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Thursday, September 10, 2026

China Long March 4B Rocket Launches Six Yaogan Earth Observation Satellites

China Long March 4B Rocket Launches Six Yaogan Earth Observation Satellites

Six new Yaogan remote sensing satellites were added to low Earth orbit by a China Long March 4B rocket departing from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 10, 2026 at 17:00 pm China Standard Time (09:00 am Universal Coordinated Time). All six Earth observation satellites were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

In low Earth orbit, the six new remote sensing satellites are planned to support agricultural yield estimation, land and resource census, disaster prevention planning efforts, and scientific experiments.

Today’s launch was the 58th mission for the Long March 4B, the 119th launch of the Long March 4 series, the 275th Long March vehicle from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and the 666th launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 62nd launch from China in 2026.

Video Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
Text Credit: Jack C.

Duration: 31 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #YaoganSatellites #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #Agriculture #China #中国 #RocketLaunches #LongMarch4BRockets #长征四号乙火箭 #SAST #CASC #中国航天科技集团有限公司 #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #JSLC #酒泉卫星发射中心 #Spaceports #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Giraffe Nebula: LDN 1295 in Cassiopeia

The Giraffe Nebula: LDN 1295 in Cassiopeia

What does this image look like to you?

Many see a giraffe facing right with neck stretched high and long legs mid-stride (perhaps others may see a squirrel instead). This image shows LDN 1295, also called the Giraffe Nebula, in the constellation of the mythical queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia). It is an object in the Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebulas, compiled in 1962 by American astronomer Beverly Lynds, a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics. Dark nebulas are interstellar clouds of dust and gas that block the visible light of the stars behind them. These nebulas are often faint and challenging targets for astrophotographers.

Why do we see animal shapes and faces in nebulas and clouds?
It is due to pareidolia, our tendency to look for familiar patterns. Pareidolia may provide animals with an evolutionary advantage, for example in identifying (and avoiding) predators.

Image Description: A brown nebula in the shape of a running giraffe is seen in front of a dark field of stars.

Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandro Merga

Alessandro's website: https://www.instagram.com/alessandro_merga
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Nebulae #DarkNebulae #LDN1295 #GiraffeNebula #Pareidolia #InterstellarDustClouds #CassiopeiaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #AlessandroMerga #Astrophotographers #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UMCP #CRESSTII #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Astronaut Shows Upgraded Space Kitchen, Meal Option Choices | China Space Station

Astronaut Shows Upgraded Space Kitchen, Meal Option Choices | China Space Station

China's Tiangong Space Station has upgraded its in-orbit kitchen, featuring advanced heating equipment and diversified meal options, Lai Ka-ying, a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission, revealed during a science class for Hong Kong and Macao students on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Hundreds of students from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) gathered at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College in the HK SAR for the special "Tiangong Class".

During the space lecture, Lai delivered a dedicated introduction to the students covering the crew's daily orbital meals and upgraded food-heating tools aboard the space station.

"Ground technical personnel have prepared a diverse, nutritionally balanced diet for us. The menu includes staple foods, such as rice, noodles and bread, as well as dozens of specialty dishes ranging from Braised Pork in Brown Sauce and 'Fotiaoqiang' (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) to Kung Pao Chicken and Black Pepper Beef. We also have a variety of dehydrated vegetables that turn fresh and tasty once rehydrated. In addition, we can also make cheese in the space station, so our orbital food selection is extremely varied," she said.

Lai also explained the heating facilities that enable astronauts to enjoy freshly heated meals in the microgravity environment.

"The space station is equipped with two heating devices. The lower microwave heating device works on the same principle as household microwaves and is mainly used for heating staple foods like rice. The upper hot-air heating device adopts 360-degree circulating hot air technology, allowing astronauts to have hot meals in less than half an hour. A newly added hot-air baking machine marks the biggest highlight of the upgraded space kitchen. The space station is now equipped with a hot-air baking machine. It has solved the challenge of oil fume purification in confined spaces and can raise the maximum heating temperature to 190 degrees Celsius. This allows us to bake chicken wings, pumpkins and cakes right in the space station," she explained.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 45 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Students #Macao #HongKong #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch Day Review | NASA Goddard

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch Day Review | NASA Goddard

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 UTC) on August 30, 2026.

The telescope is destined for Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 1 million miles away where it will help change our understanding of the universe.

This video includes highlights from that exciting launch day.

Learn more about the mission at: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

The Roman telescope and the discoveries it will support:
https://www.stsci.edu/roman

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

Roman’s namesake—Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer—made it her personal mission to make cosmic vistas more readily accessible to all by paving the way for telescopes based in space.

“The mission will acquire enormous quantities of astronomical imagery that will permit scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries for decades to come, honoring Dr. Roman’s legacy in promoting scientific tools for the broader community,” said Jackie Townsend, Roman’s deputy project manager at NASA Goddard. “I like to think Dr. Roman would be extremely proud of her namesake telescope and thrilled to see what mysteries it will uncover in the coming years.”

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman:
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #SpaceX #FalconHeavyRocket #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope#NancyGraceRomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Quasar Photoionized Galaxies with Glowing Emerald Green Oxygen Gas | Hubble

Quasar Photoionized Galaxies with Glowing Emerald Green Oxygen Gas | Hubble

This video cycles through Hubble images of eight galaxies: the Teacup (more formally known as 2MASX J14302986+1339117), NGC 5972, 2MASX J15100402+0740370 and UGC 7342, and (from left to right on bottom row) NGC 5252, Mrk 1498, UGC 11185 and 2MASX J22014163+1151237.

In each of these eight images, a quasar beam has caused once-invisible filaments in deep space to glow through a process called photoionization. Photoionized describes an atom, molecule, or region that has lost electrons due to absorption of light (photons), resulting in ionization. Oxygen, helium, nitrogen, sulfur and neon gas in the filaments absorb light from their galaxy's quasar and slowly re-emit it over many thousands of years. The unmistakable emerald hue is caused by ionized oxygen. It glows green.

Credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel (University of Alabama, USA)
Duration: 37 seconds
Release Date: April 2, 2015

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AGNs #Quasars #BlackHoles #Nebulae #EmissionNebulae #OxygenGas #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Green Aurora Borealis from Oxygen Gas in Earth's Atmosphere: View from Sweden

Green Aurora Borealis from Oxygen Gas in Earth's Atmosphere: View from Sweden

Astrophotographer Karsten Berger: "Extremely bright green auroras last night."

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

The color of an aurora depends on the type of gas that is hit and where that gas is located in the atmosphere.

Excited oxygen can produce green and red. Green occurs roughly between 60 to 120 miles (100-200 km) altitude, and red occurs above 120 miles (200 km). Green occurs roughly between 60 to 120 miles (100-200 km) altitude, and red occurs above 120 miles (200 km).

Learn more about auroras:
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east.

Image Credit: Karsten Berger

Location: Kiruna, Schweden, Sweden
Date: Sept. 9, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Stars #Astrophotography #KarstenBerger #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #Kiruna #Schweden #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education

Lenticular Galaxy NGC 5972 in Serpens Caput | Hubble Space Telescope

Lenticular Galaxy NGC 5972 in Serpens Caput | Hubble Space Telescope

Twisting in the darkness like a disturbed double helix, lenticular galaxy NGC 5972 exhibits a remarkable structure of ionized gas. It appears to be reeling in space as a result of a huge disturbance, possibly a merger with another galaxy.

A lenticular, means "lens-shaped," galaxy occupies an intermediate position between elliptical and spiral galaxies in the Hubble Classification scheme.

The sweeping trails of gas—H-alpha and doubly ionized oxygen—would both usually be expected in areas of star creation and destruction—reach out into space far beyond the stars that comprise the main body of the galaxy.

Aside from its intriguing tendrils, NGC 5972 also plays host to an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This means a supermassive black hole resides at the center of the galaxy, and the accretion disc around this monster’s genocidal jaws is rotated with such ferocity that twin beams of plasma are ejected in opposite directions out into the depths of space at close to the speed of light. Because of the vast sums of energy involved, this process can be imaged most effectively in the radio wavelengths, and doing so produces images of structures that are of indescribable magnitudes.

In this image, a quasar beam has caused once-invisible filaments in deep space to glow through a process called photoionization. Oxygen, helium, nitrogen, sulfur and neon in the filaments absorb light from the quasar and slowly re-emit it over many thousands of years. The unmistakable emerald hue is caused by ionized oxygen. It glows green.

Picture a region about the size of the solar system, pouring out 100 to 1,000 times as much light as an entire galaxy containing a hundred billion stars, generating a glow that outshines its host galaxy and everything in it. These objects are called quasars. They are distant galaxies whose incredibly bright cores are powered by supermassive black holes. Quasars have been found with luminosities between 10 to 100,000 times that of our Milky Way galaxy, generated from an area just a few light-days to a few light-years across.

Quasars occur when immense amounts of matter fall into a supermassive black hole, spiraling around it in the form of a disk before entering. This “accretion disk” is subjected to extreme gravitational and frictional forces, causing the gas and dust to heat up to millions of degrees and become luminous, blasting out dazzling jets of material into the universe. Together, the jets and glowing disk outshine their host galaxies.

Image Processor Judy Schmidt: "Decided to reprocess this galaxy because I've learned a lot since the last time I processed it . . . I also wanted to show more of the galaxy itself to give more context to the glowing green and red (ionized oxygen and hydrogen, respectively) gas in the center. It's a highly disturbed galaxy . . ."

"The signal for everything but that glowing gas is pretty weak in the Hubble data, so I ended up using the Legacy Survey data to add in some more signal for the galaxy itself. I removed all other sources except for the galaxy since, visually, it matters less that it's lower resolution. A star will look like a fuzzy blob, but an already fuzzy object won't suffer near as much, at least from an aesthetic point of view. It blends well with the Hubble data this way."

Credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel (University of Alabama, USA)
Image Processing: Judy Schmidt
Release Date: Aug. 10, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC5972 #LenticularGalaxies #AGNs #Quasars #BlackHoles #Nebulae #EmissionNebulae #InteractingGalaxies #SerpensCaputConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

Distant Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4996 in Virgo | Subaru Telescope

Distant Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4996 in Virgo | Subaru Telescope

NGC 4996 is a lenticular galaxy in the Virgo constellation. NGC 4996 is situated close to the celestial equator and it is at least partly visible from Earth's northern and southern hemispheres during specific times of the year.

Distance from Earth: 260 million light-years

A lenticular, means "lens-shaped," galaxy occupies an intermediate position between elliptical and spiral galaxies in the Hubble Classification scheme. These galaxies exhibit little or no ongoing star formation and lack the prominent spiral arms that characterize spiral galaxies. Instead, many lenticular galaxies feature a bright central bar and, in certain cases, a faint outer ring. These are visible in the galaxy NGC 4996.

Astronomers believe that lenticular galaxies have lost much of the gas necessary for forming new stars. As star formation ceased, their spiral arms may have gradually faded from view. The bar and ring structures observed today are thought to be remnants of the galaxy’s former disk. Galaxies slowly change their appearance over time, and this lenticular galaxy may provide us with a glimpse of one stage in that evolutionary transition.

Learn more about Japan's Subaru Telescope:
https://subarutelescope.org/en/

Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ); Image provided by Masayuki Tanaka

Release Date: Aug. 26, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC4996 #LenticularGalaxies #VirgoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #SubaruTelescope #すばる望遠鏡 #NAOJ #国立天文台 #HyperSuprimeCam #HSC #Japan #日本 #MaunaKea #Hawaii #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Wednesday, September 09, 2026

Shenzhou-23 Crew Show Space Vegetable Garden to Students | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Crew Show Space Vegetable Garden to Students | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-23 crew members aboard the country's space station introduced the space vegetable garden during a "Tiangong Class" space lecture for students in China's Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) on Sept 9, 2026.

The three astronauts—Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-ying—served as space teachers. More than 200 primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong and Macao attended the class at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College in Hong Kong. It is the alma mater of Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong's first payload specialist. Many more students across the two regions watched the class via livestream.

During the lecture, Lai pointed to the compact garden setup before explaining how the cultivation system is structured.

"Everyone, take a look. This is the space vegetable garden, one of the most eye-catching features in the space station. Here we have sweet potatoes, mint, different varieties of lettuce, and kale. Up here on the space station, there's no soil, no natural rainfall, no sunlight. Plants depend entirely on this space plant cultivation device to survive. The space garden is made up of cultivation cups, water supply units, light units, ventilation units, and other components that together provide a good growing environment for the plants," Lai told the students.

"We take great care of them and witness the plants' growth, step by step, from sprouting to maturity. Seeing those green leaves is especially soothing. Once the vegetables are ready, we use a rotational harvesting method that preserves the roots, so a single lettuce plant can keep producing, ensuring we always have fresh vegetables to eat," she added.

Later, Lai invited commander Zhu Yangzhu to try freshly picked lettuce.

The event featured scientific explanations, demonstrations conducted aboard the space station and questions from students, followed by a live dialogue between the astronauts and students in Hong Kong and Macao.

Chinese astronauts first successfully grew lettuce aboard the Shenzhou-11 Mission in November 2016, using a miniature space greenhouse. Since then, astronauts have completed the full life-cycle cultivation of rice and wheat, mastering plant-growing techniques in microgravity.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 9, 2026

Astronauts Play Water-Ball Ping-Pong in Space Lecture | China Space Station

Astronauts Play Water-Ball Ping-Pong in Space Lecture | China Space Station

Astronauts aboard China's Tiangong Space Station played a game of "ping-pong" using a droplet of water instead of a ball during a space lecture on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, captivating students from Hong Kong and Macao with a vivid demonstration of fluid mechanics and material science in microgravity.

The Shenzhou-23 crew, commander Zhu Yangzhu, spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and Hong Kong's first payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, delivered the Tiangong Class session specially designed for students in the two special administrative regions.

During the water-ball ping-pong demonstration, Zhu, who first performed the experiment during the Shenzhou-16 mission in 2023, showed that a racket covered with a towel could repel the ping-pong-like droplet. Zhu explained that the trick lies in the towel's hydrophobicity and the micro-nano structure it forms can easily repel water. He then teamed up with Lai for a friendly "match" using the towel-covered bats.

"A seemingly light-hearted and fun water-ball ping-pong game contains multiple scientific principles in fluid mechanics and material science. From the first demonstration by the Shenzhou-16 crew to our reproduction of the experiment today, we hope to turn abstract knowledge into tangible, interesting reality and plant the seeds of scientific exploration in every student," Zhu said.

"A tiny droplet of water, hovering 400 kilometers above Earth, symbolizes the scientific dreams of Hong Kong and Macao taking root in the nation's space program. Hong Kong and Macao have long been deeply involved in the country's space endeavors, the Tianyun camera, developed by a joint team of scientists from Hong Kong and the mainland, is a vivid example of this collaboration. The mainland has opened the door to space exploration, while Hong Kong and Macao contribute their own scientific strengths to the national mission. Hong Kong, Macao, and the Tiangong space station gaze upon each other from afar, united in heart and purpose. Together, we journey toward the boundless starry sea that all Chinese people dream of," she said.

The class also featured other demonstrations, including a floating bauhinia flower clay sculpture, Hong Kong's floral emblem, and an introduction to the Tianyun camera, a space station instrument developed with input from a Hong Kong research team.

The event was jointly organized by the governments of China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs), along with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). More than 200 primary and secondary school students from the two regions attended the ground class at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College in Hong Kong, Lai's alma mater.

The session was broadcast live to primary and secondary schools across both regions, as well as through official online platforms and local broadcasters.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 40 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 9, 2026

Mysterious X-ray Objects Unveiled | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Mysterious X-ray Objects Unveiled | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Scientists have discovered a new class of objects that are behaving unlike any they have seen before by using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Astronomers suggest that these new objects may help solve not one, but two, long-standing questions in astrophysics.

The researchers found a total of 84 of what they call “hypersoft X-ray sources” in six galaxies. They named them this because these mysterious objects give off unusually low-energy X-rays but intense levels of ultraviolet radiation.

The team discovered the hypersoft X-ray sources by looking for objects in the Chandra archive containing the lowest-energy X-rays. Two of the galaxies with these new objects are spirals, M31 and M101, and the other four are ellipticals. In addition to their different galactic homes, the hypersoft X-ray sources were found in both regions of active star formation and areas where there are older stars.

Given all of the clues the researchers gathered, they think the most likely explanation for these new sources involves a black hole, neutron star or white dwarf pulling material from a companion star. The material pulled from the companion star is heated up to produce X-rays before falling onto the white dwarf or neutron star, or into the black hole. Binary systems like this have been seen before but astronomers have never seen them behaving in this manner.

The discovery of this new class of sources suggests that large populations of binary systems with energetic ultraviolet radiation have previously been missed.

Why were these hypersoft X-ray sources not found until now?

In addition to the low-energy X-ray output, very difficult for X-ray telescopes to detect, the high-energy ultraviolet radiation is readily absorbed by helium and hydrogen gas that fills the space in between the stars, creating a “nearly impenetrable barrier” to look through.

By overcoming this observational obstacle, the researchers think this new class of objects may help explain the origin of Type Ia supernova explosions—the kind used to measure the accelerating expansion of the universe—as well as the stripping of electrons in gas in between galaxies. Whatever their role turns out to be, astronomers will be searching for more of these unusual objects and studying them with Chandra in the future.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Alabama/M. Muhibullah et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 9, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #HypersoftXraySources #Stars #Supernovae #Galaxies #M31 #M101 #NGC5457 #ThePinwheelGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #CXC #HST #NASAGoddard #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

3D Animation of Most Distant Galaxy Proto-supercluster COSMOS-z3.1-A

3D Animation of Most Distant Galaxy Proto-supercluster COSMOS-z3.1-A

This animation shows a 3D model of the newly discovered galaxy proto-supercluster named COSMOS-z3.1-A. A proto-supercluster is a loose collection of galaxies that will one day coalesce into a stable ‘cluster-of-clusters’ of galaxies. Having been observed when the Universe was only 2.1 billion years old, COSMOS-z3.1-A is the earliest, most distant proto-supercluster ever found, and it boasts an impressive mass 5,000 times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

The light blue circles represent galaxies that are confirmed members of COSMOS-z3.1-A. The blue-to-purple gradient of the clouds surrounding them represents the density of galaxies throughout the proto-supercluster.

COSMOS-z3.1-A was discovered using data from the One-hundred-deg2 DECam Imaging in Narrowbands (ODIN) survey. This survey is conducted with the DOE-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the NSF Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a program of NSF NOIRLab.

To map the proto-supercluster in 3D, spectra were acquired using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) on the NSF Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona, a Program of NSF NOIRLab, and the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) on the Keck II telescope on Maunakea in Hawai‘i.

This 3D model was created using Blender.

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA/DSS2/NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
Acknowledgment: The original version of this 3D model was created by A. Ortiz (Purdue)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)
Motion Graphics: R. Proctor
Duration: 26 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #ProtoSuperclusters #COSMOSz31A #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Journey to Galaxy Proto-supercluster COSMOS-z3.1-A | Victor Blanco Telescope

Journey to Galaxy Proto-supercluster COSMOS-z3.1-A | Victor Blanco Telescope

This video zooms into the newly discovered galaxy proto-supercluster named COSMOS-z3.1-A.

A proto-supercluster is a loose collection of galaxies that will one day coalesce into a stable ‘cluster-of-clusters’ of galaxies. Having been observed when the Universe was only 2.1 billion years old, COSMOS-z3.1-A is the earliest, most distant proto-supercluster ever found, and it boasts an impressive mass 5,000 times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

COSMOS-z3.1-A was discovered using data from the One-hundred-deg2 DECam Imaging in Narrowbands (ODIN) survey. This survey is conducted with the Department of Energy (DOE) fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a program of NSF NOIRLab.

The members of the proto-supercluster are difficult to see in this image due to their expansive distribution against a crowded background.

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026

Close-up: Galaxy proto-supercluster—COSMOS-z3.1-A | Victor Blanco Telescope

Close-up: Galaxy proto-supercluster—COSMOS-z3.1-A | Victor Blanco Telescope

Captured within this image is the newly discovered galaxy proto-supercluster named COSMOS-z3.1-A. A proto-supercluster is a loose collection of galaxies that will one day coalesce into a stable ‘cluster-of-clusters’ of galaxies. Having been observed when the Universe was only 2.1 billion years old, COSMOS-z3.1-A is the earliest, most distant proto-supercluster ever found, and it boasts an impressive mass 5,000 times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

The members of the proto-supercluster are difficult to see in this image due to their expansive distribution against a crowded background.

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026

COSMOS-z3.1-A: Most distant galaxy proto-supercluster | Victor Blanco Telescope

COSMOS-z3.1-A: Most distant galaxy proto-supercluster | Victor Blanco Telescope

The members of the proto-supercluster are difficult to see in this image due to their expansive distribution against a crowded background.

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

The Eclipse and The Stork

The Eclipse and The Stork

How do animals react to a total solar eclipse?

The featured image shows a stork roosting on her nest in Poland at a partial phase of the recent total solar eclipse. If you are lucky enough to experience a total eclipse somewhere quiet and close to nature, you may be able to notice unusual daytime animal behaviors. During totality, you may hear nighttime sounds like crickets and frogs and see fireflies. In the dark, most birds are quiet. Thinking that it is time to go to bed, ducks and other waterfowl prepare to sleep on one leg with their heads turned around and their beaks tucked into their back feathers (they do not really sleep with their heads tucked under one wing). When sunlight returns at the end of totality, songbirds greet the new "morning" with their dawn songs. The crickets and frogs go quiet again. Animals and people resume their lives, only briefly disturbed by the chance alignment of our Sun and Moon.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the face of the Sun.

Image Credit & Copyright: Włodzimierz Bubak

Włodzimierz's website:

https://www.instagram.com/trzeci_plan
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Release Date: Sept. 3, 2026

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