Astronomers Take First Ever Pics of Other Planetary Systems

Huge astronomy news! For the first time EVER, galaxy researchers have taken pictures of planets orbiting a sun-star, much like our own. The first, taken by the much beloved Hubble Telescope, shows a planet orbiting the bright southern star Fomalhaut, located 25 light-years away in the constellation Piscis Australis. The second picture, snapped by upstaging Hawaiian observatories Gemini and Keck, shows two young planets orbiting a completely different star located 130 light-years from us! Take that Hubble! But I warn you—like the ultrasounds your friends show you of their three-month old fetus—these pictures wow mostly because of what they are, not because of what they look like. More »

Hubble Resumes Operations, Sends Back Picture of Lost Starfox 64 Level

The Hubble Telescope, which was quite nearly lost this month to a combination of old age and a fritzy 486, has resumed "regular science operations" today, and sent back this spectacular picture of a pair of galaxies engaging in some kind of celestial slow dance. The mission to replace the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit (SIC&DH), the temperamental system at the heart this whole debacle, is planned for April of next year. Until then we'll be able to depend on a steady supply of cosmo-porn, courtesy of the Hubble's backup systems. More »

NASA Pics Celebrate Hubble's 18th Birthday, Space Telescope Still Can't Drink Beer

Eighteen years ago today, the Hubble Telescope was launched into space by the Space Shuttle Discovery. To celebrate its coming of age, NASA has released 59 high-definition breathtaking pictures of galaxies colliding across the universe. Above is ESO 99-4, a weird-shaped galaxy (probably the result of another collision) situated in the Triangulum Australe, around 400-million light years away from earth. [Wired]