NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-based infrared observatory, part of NASA's Great Observatories program (which also includes Hubble, Chandra, and Compton). This is the mission's official homepage, including mission information, pictures, news, features, and more. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer/ When amateur astronomer Ron Arbour spotted an enormous explosion from 17 million light-years away in the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946), many professional scientists believed that it was the final death throes of a massive dying star. However, observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope unexpectedly showed that a relatively lightweight star was the source of this spectacular blast. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080623/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080623/index.shtml Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:20:00 PDT More than 800,000 snapshots from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have been stitched together to create a new "coming of age" portrait of stars in our inner Milky Way galaxy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-11/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-11/release.shtml Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:20:00 PDT New images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are shedding light on the true structure of the Milky Way, revealing that it has just two major arms of stars instead of the four it was previously thought to possess. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-10/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-10/release.shtml Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:00:00 PDT Astronomers have unearthed secrets from the grave of a star that blasted apart in a supernova explosion long ago. By decoding ghostly echoes of light traveling away from the remains of a supernova called Cassiopeia A, the scientists have pieced together what the star looked like in life, and ultimately how it met its demise. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-09/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-09/release.shtml Thu, 29 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a bizarre ring of material around the magnetic remains of a star that blasted to smithereens. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-08/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-08/release.shtml Wed, 28 May 2008 10:00:00 PDT New research shows that NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has a "sweet spot" for detecting neon in star-forming regions. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080516/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080516/index.shtml Fri, 16 May 2008 10:00:00 PDT The incredible images from NASA's "Great Observatories" and many other NASA space- and ground-based telescopes are now available to the public in an educational and innovative manner through the release of the free WorldWide Telescope software from Microsoft. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080513/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080513/index.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 16:30:00 PDT When it comes to giving birth, galaxies don't seem to have a "ticking biological clock." In fact, observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope show that old galaxies were the biggest producers of new stars when our universe was half of its current age of 13.6 billion years. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080430/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080430/index.shtml Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 PDT Millions of clustered stars glisten like an iridescent opal in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-07/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-07/release.shtml Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT The universe's first "galactic cities" did not sprout up randomly across space. On the contrary, a new statistical analysis of observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope confirms that these ancient galactic metropolises may have developed much like sprawling cities joining together into a larger urban whole. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080408/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080408/index.shtml Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:00 PDT Millions of faint galaxies are hovering near the edge of our universe, too dim to be detected by most telescopes -- but some huge cosmic explosions and the supersensitive infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are bringing many of these muted galaxies to light. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080324/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080324/index.shtml Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:00:00 PDT Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered large amounts of simple organic gases and water vapor in a possible planet-forming region around an infant star, along with evidence that these molecules were created there. They've also found water in the same zone around two other young stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-06/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-06/release.shtml Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 PDT Diamonds may be rare on Earth, but surprisingly common in space -- and the super-sensitive infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are perfect for scouting them, say scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080226/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080226/index.shtml Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:00:00 PDT Astronomers have discovered that terrestrial planets might form around many, if not most, of the nearby sun-like stars in our galaxy. These new results suggest that worlds with potential for life might be more common than we thought. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-05/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-05/release.shtml Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:00:00 PDT NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, with a boost from a natural "zoom lens," have uncovered what may be one of the youngest and brightest galaxies ever seen in the middle of the cosmic "dark ages," just 700 million years after the beginning of our universe. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-04/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-04/release.shtml Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:00:00 PDT Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-03/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-03/release.shtml Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:00:00 PDT New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that galaxies prefer to raise stars in cosmic suburbia rather than in "big cities." http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080125/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20080125/index.shtml Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:00:00 PDT At a ceremony held today at the National Federation of the Blind, NASA unveiled a new book that brings majestic images taken by its Great Observatories to the fingertips of the blind. The Great Observatories include NASA's Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-02/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-02/release.shtml Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected plump black holes where least expected -- skinny galaxies. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-01/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2008-01/release.shtml Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:00:00 PDT It's official -- "The Hidden Universe" is no longer a secret. The video podcast series from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope Science Center has reached one million downloads! http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071221/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071221/index.shtml Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:00:00 PDT Astronomers have at last found definitive evidence that the universe's first dust -- the celestial stuff that seeded future generations of stars and planets -- was forged in the explosions of massive stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-20/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-20/release.shtml Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:00:00 PDT Billions of years ago, small galaxies across the universe regularly collided -- forcing the gas, dust, stars, and black holes within them to unite. The clashing of galactic gases was so powerful it ignited star formation, while fusing central black holes developed an insatiable appetite for gas and dust. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071214/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071214/index.shtml Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:00:00 PDT The "lifestyles" of 75 neighboring galaxies are illuminated in this poster from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Scientists say this fresh perspective of our cosmic neighborhood provides valuable insights into growth process of galaxies at a glance. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20071214.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20071214.shtml Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:00:00 PDT M51, whose name comes from being the 51st entry in Charles Messier's catalog, is considered to be one of the classic examples of a spiral galaxy. At a distance of about 30 million light years from Earth, it is also one of the brightest spirals in the night sky. A composite image of M51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, shows the majesty of its structure in a dramatic new way through several of NASA's orbiting observatories. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071211/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071211/index.shtml Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:00:00 PDT A developing star wrapped in a black cocoon of dust is seen sprouting giant jets in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-19/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-19/release.shtml Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:00 PDT A stellar prodigy has been spotted about 450 light-years away in a system called UX Tau A by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers suspect this system's central Sun-like star, which is just one million years old, may already be surrounded by young planets. Scientists hope the finding will provide insight into when planets began to form in our own solar system. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071128/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071128/index.shtml Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:00:00 PDT The next time you take a moonlit stroll, or admire a full, bright-white moon looming in the night sky, you might count yourself lucky. New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that moons like Earth's -- that formed out of tremendous collisions -- are uncommon in the universe, arising at most in only 5 to 10 percent of planetary systems. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-18/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-18/release.shtml Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:00:00 PDT Dr. David Charbonneau was named Discover Magazine's "Scientist of the Year" for his work in detecting and characterizing planets around nearby Sun-like stars. His profile appears in the December issue, which hits newsstands on November 13, 2007. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071113/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071113/index.shtml Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:00:00 PDT A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a baby star 1,140 light-years away from Earth blowing two massive "bubbles." But instead of bubble gum, this youngster, called HH 46/47, is using powerful jets of gas to make bubbles in outer space. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071108/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071108/index.shtml Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:00:00 PDT Astronomers have unmasked hundreds of black holes hiding deep inside dusty galaxies billions of light-years away. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-17/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-17/release.shtml Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:00:00 PDT On Earth, thieves steal everything from diamonds to art to bags full of money. In space, gas -- fuel for making stars -- is a commodity worth the price of theft. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071022/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071022/index.shtml Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:00:00 PDT Dusty infrared galaxies are cosmic 'nurseries' for some of the universe's hottest young stars -- and new research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows that when the universe was approximately six billion years old, these galaxies packed into the densest 'zip codes' in space. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071017/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071017/index.shtml Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:05:00 PDT New findings from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that space dust -- the same stuff that makes up living creatures and planets -- was manufactured in large quantities in the winds of black holes that populated our early universe. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-16/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-16/release.shtml Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:30:00 PDT An Earth-like planet is likely forming 424 light-years away in a star system called HD 113766, say astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071003/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20071003/index.shtml Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:00:00 PDT The National Women's Hall of Fame has selected Dr. Judith Pipher, a Spitzer Space Telescope astronomer, to join its ranks. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070926/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070926/index.shtml Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:35:00 PDT View the world through heat-sensitive infrared eyes at SkInfrared, a free art exhibit presented by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope science center at the One Colorado Courtyard in Old Pasadena, Calif. -- from October 10 to 31, 2007. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070918/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070918/index.shtml Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:25:00 PDT Spitzer and Chandra teamed up to bring you a stunning new picture of the Coronet cluster, one of the nearest and most active regions of ongoing star formation. http://gallery.spitzer.caltech.edu/Imagegallery/image.php?image_name=sig07-017 http://gallery.spitzer.caltech.edu/Imagegallery/image.php?image_name=sig07-017 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:00:00 PDT On Earth, neon signs point to motel vacancies and nearby eateries. Now for the first time, astronomers have spotted neon gas in disks around stars -- and they're hoping the glowing gas will point the way to new discoveries about how planets rise from the materials that swirl around young stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070912/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070912/index.shtml Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:00:00 PDT NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes have joined forces to discover nine of the smallest, faintest, most compact galaxies ever observed in the distant Universe. Blazing with the brilliance of millions of stars, each of the newly discovered galaxies is a hundred to a thousand times smaller than our Milky Way Galaxy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-15/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-15/release.shtml Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest of a forming star system. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-14/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-14/release.shtml Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:00:00 PDT A newly expanded image of the Helix nebula lends a festive touch to the fourth anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070824/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070824/index.shtml Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:15:00 PDT New evidence from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows that supermassive black holes at the centers of elliptical galaxies keep the galactic 'thermostat' so high gas cannot cool, stunting the birth of new stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070816/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070816/index.shtml Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:57:00 PDT Transport to a universe of ever-changing sights, sounds, and spaces at the Los Angeles County Arboretum's second annual Terrabyte event on August 26, 2007 from 5 to 10 PM PDT. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070816a/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070816a/index.shtml Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:20:00 PDT A spectacular new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope uncovers a small group of young stellar siblings in the southern portion of the Serpens cloud, located approximately 848 light-years away from Earth. Scientists suspect that this discovery will lead them to more clues about how these cosmic families -- which contain hundreds of gravitationally bound stars -- form and interact. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070808/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070808/index.shtml Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:45:00 PDT Four galaxies are slamming into each other and kicking up billions of stars in one of the largest cosmic smash-ups ever observed. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-13/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-13/release.shtml Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:30:00 PDT New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows that planets might sometimes form in systems with as many as four stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070724/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070724/index.shtml Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:45:00 PDT A scorching-hot gas planet beyond our solar system is steaming up with water vapor, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-12/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-12/release.shtml Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has learned, for the first time, that organic molecules believed to be among life's building blocks, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can survive a supernova. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070613/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070613/index.shtml Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:00:00 PDT Astronomers now have a new ''eye'' for determining the distance to certain mysterious bodies in and around our Milky Way galaxy. By taking advantage of the unique position of NASA's Spitzer's Space Telescope millions of miles from Earth, and a depth-perceiving trick called parallax, they were able to pin down the most probable location of one such object. The findings will ultimately help astronomers better understand the different components of our galaxy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-11/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-11/release.shtml Wed, 30 May 2007 14:30:00 PDT An astronomer at the Spitzer Science Center has discovered three giant stellar streams arcing high over the Milky Way. Remnants of cannibalized galaxies and star clusters, the streams are between 13,000 and 130,000 light-years distant from Earth and extend over much of the northern sky. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070530/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070530/index.shtml Wed, 30 May 2007 14:30:00 PDT Like cosmic ''ghosts,'' dark planets, black holes, and failed stars lurk invisibly among us. These objects do not produce light, and are too faint to detect from Earth. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070530.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070530.shtml Wed, 30 May 2007 14:30:00 PDT In just a short amount of time, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has bagged thousands of previously unknown dwarf galaxies in a giant cluster of galaxies. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-10/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-10/release.shtml Mon, 28 May 2007 13:00:00 PDT Large galaxy clusters are the universe's metropolises, and for years many astronomers have focused their attention on the crowded ''downtowns.'' However, a new map of some of the largest ancient galactic cities shows that much of the ''action'' is happening in the cosmic suburbs. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070528/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070528/index.shtml Mon, 28 May 2007 13:00:00 PDT A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows infant stars ''hatching'' in the head of Orion, the famous hunter constellation visible from northern hemispheres during winter nights. Astronomers suspect that shockwaves from a 3-million-year-old explosion of a massive star may have initiated this newfound birth. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070517/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070517/index.shtml Thu, 17 May 2007 14:00:00 PDT Soar through the cosmos with brand new high-definition Hidden Universe products from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope Science Center. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070516/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070516/index.shtml Wed, 16 May 2007 15:30:00 PDT Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have learned what the weather is like on two distant, exotic worlds. One team of astronomers used the infrared telescope to map temperature variations over the surface of a giant gas planet, HD 189733b, revealing it likely is whipped by roaring winds. Another team determined that the gas planet HD 149026b is the hottest yet discovered. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-09/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-09/release.shtml Wed, 09 May 2007 11:25:00 PDT Can't afford a ticket to space? Lift off for free from Caltech's Ramo auditorium on May 11 and 12, 2007 at 8 p.m. with Bandorama -- a free concert presented by the Caltech Jazz Bands and the Caltech-Occidental Concert Band. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070504/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070504/index.shtml Fri, 04 May 2007 11:00:00 PDT Rainbow-colored jets in the cosmic cloud BHR 71 point to a celestial smash occurring 600 light-years away from Earth -- and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope provides an exclusive peek at the 'jet-setting' stars inside. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070501/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070501/index.shtml Tue, 01 May 2007 10:00:00 PDT Astronomers may be one step closer to understanding how the ingredients of life are processed in space, thanks to NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070426/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070426/index.shtml Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:15:00 PDT Astronomers have laid down the cosmic equivalent of yellow 'caution' tape around super hot stars, marking the zones where cooler stars are in danger of having their developing planets blasted away. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-08/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-08/release.shtml Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:00:00 PDT The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-07/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-07/release.shtml Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:45:00 PDT A team of NASA scientists led by a member of the Spitzer Science Center believe they have found a way to predict the color of plants on planets in other solar systems. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070411/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070411/index.shtml Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:50:00 PDT Using a quartet of space observatories, University of Maryland astronomers may have cracked a 45-year mystery surrounding two ghostly spiral arms in the galaxy M106. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-06/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-06/release.shtml Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:00:00 PDT The double sunset that Luke Skywalker gazed upon in the film 'Star Wars' might not be a fantasy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-05/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-05/release.shtml Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:00:00 PDT For the last two years, astronomers have suspected that a nearby white dwarf star called GD 362 was 'snacking' on a shredded asteroid. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070313/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20070313/index.shtml Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:38:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured for the first time enough light from planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, to identify molecules in their atmospheres. The landmark achievement is a significant step toward being able to detect possible life on rocky exoplanets and comes years before astronomers had anticipated. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-04/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-04/release.shtml Wed, 21 Feb 2007 10:25:00 PST Our Milky Way galaxy is heavier than it looks, and it's not too much ice cream, or cookies, that is responsible for the extra weight. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070221.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070221.shtml Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:05:00 PST A bunch of rowdy comets are colliding and kicking up dust around a dead star, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The dead star lies at the center of the much-photographed Helix nebula, a shimmering cloud of gas with an eerie resemblance to a giant eye. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-03/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-03/index.shtml Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:00:00 PST Linda Vu would rather watch 'Laguna Beach' than 'Star Trek,' but that doesn't mean she can't write about space. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/vu_linda.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/vu_linda.shtml Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:00:00 PDT The three iconic space pillars photographed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 might have met their demise, according to new evidence from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-01/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-01/index.shtml Tue, 09 Jan 2007 10:30:00 PST Gas-giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn form soon after their stars do, according to new research. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-02/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-02/index.shtml Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:30:00 PST What's the closest galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy? Well, the answer is more complicated than you may think. Astronomers keep discovering new galaxies, right in our own back yard! http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070103.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20070103.shtml Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:20:00 PST New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope strongly suggest that infrared light detected in a prior study originated from clumps of the very first objects of the Universe. The recent data indicate this patchy light is splattered across the entire sky and comes from clusters of bright, monstrous objects more than 13 billion light-years away. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-22/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-22/index.shtml Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:00:00 PST Have supermassive black holes changed since the dawn of our Universe nearly 14 billion years ago? http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061211/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061211/index.shtml Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:15:00 PST NASA's Great Observatories -- Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra -- are working together to unlock the mysterious structure of a supernova remnant in a nearby galaxy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061129/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061129/index.shtml Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:00:00 PST A new image from NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes looks more like an abstract painting than a cosmic snapshot. The masterpiece shows the Orion nebula in an explosion of infrared, ultraviolet, and visible-light colors. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-21/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-21/index.shtml Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:00:00 PST Something scary appears to be slithering across the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in this new Halloween image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-20/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-20/index.shtml Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:20:00 PDT Astronomers using NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered that an exploded star, named Cassiopeia A, blew up in a somewhat orderly fashion, retaining much of its original onion-like layering. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-19/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-19/release.shtml Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:45:00 PDT What would a universe without stars look like? http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20061024.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20061024.shtml Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:00:00 PDT Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have recently identified two quasars, or supermassive black holes, that may be on the verge of a colossal cosmic ''belch.'' http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061024/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061024/index.shtml Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:00:00 PDT Mark your calendars for The Art of Astronomy, a three-day public event celebrating the collaboration of astronomy and art in Pasadena, California. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061019/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061019/index.shtml Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has made the first measurements of the day and night temperatures of a planet outside our solar system. The infrared observatory revealed that the Jupiter-like gas giant planet circling very close to its sun is always as hot as fire on one side, and potentially as cold as ice on the other. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-18/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-18/release.shtml Thu, 12 Oct 2006 11:00:00 PDT Could all of the asteroids, comets, and planets in our Milky Way galaxy be made of a similar mix of dusty components? http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061010/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061010/index.shtml Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:00:00 PDT Galaxies are a lot like people -- they lead fascinating lives filled with drama. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20061003.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20061003.shtml Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:00:00 PDT A star must live in a relatively tranquil cosmic neighborhood to foster planet formation, say astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061003/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20061003/index.shtml Tue, 03 Oct 2006 10:00:00 PDT For a brief moment in 2002, an obscure star called V838 Monocerotis suddenly became 600,000 times brighter than our Sun and temporarily was the brightest star in our Milky Way galaxy. Within a few months, it faded back into obscurity. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060926/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060926/index.shtml Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:00:00 PDT Two extremely rare cosmic objects have recently been detected in a shallow survey conducted with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060918/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060918/index.shtml Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:00:00 PDT Aomawa Shields thought she was leaving astronomy behind forever when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/shields_aomawa.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/shields_aomawa.shtml Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:00:00 PDT A spectacular new infrared image and spectrum from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals the complex life cycle of young stars, from their dust-shrouded beginnings to their stellar debuts. Observations of this star-forming cloud were taken shortly after Spitzer returned to normal observations following a spacecraft anomaly. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060908/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060908/index.shtml Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:20:00 PDT Engineers and scientists working on the recovery team brought NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope out of safe mode and restored it to normal mode late Tues., August 29. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060831/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060831/index.shtml Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:45:00 PDT A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is helping astronomers understand how stardust is recycled in galaxies. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-17/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-17/release.shtml Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:00:00 PDT In three terrific years, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has peered into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, detected partial ingredients for DNA in other solar systems, and uncovered evidence that planets might rise from a dead star's ashes. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060825/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060825/index.shtml Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:30:00 PDT Some of our images are too big to appreciate on a computer monitor... but now you can zoom in and see all the detail. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/mediaimages/zooms/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/mediaimages/zooms/index.shtml Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:15:00 PDT Astronomers have long scrutinized the vast and layered clouds of the Orion nebula, an industrious star-making factory visible to the naked eye in the sword of the famous hunter constellation. Yet, Orion is still full of secrets. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-16/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-16/release.shtml Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:30:00 PDT What do you call someone who can see billions of years into our cosmic past? An astronomer, of course! http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060811.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060811.shtml Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:00:00 PDT Satellites and space observatories beware! Microscopic protons are shooting out of the Sun at speeds thousands of times faster than bullets. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060726.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060726.shtml Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:30:00 PDT Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found evidence that dusty disks of planet-forming material tug on and slow down the young, whirling stars they surround. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-15/release.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-15/release.shtml Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:00:00 PDT Shoes may not come in every color, but space objects do. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060724/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060724/index.shtml Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:55:00 PDT Want to lift off into space, but don't have a rocket? Just stop by the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden on July 30, 2006, from 5 pm to 10 pm, and the Spitzer Science Center will bring the infrared universe to you! http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060719/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060719/index.shtml Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:30:00 PDT In 1987 a massive star exploded in a neighboring galaxy, an event called a supernova. Now, a team using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the 8-meter Gemini South infrared telescope in Chile have probed the supernova remnant and found the building blocks of rocky planets and all living creatures. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060714/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060714/index.shtml Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:35:00 PDT Adela Fedor has yet to receive a PhD, high school diploma, or even finish the eighth grade, but that did not stop her from using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to study a mysterious stellar species, called 'iron stars.' http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060707/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060707/index.shtml Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:15:00 PDT Start with lots and lots of dark matter, then stir in gas. Let the mixture sit for a while, and a galaxy should rise up out of the batter. A new study from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is refining knowledge of dark matter -- an essential ingredient of galaxies. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060616/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060616/index.shtml Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:45:00 PDT When the universe was only 700 million years old, some of its galaxies were already filled with lots of dust. But where did all of this dust come from? http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060608/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060608/index.shtml Thu, 08 Jun 2006 11:00:00 PDT A long, slender stream of ancient stars has been discovered racing across the northern sky. The stream is about 30,000 light-years distant from Earth and is flowing high over the Milky Way Galaxy at some 230 kilometers per second, or more than half a million miles per hour. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060607/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060607/index.shtml Wed, 07 Jun 2006 09:00:00 PDT A team of astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered a grand total of nearly 300 clusters of galaxies. Almost 100 of these are as far as 8 to 10 billion light-years away, which means they date back to a time when our universe was less than one-third its present age. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060605/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060605/index.shtml Mon, 05 Jun 2006 10:00:00 PDT The Andromeda galaxy, named for the mythological princess who almost fell prey to a sea monster, appears tranquil in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The mesmerizing infrared mosaic shows red waves of dust over a blue sea of stars. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-14/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-14/index.shtml Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:20:00 PDT One of the most mysterious aspects of black holes is their ability to shoot small, steady jets of matter into space near the speed of light. Until the sensitive infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope recently spotted one of these jets around a nearby neutron star, black holes were the only known objects in the universe with this 'talent.' http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060522/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060522/index.shtml Mon, 22 May 2006 10:00:00 PDT Eight hundred light-years away in the Orion constellation, a gigantic murky cloud called the 'Witch Head Nebula' is teeming with dust-obscured newborn stars waiting to be uncovered. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060519/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060519/index.shtml Fri, 19 May 2006 16:00:00 PDT By determining whether our solar system is an oddball, we can begin to infer whether Earth-like planets and life are rare in the universe. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060511.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/articles/20060511.shtml Thu, 11 May 2006 15:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has snapped a picture of the bits and pieces making up Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3, which is continuing to break apart on its periodic journey around the sun. The new infrared view shows several chunks of the comet riding along its own dusty trail of crumbs. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-13/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-13/index.shtml Wed, 10 May 2006 12:00:00 PDT Thirty thousand light-years away in the Cepheus constellation, astronomers think they've found a massive star whose death barely made a 'peep.' Remnants of this shy star's supernova would have gone completely unnoticed if the infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope hadn't accidentally stumbled upon it. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060510/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060510/index.shtml Wed, 10 May 2006 11:00:00 PDT Dr. Michael Werner, project scientist of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, has been selected to give the Royal Astronomical Society's distinguished 2006 George Darwin Lecture. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-12/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-12/index.shtml Tue, 09 May 2006 14:00:00 PDT Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3 cannot seem to hold itself together. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060505/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060505/index.shtml Fri, 05 May 2006 12:00:00 PDT The Hidden Universe of the Spitzer Space Telescope showcases some of the most exciting discoveries in infrared astronomy from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Looking beyond the visible spectrum of light, Spitzer can see a whole new universe of dust and stars hidden from our Earth-bound eyes. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/hiddenuniverse/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/hiddenuniverse/index.shtml Tue, 02 May 2006 12:00:00 PDT On April 27, 2006, Spitzer officially satisfied the last open goal on the Level 1 Mission Requirement list, which required the telescope to obtain spectacular infrared images of the cosmos for at least two and a half years. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060428/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060428/index.shtml Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:00:00 PDT A pair of dancing galaxies appears dressed for a cosmic masquerade in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-11/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-11/index.shtml Wed, 26 Apr 2006 12:00:00 PDT NASA's Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra space observatories teamed up to create a multi-wavelength, false-colored view of the M82 galaxy. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060424/index.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/happenings/20060424/index.shtml Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:00:00 PDT Jim Keller tells us how he nearly poisoned an entire Chemistry class, which soap operas he can be seen in, and why NASA needs people with degrees in theatre. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/keller_jim.shtml http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/spitzerprofiles/keller_jim.shtml Thu, 20 Apr 2006 12:00:00 PDT