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This is an "EPIC" Earth image from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite!
This color image of Earth was taken on February 2, 2022, by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), a four megapixel CCD camera and telescope from one million miles away—beyond the Moon's orbit. Tropical Cyclone Batsirai can be seen in the Indian Ocean close to the island country of Madagascar located approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) off the coast of East Africa across the Mozambique Channel.
The Deep Space Climate Observatory is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather, space climate, and Earth observation satellite at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point. It was launched by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle on February 11, 2015, from Cape Canaveral. This is NOAA's first operational deep space satellite and became its primary system of warning Earth in the event of solar magnetic storms.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Image Credit: NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
American Astronaut Milestone on Space Station | This Week @NASA
Feb. 4, 2022: A milestone for a NASA astronaut, a plan for the future of the space station, and moving a step closer to an historic mission to the station . . . a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei has lived in space continuously for 300 days since launching and docking to the orbiting lab on April 9, 2021. He is on his way to surpassing Christina Koch’s 328-day mission on March 3 and Scott Kelly’s 340 days on March 15. Vande Hei will return to Earth on March 30 with a NASA astronaut record-breaking 355 consecutive days in Earth orbit.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer (DLR/German Aerospace Center)
NASA (U.S.) Flight Engineers: Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Mark Vande Hei.
The International Space Station (ISS) Program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one—how best to plan, coordinate, and monitor the varied activities of the Program’s many organizations.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Astrophotographer Alan Tough: "Inca astronomers referred to the Coalsack Nebula as 'Yutu', a partridge-like bird native to the Andes. The two bright stars in the accompanying image belong to the Southern Cross. They are (lower-right) Acrux (Alpha Crucis) and (top-right) Mimosa (Beta Crucis). There are also several open star clusters visible here, including the wonderful Jewel Box to the left of Mimosa."
"I captured this image remotely, using iTelescope T70 in the Rio Hurtado Valley, Chile (hence the reference to Yutu!). The total exposure time was 75 minutes through LRGB filters."
Image & Caption Credit: Alan Tough
Release Date: February 4, 2022
The Coalsack Nebula (Southern Coalsack, or simply the Coalsack) is the most prominent dark nebula in the skies, with a designation TGU H1867, first referred to in Cataloging 1850, being easily visible to the naked eye as a dark patch obscuring a brief section of Milky Way stars as they cross their southernmost region of the sky, east of Acrux (Alpha Crucis) which is the bright, southern pointer star of the southern cross. It dominates and overspills the southeast corner of what is considered the extent of the constellation Crux at a little less than twice the distance of Acrux, 180 parsecs (590 light years) away from Earth.
Earth from Space: Batura Glacier, Pakistan | European Space Agency
In this week's edition of the Earth from Space program, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Batura Glacier—one of the largest and longest glaciers in the world, outside of the polar regions.
Located in the upper Hunza Valley, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, the Batura Glacier is approximately 57 km long. It flows from west to east and feeds the Hunza River in north Pakistan, then joins the Gilgit and Naltar Rivers before it flows into the Indus River.
The lower portions of the Batura Glacier feature a grey sea of rocks and gravelly moraine (an accumulation of rocks and sediment carried down by the glacier often caused by avalanches). The glacier has a mean ice thickness of around 150 m, with the lower parts of the glacier holding most of its mass.
This video contains false-color composite images using the near-infrared channel of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission to highlight vegetation, which appears in red. Batura is bordered by several villages and pastures with herds of sheep, goats and cows where roses and juniper trees are quite common.
Batura Glacier is located just north of the Batura Muztagh, a sub-range of the Karakoram mountain range, which includes the massifs of the Batura Sar, the 25th highest mountain on Earth standing at 7795 m, and Passu Sar at 7478 m.
Glacier shrinkage is a prominent sign of ongoing climate change. However, unlike many glaciers around the world, the glaciers residing in the mountain ranges in Karakoram are not responding to global warming. Their retreating is less than the global average, and in some cases, are either stable or growing. This anomalous behavior of the region’s glaciers has been coined the ‘Karakoram Anomaly’.
Scientists typically measure the motions of glaciers with ground-based measurements. Because of the rugged terrain and challenges involved in field studies, long-term ground observational data on Karakoram is sparse. Satellites can help monitor changes in glacier mass, extents, trace area and length of glacier changes through time and derive surface velocity.
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.
European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer (DLR/German Aerospace Center)
NASA (U.S.) Flight Engineers: Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Mark Vande Hei.
The International Space Station (ISS) Program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one—how best to plan, coordinate, and monitor the varied activities of the Program’s many organizations.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark, a crooked profile evoking its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula. In fact, this entrancing telescopic portrait gives the impression that the witch has fixed her gaze on Orion's bright supergiant star Rigel. More formally known as IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years and is composed of interstellar dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight. The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the dust surrounding Rigel is caused not only by Rigel's intense blue starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas and dust that surrounds them lie about 800 light-years away.
The island nation of the Bahamas is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Atlantic Ocean. Astronauts of Expedition 66 captured this image.
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country of the Lucayan Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean; north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the U.S. state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Its capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence. (Source: Wikipedia)
"The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. It is the experience of seeing first-hand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, 'hanging in the void', shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. The effect may also invoke a sense of transcendence and connection with humanity as a whole, from which national borders appear petty." The term and concept were coined in 1987 by American author, Frank White, who explored the theme in his book The Overview Effect — Space Exploration and Human Evolution." [available in paperback and ebook formats]
Hubble Gazes Sidelong at Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 3568
In this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures a side-on view of NGC 3568, a barred spiral galaxy roughly 57 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation Centaurus. In 2014 the light from a supernova explosion in NGC 3568 reached Earth—a sudden flare of light caused by the titanic explosion accompanying the death of a massive star. Whilst most astronomical discoveries are the work of teams of professional astronomers, this supernova was discovered by amateur astronomers from the Backyard Observatory Supernova Search in New Zealand. Dedicated amateur astronomers often make intriguing discoveries—particularly of fleeting astronomical phenomena such as supernovae.
This Hubble observation comes from a hoard of data built up to pave the way for future science with the upcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. By combining ground-based observations with data from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3, astronomers have built a treasure trove of data on the connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas in which they form. One of Webb’s key science goals is to explore the life cycle of stars—particularly how and where stars are born. Since Webb observes at infrared wavelengths, it will be able to peer through the clouds of gas and dust in stellar nurseries and observe the fledgling stars within. Webb’s superb sensitivity will even allow astronomers to directly investigate faint protostellar cores—the earliest stages of star birth.
Young Graduate Trainee Opportunities | European Space Agency
Dream. Dare. Do! Apply now for the 2022 Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) opportunities at the European Space Agency (ESA). Are you on the final year of a Master’s degree or have just graduated in engineering, science, IT or business services? This is your opportunity to work on inspiring space missions at the heart of European space activities. Apply today to be a part of this mission. See details here:👉 ESA YGT Opportunities
Join ESA's team of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe working together in an international and friendly environment.
ESA's mission is the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its 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.
YGT opportunities are open to citizens of one of the following ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia, as Associate Members, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Slovakia as European Cooperating States.
What's Up: February 2022 Skywatching Tips | NASA JPL
What are some skywatching highlights in February 2022?
Jupiter is the lone planet lingering in twilight skies after sunset in February. It exits the evening sky this month leaving no bright planets there until August (save for a brief appearance from Mercury in April). Also Venus is at peak brightness for the year in the a.m., and it's a great time to view the Orion Nebula.
International Space Station: View from SpaceX Crew Dragon | NASA
This mosaic depicts the International Space Station (ISS) pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021.
The four NASA SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts on board were Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency).
Thomas Pesquet was the fourth European astronaut to command the ISS and the first French astronaut to command the orbital laboratory.
The International Space Station (ISS) Program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one—how best to plan, coordinate, and monitor the varied activities of the Program’s many organizations.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
China’s Mars Mission: Tianwen-1 Orbiter Video Captures Ice Caps on Red Planet
- China's space agency publishes videos of its spacecraft against backdrop of polar caps made from a mixture of frozen carbon dioxide and water
- By Monday, China's Zhu Rong rover had driven more than 1.5km (0.9 miles) on the planet’s surface
Jan. 31, 2022: China has published videos showing its Mars orbiter Tianwen-1 circling above the northern ice caps of the red planet taken using its “selfie stick” on Monday, the eve of Lunar New Year.
In a pink-tinted video, the spacecraft can be seen flying against a landscape sprinkled with frost patches, which the China National Space Administration (CNSA) identified as ice caps. Unlike the ice on the Earth’s polar regions, Martian ice is a mixture of frozen carbon dioxide and water.
The video also shows a moving shadow cast by the sun as the solar wings of the orbiter rotate.
The orbiter is equipped with an extendable arm to monitor the key components on its surface, according to the CNSA, which said its engine, propellant tank and attitude control engine were in sound condition.
The “selfie stick” is made of a shape memory material that unfurls straight to 1.6 metres (5.2 feet) long when it reaches a certain temperature after entering Mars’ orbit. The arm, which has a camera attached at the end, was folded before launch.
The Tianwen mission–those name translates to “heavenly questions”–is a milestone for China’s ambitious space programme. It was launched on July 23, 2020, and went into orbit around Mars seven months later. In May last year Zhu Rong, named after the Chinese god of fire, landed on the planet.
The space agency said both the Tiawen-1 orbiter and Zhu Rong rover were in “good condition”.
The rover had driven more than 1.5km (0.9 miles) on the Mars surface in 255 Martian days by Monday. A Martian day is about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth.
The feat means China is only the second country after the United States to successfully land an operating spacecraft on Mars.
Its mission is to explore the surface and geology of the planet as well as its magnetic field, soil composition and atmosphere.
Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 mission, said China was also working on another mission–likely to be known as Tianwen-2 -to collect rock samples from the red planet and return them to Earth in 2030.
The dwarf galaxy NGC 1705 is featured in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This diminutive galaxy lies in the southern constellation Pictor, and is approximately 17 million light-years from Earth. NGC 1705 is a cosmic oddball—it is small, irregularly shaped, and has recently undergone a spate of star formation known as a starburst.
Despite these eccentricities, NGC 1705 and other dwarf irregular galaxies like it can provide valuable insights into the overall evolution of galaxies. Dwarf irregular galaxies tend to contain few elements other than hydrogen or helium, and are considered to be similar to the earliest galaxies that populated the Universe.
The data shown in this image come from a series of observations designed to unveil the interplay between stars, star clusters, and ionised gas in nearby star-forming galaxies. By observing a specific wavelength of light known as H-alpha with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, astronomers aimed to discover thousands of emission nebulae — regions created when hot, young stars bathe the clouds of gas surrounding them in ultraviolet light, causing them to glow.
This is not the first time that NGC 1705 has been imaged by Hubble—astronomers peered into the heart of the galaxy in 1999 using Hubble’s workhorse camera at the time, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. This instrument was replaced with the Wide Field Camera 3 during the fifth and final Space Shuttle mission to Hubble in 2009, and the newer instrument has provided a richer and far more detailed portrait of NGC 1705 than the 1999 observation.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The Great Carina Nebula, featuring the Gabriela Mistral Nebula, as well as other nebulae and star clusters.
The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and iconic nebulas. Named for its home constellation, the huge star-forming region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but less well known because it is so far south—and because so much of humanity lives farther north. The featured image shows in great detail the northern-most part of the Carina Nebula. Visible nebulas include the semi-circular filaments surrounding the active star Wolf-Rayet 23 (WR23) on the far left. Just left of center is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas (IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324). Above the image center is the larger star cluster NGC 3293, while to its right is the relatively faint emission nebula designated Loden 153. The most famous occupant of the Carina Nebula, however, is not shown. Off the image to the lower right is the bright, erratic, and doomed star star known as Eta Carinae—a star once one of the brightest stars in the sky and now predicted to explode in a supernova sometime in the next few million years.
Chinese Astronauts Organize Traditional Spring Festival Celebration in Space
Jan. 31, 2022: Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, are about to celebrate their first Spring Festival in China's space station, 400 kilometers up above Earth, as they are halfway through their six-month mission. It seems the Shenzhou-13 crew decided to keep Chinese festive traditions alive even in space and is ready to enjoy the night. A video released by China Media Group (CMG) shows taikonauts have already decorated the inside of the space station with balloons and traditional red paper squares. The Chinese character "福" (meaning good fortune) is written on the paper squares, meaning happiness has arrived.
Zhai Zhigang, one of the crew members, wrote antithetical couplets on red paper scrolls with a brush pen and showed his calligraphy via camera to the ground, sending new year's blessing to all: "Happy new year to everyone, with good health and best luck in the Year of the Tiger!" Dumplings are one of the iconic foods for the special night when Chinese people embrace a new year according to the lunar calendar and say goodbye to the past year; the taikonauts will have them for dinner. The dumplings with three different kinds of stuffing are on their menu for dinner.
They will also stick to the tradition as most Chinese people do at night – watching Spring Festival Gala – the most-watched TV show. They will also participate in the show via video to send their greetings to all the viewers.
Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)/China Media Group (CMG)
