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Inbox Astronomy: NASA=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=Hubble Uncovers Case of Missing Oxygen in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

2026-11-02T15:06:16.190+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA’s Hubble Uncovers Case of Missing Oxygen in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

Release date: Monday, November 2, 2026 10:00:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Study reveals that dwarf galaxies retain only a small fraction of the oxygen made by their stars

Researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope studied nearly 40 nearby dwarf galaxies—small galaxies with a few thousand to hundreds of millions of stars—and found that much of the oxygen they expected to see is missing. Oxygen, a tracer of a wider set of heavy elements, is relatively easy to detect and measure, making it a reliable indicator of how chemical elements are distributed in a galaxy. The scientists studied oxygen to understand how it is distributed inside stars, in the gas between stars, and in the space between galaxies. Simulations predict that significantly more oxygen should reside in these galaxies, but that’s not what they found.

Instead, the study revealed that dwarf galaxies can hold onto only a small fraction of the oxygen made by their stars. Energy from massive stars and galactic winds unleashed by supernovae are apparently more effective at removing oxygen from low-mass galaxies than current models predict. The findings will improve our understanding of how galaxies evolve over time, and why our universe looks the way it does today.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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Inbox Astronomy: Ghostly Cat=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_Head_Nebula_Lurks_Within_Sight_of_NASA=E2=80=99s_?=Hubble, Webb

2026-10-29T14:26:35.413+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula Lurks Within Sight of NASA’s Hubble, Webb

Release date: Thursday, October 29, 2026 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

The star-forming region bewitches in visible and infrared light.

Just in time for Halloween, NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7,500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula, which reflects the “magical” process of star formation. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb’s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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Inbox Astronomy: Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin

2026-10-08T18:16:35.689+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin

Release date: Thursday, October 8, 2026 2:00:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Record breaker dates back to just 3 billion years after the big bang.

What mysterious phenomenon is capable of creating a millisecond-long blast of radio waves so powerful that we can detect it from billions of light-years away? The origin of such events, known as fast radio bursts (FRBs), remains uncertain.

A recently discovered FRB contains a clue. The most distant one found to date, its host galaxy proved surprisingly small and young. This suggests that there is little delay between when galaxies form stars and when they become capable of generating FRBs. This indicates FRBs likely are caused by young neutron stars known as magnetars. Only the James Webb Space Telescope was able to detect and characterize the host galaxy, determining both its distance and its size.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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