Talk about a big year. 2011 turned out to be a banner year for NASA's Kepler mission, with the promise of even more exciting results to come in 2012. PlanetQuest reviews some of Kepler's 2011 highlights.
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SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE
Two extremely bright stars illuminate a greenish mist in this and other images from the new "GLIMPSE360" survey from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Galaxy Evolution Explorer
Uses ultraviolet wavelengths to measure the history of star formation 80 percent of the way back to the Big Bang.
› Mission home page
Keck Interferometer
Links two 10-meter (33-foot) telescopes, which form the world's most powerful optical telescope system.
› Telescope home page
Kepler Mission
The Kepler Mission will search for Earth-like planets with the "transit" method.
› Kepler home page
Palomar Observatory
A joint effort between JPL and the California Institute of Technology, the Palomar Observatory houses a collection of famous telescopes.
› Palomar home page
Spitzer Space Telescope
Uses infrared technology to study celestial objects that are too cool, too dust-enshrouded or too far away to otherwise be seen.
› Mission home page
Voyager to the Outer Planets
Voyager 1 and 2 flew past Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 is now approaching interstellar space.
› Mission home page
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
WISE is mapping the entire sky in infrared light, uncovering the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets.
› Mission home page
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The Turbulent, High-Energy Sky Is Keeping NuSTAR Busy
Like "things that go bump in the night," a few high-energy events in the universe have captured the attention of the NuSTAR telescope.
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Black Hole Naps Amidst Stellar Chaos
NASA's NuSTAR space telescope has found evidence of a slumbering massive black hole in a galaxy bursting with new stars.
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Shining a Light on Cool Pools of Gas in the Galaxy
The stuff of stars is not always easy to see. Thanks to the Herschel Space Observatory, invisible pools of gas in our galaxy are being mapped better than before.
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Cosmic Swirly Straws Feed Galaxy Created with the help of supercomputers, this simulation shows the formation of a massive galaxy during the first 2 billion years of the universe. |
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Mega Galaxy Merger This simulation shows the merging of two massive galaxies, sped up to cover 1.5 billion years of time. |
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Dead Star Warps Light of Red Star This artist's animation depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. |
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