NGC

Glittering star cluster image reveals missing patch of stars: 'We were not looking for the gap, but we found it'

Glittering star cluster image reveals missing patch of stars: 'We were not looking for the gap, but we found it' The new view captures an irregularity in how stars are distributed within NGC 6397. A gorgeous new portrait of an ancient star cluster reveals an unexpected imperfection: a visible gap in the brightness of its stars. The stunning image, taken by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope, captures NGC 6397 — one of the closest globular clusters to Earth.

Astronomers gaze into the 'Crystal Ball Nebula' and see a vision of our dying sun — Space photo of the week

Astronomers gaze into the 'Crystal Ball Nebula' and see a vision of our dying sun — Space photo of the week The Crystal Ball Nebula has captivated astronomers for more than 200 years, and it offers a bittersweet glimpse of a dying star system similar to our own. Quick facts What it is: NGC 1514, the Crystal Ball Nebula Where it is: About 1,500 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Taurus When it was shared: May 21, 2026 Hidden in the night sky, just above the hump of Taurus, is a...

Hubble captures M88 on journey to center of Virgo cluster

Hubble captures M88 on journey to center of Virgo cluster Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor The focus of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is an active spiral galaxy on a journey lasting hundreds of millions of years. The galaxy Messier 88 (M88), also known as NGC 4501, is located about 63 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair). M88 is an active galaxy, which means that its center harbors a supermassive black hole that is...

Possible dark matter-deficient twins discovered in the Fornax Cluster

June 9, 2026 report Possible dark matter-deficient twins discovered in the Fornax Cluster Shreejaya Karantha Author Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor Astronomers have identified a possible new example of one of the universe's strangest galaxy types: galaxies that appear to contain little or no dark matter. The newly studied pair, FCC 224 and FCC 240, on the outskirts of the Fornax Cluster, share several unusual traits with the only known pair of controversial...

Nvidia Cosmos 3

Physical AI systems must understand the real world before they can act within it. Robots, autonomous vehicles, and smart spaces need to understand what’s happening in their world, predict what’s likely to happen next, and generate actions for specific environments, embodiments, and tasks. NVIDIA Cosmos 3 is a frontier foundation model for physical AI that combines physical reasoning, world generation, and action generation within a single open model.

Astrophotographer captures breathtaking view of 548 galaxies from a balcony

Astrophotographer captures breathtaking view of 548 galaxies from a balcony Over 60 hours of light data was used to create this stunning view of the gravitationally bound "Leo Triplet" galaxies. Astrophotographer ing. Cornelis Van Zuilen has shared a staggeringly detailed image of the galaxies known as the "Leo Triplet", after spending 60 hours capturing the light of the cosmic heavyweights from his balcony in the Netherlands.

Brightness 'gap' in ancient star cluster reveals missing red dwarfs

Brightness 'gap' in ancient star cluster reveals missing red dwarfs Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor Scientists from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, sought to study one stellar subject and ended up finding something even more exciting. The team's results published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Using data from the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Euclid space telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the team planned to...

A natural chemistry laboratory in protostar shock waves

A natural chemistry laboratory in protostar shock waves Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor Life exists because elements combine to form complex organic molecules. Astrochemistry studies this process, trying to understand how nature creates carbon-based molecules critical for life. One source for these types of molecules is the outflows emitted by protostars.

A hidden supermassive black hole may be lurking inside the Antennae galaxies

Hubble captures M88 on a perilous journey that could change it forever

Hubble captures M88 on a perilous journey that could change it forever This beautiful spiral galaxy is on a cosmic collision course that could permanently change how it creates stars. - Date: - June 1, 2026 - Source: - ESA/Hubble - Summary: - A stunning spiral galaxy called Messier 88 is racing through the crowded Virgo Cluster on a journey that will dramatically reshape its future.