Hubble Sees Double in Spiral Galaxy M99

Hubble Sees Double in Spiral Galaxy M99

The magnificent spiral galaxy M99 fills the frame in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. M99—which lies roughly 42 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices—is a “grand design” spiral galaxy, so-called because of the well-defined, prominent spiral arms visible in this image. M99 was captured by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 on two separate occasions, helping astronomers study two entirely different astronomical phenomena. 

The first set of observations aimed to explore a gap between two different varieties of cosmic explosions; novae and supernovae. Novae, which are caused by the interactions between white dwarfs and larger stars in binary systems, are far less bright than the supernovae which mark the catastrophically violent deaths of massive stars. However, current astronomical theories predict that sudden, fleeting events could occur that shine with brightnesses between those of novae and supernovae. Despite being described by astronomers as being shrouded in mystery and controversy, just such an event was observed in M99. Astronomers turned to Hubble’s keen vision to take a closer look and precisely locate the fading source.

The second set of observations were part of a large Hubble project which aims to chart the connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas from which they form. Hubble inspected 38 nearby galaxies, identifying clusters of hot, young stars. These galaxies were also observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a colossal radio telescope consisting of 66 individual dishes perched high in the Chilean Andes. The combination of Hubble’s observations of young stars and ALMA’s insight into clouds of cold gas will allow astronomers to delve into the details of star formation, and paves the way for future science with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Kasliwal, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Release Date: May 2, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #Galaxy #M99 #Spiral #ComaBerenices #Constellation #Science #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Purple Haze in the NGC 3627 Galaxy | European Southern Observatory

Purple Haze in the NGC 3627 Galaxy | European Southern Observatory

This Picture of the Week showcases the impressive NGC 3627 galaxy, also known as Messier 66, located approximately 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. The image was taken with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. But why does it have these unusual colors?

This image is a combination of observations conducted in different wavelengths of light. However, rather than seeing the stars in this galaxy, as in more classical images, what this image displays is gas ionized by newly-born stars, with hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur shown in red, blue and orange respectively. 

The image was taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project, which is using telescopes operating across all wavelengths to make high-resolution observations of nearby galaxies. The goal of the project is to better understand what triggers, boosts or holds back the formation of new stars in different environments.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/PHANGS

Release Date: May 2, 2022

#ESO #Astronomy #Space #NGC3627 #Messier66 #Galaxy #Leo #Stars #MUSE #VLT #Telescope #PHANGS #Cosmos #Universe #Atacama #Desert #Chile #Europe #Astrophotography #STEM #Education

What's on the Menu? Food and Culture on the International Space Station | NASA

What's on the Menu? Food and Culture on the International Space Station | NASA

In honor of Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month, learn about the intersection of food and culture in space from NASA astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams, whose father immigrated to the U.S. from India, and International Space Station (ISS) food scientist/system manager Xulei Wu, a first-generation Asian American born in China.

Hear their stories about cultural representation in space, the importance of food in Indian and Chinese cultures, and the inclusive standard menu aboard the ISS. What's one dish you would like to see aboard? 

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producer/Editor: Lacey Young

Art Director: Mark Hailey

Music: Universal Production Music

Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: May 1, 2022

#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronauts #Astronaut #SunitaWilliams #XuleiWu #Food #Menu #Culture #AANHPI  #AANHPIM #Indian #India #Bhārat #Gaṇarājya #AsianAmerican #Chinese #China #中国 #Asia #Pacific #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover Inspires Washington, DC Area Students

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover Inspires Washington, DC Area Students

NASA astronaut Victor Glover talks with young students at an educational event, Thursday, April 28, 2022, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Glover discussed his career as an astronaut, his 2021 mission to the International Space Station, and future NASA Artemis Missions to the Moon. Glover most recently served as pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed after a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station, May 2, 2021. Glover served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64. He contributed to many things while aboard the station including scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, growing crops, and taking hundreds of pictures of Earth. He completed 168 days in orbit and participated in four spacewalks.

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover/biography

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/glover-vj.pdf

Through Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, heralding a new era for space exploration and utilization. The NASA-led Artemis program is a new generation of lunar exploration missions designed to send humans farther into space than ever before. The Artemis missions are increasingly complex endeavours that will lay the foundation for sustainable human and robotic exploration of Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon.

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu

Image Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Capture Date: April 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #Artemis #Moon #ISS #SpaceX #Crew1 #Astronaut #VictorGlover #Pilot #Aviator #Engineer #Leader #USNavy #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition64 #AfricanAmerican #Washington #UnitedStates #JSC #Houston #Texas #STEM #Education

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover: New April 30, 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover: New April 30, 2022 Images | JPL

This week, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been using its Mastcam to image “Blackcraig”, “Maringma” and “Deepdale” buttes as it continues its ascent up Mount Sharp in Gale Crater. Buttes can be described as isolated hills with steep sides and flat tops. Mount Sharp, officially Aeolis Mons, is a mountain on Mars. It forms the central peak within Gale Crater. 

MSL - Sol 3456 - Mastcam

MSL - Sol 3456 - Mastcam

MSL - Sol 3459 - MAHLI

MSL - Sol 3458 - Mastcam

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

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

Launch: November 6, 2011

Landing: August 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

For more about Curiosity: 

https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory-curiosity-rover-msl

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill

Release Date: April 30, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Curiosity #Rover #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

Orbital Sunset & Northrop Grumman Cygnus | International Space Station

Orbital Sunset & Northrop Grumman Cygnus | International Space Station

The Cygnus space freighter (left) from Northrop Grumman, with its prominent cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays, is pictured as the International Space Station flies into an orbital sunset 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean. At upper right, is a portion of the Rassvet mini-research module's docking port.

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on the station: 

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

STEM is an acronym for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. 

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Centre (JSC)

Image Date: April 8, 2022

#NASA #ISS #Sun #Star #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Science #Sunset #PacificOcean #Pacific #Ocean #EarthObservation #Astronaut #Expedition67 #Technology #NorthropGrumman #Cygnus #Spacecraft #Cargo #Commercial #Photography #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis Space Exploration Suppliers | Northrop Grumman

NASA Artemis Space Exploration Suppliers | Northrop Grumman

"America’s return to the Moon and venture into deep space begins on factory floors across the nation. American supplier companies are working diligently to support NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, Exploration Ground Systems, and Gateway as the Artemis program prepares to send the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface."

Credit: Northrop Grumman

Duration: 2 minutes, 57 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #NorthropGrumman #Astronauts #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Rocket #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #DeepSpace #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tonight's Sky: May 2022

Tonight's Sky: May 2022

In May 2022, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.

About this Series

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 5 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: April 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Earth #Stars #UrsaMajor #BigDipper #Arcturus #Spica #Virgo #Sombrero #Cluster #M87 #ComaBernices #CanesVenatici #M64 #M51 #Whirlpool #Spiral #Galaxy #MilkyWay #Planets #SolarSystem #Skywatching #STEM #Education #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #HD #Video

What's Up for May 2022? | Skywatching Tips from NASA/JPL

What's Up for May 2022? | Skywatching Tips from NASA/JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in May 2022?

May provides some great planet spotting, including a close conjunction of Jupiter and Mars. At mid-month, a total eclipse of the Moon should delight skywatchers across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. And all month long, the Coma star cluster (aka, the Coma Berenices star cluster, or Melotte 111) is a great target for binoculars in the evening.

0:00 Intro

0:11 Planet-spotting opportunities

1:02 Lunar eclipse

2:27 The Coma star cluster

3:33 May Moon phases

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 3 minutes, 54 seconds

Release Date: April 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #LunarEclipse #Planets #Jupiter #Mars #ComaBerenices #StarCluster #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Sunrise Above Pacific Ocean | International Space Station

Sunrise Above Pacific Ocean | International Space Station

The International Space Station orbits into a sunrise above the Pacific Ocean. The International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm (at left) and one of its main solar arrays (at right) are pictured while the spacecraft orbited into a sunrise 257 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on the station: 

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

STEM is an acronym for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. 

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Centre (JSC)

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #ISS #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Science #PacificOcean #Pacific #Ocean #EarthObservation #Astronaut #Expedition67 #Technology #Robotics #Canadarm2 #CSA #MDA #Photography #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM #Education

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover: New April 28-29, 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover: New April 28-29, 2022 Images | JPL

Mars20202 - Sol 422 - Mastcam-Z

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill

Mars2020 - Sol 422 - Mastcam-Z

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill

Mars2020 - Sol 422 - Mastcam-Z

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill

MSL - Sol 3456 - Mastcam 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill

After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed “Three Forks” by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge), the location serves as the staging area for the rover’s second science expedition, the “Delta Front Campaign.”

“The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The answers are out there—and Team Perseverance is ready to find them.”

The delta, a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of a Martian river and a crater lake billions of years ago. Its exploration tops the Perseverance science team’s wish list because all the fine-grained sediment deposited at its base long ago is the mission’s best bet for finding the preserved remnants of ancient microbial life.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.

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 possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

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

For more about Perseverance: nasa.gov/perseverance

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

Caption Credit: NASA/JPL

Image Dates: April 28-29, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #River #Delta #Astrobiology #Geology #Geoscience #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

A New Crew Launches to the International Space Station | This Week @NASA

A New Crew Launches to the International Space Station | This Week @NASA 

Week of April 29, 2022: A new crew launches to the International Space Station, another crew wraps up a historic mission to the station, and more time to explore for some planetary science missions . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: April 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #SpaceX #Crew4 #Astronauts #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Rocket #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #DeepSpace #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Crew-4 Moon Rocket Dreams | Artemis I Launch Pad Tour

NASA Crew-4 Moon Rocket Dreams | Artemis I Launch Pad Tour

Prior to their launch to the International Space Station this week, NASA's Crew-4—NASA astronauts Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA)—visit the Space Launch System (SLS) with Orion and the European Service Module (ESM) atop it, on the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

Learn more about Artemis I at:

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Image Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Image Date: April 19, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #SpaceX #Crew4 #Astronauts #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Rocket #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #DeepSpace #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Mission on International Space Station in 2023

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Mission on International Space Station in 2023

Axiom Space and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to fly a UAE professional crew member to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew 6 for a long duration mission lasting six months, expected to occur in 2023. This is the first long-duration flight of an astronaut from an Arab nation.

Axiom Space is opening low Earth orbit to the broader international community. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) signed a new strategic cooperation in human spaceflight with Axiom Space Inc. in Washington D.C. on April 27 , and His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman, MBRSC, and H.E. Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Deputy Chairman, MBRSC, along with astronauts Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla all attended the signing ceremony. The agreement was signed in the Embassy of the United States by both parties: H.E Salem Al-Marri, Director General of the Centre, on behalf of the Centre, and Michael Suffredini, President and CEO of Axiom Space.

“It is our great pleasure to sign the agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, marking the first time a commercial space company has made such a mission possible,” said Michael Suffredini, President and CEO of Axiom Space. “Axiom Space is proud to provide MBRSC with a fight opportunity for a UAE astronaut, enabling its first long-term mission to the ISS.”

While UAE has previously flown an astronaut to the ISS onboard the Soyuz MS15 spacecraft, this will be the first non-ISS partner professional astronaut flight facilitated by a U.S. commercial space company. In yet another first, the UAE crew member will serve as a member of two Expedition crews onboard the space station across the roughly six-month interval. 

The flight opportunity provided by Axiom has its origins in a no-funds contract signed between NASA and Axiom to fly a NASA astronaut onboard a Soyuz seat, previously purchased by Axiom, in order to ensure continuous U.S. presence onboard the ISS. In exchange, NASA provided Axiom the right to use a seat owned by NASA onboard a commercial U.S. spacecraft traveling to the ISS in the future. Since the seats were deemed of equal value, there will be no future exchange of funds between NASA and Axiom for the flight opportunity. Axiom’s agreement with MBRSC is between the company and the UAE space agency.

The agreement was signed at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C. on April 27 by Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director-General of MBRSC and Michael Suffredini, and announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. 

About Axiom Space

"Axiom operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately building its successor, Axiom Station, the first permanent commercial destination in Earth's orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home." 

More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com

Story Credit: Axiom Space

Image Credit: Axiom Space/MBRSC

Release Date: April 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #Crew6 #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Astronauts #NoraAlMatrooshi #MohammadAlMulla #MBRSC #UAE #Emirates #UnitedStates #International #Cooperation #LongDuration #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Fantastic Four | Week of April 29, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: Fantastic Four | Week of April 29, 2022 

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. NASA's SpaceX Cew-4 astronauts Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Crew-4 joined the Expedition 67 crew of Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, all of NASA, Matthias Maurer of ESA, and cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos.

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Thursday, April 28, 2022, after 7 hours and 42 minutes. Artemyev and Matveev completed their major objectives during the spacewalk, which included monitoring the first commanded movements of the robotic arm from its grapple fixtures after removing thermal blankets and launch locks. The duo monitored the robotic arm as its end effectors translated one at a time to a new base points. The crew also installed more handrails on Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

This was the fifth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the second for Matveev. It will be the fifth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 250th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: April 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Cosmonauts #EVA #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Europe #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The James Webb Space Telescope Completes Alignment Phase

The James Webb Space Telescope Completes Alignment Phase

It is official, alignment of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is now complete. The alignment of the telescope across all of Webb’s instruments can be seen in a series of images that captures the observatory’s full field of view.

Featured in this video are engineering images demonstrating the sharp focus of each instrument. For this test, Webb pointed at part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, providing a dense field of hundreds of thousands of stars across all the observatory’s sensors. The sizes and positions of the images shown depict the relative arrangement of each of Webb’s instruments in the telescope’s focal plane, each pointing at a slightly offset part of the sky relative to one another. Webb’s three imaging instruments are NIRCam (images shown here at a wavelength of 2 microns), NIRISS (image shown here at 1.5 microns), and MIRI (shown at 7.7 microns, a longer wavelength revealing emission from interstellar clouds as well as starlight). 

NIRSpec is a spectrograph rather than imager but can take images, such as the 1.1 micron image shown here, for calibrations and target acquisition. The dark regions visible in parts of the NIRSpec data are due to structures of its microshutter array, which has several hundred thousand controllable shutters that can be opened or shut to select which light is sent into the spectrograph. Lastly, Webb’s Fine Guidance Sensor tracks guide stars to point the observatory accurately and precisely; its two sensors are not generally used for scientific imaging but can take calibration images such as those shown here. This image data is used not just to assess image sharpness but also to precisely measure and calibrate subtle image distortions and alignments between the instrument sensors as part of Webb’s overall instrument calibration process.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Lead Producer

Sophia Roberts (AIMM): Editor

Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Videographer

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM): Videographer

Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBRwyle): Animator

Music Credit: Cyclic Marimba by Eric Chevalier - Koka Media

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: April 28, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JamesWebb #Webb #Telescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #Exoplanets #Atmospheres #Biosignatures #Astrobiology #Europe #CSA #Canada #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video