Xiamen, China at Night | International Space Station

Xiamen, China at Night | International Space Station

This nighttime view shows the port city of Xiamen on China's southeast coast as the International Space Station orbited 255 miles above the South China Sea.

Xiamen is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang, and Xiang'an. Altogether, these cover an area of 1,699.39 square kilometers (656.14 sq mi) with a population of 3,531,347 as of 2010. The urbanized area of the city has spread from its original island to include parts of all six of its districts, with a total population of 1,861,289. This area connects to Quanzhou in the north and Zhangzhou in the west, making up a metropolis of more than five million people.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: September 12, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Technology #Earth #Xiamen #City #Night #厦门市 #Fujian #福建省 #SouthChinaSea #China #中国 #Astronauts #Expedition60 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #STEM #Education #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective

Ad Astra: A Conversation with Brad Pitt, James Gray and NASA Officials

Ad Astra 

A Conversation with Brad Pitt, James Gray & NASA Officials

Ad Astra follows Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) on a mission across the solar system to uncover the truth about his father. Watch live as Brad Pitt, Director James Gray and two NASA officials discuss how they brought “the most realistic depiction of space travel” to the big screen. 

Ad Astra (In U.S. Theaters Sept. 20, 2019) 

Official Twentieth Century Fox Film website: 

https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/ad-astra

Credit: The Washington Post 

Duration: 56 minutes, 43 seconds 

Release Date: September 16, 2019

#NASA #Space #Science #Actor #BradPitt #AdAstra #Film #ScienceFiction #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Exploration #Moon #Mars #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Three Continents | International Space Station

Earth: Three Continents | International Space Station

Original timelapse by Riccardo Rossi (ISAA)
Italian Space and Astronautics Association (ISAA)

Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Raw imagery courtesy of Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

Music: "Inspiring Piano Commercial" by Artistico - Attribution -Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
https://www.jamendo.com/artist/509950/artistico

Timelapse HD 1080p video

Credit: AstronautiCAST/JSC
Capture Date: June 15, 2019

Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds
Release Date: June 24, 2019


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Planet #ISS #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Expedition59 #Europe #Asia #Aurora #Photography #Art #Science #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect #AstronautiCAST #ISAA #STEM #Education #Timelapse #Video

Real World: Small Bodies Orbiting the Sun | NASAeClips

Real World: Small Bodies Orbiting the Sun | NASAeClips

NASA eClips™ website: https://nasaeclips.arc.nasa.gov

Science for Students | In addition to planets and their moons, there are many small bodies orbiting the Sun. How did these bodies form? Learn more about comets and asteroids and the role these play in our Solar System.

NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections.

Real World connects classroom mathematics to 21st century careers and innovations and are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem-solving.

Credit: NASAeClips
Duration: 3 minutes, 9 seconds

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Asteroids #Comets #Planet #SolarSystem #Goddard #GSFC #STEM #Education #Video

Galaxy Messier 110: Not So Dead After All | Hubble

Galaxy Messier 110: Not So Dead After All | Hubble

Many of the best-loved galaxies in the cosmos are remarkably large, close, massive, bright, or beautiful, often with an unusual or intriguing structure or history. However, it takes all kinds to make a Universe—as demonstrated by this Hubble Picture of the Week of Messier 110.

Messier 110 may not look like much, but it is a fascinating near neighbor of our home galaxy, and an unusual example of its type. It is a member of the Local Group, a gathering of galaxies comprising the Milky Way and a number of the galaxies closest to it. Specifically, Messier 110 is one of the many satellite galaxies encircling the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest major galaxy to our own, and is classified as a dwarf elliptical galaxy, meaning that it has a smooth and almost featureless structure. Elliptical galaxies lack arms and notable pockets of star formation—both characteristic features of spiral galaxies. Dwarf ellipticals are quite common in groups and clusters of galaxies, and are often satellites of larger galaxies.

Because they lack stellar nurseries and contain mostly old stars, elliptical galaxies are often considered ‘dead’ when compared to their spiral relatives. However, astronomers have spotted signs of a population of young, blue stars at the center of Messier 110—hinting that it may not be so dead after all.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, L.Ferrarese et al.
Release Date: September 16, 2019


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #Messier110 #Dwarf #Elliptical #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

A Long-lived Storm System on Saturn | NASA Cassini

A Long-lived Storm System on Saturn | NASA Cassini

It was one of the largest and longest lived storms ever recorded in our Solar System. First seen in late 2010, the above cloud formation in the northern hemisphere of Saturn started larger than the Earth and soon spread completely around the planet. The storm was tracked not only from Earth but from up close by the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting Saturn.

Pictured here in false colored infrared, orange colors indicate clouds deep in the atmosphere, while light colors highlight clouds higher up. The rings of Saturn are seen nearly edge-on as the thin blue horizontal line. The warped dark bands are the shadows of the rings cast onto the cloud tops by the Sun to the upper left. A source of radio noise from lightning, the intense storm was thought to relate to seasonal changes when spring emerges in the north of Saturn. After raging for over six months, the iconic storm circled the entire planet and then tried to absorb its own tail, which surprisingly caused it to fade away.

The Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the U.S. and several European countries.

For more information about Cassini, go to:

https://www.nasa.gov/cassini

https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov

Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

Release Date: September 15, 2019

#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Saturn #Rings #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #SolarSystem #Exploration #Cassini #Spacecraft #JPL #UnitedStates #ESA #ASI #History #STEM #Education #APoD

The Terminator | International Space Station

The Terminator | International Space Station

European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano took this image of the line that separates day from night, known as the terminator, during his Beyond mission. He captioned it: "To be able to observe with one’s own eyes the night coming in, that line between day and obscurity, is always an experience of surreal, inexplicable emotion."

Learn about Luca's Beyond mission:
http://lucaparmitano.esa.int

Credit: ESA/NASA-L.Parmitano
Image Date: July 29, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Technology #Earth #Day #Night #Terminator #Astronaut #ESA #LucaParmitano #MissionBeyond #Italia #Italy #Expedition60 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #STEM #Education #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective

Tropical Storm Humberto Forms Close to Bahamas

Tropical Storm Humberto Forms Close to Bahamas

Tropical Cyclone Nine became a tropical storm as it moved northwestward over the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the central and northwest Bahamas, including areas recently devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Tropical storm Humberto will likely bring tropical-storm-force-winds and heavy rainfall to portions of the northwestern Bahamas today. Significant storm surge is not expected in the northwestern Bahamas from this system. The center of Humberto is now passing just east of Great Abaco Island.

The future track of this system is still uncertain, and forecasters will continue to monitor it closely.

For the latest information, visit the National Hurricane Center:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/cyclones/

This GeoColor-enhanced imagery was created by NOAA's partners at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. The GOES East geostationary satellite, also known as GOES-16, provides coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including the United States, the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific. The satellite's high-resolution imagery provides optimal viewing of severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Image Date: September 13, 2019

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Satellite #Science #Earth #Tropical #Storm #Humberto #Atlantic #Ocean #Florida #Bahamas #Weather #Meteorology #GOESEast #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

East Timor Sunset | International Space Station

East Timor Sunset | International Space Station

An image of a sunset in East Timor captured by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano during his Beyond mission to the International Space Station.

East Timor or Timor-Leste, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Maritime Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. Australia is the country's southern neighbor, separated by the Timor Sea. 

(Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: ESA/NASA-L.Parmitano
Image Date: August 23, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Technology #Earth #TimorLeste #EastTimor #Asia #PacificOcean #Astronaut #ESA #LucaParmitano #MissionBeyond #Italia #Italy #Expedition60 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #STEM #Education #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center | Week of Sept. 13, 2019

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center | Week of Sept. 13, 2019

Hurricane Dorian skirted the coast of Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 3 and 4. A few days before, the Mobile Launcher, atop the crawler-transporter, was moved from Launch Pad 39B back to the Vehicle Assembly as a precaution. Kennedy Director Bob Cabana presented awards to NASA and contractor employees during the center's annual NASA KSC Honor Awards Ceremony on Sept. 10.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Duration: 1 minute, 36 seconds
Release Date: September 13, 2019

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #SLS #Rocket #Orion #Artemis #Moon #Mars #Dorian #Hurricane #HurricaneDorian #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Women #Engineering #STEM #Education #Video

Earth from Space: Baja California, Mexico | ESA

Earth from Space: Baja California, Mexico | ESA

The European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite takes us over the region of Baja California in northwest Mexico, in this week's edition of the Earth from Space program.

We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 2 minutes, 52 seconds
Release Date: September 13, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Earth #Space #Satellite #BajaCalifornia #Baja #Mexico #México #Europe #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #EarthFromSpace #Copernicus #Sentinel1 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Counting Down | Week of Sept. 13, 2019

NASA's Space to Ground: Counting Down

Week of Sept. 13, 2019

Sept. 13, 2019: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

The crew of Expedition 60, consisting of Commander Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos; NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Andrew Morgan and Nick Hague; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano; and cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, took much-needed respite on Thursday during an off-duty day aboard the International Space Station. This Friday, investigations furthering scientific research in support of crew health and extended travels to destinations deeper in the solar system are resuming.

On Earth, the Expedition 61 prime crew of cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, along with spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, finalizing pre-launch training and preparations for their launch on Sept. 25 aboard a Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft. On Wednesday, they ran through procedures and completed the necessary fit check, spacesuits donned, within the Soyuz vehicle. On Thursday, they took part in ceremonial activities, such as raising the flags of Russia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, along with backup crew members Tom Marshburn of NASA, Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos and spaceflight participant Sultan Al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 4 seconds
Release Date: September 13, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Soyuz #Rocket #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Cosmonauts #OlegSkripochka #HazzaaAliAlmansoori #UAE #الإمارات‎#Russia #Россия #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video #وكالةالإمارات للفضاء

Hubble’s Brand New Image of Saturn | NASA

Hubble’s Brand New Image of Saturn | NASA

Sept. 12, 2019: This new Hubble Space Telescope view of Saturn, taken in late June 2019, reveals the giant planet's iconic rings. Saturn’s amber colors come from summer smog-like hazes, produced in photochemical reactions driven by solar ultraviolet radiation. Below the haze lie clouds of ammonia ice crystals, as well as deeper, unseen lower-level clouds of ammonium hydrosulfide and water.

The planet’s banded structure is caused by winds and clouds at different altitudes. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 observed Saturn on June 20, 2019, as the planet made its closest approach to Earth, at about 845 million miles away.

For more information, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/30eSrbH

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Paul R. Morris (USRA): Lead Producer

Music Credits: "Momentum" by Guillaume Bernard [SACEM]; Universal Production Music
Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds

Release Date: September 12, 2019

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Saturn #Rings #Planet #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #Video

Saturn Close-up | Hubble

Saturn Close-up | Hubble

This video pans over the planet Saturn, as recently observed with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on June 20, 2019, when it was approximately 1.36 billion kilometers away.

Credit:

NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)

Duration: 19 seconds

Capture Date: June 20, 2019

Release Date: September 12, 2019

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Saturn #Rings #Planet #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #Video

Saturn's Rings Shine in New Hubble Portrait | NASA

Saturn's Rings Shine in New Hubble Portrait | NASA

Sept. 12, 2019: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 observed Saturn on June 20, 2019 as the planet made its closest approach to Earth this year, at approximately 1.36 billion kilometers away.

Since the Hubble Space Telescope was launched, its goal has been to study not only distant astronomical objects, but also the planets within our Solar System. Hubble’s high-resolution images of our planetary neighbors can only be surpassed by pictures taken from spacecraft that actually visit these bodies. However, Hubble has one advantage over space probes; it can look at these objects periodically and observe them over much longer periods than any passing probe could.
Saturn hosts many recognizable features, most notably its trademark ring system, which is now tilted towards Earth. This gives us a magnificent view of its bright icy structure. Hubble resolves numerous ringlets and the fainter inner rings. Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens first identified the rings in 1655 and thought they were a continuous disk encircling the planet, but we now know them to be composed of orbiting particles of ice and dust. Though all of the gas giants boast rings, Saturn’s are the largest and most spectacular.

The age of Saturn’s ring system continues to be debated. And, even more perplexingly, it is unknown what cosmic event formed the rings. There is no consensus among planetary astronomers today.
Another intriguing feature is the long-lasting hexagon-shaped structure circling the planet’s north pole. It is a mysterious six-sided pattern caused by a high-speed jetstream. The hexagon is so large that four Earths could fit inside its boundaries (there is no similar structure at Saturn’s south pole).
Other features, however, are not as long-lasting. A large storm in the north polar region spotted by Hubble last year has disappeared. Smaller, convective storms, such as the one just above the center of the planet’s image, also come and go.

Saturn’s amber colors come from summer smog-like hazes, produced in photochemical reactions driven by solar ultraviolet radiation. Below the haze lie clouds of ammonia ice crystals, as well as deeper, unseen lower-level clouds of ammonium hydrosulphide and water. The planet’s banded structure is caused by the winds and clouds at different altitudes.

Saturn’s appearance changes with its seasons, caused by the planet’s 27-degree axial tilt. This image was taken during summer in the planet’s northern hemisphere.

This image is the second in a yearly series of snapshots taken as part of the Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project. OPAL is helping scientists to understand the atmospheric dynamics and evolution of our Solar System’s gas giant planets. In Saturn’s case, astronomers will be able to track shifting weather patterns and other changes to identify trends.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)

Release Date: September 12, 2019

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Saturn #Rings #Planet #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

Hubble Finds Water Vapor on Distant Exoplanet | NASA

Hubble Finds Water Vapor on Distant Exoplanet | NASA

Exoplanet distance from Earth: 110 light years

Sept. 11, 2019: With data from the Hubble Space Telescope, water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere of an exoplanet within the habitable zone of its host star.

K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is the only planet orbiting a star outside the solar system (or “exoplanet”) within the habitable zone.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Paul R. Morris (USRA): Lead Producer
Music Credits: "Only Human" by Guillaume Bernard [SACEM]; Universal Production Music
Duration: 2 minutes, 3 seconds
Release Date: September 11, 2019


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Exoplanet #K218b #Atmosphere #Water #Planet #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #Art #Illustration #STEM #Education #Video