "Star Wars" universe, ice, ocean and desert planets burst from the darkness as your ship drops out of light speed. But these worlds might be more than just science fiction.

Building Blocks of Life's Building Blocks Come From Starlight

Herschel • October 12th, 2016

Life exists in a myriad of wondrous forms, but if you break any organism down to its most basic parts, it's all the same stuff: carbon atoms connected to hydrogen, oxygen,...

Planck: First Stars Formed Later Than We Thought

Planck • August 31st, 2016

ESA's Planck satellite, a mission with significant participation from NASA, has revealed that the first stars in the universe started forming later than previous observations of...

NASA Team Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star

Herschel • August 29th, 2016

For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star lodged deep in the Milky Way that shows conflicting signs of being extremely old and extremely young. Researchers...

New Herschel Maps and Catalogues Reveal Stellar Nurseries Across the Galactic Plane

Herschel • April 22nd, 2016

ESA's Herschel mission releases today a series of unprecedented maps of star-forming hubs in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. This is accompanied by a set of catalogues...

NEOWISE 2016 Data Release

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • March 23rd, 2016

The Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center announce the NEOWISE 2016 Data Release.

Astronomers Discover Colossal 'Super Spiral' Galaxies

NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database • March 17th, 2016

A new class of behemoth spiral galaxies has been uncovered using NASA archival data.

NASA's New Great Observatory Takes Shape with the Support of Caltech/IPAC

Roman • March 17th, 2016

In mid-February, NASA gave the official go-ahead for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a next generation observatory slated to launch into space in the...

Looking Within Our Universe For Something Beyond

Planck • February 22nd, 2016

Do multiple universes really exist? Scientists continue to debate the concept and come up with new theories.

Caltech Asteroid Hunter Gives TED Talk

Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer • February 19th, 2016

Caltech staff scientist Carrie Nugent, who discovers and characterizes asteroids utilizing data from the NASA NEOWISE program, presented her research as one of the selected...