Arianespace Flight VA257 Launched Satellites for India & Malaysia

Arianespace Flight VA257 Launched Satellites for India & Malaysia

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at 06:50 pm local time, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana (South America), successfully orbiting two geostationary telecommunication satellites, MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24.

MEASAT-3d, to be co-located with MEASAT-3a and MEASAT-3b in the 91.5°E orbital slot, is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space. It will significantly enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps per user in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia, while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region.

MEASAT-3d will also carry an extremely innovative payload on behalf of the Korean operator KTSAT to significantly improve air traffic control in South Korea.

GSAT-24 is a Ku-band 4-ton class communications satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) that will provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services across India. It will be the first “Demand Driven” communications satellite mission undertaken by NSIL.

The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher is a European Space Agency (ESA) program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and industry across 12 European partner states.

ArianeGroup is the lead contractor for the development and production of Ariane 5. During launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely with CNES, who is the design authority for the Ariane 5 and controls the satellite preparation facilities.

Credit: Arianespace

Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: June 23, 2020

#Arianespace #NASA #ESA #CNES #Earth #Space #Satellites #MEASAT3d #Malaysia #GSAT24 #India #ISRO #Telecommunications #Rocket #Ariane5 #HeavyLift #Geostationary #LEO #Spaceport #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #Europe #Science #Technology #Engineering #Airbus #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Mars Perseverance & Curiosity Rovers—New June 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Perseverance & Curiosity Rovers—New June 2022 Images | JPL

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

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

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

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

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this view of the sulfate-bearing region and upper Mount Sharp in a dust haze on May 26, 2022, on sol 3,485 (Martian day) of the mission. The panorama consists of 46 images.

Hogwallow Flats - Mars2020 - sol 474. Panorama of 26 images by Navcam Left camera

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Thomas Appéré

MSL - Sol 3509 - Mastcam panorama

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

Zoom on Hogwallow Flats with Remote Micro Imager, Mars2020, sol 436

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES/IRAP/Thomas Appéré

Mars 2020 Bonus Close-up Image Release Date: June 16, 2022 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars 2020 Bonus Close-up Image Release Date: June 16, 2022 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars 2020 Bonus Close-up Image Release Date: June 16, 2022 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"The Bacon Strip" - Mars 2020 Bonus Close-up Image Release Date: June 16, 2022 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University (ASU)/Malin Space Science Systems(MSSS)/Thomas Appéré/Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: June 16-23, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Perseverance #Curiosity #Rovers #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

How Scientists Study Wind on Mars | NASA JPL

How Scientists Study Wind on Mars | NASA JPL

NASA Mars News Report—June 22, 2022

NASA's spacecraft on Mars are all affected by the winds of the Red Planet, which can produce a tiny dust devil or a global dust storm. 

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Deputy Project Scientist Leslie Tamppari explains how images from the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera help scientists better understand Martian winds. With the help of 80,000 citizen scientists sorting through the orbiter’s images, hundreds of thousands of wind “fans” were identified on the surface of Mars. 

Scientists use wind to understand the climate of Mars today and in the past. These wind data can also help them study why some dust storms grow to become global and others do not. Studying wind and dust will help future spacecraft and human missions. 

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

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University (ASU)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)/University of Arizona (UA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: June 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Atmosphere #Wind #MRO #Reconnaissance #Orbiter #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Martian Dunes in Meridiani Planum | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Martian Dunes in Meridiani Planum | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Obiter (MRO) monitors dune fields across Mars to track how they are changing. The mobile sand also cleans dust off of the bedrock in inter-dune areas, providing good views of the bedrock structures and colors.

Here we see subtle color differences between layers, and a dense network of fractures. The dunes, in contrast, are uniformly dark and relatively blue in enhanced color (really grey but less red than the bedrock, so they appear blue here. Image is less than 1 km across and is 272 km above the surface.)

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

Caption Credit: Alfred McEwen

Image Date: January 15, 2022 

Release Date: May 17, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Mars #Planet #Science #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #RedPlanet #MRO #Reconnaissance #Orbiter #Spacecraft #HiRISE #Camera #JPL #Caltech #University #Arizona #UA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Landsat: Celebrating 50 Years | USGS

Landsat: Celebrating 50 Years | USGS

50 years of teamwork. 50 years of innovation. 50 years of resilience. In 1966, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced his vision to create a program aimed at gathering facts about the natural resources of the Earth from Earth orbiting satellites. It was a bold proclamation. It was also an idea that worked and continues to work 50 years on.

The Landsat program conceived of in the 1960s, has been running longer than any remote sensing program. The idea was simple: position a satellite in a nearly polar orbit fixed to the solar angle so that each daytime pass would cross the equator at roughly the same local time.

Data representing bands of the spectrum are captured and processed into grayscale recordings, which can be combined to create natural looking views like this or false color views like this. Nine Landsat satellites have been launched in partnership with NASA since 1972.

Learn more about the USGS Landsat Program:

https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions

Video Credit: United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Duration: 20 minutes (Extended Edition)

Release Date: June 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #USGS #NOAA #Satellites #Landsat #50thAnniversary #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Goddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #International #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The James Webb Space Telescope: Revealing the First Galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope: Revealing the First Galaxies

Take a trip through time and space to the early universe with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. How will Webb reveal the never-before-seen first galaxies? What are astronomers looking for?

Video Credits: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Danielle Kirshenblat of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Designers: Greg Bacon, Leah Hustak, Joe Olmsted, Dani Player

Scientists: Quyen Hart, Dan Coe

Writer: Leah Ramsay

Educator: Holly Ryer

All images, illustrations and videos courtesy of NASA and STScI except:

First Galaxies Formation Animation: Courtesy of The SPHINX collaboration

Footage & Music: Courtesy of Pond 5, Premium Beat, Soundstripe

Narration: Courtesy of Bunny Studio

Duration: 3 minutes, 30 seconds

Release Date: June 22, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Telescope #JWST #JamesWebb #Galaxies #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Astrophysics #Astrobiology #Cosmos #Universe #ESA #CSA #Goddard #GSFC #JSC #UnitedStates #Europe #Canada #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

"The Middle East" | International Space Station

"The Middle East" | International Space Station

Countries of the "Middle East" as seen from the International Space Station and photographed by European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy.

Learn about Samantha's Minerva Mission: https://bit.ly/MissionMinerva

Samantha Cristoforetti's Biography (ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

Expedition 67 Crew

Commander Oleg Artemyev (Russia)

Roscosmos Flight Engineers: Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov (Russia)

NASA Flight Engineers: Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins (USA)

European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer: Samantha Cristoforetti (Italy)

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/ESA/Samantha Cristoforetti

Image Date: June 20, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #MiddleEast #Egypt #Israel #Syria #Lebanon #Jordan #SaudiArabia #Turkey #Cyprus #UnitedNations #Italy #Italia #ESA #Astronaut #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #MissionMinerva #ASI #Photography #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

Close Encounters: SpaceX Cargo Dragon Backs Away | International Space Station

Close Encounters: SpaceX Cargo Dragon Backs Away | International Space Station

The SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship is pictured as it backs away from the International Space Station's forward-facing international docking adapter. The Cargo Dragon's beacon lights and a plume from one of its engines during its departure burn made for a colorful show. 

This image is reminiscent of special effects used in the 1978 science fiction film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" directed by Steven Spielberg: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860

This Dragon spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Aug. 29, 2021, from Space Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and arrived at the station the following day with more than 4,800 pounds of science, supplies and cargo on SpaceX’s 23rd commercial resupply mission to the station for NASA.

NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program (C3PO)

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS): A New Era in Spaceflight Report [Free PDF Download]: 

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SP-2014-617.pdf

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.

Credit: NASA's Johson Space Center

Image Date: Sept. 30, 2021

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Dragon #Spacecraft #CRS23 #Cargo #CommercialResupply #Astronauts #LaunchAmerica #Laboratory #Research #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Europe #Russia #Россия #Japan #日本 #Canada #Expedition65 #STEM #Education

Aurora Streaming over Earth | International Space Station

 Auroras Streaming over Earth | International Space Station

Auroras vividly streamed over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited above.

A aurora vividly streams over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

Image Date: October 10, 2021

A vivid aurora streams over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited 274 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

Image Date: October 12, 2021

A faint aurora beneath a starry sky is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

Image Date: October 10, 2021

An aurora dimly intersects with Earth's airglow as the International Space Station flew into an orbital sunrise 264 miles above the Pacific Ocean before crossing over Canada.

Image Date: October 30, 2021

A vivid aurora streams over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

Image Date: October 11, 2021

An aurora streams over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

Image Date: October 13, 2021

A bright aurora crowns Earth's horizon beneath a starry sky as the International Space Station flew into an orbital sunrise 264 miles above north Montana in the United States.

Image Date: October 30, 2021

An aurora is pictured below the International Space Station as it was orbiting 274 miles above the southern Pacific Ocean just south of Auckland Island, New Zealand. In the foreground (from left) are, the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship docked to the Rassvet module and the Soyuz MS-18 crew ship docked to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

Image Date: October 9, 2021

Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying color and complexity.

[Wikipedia]

Learn more: 

The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html

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 ISS: 

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 Center (JSC)

Image Capture Dates: Oct. 9-30, 2021

#NASA #ISS #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Science #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #AuroraBorealis #EarthObservation #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition65 #Expedition66 #Technology #Photography #JSC #UnitedStates #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #International #STEM #Education

Why Does Boeing's Starliner Not Look Burned After Reentry?

Why Does Boeing's Starliner Not Look Burned After Reentry?

"A simple question lead me to talk about heat shielding on many different capsules over the years. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft uses a non-ablative heatshield on the backshell partly because it has lower thermal loads, compared to SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, thanks to a shallower cone angle." 

"And that's where I started . . ."

Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft have been developed and tested to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station from U.S. soil.

For more info on OFT-2 and Starliner, visit: boeing.com/starliner

Free 59-page PDF Download on NASA's Commercial Crew Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/commercial_crew_press_kit_04.pdf

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Video Credit: Scott Manley

Duration: 9 minutes, 40 seconds

Release Date: June 17, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #SpaceX #Dragon #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #HeatShield #CommercialCrew #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Engineering #LaunchAmerica #Apollo #Gemini #SpaceShuttle #KSC #JSC #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Gamma Cygni Nebula

The Gamma Cygni Nebula

Supergiant star Gamma Cygni is at the center of the Northern Cross. Near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, that famous asterism flies high in northern summer night skies in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Known by the proper name Sadr, Gamma Cygni also lies just below center in this telescopic skyscape, with colors mapped from both broadband and narrowband image data. The field of view spans about 3 degrees (six Full Moons) on the sky and includes emission nebula IC 1318 and open star cluster NGC 6910. Filling the upper part of the frame and shaped like two glowing cosmic wings divided by a long dark dust lane, IC 1318's popular name is understandably the Butterfly Nebula. Right of Gamma Cygni, are the young, still tightly grouped stars of NGC 6910. The distance to Gamma Cygni is around 560 parsecs or 1,800 light-years. Estimates for IC 1318 and NGC 6910 range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years.

Image Credit & Copyright: Min Xie, Chen Wu, Yizhou Zhang, and Benchu Tang

Min Xie's website: 

https://www.astrobin.com/users/mxcoppell/

Release Date: June 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Star #GammaCygni #Sadr #Nebula #Nebulae #GammaCygni #Emission #IC1318 #ButterflyNebula #StarCluster #NGC6910 #Stars #NGC6910 #NorthernCross #Cygnus #Constellation #Astrophotographer #Astrophotography #Cosmos #Universe #Earth #STEM #Education #APoD

SpaceX Globalstar FM15 Mission Launch

SpaceX Globalstar FM15 Mission Launch

Congratulations to SpaceX on 3 successful launches from 3 SpaceX launchpads in less than 37 hours! 

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket in the early hours of Sunday morning, June 19, 2022. Liftoff occurred at 12:27 AM EDT (04:27 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with the rocket’s official mission being the deployment of a single replacement satellite for communications operator Globalstar. The Globalstar-2 FM15 spacecraft was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space as part of Globalstar’s second-generation constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellites.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Caption Credit: NASASpaceflight.com

Release Date: June 19, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Satellite #Globalstar #Globalstar2FM15 #Communications #Earth #LEO #Orbit #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Spaceflight #Technology #Engineering #Commerce #Spaceport #SpaceForce #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #FAA #STEM #Education

World Refugee Day | International Space Station

World Refugee Day | International Space Station

European Space Agency Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy: "On World Refugee Day, I want to thank and salute all countries, communities and individuals who welcome and help refugees. Because every Earthling deserves a home."

Learn about Samantha's Minerva Mission: https://bit.ly/MissionMinerva

Samantha Cristoforetti's Biography (ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

Expedition 67 Crew

Commander Oleg Artemyev (Russia)

Roscosmos Flight Engineers: Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov (Russia)

NASA Flight Engineers: Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins (USA)

European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer: Samantha Cristoforetti (Italy)

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.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center / ESA /Samantha Cristoforetti

Release Date: June 20, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #Humans #WorldRefugeeDay #UnitedNations #Italy #Italia #ESA #Astronaut #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #MissionMinerva #ASI #Photography #Art #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

A White Dwarf Star Consumes Its Planetary System | NASA Goddard

A White Dwarf Star Consumes Its Planetary System | NASA Goddard

A star’s death throes have so violently disrupted its planetary system that the white dwarf star left behind, is siphoning off debris from both the system’s inner and outer reaches. This is the first time astronomers have observed a white dwarf star consuming both rocky-metallic and icy material, the ingredients of planets.

Archival data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories were essential in diagnosing this case of cosmic "cannibalism." The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and can tell astronomers about the makeup of newly forming systems.

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

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Paul Morris: Lead Producer 

Music & Sound

“Through a Computer Screen” by Raphael Olivier [SACEM] via KTSA Publishing [SACEM] and Universal Production Music

ESA Credit:

Ring of rocky debris around a white dwarf star (artist’s impression)

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and G. Bacon (STScI)

Evaporating extrasolar planet, from Video (artist's impression)

Credit: ESA, Alfred Vidal-Madjar (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS, France) and NASA.

Red Giant Sun

Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

Flight through our Solar System

Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

European Southern Observatory (ESO) Credit:

Comets in Solar System

Credit on screen with : ESO/L. Calçada/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org)

Duration: 2 minutes, 34 seconds

Release Date: June 15, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Star #WhiteDwarf #Planets #PlanetarySystem #Asteroids #Constellation #Science #Astrophysics #Physics #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #ESO #Europe #STEM #Education #Art #Visualization #HD #Video

Massive Galaxy Cluster Abell 1351 | Hubble

Massive Galaxy Cluster Abell 1351 | Hubble

The massive galaxy cluster Abell 1351 is captured in this image by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. This galaxy cluster lies in the constellation Ursa Major in the northern hemisphere.

This image is filled with streaks of light, which are actually the images of distant galaxies. The streaks are the result of gravitational lensing, an astrophysical phenomenon that occurs when a massive celestial body such as a galaxy cluster distorts spacetime sufficiently strongly to affect the path of light passing through it—almost as if the light were passing through a gigantic lens. Gravitational lensing comes in two varieties—strong and weak—and both can give astronomers an insight into the distribution of mass within a lensing galaxy cluster such as Abell 1351.

This observation is part of an astronomical album comprising snapshots of some of the most massive galaxy clusters. This menagerie of massive clusters demonstrates interesting astrophysical phenomena such as strong gravitational lensing, as well as showcasing spectacular examples of violent galaxy evolution. To obtain this astronomical album, astronomers proposed a Snapshot Program to be slotted into Hubble’s packed observing schedule. These Snapshot Programs are lists of separate, relatively short exposures which can fit into gaps between longer Hubble observations. Having a large pool of Snapshot candidates to dip into allows Hubble to use every second of observing time possible and to maximize the scientific output of the observatory.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, H. Ebeling

Acknowledgement: L. Shatz

Release Date: June 20, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Galaxy #GalaxyCluster #Abell1351 #UrsaMajor #Constellation #GravitationalLensing #WFC3 #Science #Astrophysics #Physics #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Nebula NGC 6188: "Dragons of Ara"

Nebula NGC 6188: "Dragons of Ara"

Do dragons fight on the altar of the sky? Although it might appear that way, these dragons are illusions made of thin gas and dust. The emission nebula NGC 6188, home to the glowing clouds, is found about 4,000 light years away near the edge of a large molecular cloud unseen at visible wavelengths, in the southern constellation Ara (the Altar). Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed in that region only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The recent star formation itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. 

Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas, visible toward the lower right, is rare emission nebula NGC 6164, also created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in appearance to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164's striking, symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo surround its bright central star near the bottom edge. This impressively wide field of view spans over 2 degrees (four full Moons), corresponding to over 150 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 6188.

Image Credit & Copyright: Shaun Robertson

Shaun's website: 

https://www.darkmoonastrophotography.com/about

Release Date: June 7, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebula #Nebulae #Emission #NGC6188 #NGC6164 #Ara #Constellation #Astrophotographer #ShaunRobertson #Astrophotography #Cosmos #Universe #Earth #STEM #Education #APoD