Inside the black hole image that made history

At the center of a galaxy more than 55 million light-years away, there's a supermassive black hole with the mass of several billion suns. And now, for the first time ever, we can see it. Astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman, head of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, speaks with TED's Chris Anderson about the iconic, first-ever image of a black hole -- and the epic, worldwide effort involved in capturing it. ... See more

At the center of a galaxy more than 55 million light-years away, there's a supermassive black hole with the mass of several billion suns. And now, for the first time ever, we can see it. Astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman, head of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, speaks with TED's Chris Ander... ... See more

Black hole may have swallowed neutron star, say astronomers

Astronomers may have spotted a neutron star being swallowed by a black hole for the first time, marked by a belch of gravitational waves rippling across the cosmos.

Scientists analyse whether gravitational wave detectors picked up signs of collision

Cygnus Cargo Spaceship Makes Easter Delivery to International Space Station

This morning, astronauts on the International Space Station successfully grappled Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Cygnus spacecraft with the station's robotic arm, snagging 7,600 lbs (3,447 kilograms) of cargo, just in time for Easter. ... See more

Early April 19, astronauts grappled the the Cygnus spacecraft at the International Space Station, snagging 7,600 pounds of cargo for the International Space Station.

World’s biggest airplane takes flight for the first time ever

The world’s largest airplane took flight for the first time ever on Saturday morning. Built by rocket launch company Stratolaunch, the 500,000-pound plane with a 385-foot wingspan lifted off shortly after 10AM ET from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. It was a critical first test flight for the aircraft, designed to launch rockets into orbit from the air. The inaugural flight lasted for 150 minutes, according to the company, after which the plane safely landed. ... See more

Stratolaunch’s rocket-launching plane took off early Saturday morning and safely landed two hours later

First ever black hole image released

Astronomers have taken the first ever image of a black hole, which is located in a distant galaxy.

It measures 40 billion km across - three million times the size of the Earth - and has been described by scientists as "a monster".

The black hole is 500 million trillion km away and was photographed by a network of eight telescopes across the world.

Details have been published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters. ... See more

Astronomers have taken the first ever image of a black hole, which is located in a distant galaxy.

Astronomers find evidence of a planet with a mass almost 13 times that of Jupiter

In the past three decades, almost 4,000 planet-like objects have been discovered orbiting isolated stars outside the solar system (exoplanets). Beginning in 2011, it was possible to use NASA's Kepler Space Telescope to observe the first exoplanets in orbit around young binary systems of two live stars with hydrogen still burning in their core. ... See more

In the past three decades, almost 4,000 planet-like objects have been discovered orbiting isolated stars outside the solar system (exoplanets). Beginning in 2011, it was possible to use NASA's Kepler Space Telescope to observe the first exoplanets in orbit around young binary systems of two live sta... ... See more

March 29 will be a historic day for NASA and women

On March 29, NASA will have the first all-female spacewalk in the agency's history. Conducting the spacewalk will be astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch. On the ground, they will be supported by an all-female crew at Houston's Johnson Space Center. ... See more

Mark your calendars!

SpaceX's 1st Crew Dragon Undocks from Space Station for Return to Earth

SpaceX's first Crew Dragon spacecraft cast off from the International Space Station for the return to Earth Friday (March 8th) as it wrapped up a historic test flight for NASA.

The Crew Dragon undocked from the space station at 2:32 a.m. EST (0732 GMT) as both spacecraft sailed 253 miles (407 kilometers) above Africa near Sudan. Its departure ended five days linked at the station following an arrival on Sunday (March 3) during a high-profile Demo-1 demonstration mission.

The spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, near Florida's eastern coast, at 8:45 a.m. EST (1345 GMT). ... See more

Undocking occurred at 2:32 a.m. EST.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully docks to the ISS for the first time

Just a day after launching to orbit, SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule automatically docked to a port on the International Space Station this morning — a critical part of its current test flight. This docking maneuver is something the capsule will have to do routinely in the future, when it starts transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. ... See more

No berthing required

New Horizons Spacecraft Returns Its Sharpest Views of Ultima Thule

The most detailed images of Ultima Thule -- obtained just minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach at 12:33 a.m. EST on Jan. 1 -- have a resolution of about 110 feet (33 meters) per pixel. Their combination of higher spatial resolution and a favorable viewing geometry offer an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the surface of Ultima Thule, believed to be the most primitive object ever encountered by a spacecraft. ... See more

The mission team called it a "stretch goal" – just before closest approach, precisely pointing the cameras on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to snap the sharpest possible pictures of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, its New Year's flyby target and the farthest object ever explored. ... See more