The EDGE

Inbox Astronomy: NASA's Hubble Shows Star Formation in Andromeda Galaxy Winding Down

2026-07-27T14:09:03.705+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Hubble Shows Star Formation in Andromeda Galaxy Winding Down

Release date: Monday, July 27, 2026 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Most of the decline is within a prominent star-forming ring 32,000 light-years from the galaxy’s center.

The Andromeda galaxy is one of our Milky Way’s closest neighbors. Its proximity gives astronomers an opportunity to investigate it in great detail. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has conducted two gigantic surveys that combined to image about two-thirds of the galaxy’s disk. Using that data, a team of researchers has measured 200 million individual stars to tease out the history of star formation in Andromeda. They found that star formation has decreased dramatically over the past 500 million years. And they asked: Is Andromeda in the late stages of a longer decline, or is it “running out of gas”?

“This project is the combination of multiple decades worth of experience to really get a holistic picture of the Andromeda galaxy,” said lead author Tobin Wainer of the University of Washington.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

Please do not reply to this message.
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Inbox Astronomy mailing list.

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach

Inbox Astronomy: NASA's Webb Discovers Hidden Planet in Famous Star System

2026-07-15T12:10:01.380+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Webb Discovers Hidden Planet in Famous Star System

Release date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 8:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Planet found through its atmospheric fingerprint opens new way to uncover worlds hidden in starlight

Few planetary systems have shaped astronomers’ understanding of planet formation as profoundly as Beta Pictoris. Since the discovery of its famous debris disk in 1983, observations with ground- and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, have revealed exocomets, intricate dust structure, giant exoplanets, and evidence of a planetary system still under construction. Now, Webb has uncovered a third giant planet using an entirely new approach: identifying it through the chemical fingerprint of its atmosphere.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

Please do not reply to this message.
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Inbox Astronomy mailing list.

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach

Inbox Astronomy: NASA=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=Roman Telescope Will Spot Distant Black Holes That Shred Stars

2026-07-14T14:38:18.574+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA’s Roman Telescope Will Spot Distant Black Holes That Shred Stars

Release date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Roman’s large tally will help illuminate the origins of supermassive black holes.

Supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies can be messy eaters. Sometimes when a wandering star gets too close, it will get shredded before it is consumed. In the process, the region around the black hole brightens and may outshine its entire galaxy. In that way, otherwise hidden black holes become detectable.

Once it launches as early as Aug. 30, 2026, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to observe up to 100 of these star-shredding events every year. That data will lead to a new understanding of how supermassive black holes first formed, and how they grow and evolve.

Lee esta historia en español.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

Please do not reply to this message.
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Inbox Astronomy mailing list.

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach