Expedition 75 Crew Photos: Oct. 9-16, 2026 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Crew Photos: Oct. 9-16, 2026 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins works inside the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox, safely mixing living cell samples with a bioink and then filling a special cartridge with the cell‑ink mixture. The advanced research operations were part of the InSPA‑Auxilium Bioprinter‑Cell Printing investigation, which explores 3D bioprinting cartilage tissue in microgravity of higher quality than that produced on Earth. Results may advance the ability to biomanufacture cartilage, benefiting patients on Earth and crew members on long‑duration space missions.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Luke Delaney inspects and cleans ventilation system components aboard the International Space Station. Delaney also collected airflow measurements, helping ground teams assess the overall health of the station’s ventilation system, identify blockages, and verify that air circulates properly to maintain hardware functionality and crew comfort.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins wraps up her shift inside the International Space Station's Unity module after a busy schedule of 3D bioprinting research and orbital plumbing duties.

From left, Expedition 75 crewmates Anna Kikina and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos (Russia) and Anil Menon of NASA train to wear and use an emergency breathing mask inside the International Space Station's Zvezda service module. Each crew member ensures the mask fits, seals properly, and can be used quickly and safely in the unlikely event of an emergency involving harmful gas.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Luke Delaney smiles for a portrait while checking out a spacesuit inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina configures hardware inside the Harmony module to support the undocking of the Dragon spacecraft that returned NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 members to Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Luke Delaney works inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module on a space botany investigation. Delaney configured petri plates and experiment modules to help researchers observe the genetic responses of plants growing in microgravity, advancing the development of spacecraft life‑support systems.

Crew Update: Flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency are gearing up for the first of two spacewalks to install roll-out solar arrays on the space station’s truss structure. The first spacewalk is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2026, when Menon will go on his fourth excursion and Kutryk will go on his first to install a roll-out solar array on the truss structure’s port side. The second spacewalk will take place on Nov. 5 when the duo will install the station’s eighth and final roll-out solar array on the truss structure’s starboard side.

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Pyotr Dubrov 
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Anna Kikina, Sergey Teteryatnikov

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Flight Engineer: Joshua Kutryk

NASA Flight Engineers: Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney 

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Anil Menon/Jessica Watkins/Joshua Kutryk
Image Date: Oct. 9-16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Taurid Meteor over Arizona

Taurid Meteor over Arizona

Astrophotographer Eliot Herman: "This Taurid is the first bright one I have captured this year. The Taurids often produce many fireballs and bright meteors over a few weeks that is great because the weather will cooperate many nights. This differs from most other showers that have one good night or even just a few hours to catch the meteor stream that can be ruined by weather. Setting up for a scenic with chance of Taurid fireballs is one of my favorite fall goals. Next few weeks will hopefully generate quite a few good meteors."

Every year from September-November, the Earth passes through a broad stream of debris left by Comet Encke. The dust associated with the comet hits the Earth’s atmosphere at 65,000 mph and burns up, creating the Taurid meteor shower. Most years the shower is weak, and only a few Taurid meteors can be seen each night. Other years, the Taurids can put on a show.

This shower appears to radiate from the near Taurus, but will be visible across the entire night sky.

Taurid meteors can be seen any time the constellation Taurus is above the horizon during the months of September, October, and November. The best time to look for Taurids is after midnight, when Taurus is high in the sky, and when the sky is dark and clear, with no moonlight to mask the fainter meteors. Given the behavior of past Taurid swarms, increased fireball activity may be seen during the last week of October and the first two weeks of November.

If you want to try to spot some meteors, remember to bundle up, as it is getting late in the year! Get to a dark spot, get comfortable, bring extra blankets to stay warm, and let your eyes adjust to the dark sky. A cozy lounge chair makes for a great seat, as does simply lying on your back on a blanket, eyes scanning the whole sky.  

Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Image Credit: Eliot Herman
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

Image Details: Nikon Z7II and Nikon 20 mm F1.8

Eliot's website: https://flic.kr/p/2sHieLo
Image Date: Oct. 20, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Comets #CometEncke #Asteroids #Meteors #TauridMeteors #Taurids #TaurusConstellations #Astrophotography #EliotHerman #Astrophotographers #Tucson #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal | International Space Station

The Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal | International Space Station

The Iberian Peninsula, comprised mainly of Spain and Portugal and bounded by the Pyrenees to the northeast (top) and the Strait of Gibraltar to the south (bottom left), is pictured from the International Space Station while orbiting above northern Africa. The microstate of Andorra, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, and a small portion of southern France are also part of this geographical landmass in southwestern Europe. 

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Peninsular Spain is bordered to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar and Morocco, through its enclaves in North Africa; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country in Southwestern Europe. Mainland Portugal is located on the southwestern portion of the Iberian Peninsula, and bordered by Spain to the north and east. Portugal also includes the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Pyotr Dubrov 
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Anna Kikina, Sergey Teteryatnikov

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Flight Engineer: Joshua Kutryk

NASA Flight Engineers: Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney 

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Anil Menon
Image Date: Oct. 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #IberianPeninsula #Spain #España #Portugal #Portuguesa #Astronauts #AnilMenon #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Launch Recap: Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft | JAXA

Launch Recap: Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft | JAXA

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.10 at 4:41am Japan Standard Time (JST) on October 20, 2026, from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a small island in southwestern Japan.

The H3 Launch Vehicle flew as planned, and approximately 71 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the MMX spacecraft was confirmed. The MMX spacecraft was then injected into the predetermined orbit.

MMX is a sample return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. After arriving at Mars, the spacecraft will study Phobos from orbit, land on the moon to collect samples, and return this material to Earth. MMX will also conduct observations of Mars, and perform close flyby observations of Mars’s smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system. The mission is expected to last about five years with arrival at Mars roughly one year after launch and sample return to Earth planned for 2031.

MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons and return a sample, and also humanity’s first round-trip from the Mars sphere.

MMX is a Japan-led mission with strong international involvement from the USA (NASA), France (CNES), Germany (DLR), Europe (ESA), and Australia (ASA).

Japan's MMX Mission "aims to reveal the origin of Mars’ moons and shed light on the evolution of Mars, and potentially habitable environments in the early Solar System.

The Martian moons may be captured asteroids, or they may have formed from debris created by a giant impact on Mars. In either case, the examination of Phobos can provide unique clues about the early history of the Martian system. Phobos may consist of material carved out of a younger Mars, when conditions could have been more favorable for life. Alternatively, the moon may be primitive material that was delivered from the outer Solar System to the young terrestrial planets, including water-bearing minerals and organics that might have kick-started the path to life.

Phobos is also thought to be covered with debris knocked from the Martian surface by asteroid impacts. MMX may therefore return the first-ever samples of Mars itself, preserved within the regolith of Phobos. Scattered from across the planet and over millions of years, this sample will be a unique chronographer of Mars’s past."

Learn more: 

https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/10/20261018-1_e.html

Video Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Duration: 1 minute
Date: Oct. 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Moons #Phobos #SampleReturnMission #MartianMoonseXploration #MMX #MMXSpacecraft #MarsExploration #H3Rockets #LaunchVehicles #RocketLaunches #MitsubishiHeavyIndustries #三菱重工業株式会社 #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #種子島宇宙センター #KagoshimaPrefecture #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Offshore Commercial Rocket Launch: Countdown at Sea

China's Offshore Commercial Rocket Launch: Countdown at Sea

A new China Global Television Network (CGTN) documentary, Countdown at Sea, tells the story of a commercial rocket launch team in China facing a high-stakes race against an approaching typhoon as they prepare for an offshore mission.

"Operating at an offshore site about 170 kilometers east of Shanghai, engineers face a critical window where both mission success and future funding hang in the balance. As the 24-hour countdown begins, the team removes the final storm shielding from the rocket and conducts meticulous pre-launch safety checks before initiating a phased evacuation 90 minutes prior to liftoff."

"In the final moments leading up to the launch, the engineers remain remarkably calm despite mounting tension. For these space pioneers, the mission sometimes demands personal sacrifice, with team members missing major family milestones while stationed at sea, motivated by the strong support of their families and an unwavering passion for their work."

China's Gravity-1 Y3 carrier rocket successfully placed nine satellites into planned orbits during a sea launch from the eastern waters off Shanghai at 06:00 Beijing time on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, setting new records for payload weight and orbit altitude in a single mission. Gravity-1 is the world's most powerful solid-fuel carrier rocket and China's most powerful commercial launch vehicle to date.

The mission was carried out by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket carried a new group of Qianfan Constellation satellites and an EUHT technology test satellite. It was the fourth flight of the Gravity-1 rocket.

Gravity-1 is a solid-fuel rocket developed by a Chinese commercial aerospace company, OrienSpace, with a maximum payload capacity of 6.5 tons. This launch was the second time Gravity-1 conducted a far-sea maneuver and launch, following the first on July 22, when the Gravity-1 Y4 rocket lifted off from the same area and sent nine satellites into the planned orbits.

It once again fully tested the rocket's adaptability to high temperature, high humidity and high salt fog at sea, further verifying its reliability, according to experts.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 4 minutes, 45 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #OrienSpace #东方空间 #SeaLaunch #EastChinaSea #RocketLaunch #Gravity1Rocket #引力1号 #Gravity1Y3Rocket #SolidFuelRockets #SpaceSailConstellation #QianfanConstellation #ShanghaiSpacesailTechnologies #CAS #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Globular Cluster NGC 6401 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

Globular Cluster NGC 6401 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has used its powerful optics to separate the globular cluster NGC 6401 into its constituent stars. What was once only visible as a ghostly mist in the eyepieces of astronomical instruments has been transformed into a stunning stellar landscape.

Distance from Earth: 35,000 light years

NGC 6401 can be found within the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer). The globular cluster itself is relatively faint, so a telescope and observational experience are required to see it. Globular clusters are very rich, and generally spherical, collections of stars, hence the name. They orbit the cores of galaxies with the force of gravity also keeping the stars bound as a group. There are around 160 globular clusters associated with our Milky Way, of which NGC 6401 is one. These objects are very old, containing some of the most ancient stars known. However, there are many mysteries surrounding them, with the origin of globular clusters and their role within galaxy evolution not being completely understood.

The famous astronomer William Herschel discovered this cluster in 1784 with his 47 cm telescope, but mistakenly believed it to be a bright nebula. Later his son, John Herschel, was to make the same error—evidently the technology of the day was insufficient to allow the individual stars to be resolved visually.

NGC 6401 has confused more modern astronomers as well. In 1977 it was thought that a low-mass star in the cluster had been discovered venting its outer layers (known as a planetary nebula). However, a further study in 1990 concluded that the object is in fact a symbiotic star: a binary composed of a red giant and a small hot star, such as a white dwarf, with surrounding nebulosity. It could be that the study in 1977 was simply a few thousand years ahead of its time, as symbiotic stars are thought to become a type of planetary nebula.

This picture was created from images taken with the Wide Field Channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images through a yellow-orange filter (F606W, colored blue) were combined with images taken in the near-infrared (F814W, colored red). The total exposure times were 680 s and 580 s, respectively and the field of view is 3.3 x 1.5 arcminutes.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularStarClusters #NGC6401 #OphiuchusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST  #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft Launch | JAXA

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft Launch | JAXA

🚀The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.10 at 4:41am Japan Standard Time (JST) on October 20, 2026, from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a small island in southwestern Japan.

The H3 Launch Vehicle flew as planned, and approximately 71 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the MMX spacecraft was confirmed. The MMX spacecraft was then injected into the predetermined orbit.

MMX is a sample return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. After arriving at Mars, the spacecraft will study Phobos from orbit, land on the moon to collect samples, and return this material to Earth. MMX will also conduct observations of Mars, and perform close flyby observations of Mars’s smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system. The mission is expected to last about five years with arrival at Mars roughly one year after launch and sample return to Earth planned for 2031.

MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons and return a sample, and also humanity’s first round-trip from the Mars sphere.

MMX is a Japan-led mission with strong international involvement from the USA (NASA), France (CNES), Germany (DLR), Europe (ESA), and Australia (ASA).

Japan's MMX Mission "aims to reveal the origin of Mars’ moons and shed light on the evolution of Mars, and potentially habitable environments in the early Solar System.

The Martian moons may be captured asteroids, or they may have formed from debris created by a giant impact on Mars. In either case, the examination of Phobos can provide unique clues about the early history of the Martian system. Phobos may consist of material carved out of a younger Mars, when conditions could have been more favorable for life. Alternatively, the moon may be primitive material that was delivered from the outer Solar System to the young terrestrial planets, including water-bearing minerals and organics that might have kick-started the path to life.

Phobos is also thought to be covered with debris knocked from the Martian surface by asteroid impacts. MMX may therefore return the first-ever samples of Mars itself, preserved within the regolith of Phobos. Scattered from across the planet and over millions of years, this sample will be a unique chronographer of Mars’s past."

Learn more: 

https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/10/20261018-1_e.html

Image Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Date: Oct. 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Moons #Phobos #SampleReturnMission #MartianMoonseXploration #MMX #MMXSpacecraft #MarsExploration #H3Rockets #LaunchVehicles #RocketLaunches #MitsubishiHeavyIndustries #三菱重工業株式会社 #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #種子島宇宙センター #KagoshimaPrefecture #STEM #Education

Liftoff: Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft | JAXA

Liftoff: Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft | JAXA

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.10 at 4:41am Japan Standard Time (JST) on October 20, 2026, from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a small island in southwestern Japan.

The H3 Launch Vehicle flew as planned, and approximately 71 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the MMX spacecraft was confirmed. The MMX spacecraft was then injected into the predetermined orbit.

MMX is a sample return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. After arriving at Mars, the spacecraft will study Phobos from orbit, land on the moon to collect samples, and return this material to Earth. MMX will also conduct observations of Mars, and perform close flyby observations of Mars’s smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system. The mission is expected to last about five years with arrival at Mars roughly one year after launch and sample return to Earth planned for 2031.

MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons and return a sample, and also humanity’s first round-trip from the Mars sphere.

MMX is a Japan-led mission with strong international involvement from the USA (NASA), France (CNES), Germany (DLR), Europe (ESA), and Australia (ASA).

Japan's MMX Mission "aims to reveal the origin of Mars’ moons and shed light on the evolution of Mars, and potentially habitable environments in the early Solar System.

The Martian moons may be captured asteroids, or they may have formed from debris created by a giant impact on Mars. In either case, the examination of Phobos can provide unique clues about the early history of the Martian system. Phobos may consist of material carved out of a younger Mars, when conditions could have been more favorable for life. Alternatively, the moon may be primitive material that was delivered from the outer Solar System to the young terrestrial planets, including water-bearing minerals and organics that might have kick-started the path to life.

Phobos is also thought to be covered with debris knocked from the Martian surface by asteroid impacts. MMX may therefore return the first-ever samples of Mars itself, preserved within the regolith of Phobos. Scattered from across the planet and over millions of years, this sample will be a unique chronographer of Mars’s past."

Learn more: 

https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/10/20261018-1_e.html

Video Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Duration: 1 minute
Date: Oct. 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Moons #Phobos #SampleReturnMission #MartianMoonseXploration #MMX #MMXSpacecraft #MarsExploration #H3Rockets #LaunchVehicles #RocketLaunches #MitsubishiHeavyIndustries #三菱重工業株式会社 #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #種子島宇宙センター #KagoshimaPrefecture #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: Oct. 6-18, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Oct. 6-18, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 5041

MSL - sol 5041

Mars 2020 - sol 2000

MSL - sol 5047

MSL - sol 5044

MSL - sol 5044

Mars 2020 - sol 2011

Mars 2020 - sol 2011

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Celebrating 14+ Years on Mars (2012-2026)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Image Processing: Kevin Gill

Release Dates: Oct. 6-18, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #MarsExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 Cargo Dragon Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 Cargo Dragon Arrival | International Space Station

At 10:27 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on October 15, 2026, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft automatically docked to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module, delivering more than 6,300 pounds of food, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 75 crew for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 35 (CRS-35) Mission.

The cargo spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until mid-November when it will depart and return to Earth with time-critical research and materials, splashing down off the coast of California.

This is SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Missions:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Pyotr Dubrov 
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Anna Kikina, Sergey Teteryatnikov

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Flight Engineer: Joshua Kutryk

NASA Flight Engineers: Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney 

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credits: NASA/A. Menon

Date: Oct. 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #SpaceXCargoDragonSpacecraft #CRS35Mission #CRS35 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

BlackGEM Telescope in Chile: Observing gravitational waves | ESO

BlackGEM Telescope in Chile: Observing gravitational waves | ESO

The strange object that appears beneath a starry sky in this picture is a BlackGEM telescope—one of three hosted by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at its La Silla Observatory. BlackGEM is a joint project with institutes in the Netherlands and in Belgium. The telescopes can be remotely controlled from Radboud University.

Powerful events like neutron star and black hole mergers send ripples through space and time known as gravitational waves. Observatories like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo interferometer were built to detect these ripples, but struggle to locate the precise origin. The BlackGEM telescopes aim to detect the optical counterpart of gravitational wave detections. A merger of two black holes is almost invisible. However, if at least one of the two objects is a neutron star, not all the material vanishes into the black hole resulting from the merger. This material heats up and produces faint optical light that can be detected with telescopes like BlackGEM.

The design of BlackGEM allows for fast observation when an event like this occurs. Once they pinpoint the source, larger telescopes like ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) can follow up for more detailed observations.

Learn more about BlackGEM:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/blackgem/

Image Description: The image shows a strangely shaped telescope in the desert: a spherical dome mounted on a tower supported by several legs. Above the telescope, the Milky Way is visible in the starry sky.

Credit: J. Rodrigues/European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: Oct. 19, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #NeutronStars #BlackHoles #GravitationalWaves #Cosmos #Universe #BlackGEMTelescopes #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #RadboudUniversity #Netherlands #Nederland #Belgium #België #Europe #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-23 Makes New Progress in Multi-gen Rice Cultivation | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Makes New Progress in Multi-gen Rice Cultivation | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-23 crew aboard China's Tiangong Space Station has made new progress in the country's first multi-generational rice cultivation in orbit, completing a new round of sample collection, sowing, and storage for the groundbreaking space rice research project.

The research project aims to study the molecular mechanisms of the multi-generational genetic stability and environmental adaptability of rice in microgravity. Over the past week, the three astronauts collected a new batch of samples that will be returned to Earth for scientists to analyze at the phenotypic and molecular levels, helping reveal how long-term microgravity affects rice genetic stability.

The crew also conducted touch-interaction tests with their robotic companion "Xiaohang", collecting data on the robot's movements in response to different types of physical contact to improve onboard robot motion planning.

They also completed assessments of emergency decision-making ability and in-orbit emotional state tests, with the data used to study how these change during long-term spaceflight.

In addition, the astronauts carried out data collection for in-orbit exercise research, performed grip strength tests and ultrasound examinations of key anti-gravity muscles, and completed maintenance work on the containerless experiment cabinet.

The crew finished scheduled medical rescue training and a full-system pressure emergency drill, and carried out equipment maintenance, cabin cleaning and regular exercise to maintain good physical and psychological conditions for their stay in orbit.

The three Chinese astronauts—commander Zhu Yangzhu and his crewmates Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying—were launched aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on May 24, with one of the crew members scheduled to spend a full year in orbit for the first time.

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, 28 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #RiceCultivation #SpaceRice #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

Night Sky Guide: View above Spain

Night Sky Guide: View above Spain

Astrophotographer Fins Eirexas: "The Gegenschein or 'counterglow' imaged above the dolmen of A Gándara de Baiñas, from A Fervenza reservoir. A rare occasion to see two elusive targets: the fuzzy Gegenschein struggling with light pollution and this megalithic monument, emerged from the water due to the current draught. A very misty evening made both targets even more difficult."

A dolmen, or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000–3000 BCE) and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus (burial mound).

If you look carefully enough, you can even see the glow of the Sun. At night this glow is known as the gegenschein (German for “counter glow”), and can be seen as a faint glow in an extremely dark sky. The gegenschein is sunlight back-scattered off small interplanetary dust particles. These dust particles are millimeter sized splinters from asteroids and orbit in the ecliptic plane of the planets.

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Peninsular Spain is bordered to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar and Morocco, through its enclaves in North Africa; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

Image Credit: Fins Eirexas

Location: Mazaricos, Galiza, Northwest Iberian Peninsula, Spain

Fins' website: https://flickr.com/eirexas

Image Details: D810A 14mm ART 7x60s ISO 3200 sky; 3x30s foreground
Date: Oct. 15, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Sun #Planets #Earth #Gegenschein #Airglow #Stars #Galaxies #M31 #M33 #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astrophotography #FinsEirexas #Astrophotographers #Dolmen #Spain #España #STEM #Education

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft: Launch prep | JAXA

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft: Launch prep | JAXA

MMX Return and Exploration Modules

MMX spacecraft (full view): MMX Propulsion Module (left), MMX Return and Exploration Modules (right)

MMX Propulsion Module

MMX trajectory diagram (FY2026 version)

MMX spacecraft on Martian moon Phobos (artist illustration)

MMX launch poster

MMX is a sample return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. After arriving at Mars, the spacecraft will study Phobos from orbit, land on the moon to collect samples, and return this material to Earth. MMX will also conduct observations of Mars, and perform close flyby observations of Mars’s smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system. The mission is expected to last about five years with arrival at Mars roughly one year after launch and sample return to Earth planned for 2031.

MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons and return a sample, and also humanity’s first round-trip from the Mars sphere.

MMX is a Japan-led mission with strong international involvement from the USA (NASA), France (CNES), Germany (DLR), Europe (ESA), and Australia (ASA).

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft will launch on Japan’s H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10 from the at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center, on a small island in southwestern Japan. The launch is currently scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Japan's MMX Mission "aims to reveal the origin of Mars’ moons and shed light on the evolution of Mars, and potentially habitable environments in the early Solar System.

The Martian moons may be captured asteroids, or they may have formed from debris created by a giant impact on Mars. In either case, the examination of Phobos can provide unique clues about the early history of the Martian system. Phobos may consist of material carved out of a younger Mars, when conditions could have been more favourable for life. Alternatively, the moon may be primitive material that was delivered from the outer Solar System to the young terrestrial planets, including water-bearing minerals and organics that might have kick-started the path to life.

Phobos is also thought to be covered with debris knocked from the Martian surface by asteroid impacts. MMX may therefore return the first-ever samples of Mars itself, preserved within the regolith of Phobos. Scattered from across the planet and over millions of years, this sample will be a unique chronographer of Mars’s past."

Learn more: 

https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/10/20261018-1_e.html

Image Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Moons #Phobos #SampleReturnMission #MartianMoonseXploration #MMX #MMXSpacecraft #MarsExploration #H3Rockets #LaunchVehicles #RocketLaunches #MitsubishiHeavyIndustries #三菱重工業株式会社 #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #種子島宇宙センター #KagoshimaPrefecture #STEM #Education

Chamaeleon I Cloud: "Celestial scribbled notes" as art | ESO's Very Large Telescope

Chamaeleon I Cloud: "Celestial scribbled notes" as art | ESO's Very Large Telescope

This color-composite (visible light & near-infrared) image was obtained by FORS1 on ANTU. It displays a sky area near the Chamaeleon I complex of bright nebulae and hot stars in the constellation of the same name, close to the southern celestial pole. The Chamaeleon I (Cha I) cloud is one of the nearest active star formation regions to Earth, with an estimated distance of 620 light-years. 

This picture was taken a few days before the Paranal Inauguration and the "hand-over" to the astronomers on April 1, 1999. This color composite photo of the Chamaeleon I area is based on six 1-min exposures obtained with VLT UT1 + FORS1 in the V, R and I bands. The sky field measures 6.8 x 11.2 arcmin2; North is up and East is left.

Learn more about the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile 
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: March 6, 1999

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #ChamaeleonI #ChaI #DarkNebulae #ChamaeleonConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #VLTFORS1 #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

The Nearby Circinus Galaxy: A Bright Galactic Core | Hubble Space Telescope

The Nearby Circinus Galaxy: A Bright Galactic Core | Hubble Space Telescope

The Circinus Galaxy (also known as ESO 97-G13) is a Type II Seyfert galaxy in the constellation of Circinus. A Type 2 Seyfert galaxy is a type of active galactic nucleus (AGN) that has a bright, compact core. Active galactic nuclei are active supermassive black holes that emit bright jets and winds, and shape their galaxies. Located four degrees below the Galactic plane, and at a distance of 13 million light years, the Circinus Galaxy is one of the closest known active galaxies to the Milky Way. The galaxy is undergoing tumultuous changes, as rings of gas are likely being ejected from the galaxy. Its outermost ring is 1,400 light-years across while the inner ring is 260 light-years across. 

Seyfert galaxies are quite similar to normal galaxies like our own Milky Way except in one critical aspect—their nuclei are fantastically bright and can be as luminous as 100 billion suns. By contrast, the center of the Milky Way shines like about ten million suns. Astronomers think that these huge energies are being generated in Seyfert nuclei not by normal stars, but by material falling on massive black holes. Matter falling towards the vicinity of the black hole heats up due to friction, radiating intense ultraviolet light (along with radiation at other wavelengths). The Milky Way also has a massive black hole at its center, but for reasons that are not well understood our galactic center is not particularly bright compared to its star-filled spiral arms. At the opposite extreme, quasars are galaxies with very faint stars—almost undetectable—yet their nuclei glow intensely.

Although the Circinus galaxy can be seen using a small telescope, it was not noticed until 1977 because it lies close to the plane of the Milky Way and is obscured by galactic dust.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Image Processing: Judy Schmidt (geckzilla)
Release Date: March 29, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #CircinusGalaxy #ESO97G13 #SeyfertGalaxies #AGN #BlackHoles #CircinusConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education