ExploreAstro at Caltech/IPAC

: An Avatar of Pandora? 💙
Watch Episode 16: https://youtu.be/64_WuLHSbUk

Did the movie Avatar predict the discovery of the holy grail of exoplanets: a nearby Earth-like rocky planet orbiting a Sun-like star? Drs. Jessie Christiansen and Ashley Chontos continue their conversation about Ashley's favorite fictional planet—and Jessie reveals whether she's found Pandora's closest real-world analog in the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 16 Ashley Chontos (part 2) 💙 An Avatar of Pandora? 💙Did the movie Avatar predict the discovery of the holy grail of exoplanets: a nearby Earth-like rocky planet orbiting a Sun-like s...

: Worth the Wait ⏳

Watch Episode 15 here: https://youtu.be/u8gJ0DRR7Lg?si=Oopdngtl-SxRZSQo

NASA's planet-hunting Kepler Telescope found its first planet candidate in 2009. Ten years later, KOI-4.01 was finally confirmed as an exoplanet by Dr. Ashley Chontos. The confirmation provided some bittersweet closure for the Kepler mission and also brought Ashley fame and fortune 😎 (well, for astronomers, anyway 🤓). In this episode, Jessie chats with Ashley about the series of fortunate events that led to the discovery—and also her favorite fictional planet!

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 15 Ashley Chontos (part 1) Worth the Wait 🛰️⏳📅🪐NASA's planet-hunting Kepler Telescope found its first planet candidate in 2009. Ten years later, KOI-4.01 was finally confirmed as an...

Live From the Clean Room — Building NEO Surveyor Watch as NASA’s next planetary defense mission comes together at the JPL.

: Hollywood 🎥 vs. Kepler-22 b 🪐

Jessie returns to her chat with Dr. Bruce Macintosh, Director of the University of California Observatories, and he explains why Kepler-22 b is his LEAST favorite exoplanet—even though its 2011 discovery made international news and was featured in the HBO Max series "Raised by Wolves."

Watch Episode 14 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl9R6gam7-k

: Exoplanet Trifecta - Seeing and Believing 🤩👀🔭🪐🪐🪐

What is it like to spend eight years chasing down hundreds of possible planets that turn out to be false positives, and then discover three planets at once? It takes a special kind of believer—and skeptic—to find planets using the direct imaging method. Dr. Bruce Macintosh, Director of the University of California Observatories, describes how he became a believer in the HR 8799 system. Also in this episode: Bruce's LEAST favorite exoplanet!

Watch Episode 13 here:

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 13 Bruce Macintosh (part 1) Exoplanet Trifecta: Seeing and Believing 🤩👀🔭🪐🪐🪐What is it like to spend eight years chasing down hundreds of possible planets that turn out to be false...

: A Planet Around a Dead, Spinning Star 💫😵‍💫🌀

How realistic is the science in Interstellar, and have we found anything close to an actual Miller's Planet? In part 2 of Jessie's interview with Dr. David Kipping, they chat about time dilation, water worlds, and sneaking science lessons in Hollywood movies. David also answers a question from our viewers!

Watch Episode 12 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl58bVvKsNQ

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 12 David Kipping (part 2) A Planet Around a Dead, Spinning Star 🌀😵‍💫How realistic is the science in Interstellar, and have we found anything close to an actual Miller's Planet? In ...

The summer 2024 NASA's is open! This summer's target: supernova remnant Cassiopeia A!

What's going on with Cassiopeia A? How did this star tear itself apart? What does it tell us about how the elements for life in the universe came to be?

Submit your images from MicroObservatory data or from large ground- and space-based telescope data, and your work may get feedback from scientists!

Join the challenge here: https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/OWN/astrophoto/

The eating habits of hungry black holes 😋

In newly-processed images from NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope, streams of dust thousands of light-years long flow toward the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Andromeda galaxy. It turns out these streams can help explain how black holes billions of times the mass of our Sun satiate their big appetites but remain "quiet" eaters.

The first image shows the Andromeda galaxy in multiple wavelengths of Spitzer data. We can see bright stars, dusty rings (in orange), and areas of star formation. The second image is a close-up view of the center of the Andromeda galaxy, and it is annotated with blue dotted lines to highlight the path of two dust streams flowing toward the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center (indicated by a purple dot).

Read more: https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/nasa-images-help-explain-eating-habits-of-massive-black-hole

: "I'll Eat My Hat!" 🌚🌝

Dr. David Kipping of Columbia University and host of the popular Cools Worlds Podcast, is looking beyond exoplanets: he's set his sights on finding exomoons!

Watch and find out which exoplanet David thinks might have its own moon. Also, can you guess David's favorite fictional exoplanet? (Hint: It doesn't have a moon.)

Watch Episode 11 here: https://youtu.be/e1KSrvOeJ3U?si=ovP74VoH-1vp6PQe

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 11 David Kipping (part 1) "I'll Eat My Hat!"Dr. David Kipping of , host of the popular , is looking beyond exoplanets: he's set his sights on finding exomoo...

It's , but what *are* black holes? Learn this and more with “Astro-Investigates,” a new video series that explores and explains big astrophysics topics with the help of NASA scientists.

Caltech IPAC's Keith Miller (Editor/Director/Co-Producer) and Robert Hurt (Science Visualizations/Co-Producer) are working with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on this new and exciting series!

What is a black hole? Astro-Investigates Ep. 1 (Black Holes) Black holes - what are they really? Learn this and more with “Astro-Investigates,” the video series that explores and explains big astrophysics topics with t...

: Is Middle Earth an Exoplanet? 🧝🧙🏰📜⛰️🌋🪐

In part 2 of her interview, Dr. Emily Gilbert makes a convincing case that Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings series is actually its own planet! Watch and tell us if you agree (or not).

Watch Episode 10 here: https://youtu.be/afF2df2y_Cg?si=CSMlhE9oPe96Wxv0

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 10 Emily Gilbert (part 2) Is Middle Earth an Exoplanet? 🧝🧙🧭📜🏰⛰️🌋🪐In part 2 of her interview, Dr. Emily Gilbert makes a convincing case that Middle Earth in the Lord of the Ring...

: Discovering 3 Worlds All at Once! 🪐🪐🪐

What's better than discovering an exoplanet? How about discovering THREE exoplanets...all at once! Early-career researcher Dr. Emily Gilbert talks with Dr. Jessie Christiansen about the exoplanet bonanza of the TOI-700 system that made headline news around the world in 2020. Emily also reveals her favorite fictional planet (heads-up, Tolkien fans! 🧝).

Watch Episode 9 here: https://youtu.be/pnVJiQn9kIA

It's 3/14, Happy Pi Day! Enjoy a slice of astronomical pie today with these Spitzer images of round cosmic objects 🥧 👇

1. The Helix Nebula, which is composed of gaseous shells and disks puffed out by a dying sunlike star, exhibits complex structure on the smallest visible scales. The nebula, located about 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, belongs to a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic clouds were named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets. Planetary nebulae are actually the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun.

2. This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, taken in infrared light, shows where the action is taking place in galaxy NGC 1291. The outer ring, colored red in this view, is filled with new stars that are igniting and heating up dust that glows with infrared light. The stars in the central area produce shorter-wavelength infrared light than that seen in the ring, and are colored blue. This central area is where older stars live, having long ago gobbled up the available gas supply, or fuel, for making new stars.

3. This image shows galaxy Arp 148, captured by NASA's Spitzer and Hubble telescopes. Also known as "Mayall's Object," Arp 148 captures a point in the interaction of two galaxies in which a ring has formed in the wake of their collision. The thick clouds of dusty material in the elongated galaxy (left) glow brightly in the infrared wavelengths of light seen by Spitzer (8 microns, red), while the glow of starlight dominates the visible light data from Hubble (0.3-0.8 microns, blue-green).

Find more astronomy images like these on astropix.org, a Caltech IPAC product.

It's the last week to participate in the Winter 2024 with MicroObservatory! 🦀

Create your own Crab Nebula image from real NASA data here: https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/OWN/astrophoto/

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy these astronomy-themed valentines 💌

1. The first image, which has been mirrored to create a heart shape, shows two galaxies (NGC 4038 and 4039) that have been merging together for the last 800 million years. The infrared image comes from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and it reveals hidden populations of newborn stars at the heart of the colliding galaxies.

2. The Cosmic Keyhole from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope showcases NGC 1999, a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. NGC 1999 is a relic of recent star formation — it is composed of detritus left over from the formation of a newborn star. Just like fog curling around a street lamp, reflection nebulae like NGC 1999 only shine because of the light from an embedded source.

3. This is a mosaic of WISE observations of the Soul Nebula. The cluster of stars within the nebula formed about a million years ago. Winds and ultraviolet light from these young stars are excavating a cavity in the cloud. Parts of the cloud that are more dense than their surroundings are being eroded more slowly and form giant towers, or pillars of dust and gas. The pillars inside the Soul Nebula are each about 10 light-years tall and have stars forming at their tips.

Want to learn more about these images? Click the links below to find them on AstroPix, a "one-stop shop" astronomy image database by Caltech IPAC.

1. https://www.astropix.org/image/spitzer/ssc2004-14a1
2. https://www.astropix.org/image/esahubble/potw2243a
3. https://www.astropix.org/image/wise/WISE2010-010

The winter 2024 NASA's is under way! This season's target: Crab Nebula! 🦀

Submit your images from MicroObservatory ground-based data or NASA and ESA space-based data, and your work may get feedback from scientists!

The deadline is February 29th. Find more info on the Challenges website:

Observing with NASA Control your OWN telescope using the MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network.

ICYMI: Check out this episode of hosted by Phil LaMarr that covered lots of viewer questions about supermassive black holes! https://www.universeunplugged.org/video/ata-20-11-18

The Feeding Habits of Black Holes🌌🍴

Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and , researchers observed how the supermassive black hole at the center of the nearby Andromeda galaxy feeds on filaments of dust and gas.
https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/observers-measure-how-andromeda-s-central-black-hole-is-fed

40 Years of Astronomy: Through the Eyes of IRAS 🔭

Launched in 1983, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was the first space-based infrared telescope.

An interview with Caltech-IPAC Director George Helou celebrates its legacy.

40 Years of Infrared Astronomy: Through the Eyes of IRAS Launched on January 25, 1983, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was the first space-based infrared telescope, and it revolutionized astronomy. From ...

: All Roads Lead to Trantor 🏙️

Is there a planet near the center of our galaxy like Trantor? Dr. Jessie Christiansen shares what she's found in the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and Dr. Peter Plavchan answers a viewer question: "How old do stars have to be to have planets?" 🌟🪐🪐🪐

Watch Episode 8 here:

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 8 Peter Plavchan (part 2) All Roads Lead to TrantorIs there a planet near the center of our galaxy like Trantor? Jessie shares what she's found in the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and Pete...

: All Roads Lead to AU Mic ⛔🔭🪐

Despite denial, discouragement and telemarketing jobs, Dr. Peter Plavchan found a path to a career in astronomy...and a famous exoplanet! Join Dr. Jessie Christiansen as she chats with Peter about how he discovered AU Mic b in plain sight.

Watch Episode 7 here:

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 7 Peter Plavchan All Roads Lead to AU Mic ⛔🔭🪐Despite denial, discouragement and telemarketing jobs, Dr. Peter Plavchan found a path to a career in astronomy...and a famous ...

From IRAS to to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope: Four decades of space-based infrared astronomy

Join Caltech IPAC's astroviz expert Dr. Robert Hurt for a retrospective of NASA's space-based infrared astronomy missions.

Tuesday 12/5 @ 5pm PST/8pm EST
Watch here: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/events/pls/2023/celebrating-nasa's-40-year-legacy-of-infrared-astronomy-from-space

: A Real-life Tatooine?🪐☀️☀️

Did Dr. Jessie Christiansen go to a galaxy far, far away to find a real-life counterpart to Tatooine, Dr. Etienne Bachelet's favorite fictional planet?

Find out in Episode 6!

Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 6 Etienne Bachelet A Real-life Tatooine?🪐☀️☀️Did Jessie go to a galaxy far, far away to find a real-life counterpart to Tatooine, Etienne's favorite fictional planet?Website: ...