NASA’s Pandora telescope will study stars in detail to learn about the exoplanets orbiting them

The findings from Pandora will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope to give astronomers more insight into stars and planets outside our solar system.

By: Daniel Apai, University of Arizona, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 11, 2026

Words: 992

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 5 days ago

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By Daniel Apai, University of Arizona

On Jan. 11, 2026, I watched anxiously at the tightly controlled Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as an awe-inspiring SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried NASA’s new exoplanet telescope, Pandora, into orbit.

Exoplanets are worlds that orbit other stars. They are very difficult to observe because – seen from Earth – they appear as extremely faint dots right next to their host stars, which are …

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