Zooming into Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

Zooming into Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

This zoom video starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and ends with a close-up look at the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in the constellation of Crater (The Cup). The final view of this region was captured by FORS2, an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), as part of ESO's Cosmic Gems Program. This program showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

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

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: September 12, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

A Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

FORS2, an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in all its glory. The image, captured during the ESO Cosmic Gems Program, showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

Distance: about 62 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) 

Release Date: September 2, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover: New September 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover: New September 2022 Images | JPL

    MSL - Sol 3580 - Mastcam

MSL - Sol 3578 - MastCam

MSL - Sol 3578 - MastCam

MSL - Sol 3578 - MastCam

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Celebrating 10 Years on Mars!

Rover Name: Curiosity

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

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

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

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

Image Release Date: Sept. 2, 2022

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

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

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

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

"What puts Orion in a class all its own? The technology. Designed and built by our engineers, NASA's Orion spacecraft is one of a kind. It is the only exploration class spacecraft built to take humans deeper into space than ever before."

Learn more about NASA's Orion Spacecraft: https://lmt.co/3Ba4IUT

NASA's Artemis Program:

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

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Duration: 32 seconds

Release Date: September 3, 2022

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

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket Prelaunch: Sept. 3, 2022 | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket Prelaunch: Sept. 3, 2022 | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 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. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for Sept. 3 at 2:17 p.m. EDT.

Watch on NASA TV: 

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv

All about Artemis I:

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

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Release Date: September 3, 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

R Sculptoris: A Red Giant Star Sheds its Skin | ESO

R Sculptoris: A Red Giant Star Sheds its Skin | ESO

This ghostly image features a distant and pulsating red giant star known as R Sculptoris. Situated 1,200 light-years away in the constellation of Sculptor, R Sculptoris is something known as a carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star, meaning that it is nearing the end of its life. At this stage, low- and intermediate-mass stars cool off, create extended atmospheres, and lose a lot of their mass—they are on their way to becoming spectacular planetary nebulae.

While the basics of this mass-loss process are understood, astronomers are still investigating how it begins near the surface of the star. The amount of mass lost by a star actually has huge implications for its stellar evolution, altering its future, and leading to different types of planetary nebulae. As AGB stars end their lives as planetary nebulae, they produce a vast range of elements—including 50% of elements heavier than iron—which are then released into the Universe and used to make new stars, planets, moons, and eventually the building blocks of life.

One particularly intriguing feature of R Sculptoris is its dominant bright spot, which looks to be two or three times brighter than the other regions. The astronomers that captured this wonderful image, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), have concluded that R Sculptoris is surrounded by giant “clumps” of stellar dust that are peeling away from the shedding star. This bright spot is, in fact, a region around the star with little to no dust, allowing us to look deeper into the stellar surface.

This image captures an extremely small section of the sky: approximately 20x20 milliarcseconds. For comparison, Jupiter has an angular size of approximately 40 arcseconds.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/M. Wittkowski (ESO)

Release Date: February 9, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #RedGiant #RSculptoris #AGB #Sculptor #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLTI #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Red Giant Star R Sculptoris and its Hidden Companion | Hubble

Red Giant Star R Sculptoris and its Hidden Companion | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image shows a star known as R Sculptoris, a red giant located 1,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Sculptor. Recent observations have shown that the material surrounding R Sculptoris actually forms a spiral structure—a phenomenon probably caused by a hidden companion star orbiting the star. Systems with multiple stars often lead to unusual or unexpected morphologies, as seen, for example, in the wide range of striking planetary nebulae that Hubble has imaged.

R Sculptoris is an example of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. All stars with initial masses up to about eight times that of the Sun will eventually become red giants in the later stages of their lives. They start to cool down and lose a large amount of their mass in a steady, dense wind that streams outwards from the star. With this constant loss of material, red giants like R Sculptoris provide a good portion of the raw materials—dust and gas—used for the formation of new generations of stars and planets. They also show what is likely to happen to the Sun in a few billion years from now, and help astronomers to understand how the elements we are made up of are distributed throughout the Universe.

R Sculptoris itself is located outside the plane of the Milky Way and is easily visible using a moderately sized amateur telescope. In this part of the sky far from the galactic plane, there are relatively few stars but many faint and distant galaxies can be seen.

The black region at the center of the image has been artificially masked.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA

Release Date: January 5, 2015

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #RedGiant #AGB #RSculptoris #Sculptor #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Curious Spiral around Red Giant Star R Sculptoris (visualization) | ESO's ALMA

Curious Spiral around Red Giant Star R Sculptoris (visualization) | ESO's ALMA

Observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed an unexpected spiral structure in the material around the old star R Sculptoris. This feature has never been seen before and is probably caused by a hidden companion star orbiting the star.

This slice through the new ALMA data reveals the shell around the star, which shows up as the outer circular ring, as well as a very clear spiral structure in the inner material.

Distance: 1,500 light years

Credit: ALMA (European Southern Observatory/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/National Radio Astronomy Observatory/M. Maercker et al.

Release Date: October 10, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #ALMA #Star #RedGiant #RSculptoris #Sculptor #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Chile #Europe #DataVisualization #STEM #Education

Zooming into the Red Giant Star R Sculptoris | ESO

Zooming into the Red Giant Star R Sculptoris | ESO

This video sequence starts with a view of the rather faint constellations of Sculptor (The Sculptor) and Cetus (The Sea Monster). As we zoom in we see a few faint galaxies but close in on a star that looks very red. This is the old red giant variable star R Sculptoris. Observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed an unexpected spiral structure in the material around this star.

Distance: 1,500 light years

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

Duration: 56 seconds

Release Date: October 11, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #RedGiant #RSculptoris #Sculptor #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Red Giant Star R Sculptoris: Wide-field View | ESO

Red Giant Star R Sculptoris: Wide-field View | ESO

This wide-field image shows the patch of sky around the red giant variable star R Sculptoris. In this part of the sky far from the Milky Way, there are relatively few stars but many faint and distant galaxies can be seen. This view was created from photographs forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The spikes and orange circles around the star in this picture are artifacts of the telescope and photographic process and are not real.

Distance: 1,500 light years

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

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Release Date: October 10, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #RedGiant #RSculptoris #Sculptor #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

An Update on Our Artemis I Moon Mission | This Week @NASA

An Update on Our Artemis I Moon Mission | This Week @NASA

Week of Sept. 2, 2022: An update on our Artemis I Moon mission, a first for our James Webb Space Telescope, and a new target launch date for the next commercial crew mission . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producer: Andre Valentine

Editor: Lacey Young

Duratioon: 3 minutes, 44 seconds

Release Date: September 2, 2022

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

Reflection Nebula NGC 1333 | Hubble

Reflection Nebula NGC 1333 | Hubble

Within a galaxy hosting around 300 billion stars, here the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has captured a mere handful or two—just about enough to form a single football team. These stellar “teammates” play under the banner of NGC 1333, the cloud of gas and dust which formed them and that they continue to call home.

NGC 1333 is located about 1,000 light-years away in the constellation of Perseus (The Hero). The cool gas and dust concentrated in this region is generating new stars whose light is then reflecting off the surrounding material, lighting it up and making this object’s lingering presence known to us. NGC 1333 is accordingly classified as a reflection nebula.

This image shows just a single region of NGC 1333. Hubble has imaged NGC 1333 more widely before, revealing that the smattering of stars seen here has ample company. Seen in a broader context, this team of stars is but one gathering amongst many in NGC 1333’s celestial Champions League.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Stapelfeldt

Release Date: November 4, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #SVS13 #HerbigHaroObjects #ReflectionNebula #NGC1333 #Perseus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Smoking Gun of a Newborn Star | ESO

The Smoking Gun of a Newborn Star | ESO

In this image, the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has captured the smoking gun of a newborn star, the Herbig–Haro objects numbered 7 to 11 (HH 7–11). These five objects, visible in blue in the top center of the image, lie within NGC 1333, a reflection nebula full of gas and dust found about a thousand light-years away from Earth.

Herbig-Haro objects like HH 7–11 are transient phenomena. Travelling away from the star that created them, at a speed of up to 250,000 kilometers per hour they disappear into nothingness within a few tens of thousands of years. The young star that is the source of HH 7-11 is called SVS 13 and all five objects are moving away from SVS 13 toward the upper left. The current distance between HH 7 and SVS 13 is about 20,000 times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

Herbig–Haro objects are formed when jets of ionized gas ejected by a young star collide with nearby clouds of gas and dust at high speeds. The Herbig-Haro objects visible in this image are no exception to this and were formed when the jets from the newborn star SVS 13 collided with the surrounding clouds. These collisions created the five brilliant clumps of light within the reflection nebula.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Stapelfeldt

Release Date: December 31, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #SVS13 #HerbigHaroObjects #ReflectionNebula #NGC1333 #Perseus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Zooming in on The "Flying Saucer" Protoplanetary Disc | ESO

Zooming in on The "Flying Saucer" Protoplanetary Disc | ESO

This video takes us on a journey to the young star 2MASS J16281370-2431391 in the spectacular Rho Ophiuchi star formation region, about 400 light-years from Earth. This star is surrounded by a disc of gas and dust—a protoplanetary disc, the early stage in the creation of a planetary system. This particular disc is seen nearly edge-on, and its appearance in visible light pictures has led to its being nicknamed the Flying Saucer.

The final close-up infrared view of the Flying Saucer comes from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

Credit: Digitized Sky Survey 2/NASA/ESA

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: February 3, 2016

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #2MASSJ162813702431391 #ProtoplanetaryDisc #RhoOphiuchi #Ophiuchus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The "Flying Saucer" Protoplanetary Disc at Star 2MASS J16281370-2431391 | ESO

The "Flying Saucer" Protoplanetary Disc at Star 2MASS J16281370-2431391 | ESO

The young star 2MASS J16281370-2431391 lies in the spectacular Rho Ophiuchi star formation region, about 400 light-years from Earth. It is surrounded by a disc of gas and dust—such discs are called protoplanetary discs as they are the early stages in the creation of planetary systems. This particular disc is seen nearly edge-on, and its appearance in visible light pictures has led to its being nicknamed the Flying Saucer.

The main image shows part of the Rho Ophiuchi region and a much enlarged close-up infrared view of the Flying Saucer from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope is shown as an insert.

Credit: Digitized Sky Survey 2/NASA/European Space Agency (ESA)

Release Date: February 3, 2016

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #2MASSJ162813702431391 #ProtoplanetaryDisc #RhoOphiuchi #Ophiuchus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #Infographic #STEM #Education

Messier 7: Full Dome Fish-eye View for Planetariums | ESO

Star Cluster Messier 7: Full Dome Fish-eye View for Planetariums | ESO

The Messier 7, also known as NGC 6475, as seen in a fish-eye view by the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile. This video is for projection in fulldome planetariums. 

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 15 seconds

Release Date: August 1, 2016

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #Messier7 #NGC6475 #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #FullDome #Planetariums #HD #Video