The EDGE

Inbox Astronomy: Hubble Solves Merger Mystery From Milky Way=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=Early Years

2026-08-17T16:46:20.120+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Hubble Solves Merger Mystery From Milky Way’s Early Years

Release date: Monday, August 17, 2026 11:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Astronomers find strong evidence for a massive merger 1.8 billion years earlier than the oldest previously known significant merger.

The early universe was a chaotic place, crowded with young galaxies that smashed together and agglomerated into larger and larger galaxies over billions of years. Our own Milky Way experienced such collisions, but the details are difficult to tease out since they occurred so long ago. Researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have now extended our knowledge of the Milky Way’s history 1.8 billion years farther back in time than ever before, finding strong evidence that it merged with another galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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Inbox Astronomy: Lion Nebula Roars to Life With NASA=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=Webb

2026-08-10T14:18:18.777+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Lion Nebula Roars to Life With NASA’s Webb

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

It’s the circle of life and it moves us all — even stars.

The James Webb Space Telescope has gazed across the open “plains” of space to capture a snapshot of NGC 2392, also known as the Lion Nebula. This feline-shaped planetary nebula is the “mane” event, at least temporarily. After several thousand years in the making, it’s finally roaring to life before it will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years. In infrared light, Webb reveals complex structures of gas and dust that are illuminated by and migrating away from the source that is powering it all: the dying central star.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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Inbox Astronomy: NASA Webb Explores Family Tree of Newly Discovered Distant Objects

2026-07-29T14:06:19.724+00:00

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA Webb Explores Family Tree of Newly Discovered Distant Objects

Release date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

What do little red dots become as the universe ages?

It’s been a question since they were discovered in the high-redshift universe by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. With each additional observation and analysis, astronomers have gradually learned more about the nature of these mysterious red sources.

A team of scientists is now providing one branch of the little red dot family tree by sifting through multi-mission telescope data to carefully examine a spiral galaxy at lower redshift. The face-on galaxy, dubbed the “Saguaro” for its prominent arms, is reminiscent of the desert plant in another way: Like the ruby red fruit of the Saguaro cactus, this galaxy has a little red dot in its center, making it a scene ripe for study.

Find additional resources at www.stsci.edu

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