Globular Star Cluster Messier 54: Close-up View | ESO

Globular Star Cluster Messier 54: Close-up View | ESO

This video gives a close-up view of an image from the VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile showing the globular cluster Messier 54. This cluster looks very similar to many others, but it has a secret. Messier 54 does not belong to the Milky Way, but actually is part of a small satellite galaxy, the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. This unusual parentage has allowed astronomers to use the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to test whether unexpectedly low levels of the element lithium are also found in stars outside the Milky Way.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 34 seconds

Release Date: September 15, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularStarCluster #Messier54 #M54 #Sagittarius #Constellation #SagittariusDwarfGalaxy #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLTSurveyTelescope #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Explores the Jezero Crater Delta | JPL

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Explores the Jezero Crater Delta | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover has arrived at an ancient delta in Jezero Crater, one of the best places on the Red Planet to search for potential  signs of ancient life. The delta is an area where scientists surmise that a river once flowed billions of years ago into a lake and deposited sediments in a fan shape. 

Rachel Kronyak, a member of the Perseverance science operations team, guides the viewer through this Martian panorama and its intriguing sedimentary rocks. It is the most detailed view ever returned from the Martian surface, consisting of 2.5 billion pixels and generated from 1,118 individual Mastcam-Z images. Those images were acquired on June 12, 13, 16, 17, and 20, 2022 (the 466th, 467th, 470th, 471st, and 474th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission). 

In this panorama, an area called Hogwallow Flats is visible, as is Skinner Ridge, where two rock core samples were taken. 

The color enhancement in this image improves the visual contrast and accentuates color differences. This makes it easier for the science team to use their everyday experience to interpret the landscape. 

For more information on the Perseverance rover, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Duration: 3 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: September 14, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #PerseveranceRover #JezeroCrater #HogwallowFlats #SkinnerRidge #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on Globular Star Cluster Messier 54 | Hubble

Zooming in on Globular Star Cluster Messier 54 | Hubble

This video takes you on a journey past the center of the Milky Way and far out the other side to the globular cluster Messier 54. This cluster looks very similar to many others, but it has a secret. Messier 54 does not belong to the Milky Way, but actually is part of a small satellite galaxy, the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. The final close-up view comes from the VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 58 seconds

Release Date: September 15, 2014

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The First Globular Cluster Found outside The Milky Way | Hubble

The First Globular Cluster Found outside The Milky Way | Hubble

The object shown in this beautiful Hubble image, dubbed Messier 54, could be just another globular cluster, but this dense and faint group of stars was in fact the first globular cluster found that is outside our galaxy. Discovered by the famous astronomer Charles Messier in 1778, Messier 54 belongs to a satellite of the Milky Way called the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy.

Messier had no idea of the significance of his discovery at the time, and it was not until over two centuries later, in 1994, that astronomers found Messier 54 to be part of the miniature galaxy and not our own. Current estimates indicate that the Sagittarius Dwarf, and hence the cluster, is situated almost 90,000 light-years away—more than three times as far from the center of our galaxy than the Solar System.

Ironically, even though this globular cluster is now understood to lie outside the Milky Way, it will actually become part of it in the future. The strong gravitational pull of our galaxy is slowly engulfing the Sagittarius Dwarf, which will eventually merge with the Milky Way creating one much larger galaxy.

This picture is a composite created by combining images taken with the Wide Field Channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Light that passed through a yellow-orange (F606W) was colored blue and light passing through a near-infrared filter (F814W) was colored red. The total exposure times were 3460 s and 3560 s, respectively and the field of view is approximately 3.4 by 3.4 arcminutes.

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

Release Date: November 7, 2011

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An Audience of Stellar Flashbulbs: Messier 107 in Ophiuchus | Hubble

An Audience of Stellar Flashbulbs: Messier 107 in Ophiuchus | Hubble

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has captured a crowd of stars that looks rather like a stadium darkened before a show, lit only by the flashbulbs of the audience’s cameras. Yet the many stars of this object, known as Messier 107, are not a fleeting phenomenon, at least by human reckoning of time—these ancient stars have gleamed for many billions of years.

Messier 107 is one of more than 150 globular star clusters found around the disc of the Milky Way galaxy. These spherical collections each contain hundreds of thousands of extremely old stars and are among the oldest objects in the Milky Way. The origin of globular clusters and their impact on galactic evolution remains somewhat unclear, so astronomers continue to study them through pictures such as this one obtained by Hubble.

As globular clusters go, Messier 107 is not particularly dense. Visually comparing its appearance to other globular clusters, such as Messier 53 or Messier 54 reveals that the stars within Messier 107 are not packed as tightly, thereby making its members more distinct like individual fans in a stadium's stands.

Messier 107 can be found in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer) and is located about 20,000 light-years from the Solar System.

French astronomer Pierre Méchain first noted the object in 1782, and British astronomer William Herschel documented it independently a year later. A Canadian astronomer, Helen Sawyer Hogg, added Messier 107 to Charles Messier's famous astronomical catalogue in 1947.

This picture was obtained with the Wide Field Camera of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 3.4 by 3.4 arcminutes.

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

Release Date: July 16, 2012

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularStarCluster #Messier107 #M107 #Ophiuchus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

A Remarkable Double Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud: NGC 1850 | Hubble

A Remarkable Double Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud: NGC 1850 | Hubble

Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our neighboring dwarf galaxies, this young globular-like star cluster is surrounded by a pattern of filamentary nebulosity that is thought to have been created during supernova blasts. It consists of a main globular cluster in the center and a younger, smaller cluster, seen below and to the right, composed of extremely hot, blue stars and fainter, red T-Tauri stars. This wide variety of stars allows a thorough study of star formation processes.

Distance: 180,000 light years

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA), NASA and Martino Romaniello (European Southern Observatory, Germany)

Release Date: July 10, 2001

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularStarCluster #NGC1850 #Nebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Tour: Supernova 1987A Pulsar Wind Nebula | NASA Chandra

Tour: Supernova 1987A Pulsar Wind Nebula | NASA Chandra

Astronomers have found evidence for the existence of a neutron star at the center of Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A), which scientists have been seeking for over three decades.

Distance: 170,000 light years

Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Feb 23, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Chandra #Xray #Star #NeutronStar #Supernova #Supernova1987A #SN1987A #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #Observatory #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Kepler's Supernova Remnant Close-up | Hubble

Kepler's Supernova Remnant Close-up | Hubble

Four hundred years ago a "new star" appeared in the western sky, rivaling the brilliance of the nearby planets. In fact this 'new star' was a supernova, now named Kepler's supernova, and was the last such object seen to explode in our Milky Way galaxy. Seen here are some of its remains.

Distance: 13,000 light years

This image was taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) with filters onboard to isolate visible light emitted by hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen in the remnant but let through starlight from foreground and background stars. The image reveals in Kepler's supernova remnant the detailed knots, which are dense clumps that form behind the outward moving shock wave, and filamentary ribbons, which reveal where the shock wave is encountering lower-density, more uniform interstellar material.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Release Date: October 6, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WhiteDwarfStar #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #KeplersSupernova #Nebula #Ophiuchus #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #AURA #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Tangled—The Cosmic Edition: Supernova Remnant SNR 0454-67.2 | Hubble

Tangled—The Cosmic Edition: Supernova Remnant SNR 0454-67.2 | Hubble

This dark, tangled web is an object named SNR 0454-67.2. It formed in a very violent fashion—it is a supernova remnant, created after a massive star ended its life in a cataclysmic explosion and threw its constituent material out into surrounding space. This created the messy formation we see in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image, with threads of red snaking amidst dark, turbulent clouds.

Distance: 163,000 light years

SNR 0454-67.2 is situated in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf spiral galaxy that lies close to the Milky Way. The remnant is likely the result of a Type Ia supernova explosion; this category of supernovae is formed from the death of a white dwarf star, which grows and grows by siphoning material from a stellar companion until it reaches a critical mass and then explodes.

As they always form via a specific mechanism—when the white dwarf hits a particular mass—these explosions always have a well-known luminosity, and are thus used as markers (standard candles) for scientists to obtain and measure distances throughout the Universe.

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

Release Date: November 26, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WhiteDwarfStar #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #SNR0454672 #Nebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

A Tour of Supernova 1987A | NASA Chandra

A Tour of Supernova 1987A | NASA Chandra

On February 24, 1987, observers in the southern hemisphere noticed a new object in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Today, we know this object as Supernova 1987A, and it was one of the brightest supernova seen in hundreds of years. Coupled with its relative proximity at about 160,000 light years from Earth, Supernova 1987A became one of the best opportunities ever for astronomers to study the phases before, during, and after the death of a star.

Since its discovery, telescopes around the world and in space have observed Supernova 1987A. This includes NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has looked at this object repeatedly during its 23 years of science operations.  

From 1999 until 2013, Chandra data showed an expanding ring of X-ray emission that had been steadily getting brighter. This was produced by the blast wave from the original explosion that had been bursting through and heating the ring of gas surrounding the supernova.

In the past few years, there have been striking changes in the Chandra data. This provides evidence that the explosion’s blast wave has moved beyond the ring into a region with less dense gas. This represents the end of an era for SN 1987A. Since astronomers do not know exactly lies beyond the ring, they will be watching carefully what happens next.

Over the next few thousand years, the expanding shell of hot gas will continue to glow in X rays. Eventually after rumbling across several thousand light years, the shell will disperse. By doing this, the supernova spreads the heavy elements created in the star and possibly triggers the formation of new stars from a cold interstellar cloud. Using data from Chandra and other telescopes, astronomers will continue to learn more about the details of this very important process that is responsible for life as we know it.

Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: February 24, 2017

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Chandra #Xray #Star #Supernova #Supernova1987A #SN1987A #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #Observatory #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Supernova Remnant DEM L249: Aftermath of a Cosmic Cataclysm | Hubble

Supernova Remnant DEM L249: Aftermath of a Cosmic Cataclysm | Hubble

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows the tattered remnant of a supernova—a titanic explosion marking the end of the life of a dying star. This object—known as DEM L249—is thought to have been created by a Type 1a supernova during the death throes of a white dwarf. While white dwarfs are usually stable, they can slowly accrue matter if they are part of a binary star system. This accretion of matter continues until the white dwarf reaches a critical mass and undergoes a catastrophic supernova explosion, ejecting a vast amount of material into space in the process.

DEM L249 lies in the constellation Mensa and is within the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way only 160,000 light-years from Earth. The LMC is an ideal natural laboratory where astronomers can study the births, lives, and deaths of stars, as this region is nearby, oriented towards Earth, and contains relatively little light-absorbing interstellar dust. The data in this image were gathered by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, and were obtained during a systematic search of the LMC for the surviving companions of white dwarf stars which have gone supernova.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, Y. Chu

Release Date: May 9, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WhiteDwarfStar #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #SupernovaDEML249 #Nebula #Mensa #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Supernova Remnant N103B in the Large Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

Supernova Remnant N103B in the Large Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

This image, taken with the NASA/European Space Agency  Hubble Space Telescope, shows the supernova remnant SNR 0509-68.7, also known as N103B (top of the image). N103B was a Type Ia supernova, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud—a neighboring galaxy of the Milky Way. Owing to its relative proximity to Earth, astronomers observe the remnant to search for a potential stellar survivor of the explosion.

Distance: 150,000 light years

The orange-red filaments visible in the image show the shock fronts of the supernova explosion. These filaments allow astronomers to calculate the original center of the explosion. The filaments also show that the explosion is no longer expanding as a sphere, but is elliptical in shape. Astronomers assume that part of material ejected by the explosion hit a denser cloud of interstellar material, which slowed its speed. The shell of expanding material being open to one side supports this idea.

The gas in the lower half of the image and the dense concentration of stars in the lower left are the outskirts of the star cluster NGC 1850.

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

Release Date: March 30, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #SupernovaN103B #SNR0509687 #Nebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Supernova Remnant N 63A Close-up | Hubble

 Supernova Remnant N 63A Close-up | Hubble

A violent and chaotic-looking mass of gas and dust is seen in this Hubble Space Telescope image of a nearby supernova remnant. Denoted N 63A, the object is the remains of a massive star that exploded, spewing its gaseous layers out into an already turbulent region.

Distance: 150,000 light years

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

Duration: 22 seconds

Release Date: June 7, 2005

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #SupernovaRemnantN63A #N63A #Nebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Cygnus Loop: At the Edge of the Blast | Hubble

Cygnus Loop: At the Edge of the Blast | Hubble

While appearing as a delicate and light veil draped across the sky, this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope actually depicts a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, located around 2,400 light-years away. The name of the supernova remnant comes from its position in the northern constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), where it covers an area 36 times larger than the full moon.

The original supernova explosion blasted apart a dying star about 20 times more massive than our Sun between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. Since then, the remnant has expanded 60 light-years from its center. The shockwave marks the outer edge of the supernova remnant and continues to expand at around 350 kilometers per second. The interaction of the ejected material and the low-density interstellar material swept up by the shockwave forms the distinctive veil-like structure seen in this image.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, W. Blair

Acknowledgement: Leo Shatz

Release Date: August 24, 2020

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #CygnusLoop #Nebula #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Blast Wave from a Stellar Explosion: Supernova 1987A Simulation | Hubble

Blast Wave from a Stellar Explosion: Supernova 1987A Simulation | Hubble

This scientific visualization shows the development of Supernova 1987A, from the initial blast observed three decades ago to the luminous ring of material we see today.

Distance: 170,000 light years

The sequence, using data from a computer simulation, begins with the star before it exploded. A ring of material around the star was expelled about 20,000 years before the supernova outburst. A flash of light signals the stellar explosion. The supernova sends a blast wave outward from the dying star. As the blast wave slams into the ring, high-density knots of material become intensely heated and glow brightly, while lower-density gas is blown outward. The computer simulation provides one data set per year, and thus the visualization steps between them at four years per second. Upon reaching 2017, the time development is halted, and the camera circles around the ring to showcase its structure.

Visualization Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and F. Summers and G. Bacon/ Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Simulation Credit: S. Orlando (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo)

Duration: 39 seconds

Release Date: March 3, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Supernova #Supernova1987A #SN1987A #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #Simulation #Visualization #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Supernova Remnant N 63A | Hubble

Supernova Remnant N 63A | Hubble

A violent and chaotic-looking mass of gas and dust is seen in this Hubble Space Telescope image of a nearby supernova remnant. Denoted N 63A, the object is the remains of a massive star that exploded, spewing its gaseous layers out into an already turbulent region.

Distance: 150,000 light years

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, HEIC, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Acknowledgment: Y.-H. Chu and R. M. Williams (UIUC)

Release Date: June 7, 2005

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #SupernovaRemnantN63A #N63A #Nebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education