GALEX Press Releases

  • NGC 404

    Press Release: 'Ghost of Mirach' Materializes in Space Telescope Image

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has lifted the veil off a ghost known to haunt the local universe, providing new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies.

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  • UV light from a dying star

    From University of Oxford: Ultraviolet Gives View Inside Real ‘Death Star’

    Scientists have, for the first time, observed a flash of ultraviolet light from within a dying star giving vital evidence of how stars turn into supernovae.

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  • Messier 83

    Press Release: Stellar Birth in the Galactic Wilderness

    A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows baby stars sprouting in the backwoods of a galaxy -- a relatively desolate region of space more than 100,000 light-years from the galaxy's bustling center.

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  • Mira

    Press Release: Speeding Bullet Star Leaves Enormous Streak Across Sky

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space at supersonic speeds. The star, named Mira after the Latin word for "wonderful," has been a favorite of astronomers for about 400 years. It is a fast-moving, older star called a red giant that sheds massive amounts of surface material.

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  • NGC 5291

    From NRAO: "Missing Mass" Found in Recycled Dwarf Galaxies

    Astronomers studying dwarf galaxies formed from the debris of a collision of larger galaxies found the dwarfs much more massive than expected, and think the additional material is "missing mass" that theorists said should not be present in this kind of dwarf galaxy.

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  • M81

    Press Release: 'That's Hot!' GALEX Celebrates Four Years in Space

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer is celebrating its fourth year in space with some of M81's "hottest" stars.

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  • Z Cam

    Press Release: GALEX Finds Link Between Big and Small Stellar Blasts

    Proof that certain double star systems can erupt in full-blown explosions and then continue to flare up with smaller bursts has been spotted by the ultraviolet eyes of NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer.

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  • Supermassive Black Hole

    Press Release: NASA Telescope Sees Black Hole Munch on a Star

    A giant black hole has been caught red-handed dipping into a cosmic cookie jar of stars by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer. This is the first time astronomers have seen the whole process of a black hole eating a star, from its first to nearly final bites.

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  • Supermassive Black Hole

    Press Release: Huge Black Holes Stifle Star Formation

    Supermassive black holes in some giant galaxies create such a hostile environment, they shut down the formation of new stars, according to NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer findings published in the August 24th issue of Nature.

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  • Triple Scoop of Galactic Goodies

    Press Release: Triple Scoop of Galactic Goodies

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer dishes up a feast of cool cosmic treats from its first three years in orbit.

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  • Survey of Nearby Galaxies

    Press Release: GALEX Distributes Local Galactic Treasures at AAS

    From sparkling blue rings to dazzling golden disks, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) scientists are handing out a collection of their finest galactic treasures at the January 2006 American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C.

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  • Cartwheel Galaxy

    Press Release: Cartwheel Galaxy Makes Waves in New NASA Image

    A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer completes a multi-wavelength, neon-colored portrait of the enormous Cartwheel galaxy after a smaller galaxy plunged through it, triggering ripples of sudden, brief star formation.

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  • NGC 4625

    Press Release: NASA Telescope Reveals Nearby Galaxy's Invisible Arms

    A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows that a galaxy once thought to be rather plain and old is actually endowed with a gorgeous set of young spiral arms.

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  • GJ 3685A

    Press Release: NASA Telescope Catches Surprise Ultraviolet Light Show

    It was a day like any other for a nearby star named GJ 3685A until it suddenly exploded with light. At 2 p.m. Pacific time, April 24, 2004, the detectors on NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer ultraviolet space telescope nearly overloaded when the star abruptly brightened by a factor of at least 10,000. After the excitement was over, astronomers realized that they had just recorded a giant star eruption, or flare, about one million times more energetic than those from our Sun.

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  • NGC 1097, NGC 1097A

    Press Release: Galaxy Evolution Explorer Turns Two

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, which observes galaxies in ultraviolet light, is celebrating its launch anniversary, April 28, 2003. The mission's observations will help scientists understand how galaxies, the basic structure of the universe, evolve and change.

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  • NGC 300

    Press Release: Spiral Galaxy Puts on the Glitz

    This color composite image of nearby NGC 300 combines the visible-light pictures from Carnegie Institution of Washington's 100-inch telescope at Las Campanas Observatory (colored red and yellow), with ultraviolet views from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Galaxy Evolution Explorer detectors image far ultraviolet light (colored blue).

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  • Galex Craft

    Press Release: Aging Universe May Still Be Spawning Massive Galaxies

    NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted what appear to be massive "baby" galaxies in our corner of the universe. Previously, astronomers thought the universe's birth rate had dramatically declined and only small galaxies were forming.

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