CS Knowledge Base

Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets. Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, astronomy studies everything that originates beyond Earth's atmosphere. Cosmology is the branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole.

Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences. The early civilizations in recorded history made methodical observations of the night sky. These include the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, Maya, and many ancient indigenous peoples of the Americas. In the past, astronomy included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars.

Astronomy is one of the few sciences in which amateurs play an active role. This is especially true for the discovery and observation of transient events. Amateur astronomers have helped with many important discoveries, such as finding new comets. (Full article...)

The Hubble Space Telescope during STS-125

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versatile, renowned as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy. The Hubble Space Telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble and is one of NASA's Great Observatories. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) selects Hubble's targets and processes the resulting data, while the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) controls the spacecraft.

Hubble features a 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) mirror, and its five main instruments observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. It has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images, allowing a deep view into space. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as determining the rate of expansion of the universe. The Hubble Space Telescope was funded and built in the 1970s by NASA with contributions from the European Space Agency. Its intended launch was in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the 1986 Challenger disaster. (Full article...)

• ... that light echoes appear to exceed the speed of light due to simple interstellar illusions?
• ... that the Leo IV dwarf galaxy is one of the smallest satellites of the Milky Way?
• ... that a hydrocarbon lake on Saturn's moon Titan and an active volcano on Jupiter's moon Io are among the Solar System features named after deities from Māori mythology?
• ... that the Local Void is an empty region of space, devoid of matter, lying adjacent to our own Milky Way galaxy?
• ... that William Herschel's 40-foot telescope was the largest telescope in the world for 50 years?

• ... that some exoplanets are evaporating catastrophically?
• ... that fictional planets of the Solar System include planets between Venus and Earth, planets on the inside of a hollow Earth, and a planet "behind the Earth"?
• ... that Pisces VII, a dwarf satellite galaxy, is the first galaxy in the Local Group to be discovered by an amateur astronomer?
• ... that Na drugą planetę, published in 1895 as one of the earliest Polish science-fiction novels, was later criticized by communist-era censors for its perceived "adoration for America"?
• ... that a group of K-pop fans performed a dance with the goal of convincing a company to commit to 100% renewable energy?
• ... that Carl Grillmair, a Canadian astrophysicist at Caltech, discovered water on multiple exoplanets?

IC 405, also Sharpless 229 (Sh2-229), Caldwell 31 and The Flaming Star Nebula, is an emission/reflection nebula and a Caldwell object in the constellation Auriga, surrounding the bluish star AE Aurigae. It shines at magnitude +6.0. The nebula is about 5 light-years across. This is a white light image of the Flaming Star Nebula showing the "smoke" of reflection nebula.

6 October 2026 –

Belgian physicist Francis Halzen from the University of Wisconsin–Madison is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin". (CNN)

16 September 2026 – Discoveries of exoplanets

Astronomers confirm the existence of Elias 2-24 b, the youngest known exoplanet, which is less than one million years old and located approximately 450 light-years from Earth. The discovery was observed through the W.M. Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, U.S., using a coronagraph. (Space.com)

12 August 2026 – MoM-BH*-1

Astronomers studying a little red dot found by the James Webb Space Telescope announce in Nature the discovery of the first black hole star. The first object classed as such, [[MoM-BH;12 August 2026 – MoM-BH*-1

-1]], in the constellation of Cetus, is the size of the Solar System and emits a light that outshines its host galaxy. (The Guardian) (PopSci)

16 July 2026 –

Astronomers report the first observationally confirmed atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet within its star's habitable zone, after detecting helium escaping from the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140 b, a super-Earth approximately 49 light-years from Earth. (Space.com)

15 July 2026 – Discoveries of exoplanets

Astronomers directly image the exoplanet Beta Pictoris d next to its star, located 63 light-years away, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. It is also reported to be fainter than its sibling Beta Pictoris b. The discovery is published in the The Astrophysical Journal. (ABC News) (Space.com)

13 July 2026 –

Astronomers announce that an erythrulose molecule was detected inside a cloud of gas and dust near the center of the Milky Way. It is the first evidence of sugar in interstellar space. (Nature)

• 1 October 2003 – The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is formed from a merger of three previous Japanese space agencies
• 4 October 1957 – The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, is launched into orbit by the Soviet Union, triggering the Space Race
• 5 October 2012 – CSIRO's Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope, which detected the first Odd radio circle in 2019, has its first light.
• 15 October 1997 – The Cassini space probe launches and is active in space for nearly 20 years
• 15 October 2003 – The People's Republic of China becomes the third nation to send a human into space when Yang Liwei is launched into outer space aboard Shenzhou 5
• 24 October 1946 – First motion pictures of Earth are taken from a V-2 rocket
• 29 October 1991 – Galileo probe flyby of Asteroid Gaspra
• 31 October 1961 – Murriyang, CSIRO's 64 m Parkes radio telescope at the Parkes Observatory on Wiradjuri Country in NSW, was inaugurated.