A Stellar Fingerprint | Hubble

A Stellar Fingerprint | Hubble

Showcased at the center of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image is an emission-line star known as IRAS 12196-6300.

Located just under 2,300 light-years from Earth, this star displays prominent emission lines, meaning that the star’s light, dispersed into a spectrum, shows up as a rainbow of colors marked with a characteristic pattern of dark and bright lines. The characteristics of these lines, when compared to the “fingerprints” left by particular atoms and molecules, can be used to reveal IRAS 12196-6300’s chemical composition.

Under 10 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen at its core, unlike the Sun, this star is still in its infancy. Further evidence of IRAS 12196-6300’s youth is provided by the presence of reflection nebulae. These hazy clouds, pictured floating above and below IRAS 12196-6300, are created when light from a star reflects off a high concentration of nearby dust, such as the dusty material still remaining from IRAS 12196-6300’s formation.

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

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)

Release Date: February 29, 2016

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Hickson Compact Group 31: Galaxies Glow with Millions of Young Stars | Hubble

Hickson Compact Group 31: Galaxies Glow with Millions of Young Stars | Hubble

These four dwarf galaxies waited billions of years to come together, setting off a fireworks show as thousands of new star clusters come to life. The distorted galaxies are quickly producing massive, hot, young stars that are pumping out ultraviolet radiation, heating up surrounding gas clouds, and causing them to glow.

Such encounters between dwarf galaxies are normally seen billions of light-years away and therefore occurred billions of years ago. However, these galaxies, members of Hickson Compact Group 31, are relatively nearby, only 166 million light-years away.

In this composite image of the galaxy grouping, the bright, distorted object at middle, left, is actually two colliding dwarf galaxies. Myriad star clusters have formed in the streamers of debris pulled from the galaxies and at the site of their head-on collision. The cigar-shaped object above the galaxy duo is another member of the group. A bridge of star clusters connects the trio. A long rope of bright star clusters points to the fourth member of the group, at lower right. The bright object in the center is a foreground star. The image was composed from observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX).

Astronomers used Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys to resolve the youngest and brightest of star clusters, which allowed them to calculate the clusters' ages, map the star-formation history, and determine that the galaxies are starting the final stages of galaxy assembly. Hubble reveals that the brightest clusters, hefty groups each holding at least 100,000 stars, are less than 10 million years old.

Astronomers say the interacting galaxies will form a large elliptical galaxy in another billion years.

The Advanced Camera for Surveys data were taken on August 8, 2006. The principal investigator was Jane Charlton of Pennsylvania State University, University Park (USA).

The Spitzer observations were made on February 22, 2005. The principal investigator was Kelsey Johnson of the University of Virginia and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, both in Charlottesville (USA).

The GALEX data were taken on December 27, 2004.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, S. Gallagher (The University of Western Ontario) and J. English (University of Manitoba)

Release Date: February 18, 2010

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-5 mission, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina are scheduled to launch no eartlier than 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, 2022, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. 

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: Oct. 2, 2022

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A Snapshot of Interacting Galaxies in Columba | Hubble

A Snapshot of Interacting Galaxies in Columba | Hubble

The two interacting galaxies making up the pair known as Arp-Madore 608-333 seem to float side by side in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. Though they appear serene and unperturbed, the two are subtly warping one another through a mutual gravitational interaction that is disrupting and distorting both galaxies. This drawn-out galactic interaction was captured by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.

The interacting galaxies in Arp-Madore 608-333 were captured as part of an effort to build up an archive of interesting targets for more detailed future study with Hubble, ground-based telescopes, and the NASA/European Space Agency (ESA)/Canadian Space Agency (CSA) James Webb Space Telescope. To build up this archive, astronomers scoured existing astronomical catalogues for a list of targets spread throughout the night sky. By so doing, they hoped to include objects that had already been identified as interesting and that would be easy for Hubble to observe no matter which direction it was pointing.

Deciding how to award Hubble observing time is a drawn-out, competitive and difficult process, and the observations are allocated so as to use every last second of Hubble time available. However, there is a small but persistent fraction of time—around 2-3%—that goes unused as Hubble turns to point at new targets. Snapshot programs, such as the one which captured Arp-Madore 608-333, exist to fill this gap and take advantage of the moments between longer observations. As well as creating beautiful images such as this, these snapshot programs enable astronomers to gather as much data as possible with Hubble.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/U.S. Department of Energy/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), J. Dalcanton

Release Date: October 3, 2022

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal | Kennedy Space Center

A vehicle carrying two members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew 5 mission passes by the Vehicle Assembly Building 

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann is seen inside the crew transportation vehicle

NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, left, and Nicole Mann, second from left, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, second from right, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, right, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from left, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A

NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, wearing SpaceX spacesuits

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, center, is seen with Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, left, and NASA astronaut Nicole Mann

NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, left, and Nicole Mann, second from left, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, second from right, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, right

Completion of a Final Launch Operations Rehearsal at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and at Launch Complex 39A for the Crew 5 launch, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: October 2, 2022

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The Seven-member Expedition 68 Crew | International Space Station

The Seven-member Expedition 68 Crew | International Space Station

The seven-member Expedition 68 crew poses for an official portrait. From left are, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio; Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitri Petelin (Russia); Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev (Russia) and Anna Kikina (Russia).

The official insignia of the Expedition 68 mission aboard the International Space Station.

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 ISS: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date: September 30, 2022

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Crew Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Crew Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, left, speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crew members Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, second from left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Florida

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crewmembers NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina   

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, left, speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crew members NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crewmembers NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crewmembers NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, left, speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crew members Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, second from left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, left, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, second from right, and NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, right

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from left, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from right, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia), right, wave as they depart the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Florida

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, 2022, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Release Date: October 1, 2022

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled out to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Learn more about the important research being operated on ISS: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

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/Joel Kowsky

Image Capture Date: October 1, 2022

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Astronauts Jessica, Bob, Frank, Kjell & Samantha | International Space Station

Astronauts Jessica, Bob, Frank, Kjell & Samantha | International Space Station

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers (from left) Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, and Frank Rubio, all three NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait together inside the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world."

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers (from left) Kjell Lindgren and Frank Rubio, both NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait together inside the cupola.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 67 Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren poses for a portrait inside a crew sleeping bag aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy works inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox removing hardware that supported the Ring Sheared Drop experiment. The fluid physics study observes the formation of destructive protein clusters that may be responsible for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

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)

Image Dates: Sept. 21-23, 2022

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Wide-field View of Star AG Carinae

Wide-field View of Star AG Carinae

Pictured here is the region of the sky around the star AG Carinae, which is positioned in the center of the image. The giant star is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self destruction. AG Carinae is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearert star, Alpha Centauri.

Distance: 20,000 light-years

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

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Release Date: April 23, 2021

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Animation of Star AG Carinae | Hubble

Animation of Star AG Carinae | Hubble

This video presents a 3D animation of the star AG Carinae. The giant star is featured in this Hubble Space Telescope image, and is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. AG Carinae is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust—a nebula. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.

Distance: 20,000 light-years

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

Duration: 30 seconds

Release  Date: April 23, 2021

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Pan of Star AG Carinae | Hubble

Pan of Star AG Carinae | Hubble

This video showcases a pan of star AG Carinae from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

The star is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. AG Carinae is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust—a nebula. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.

Distance: 20,000 light-years away

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

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: April 23, 2021

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Zoom into Star AG Carinae | Hubble

Zoom into Star AG Carinae | Hubble

This video showcases a zoom into star AG Carinae.

The star is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. AG Carinae is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust—a nebula. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble, NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), KPNO/NOIRLab, Digitized Sky Survey 2, E. Slawik, N. Risinger

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: April 23, 2021

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Star AG Carinae | Hubble

Star AG Carinae | Hubble

Hubble's magnificent view of star AG Carinae. Found within the constellation of Carina in the southern sky, AG Carinae lies 20,000 light-years away, nestled in the Milky Way.

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

Release Date: July 19, 2021

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Snapshot of a Shedding Star: AG Carinae | Hubble

Snapshot of a Shedding Star: AG Carinae | Hubble

In this Hubble image, the strikingly luminous star AG Carinae—otherwise known as HD 94910 — takes center stage. Found within the constellation of Carina in the southern sky, AG Carinae lies 20,000 light-years away, nestled in the Milky Way.

AG Carinae is classified as a Luminous Blue Variable. These rare objects are massive evolved stars that will one day become Wolf-Rayet Stars—a class of stars that are tens of thousands to several million times as luminous as the Sun. They have evolved from main sequence stars that were twenty times the mass of the Sun.

Stars like AG Carinae lose their mass at a phenomenal rate. This loss of mass is due to powerful stellar winds with speeds of up to 7 million km/hour. These powerful winds are also responsible for the shroud of material visible in this image. The winds exert enormous pressure on the clouds of interstellar material expelled by the star and force them into this shape.

Despite HD 94910’s intense luminosity, it is not visible with the naked eye as much of its output is in the ultraviolet.

This image was taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), that was installed on Hubble during the Shuttle mission STS-61 and was Hubble’s workhorse for many years. It is worth noting that the bright glare at the center of the image is not the star itself. The star is tiny at this scale and hidden within the saturated region. The white cross is also not an astronomical phenomenon but rather an effect of the telescope.

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

Release Date: September 29, 2014

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A Wanderer Dancing the Dance of Stars and Space | Hubble

A Wanderer Dancing the Dance of Stars and Space | Hubble

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope provided a spectacular image of the bright star-forming ring that surrounds the heart of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097. In this image, the larger-scale structure of the galaxy is barely visible—its comparatively dim spiral arms, which surround its heart in a loose embrace, reach out beyond the edges of this frame.

This face-on galaxy, lying about 45 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is particularly attractive for astronomers. NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very center of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our Sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in.

The distinctive ring around the black hole is bursting with new star formation due to an inflow of material toward the central bar of the galaxy. These star-forming regions are glowing brightly thanks to emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen. The ring is around 5,000 light-years across, although the spiral arms of the galaxy extend tens of thousands of light-years beyond it.

NGC 1097 is also pretty exciting for supernova hunters. The galaxy experienced three supernovae (the violent deaths of high-mass stars) in the 11-year span between 1992 and 2003. This is definitely a galaxy worth checking on a regular basis.

However, what it is really exciting about NGC 1097 is that it is not wandering alone through space. It has two small galaxy companions, which dance “the dance of stars and the dance of space” like the gracious dancer of the famous poem The Dancer by Khalil Gibran.

The satellite galaxies are NGC 1097A, an elliptical galaxy orbiting 42,000 light-years from the center of NGC 1097 and a small dwarf galaxy named NGC 1097B. Both galaxies are located out beyond the frames of this image and they cannot be seen. Astronomers have indications that NGC 1097 and NGC 1097A have interacted in the past.

This picture was taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys using visual and infrared filters.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Acknowledgement: E. Sturdivant

Release Date: December 24, 2012

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