Hidden behind a dark veil of dust in the constellation Sagittarius, a lurking dragon has been revealed by the infrared eye of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. It gives us a glimpse into how spiral arms affect the formation of stars.

The Dragon and the Swan (Gallery Explorer)

Witness our universe in a whole new way! This video series highlights some of the most exciting discoveries from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In-depth 'Showcase' features, striking 'Gallery Explorer' montages, and other whimsical specials take you beyond the visible to a universe of dust and stars hidden from Earth-bound eyes. Spitzer is the infrared component of the NASA Great Observatory program which also includes Hubble (visible), Chandra (x-ray), and Compton (gamma ray).

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One year ago, astronomers announced the discovery that seven roughly Earth-sized worlds orbited around the nearby star TRAPPIST-1. Now a year later, additional data have refined our understanding of these planets.We now know more about the TRAPPIST-1 system than any other solar system other than our own.

Homes Away From Home? Revisiting the Seven Planets of TRAPPIST-1

This artist's concept animation shows a brown dwarf with bands of clouds, thought to resemble those seen on Neptune and the other outer planets in the solar system.

Improving Brown Dwarf Weather Forecasts

Brown Dwarf Weather Annotated

May 3rd, 2017 marks the 5,000th day of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission. This video gives us a detailed look at six of these days, showing how an automated observatory like Spitzer, which is effectively an astronomy robot, spends its time. It’s overall mission design allows for an unprecedented degree of efficiency, allowing it to study the full range of astronomical phenomena including nearby objects in the solar system, stars in our galaxy, and galaxies out to the edge of the observable universe.

5000 Days in the Life of an Astronomy Robot

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which launched Aug. 25, 2003, will begin an extended mission—the “Beyond” phase—on Oct. 1, 2016.

The Dragon and the Swan (Gallery Explorer)

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