Hubble Space Telescope

Space Telescope Issues

Aging Space Telescopes are Breaking down. In late September 2018, the Hubble Space Telescope suffered a failing gyroscope and went into safe mode.  Hubble is 28-years old and had 6 new gyros installed in 2009.  Out of the 6 only 2 remain operational with this recent failure.   In early October 2018, Chandra X-Ray telescope, 19-years… Continue Reading Space Telescope Issues

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B33 - Horsehead Nebula

Pareidolia – Familiar Patterns from Randomness

Seeing familiar shapes in clouds is termed Pareidolia.  Since mankind first looked skyward, astronomers have been creating familiar patterns out of random groups of stars as Constellations.  Telescopes reveal vistas of randomness that scream for human interpretation.  Faces, animals, and familiar man-made devices emerge.  Here are a few examples: Smiley Face in Open Cluster M35,… Continue Reading Pareidolia – Familiar Patterns from Randomness

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Center of Milky Way Brimming with Black Holes

Astronomers had theorized and now confirmed that the supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way is surrounded by many stellar mass black holes. The Chandra X-Ray telescope has discovered 12 active stellar mass black holes within 3-light years of the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*.  Theory predicts many more quiescent… Continue Reading Center of Milky Way Brimming with Black Holes

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