The view from the edge of a sparkling spiral galaxy | Space photo of the day for Oct. 20, 2026
The view from the edge of a sparkling spiral galaxy | Space photo of the day for Oct. 20, 2026

If you were approaching the edge of a spiral galaxy, arriving from afar through the cosmos, it might look something like this.

NASA’s Hubble Spies Spiral’s Edge
NASA’s Hubble Spies Spiral’s Edge

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, located roughly 37 million light-years away in the constellation Columba, the Dove.

Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin
Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin

First discovered in 2007, fast radio bursts are enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant universe. Their origin remains uncertain, particularly since most are seen once and never again. Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed the host galaxy of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen to date. Their […]

James Webb Space Telescope helps detect the most distant Fast Radio Burst ever seen — and scientists are surprised by its source
James Webb Space Telescope helps detect the most distant Fast Radio Burst ever seen — and scientists are surprised by its source

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered the most distant Fast Radio Burst (FRB) ever, more than doubling the previous record.

NASA Highlights Lessons Learned From Swift Boost Mission
NASA Highlights Lessons Learned From Swift Boost Mission

A commercial mission to boost NASA’s Swift observatory concluded without raising the spacecraft’s orbit, but the agency and industry vendor gained valuable experience that will benefit future in-space servicing programs.

NASA’s Hubble Seeks Lensed Supernova, Marks 200,000 Orbits
NASA’s Hubble Seeks Lensed Supernova, Marks 200,000 Orbits

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope completed its 200,000th orbit around Earth on Sept. 19, marking another new milestone for an observatory that continues to transform our understanding of the universe. Hubble has traveled more than 5 billion miles around Earth over its 36-year lifetime, exceeding 1.7 million total observations. An observation completed on the day of […]

NASA’s Chandra Finds Unusual Objects in Pinwheel Galaxy
NASA’s Chandra Finds Unusual Objects in Pinwheel Galaxy

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers found mysterious objects that give off unusually low-energy X-rays but intense levels of ultraviolet radiation. One of the galaxies they studied, M101, is pictured here in this image released on Sept. 9, 2026. Astronomers suggest these newly spotted objects in other galaxies may help solve not one, but two […]

NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy
NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy

Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It’s one of over a thousand galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound together by […]

Scientists discover mysterious new X-ray objects ‘unlike any they have seen before’

Faint in X-rays but bright in ultraviolet light, new objects found by NASA’s Chandra space telescope could help solve two great astrophysical mysteries.

NASA’s Chandra Unveils Mysterious X-Ray Objects
NASA’s Chandra Unveils Mysterious X-Ray Objects

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have discovered a new class of objects behaving unlike any they have seen before. Astronomers suggest these newly spotted objects in other galaxies may help solve not one, but two long-standing questions in astrophysics. These mysterious objects give off unusually low-energy X-rays but intense levels of ultraviolet radiation. This […]