- The oldest planet in the entire universe, PSR B1620-26 b (nicknamed "Methuselah")
This is the oldest exoplanet found to date at 13 billion years old, possibly the oldest ever considering the Universe itself is only a little older at 13.7 billion years old! It was found deep inside the core of what is called a “globular cluster” of stars, which are composed of the very first stars that were formed right after the Big Bang. And based on our knowledge of planet formation planets are born soon after their parent star, so if the exoplanet’s star is really old, then the planet itself must be really old as well.
- Megamasers
To send 2016 off properly, Hubble has captured the most detailed image to date of the mysterious galaxy IRAS 16399-0937, which acts as a giant, astronomical laser.
But it's not your standard laser. Instead of blasting out visible light, the galaxy pumps out an intense and constant stream of microwave radiation. "This galaxy has a far more exciting and futuristic classification than most - it hosts a megamaser," explains NASA (microwave + laser = maser). Masers are found throughout the Universe, wherever molecular clouds of dust amplify any microwave radiation that passes through, enhancing and focussing the amount that's emitted on the other side.
There are even some masers in our own galaxy, but megamaser IRAS 16399-0937 is a lot brighter - 100 million times brighter, to be specific, and almost the entire galaxy acts as a maser, rather than just one or two molecular clouds.
- Hubble Telescope’s Last Day is not far
The Hubble’s estimated decay date would be somewhere between the year 2030 and 2040. So what happens after that ?
The James Webb Space Telescope
, also called Webb or JWST, is a large, space-based observatory, optimized for infrared wavelengths, which will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It will cover longer wavelengths of light than Hubble and will have greatly improved sensitivity. It is under construction and scheduled to launch in October 2018.Hubble, one of the highly advanced telescope was launched in the year 1990. Imagine the amount of technical advancements the new JWST would have and it’s impact on astronomical studies.