ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC

Sharing out-of-this-world astrophysics with our on-this-world audience. Brought to you by @CaltechIPAC

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

The 2nd image shows the same region of the sky, but in three wavelengths chosen (from the 102 total viewed by SPHEREx) to highlight the glow of stars in the disk of the Milky Way. The wavelengths of 0.8, 1.63, and 2.6 microns have been assigned to the colors blue, green, and red.

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

These clouds host molecules like water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which are vital to the chemistry that allows life to develop. Researchers believe these ice reservoirs, attached to the surfaces of tiny dust grains, are where the universe’s water is formed & stored.

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

The first image shows the chemical signatures of water ice (shown in bright blue) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (orange) in Cygnus X, one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our Milky Way galaxy.

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

NASA's SPHEREx mission is mapping 'interstellar glaciers' across our galaxy, and these icy regions may be the origins of glaciers—and all water—on Earth 💧

https://t.co/dPgkC87J5T

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! 🪨🎶🎵

@caltechipac scientist Catherine Clark was quoted in a @PhysicsToday article about the science behind the book and recently released movie @projecthailmary

Check out her quote about Rocky's home planet here:
https://t.co/bhGrXrYnSq

[NASA @NASA]

Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back.

Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: https://t.co/rzM1P0QbOl

[Caltech Astro Outreach @CaltechAstro]

Caltech and NASA JPL scientists are tracking Artemis II on its way to the Moon. These images were taken using the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, one of the largest telescopes in the world.

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

The dust particles are composed of silicates (similar to beach sand), carbonaceous grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace the gas distribution in the galaxy. The well-mixed gas and dust provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation.

🧵3/3

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

A green-tinted double whammy: it's St. Patrick's Day & #MessierMarathon week! 💚

Messier 81 is a sight to behold in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In the night sky, M81 is visible with binoculars! (but it won't look green like in this infrared image 😉)

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[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

This 8-micron image reveals infrared emissions from hot dust, heated by nearby luminous stars. These dust particles absorb ultraviolet and visible light, re-emitting it as longer infrared wavelengths.

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[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

This wobbly, energetic black hole is the first of its kind, and its discovery offers new insights into how galaxies evolve:

https://t.co/PP2mjvJ8tO

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

"It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers"

Astronomers have captured the most detailed look yet at faraway galaxies at the peak of their youth, an active time when the adolescent galaxies were hastily producing new stars.

Read more: https://t.co/ntq9hDbXnR

[Caltech IPAC @caltechipac]

NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky!
This is the most comprehensive spectral view of the infrared sky, with 102 colors (or wavelengths) of infrared light from observations made between May and December 2025.

[Caltech IPAC @caltechipac]

IPAC scientist finds evidence for a planet in the same star system as #Avatar's Pandora!
If confirmed by additional observations, "Its very existence [...] would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments."
https://t.co/qcgEtVBr55

[Caltech IPAC @caltechipac]

Betelgeuse’s Companion Star May Have Been Seen at Last 👯‍♀️
https://t.co/JgQdTaRmWo

"It always amazes me how much we still have to learn. Even stars like Betelgeuse, which we have studied for literally thousands of years, can still surprise us," said David Ciardi.

[TED Fellows @TEDFellow]

Want to learn more? Jessie’s podcast with @ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC is a great listen for anyone fascinated by what’s out there in the cosmos. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on @spotify: https://t.co/eJzaGK6DLm

[TED Fellows @TEDFellow]

Have you ever wondered if humans could live on another planet? 🤔

@NASA’s chief scientist of exoplanets and TED Fellow, Jessie Christiansen, has helped identify nearly 6,000 exoplanets — some blazing hot, others with the potential to sustain life.

She breaks down 3 contenders for life beyond Earth and more in her @TEDTalks: https://t.co/wYUrqQdLR1

#NASA #exoplanets #spaceexploration #TEDTalk

[ExploreAstro at Caltech IPAC @ExploreAstro]

Could a ‘false positive’ planet be hiding a cosmic dance partner? 💃🪩

Scientists recently discovered two planets, KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c. Watch more about this planetary merry-go-round here: https://t.co/Gs5lrNTE2t

[Caltech IPAC @caltechipac]

This giant planet orbiting a tiny star is challenging our current theories 🧩🤔
Planet TOI-6894b is a low-density gas giant with a radius a bit larger than Saturn. The host star is the lowest mass star to have a transiting giant planet discovered to date.
https://t.co/PHsmy0pgYE

[Caltech IPAC @caltechipac]

Let the science begin! 🥁
On May 1, NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory began regular science operations, which consist of taking about 3,600 images per day.
Read more here: https://t.co/9HnTrGgsMJ