A Diverse Collection of Galaxies: Galaxy Cluster ACO S 295 | Hubble

A Diverse Collection of Galaxies: Galaxy Cluster ACO S 295 | Hubble

This packed Hubble image showcases the galaxy cluster ACO S 295, as well as a jostling crowd of background galaxies and foreground stars. Galaxies of all shapes and sizes populate this image, ranging from stately spirals to fuzzy ellipticals. As well as a range of sizes, this galactic menagerie boasts a range of orientations, with spiral galaxies such as the one at the center of this image appearing almost face on, and some edge-on spiral galaxies visible only as thin slivers of light.

The cluster dominates the center of this image, both visually and physically. The huge mass of the galaxy cluster has gravitationally lensed the background galaxies, distorting and smearing their shapes. As well as providing astronomers with a natural magnifying glass with which to study distant galaxies, gravitational lensing has subtly framed the center of this image, producing a visually striking scene.

Credit: NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 35 seconds

Release Date: July 25, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Spirals #Ellipticals #GalaxyCluster #ACOS295 #GravitationalLensing #Horologium #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Diverse Collection of Galaxies: Galaxy Cluster ACO S 295 | Hubble

A Diverse Collection of Galaxies: Galaxy Cluster ACO S 295 | Hubble

This packed Hubble image showcases the galaxy cluster ACO S 295, as well as a jostling crowd of background galaxies and foreground stars. Galaxies of all shapes and sizes populate this image, ranging from stately spirals to fuzzy ellipticals. As well as a range of sizes, this galactic menagerie boasts a range of orientations, with spiral galaxies such as the one at the center of this image appearing almost face on, and some edge-on spiral galaxies visible only as thin slivers of light.

The cluster dominates the center of this image, both visually and physically. The huge mass of the galaxy cluster has gravitationally lensed the background galaxies, distorting and smearing their shapes. As well as providing astronomers with a natural magnifying glass with which to study distant galaxies, gravitational lensing has subtly framed the center of this image, producing a visually striking scene.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, F. Pacaud, D. Coe

Release Date: May 17, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Spirals #Ellipticals #GalaxyCluster #ACOS295 #GravitationalLensing #Horologium #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Phantom Galaxy (M74): Infrared (Webb) & Optical (Hubble) Views Combined

The Phantom Galaxy (M74): Infrared (Webb) & Optical (Hubble) Views Combined 

M74, also known as the Phantom Galaxy, shines at its brightest in this combined optical/mid-infrared image, featuring data from both the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope.

With Hubble’s venerable Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Webb’s powerful Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) capturing a range of wavelengths, this new image has remarkable depth. The red colors mark dust threaded through the arms of the galaxy, lighter oranges being areas of hotter dust. The young stars throughout the arms and the nuclear core are picked out in blue. Heavier, older stars towards the galaxy’s center are shown in cyan and green, projecting a spooky glow from the core of the Phantom Galaxy. Bubbles of star formation are also visible in pink across the arms. Such a variety of galactic features is rare to see in a single image.

Scientists combine data from telescopes operating across the electromagnetic spectrum to truly understand astronomical objects. In this way, data from Hubble and Webb compliment each other to provide a comprehensive view of the spectacular M74 galaxy.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team; ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar, N. Bartmann

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #JWST #MIRI #Infrared #Galaxy #M74 #PhantomNebula #Spiral #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket Launch: Reschedule Pending | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket Launch: Reschedule Pending | Kennedy Space Center

A NASA helicopter flies past the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as the launch countdown progressed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. 

The launch director halted today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration. Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.

All about Artemis I:

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

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Rocket #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KennedySpaceCenter #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #ArtemisGeneration #STEM #Education

Pan of The Phantom Galaxy | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of The Phantom Galaxy | James Webb Space Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the heart of M74, otherwise known as the Phantom Galaxy. Webb’s sharp vision has revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust in the grandiose spiral arms which wind outwards from the center of this image. A lack of gas in the nuclear region also provides an unobscured view of the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy's center. M74 is a particular class of spiral galaxy known as a ‘grand design spiral’, meaning that its spiral arms are prominent and well-defined, unlike the patchy and ragged structure seen in some spiral galaxies.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #MIRI #Infrared #Galaxy #M74 #Spiral #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Heart of The Phantom Galaxy | James Webb Space Telescope

The Heart of The Phantom Galaxy | James Webb Space Telescope

This updated image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the heart of M74, otherwise known as the Phantom Galaxy. Webb’s sharp vision has revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust in the grandiose spiral arms which wind outwards from the center of this image. A lack of gas in the nuclear region also provides an unobscured view of the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy's center. M74 is a particular class of spiral galaxy known as a ‘grand design spiral’, meaning that its spiral arms are prominent and well-defined, unlike the patchy and ragged structure seen in some spiral galaxies.

The Phantom Galaxy is around 32 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pisces, and lies almost face-on to Earth. This, coupled with its well-defined spiral arms, makes it a favorite target for astronomers studying the origin and structure of galactic spirals.

Webb gazed into M74 with its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) in order to learn more about the earliest phases of star formation in the local Universe. These observations are part of a larger effort to chart 19 nearby star-forming galaxies in the infrared by the international PHANGS collaboration. Those galaxies have already been observed using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories. The addition of crystal-clear Webb observations at longer wavelengths will allow astronomers to pinpoint star-forming regions in the galaxies, accurately measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and gain insights into the nature of the small grains of dust drifting in interstellar space.

Hubble observations of M74 have revealed particularly bright areas of star formation known as HII regions. Hubble’s sharp vision at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths complements Webb’s unparalleled sensitivity at infrared wavelengths, as do observations from ground-based radio telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, ALMA. By combining data from telescopes operating across the electromagnetic spectrum, scientists can gain greater insight into astronomical objects than by using a single observatory—even one as powerful as Webb!

MIRI was contributed by ESA and NASA, with the instrument designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (the MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with JPL and the University of Arizona.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team. 

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #MIRI #Infrared #Galaxy #M74 #Spiral #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy M74 | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy M74 | Hubble

The arms of the spiral galaxy M74 are studded with rosy pink regions of fresh star formation in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. M74—also known as the Phantom Galaxy—lies around 32 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pisces, and is a familiar sight for Hubble.

The beautiful reddish blooms that spread throughout M74 are huge clouds of hydrogen gas which are made to glow by the ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars embedded within them. These regions,which astronomers refer to as H II regions, mark the location of recent star formation and are an important target for both space- and ground-based telescopes. Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, which collected the data in this image, even has a filter designed to pick out only this specific red wavelength of light!

The data in this image come from a set of observations exploring the evolution of local spiral galaxies such as M74, which aim to gain insights into the history of star formation in these spirals. To do this astronomers examined star clusters to date the different parts of spiral galaxies, enabling them to understand how the galaxies assembled over time. They also explored the distribution of dust in spiral galaxies; this dust is visible in this image as the dark threads winding along the spiral arms of M74.

Aside from their quest to understand the history of spiral galaxies, astronomers also observed M74 to complement observations from other telescopes. Combining observations of the same object from different telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum gives astronomers far more insight than observations from a single telescope would. Hubble’s observations also paved the way for future instruments; M74 was one of the first targets of the powerful new NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxy #M74 #Spiral #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Peering through the Dust of Sagittarius B1: Infrared View | ESO

Peering through the Dust of Sagittarius B1: Infrared View  | ESO

This is an infrared view of Sagittarius B1, a region close to the center of the Milky Way, imaged with the European Southern Observatory (ESO)’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The center of our galaxy is an exotic environment, densely populated with stars, and has been suggested to have more star formation than any other place in the Milky Way. However, so far we have only found less than 10% of all young stars we expect there. Where are the others? 

There is a catch: our view towards the center is obscured by clouds of dust and gas, blocking the light from the stars. With infrared instruments it is possible to peer through these clouds. In this image, taken with the infrared HAWK-I instrument on ESO’s VLT, we get to take a closer look at this region. The view is mesmerising, unveiling a myriad of stars. In a recent study, a team led by Francisco Nogueras Lara (MPIA Heidelberg, Germany) discovered that this region hosts an excess of young stars, with a combined mass of more than 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. This is a key step forward in our quest to find all the expected young stars in the central regions of the Milky Way, and thus understand how stars evolve in such a unique environment.

This image comes from the GALACTICNUCLEUS survey, whose goal is to obtain high-resolution infrared images of the galactic center. With future infrared ESO instruments such as ERIS on the VLT and MICADO on the upcoming ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the team hopes to study the stars in greater detail, which will lead to a better understanding of the evolution of the Milky Way’s center. 

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Nogueras-Lara et al.

Release Date: August 29, 2022

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #HAWKI #Infrared #UnitedStates #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket at Daybreak | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket at Daybreak | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as the Artemis I launch teams load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as the launch countdown progressed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. 

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. 

The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. 

All about Artemis I:

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

Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Release Date: August 18, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Rocket #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KennedySpaceCenter #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #ArtemisGeneration #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket at Sunrise | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket at Sunrise | Kennedy Space Center

A sunrise view of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for Artemis I on the pad at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 18, 2022. Launch of Artemis I is scheduled for no earlier than Aug. 29, 2022, at 8:34 a.m. EDT. 

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. 

The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

All about Artemis I:

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

Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Release Date: August 18, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Rocket #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KennedySpaceCenter #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #ArtemisGeneration #STEM #Education

NASA's Orion Spacecraft: Designed for Deep Space | Lockheed Martin

NASA's Orion Spacecraft: Designed for Deep Space | Lockheed Martin

"Orion is NASA's spacecraft that will take humans deep into space. No other spacecraft in development has the technology needed for the extremes of deep space, such as life support, navigation, communications, radiation shielding and the world's largest heat shield that will protect astronauts and help return them safely home.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor building Orion. We are in the production phase and have finalized a contract for six Orion spacecraft missions and the ability to order up to 12 in total. The first spacecraft delivered on this contract, Artemis III, will carry the first woman and the next man to the surface of the Moon. Orion is a critical part of the agency's Artemis program to build a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and to prepare us to move on to Mars.

What puts Orion in a class all its own? The technology our engineers use to build the only exploration class spacecraft to take humans deeper into space than ever before."

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Duration: 3 minutes, 42 seconds

Release Date: August 25, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #LockheedMartin #SLS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Rocket #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #KennedySpaceCenter #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Sky Region around Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

The Sky Region around Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

This image from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) shows the region of the sky around NGC 7727, a galaxy located 89 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. The galaxy is the bright spot in the center. 

NGC 7727 is home to the closest pair of supermassive black holes to Earth found to date. It is also the pair with the smallest separation between two supermassive black holes—observed to be just 1,600 light-years apart in the sky.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Release Date: November 30, 2021

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxy #NGC7727 #Aquarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Bumps in the Heavens: Wide-field View of Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

Bumps in the Heavens: Wide-field View of Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

Just as people at a busy crossroad may accidentally bump into each other, so too can galaxies in the Universe! However, in this case, the outcome is more dramatic than a small nudge. When two galaxies clash, they merge into each other, giving birth to a new, bigger one. One example is the NGC 7727 galaxy, shown in this image from the European Southern Observatory’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) in Chile.

Located 89 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius, NGC 7727 is believed to be the result of a clash between two galaxies that occurred about one billion years ago. The consequences of this tremendous cosmic bump are still evident in the peculiar, irregular shape of NGC 7727 and the streams of stars in its outer regions. 

The image was taken in visible light as part of the VST-ATLAS survey. The goal of the survey is to map a vast region of the Southern Sky—so large you could fit about 19,000 full moons in it! By studying the galaxies in this region, astronomers aim to shed new light on the nature of dark energy, the mysterious force permeating the Universe and causing its accelerating expansion.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/VST ATLAS team

Acknowledgement: Durham University/CASU/WFAU

Release Date: November 29, 2021

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxy #NGC7727 #Aquarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Journey to the Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

Journey to the Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxy NGC 7727 | ESO

This video takes us to NGC 7727, a galaxy located 89 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius and home to the closest pair of supermassive black holes found to date. The pair is also the one with the smallest separation between two supermassive black holes—observed to be just 1,600 light-years apart in the sky.

Each of the two black holes is located at the center of one of the two bright nuclei in NGC 7727 visible in the final part of the video. The two black holes are on a collision course, doomed to crash together and merge into one giant black hole probably within the next 250 million years.

The close-up view of the central region of NGC 7727 and its two nuclei was taken with the MUSE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/L. Calçada ; N. Risinger; Digitized Sky Survey 2; VST ATLAS team; Voggel et al.

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: November 30, 2021

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxy #NGC7727 #Aquarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #MUSE #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxy NGC 7727: Close-up View | ESO

Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxy NGC 7727: Close-up View | ESO

Close-up view of the two bright galactic nuclei, each housing a supermassive black hole, in NGC 7727, a galaxy located 89 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Each nucleus consists of a dense group of stars with a supermassive black hole at its center. The two black holes are on a collision course and form the closest pair of supermassive black holes found to date. It is also the pair with the smallest separation between two supermassive black holes—observed just 1,600 light-years apart in the sky.  

The image was taken with the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Voggel et al.

Release Date: November 30, 2021

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxy #NGC7727 #Aquarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #MUSE #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

The Spectacular Galactic Dance of NGC 7727 | ESO

The Spectacular Galactic Dance of NGC 7727 | ESO

The galaxy NGC 7727 was born from the merger of two galaxies that started around a billion years ago. The cosmic dance of the two galaxies has resulted in the spectacular wispy shape of NGC 7727. At the heart of the galaxy, two supermassive black holes are spiralling closer to each other, expected to merge within 250 million years, the blink of an eye in astronomical time. This image of NGC 7727 was captured by the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). 

Distance: 90 million light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: August 16, 2022

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxy #NGC7727 #Aquarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education