Sharing out-of-this-world astrophysics with our on-this-world audience. Brought to you by @CaltechIPAC
Joined April 2010
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501 Photos and videos
ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
Jun 10
The most common types of exoplanets are oddly missing from our own solar system š¤
Scaling K2, an ongoing project at @NExScI_IPAC, is diving into this enigma:
ipac.caltech.edu/news/findinā¦
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These clouds host molecules like water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which are vital to the chemistry that allows life to develop. Researchers believe these ice reservoirs, attached to the surfaces of tiny dust grains, are where the universeās water is formed & stored.
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The first image shows the chemical signatures of water ice (shown in bright blue) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (orange) in Cygnus X, one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our Milky Way galaxy.
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The 2nd image shows the same region of the sky, but in three wavelengths chosen (from the 102 total viewed by SPHEREx) to highlight the glow of stars in the disk of the Milky Way. The wavelengths of 0.8, 1.63, and 2.6 microns have been assigned to the colors blue, green, and red.
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NASA's SPHEREx mission is mapping 'interstellar glaciers' across our galaxy, and these icy regions may be the origins of glaciersāand all waterāon Earth š§
spherex.caltech.edu/news/intā¦
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Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! šŖØš¶šµ
@caltechipac scientist Catherine Clark was quoted in a @PhysicsToday article about the science behind the book and recently released movie @projecthailmary
Check out her quote about Rocky's home planet here:
physicstoday.aip.org/news/scā¦
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Hello, Moon. Itās great to be back.
Hereās a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedā¦
ALT A crescent Earth setting behind the Moon\u2019s horizon. Credit: NASA
ALT Earth setting behind the Moon as seen by the Artemis II crew. Over half the left side of the image is filled by the gray lunar surface, pocked with craters. Credit: NASA
ALT A close view of the Moon. Jagged circles of craters dot the gray surface, fading to dark on the left side of the image. Credit: NASA
ALT A crescent Earth setting behind a hemisphere of the Moon. Credit: NASA
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
Caltech and NASA JPL scientists are tracking Artemis II on its way to the Moon. These images were taken using the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, one of the largest telescopes in the world.
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A green-tinted double whammy: it's St. Patrick's Day & #MessierMarathon week! š
Messier 81 is a sight to behold in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In the night sky, M81 is visible with binoculars! (but it won't look green like in this infrared image š)
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This 8-micron image reveals infrared emissions from hot dust, heated by nearby luminous stars. These dust particles absorb ultraviolet and visible light, re-emitting it as longer infrared wavelengths.
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The dust particles are composed of silicates (similar to beach sand), carbonaceous grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace the gas distribution in the galaxy. The well-mixed gas and dust provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation.
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This wobbly, energetic black hole is the first of its kind, and its discovery offers new insights into how galaxies evolve:
ipac.caltech.edu/news/astronā¦
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"It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers"
Astronomers have captured the most detailed look yet at faraway galaxies at the peak of their youth, an active time when the adolescent galaxies were hastily producing new stars.
Read more: ipac.caltech.edu/news/young-ā¦
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
23 Dec 2025
NASAās SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky!
This is the most comprehensive spectral view of the infrared sky, with 102 colors (or wavelengths) of infrared light from observations made between May and December 2025.
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
7 Aug 2025
IPAC scientist finds evidence for a planet in the same star system as #Avatar's Pandora!
If confirmed by additional observations, "Its very existence [...] would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments."
ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-sā¦
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
29 Jul 2025
Betelgeuseās Companion Star May Have Been Seen at Last šÆāāļø
ipac.caltech.edu/news/betelgā¦
"It always amazes me how much we still have to learn. Even stars like Betelgeuse, which we have studied for literally thousands of years, can still surprise us," said David Ciardi.
ALT Image: An arrow points to the companion. Note that the image processing introduces a 180Āŗ ambiguity in the location of the companion, which is resolved by analyzing phase information. Credit: Howell et al. 2025
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
16 Jul 2025
Want to learn more? Jessieās podcast with @ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC is a great listen for anyone fascinated by whatās out there in the cosmos. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on @spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7Bi7MWā¦
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
16 Jul 2025
Have you ever wondered if humans could live on another planet? š¤
@NASAās chief scientist of exoplanets and TED Fellow, Jessie Christiansen, has helped identify nearly 6,000 exoplanets ā some blazing hot, others with the potential to sustain life.
She breaks down 3 contenders for life beyond Earth and more in her @TEDTalks: bit.ly/4ePNwWI
#NASA #exoplanets #spaceexploration #TEDTalk
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3 Jul 2025
Could a āfalse positiveā planet be hiding a cosmic dance partner? ššŖ©
Scientists recently discovered two planets, KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c. Watch more about this planetary merry-go-round here: youtube.com/shorts/ed3_cg3IBā¦
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ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC retweeted
10 Jun 2025
This giant planet orbiting a tiny star is challenging our current theories š§©š¤
Planet TOI-6894b is a low-density gas giant with a radius a bit larger than Saturn. The host star is the lowest mass star to have a transiting giant planet discovered to date.
ipac.caltech.edu/news/discovā¦
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