Never-Before-Seen Details of The Early Universe | James Webb Space Telescope

Never-Before-Seen Details of The Early Universe | James Webb Space Telescope

The massive gravity of galaxy cluster MACS0647 acts as a cosmic lens to bend and magnify light from the more distant MACS0647-JD system. It also triply lensed the JD system, causing its image to appear in three separate locations. These images, which are highlighted with white boxes, are marked JD1, JD2, and JD3. MACS0647-JD has a redshift of about 11, which puts it in the first 400 million years after the Big Bang. The long, diagonal line traversing the image is a diffraction spike from a bright star located just off the frame.

Image Description: A James Webb Space Telescope image of galaxy cluster MACS0647 and the very distant galaxy MACS0647-JD. At left, the cluster appears as a sea of galaxies on a black background and three small boxes outlined in white mark the locations of the three images of galaxy MACS0647-JD. Enlarged images of these boxes appear in a column down the right side of the screen

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Release Date: October 26, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyCluster #MACS0647 #Galaxy #MACS0647JD #GravitationalLensing #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

How Do Spacecraft Slow Down? We Asked a NASA Technologist

How Do Spacecraft Slow Down? We Asked a NASA Technologist

How do spacecraft slow down? Rigid heat shields and retropropulsion have been the favorites of engineers for years. Now NASA is testing a new inflatable heat shield technology that could allow us to carry even larger payloads to worlds with atmospheres called Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID): https://www.nasa.gov/loftid

Launching on Nov. 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket along with NOAA’s JPSS-2 mission, the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, will demonstrate the heat shield’s ability to slow down and survive atmospheric entry: https://go.nasa.gov/3N7yzBG

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde

Editor: Daniel Salazar

Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds

Release Date: October 26, 2022

#NASA #Space #Science #Technology #Engineering #Spacecraft #Propulsion #HeatShields #LOFTID #Planets #Mars #Atmospheres #SolarSystem #Exploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tonight's Sky: November 2022 (Northern Hemisphere)

Tonight's Sky: November 2022 (Northern Hemisphere)

In November, hunt for the fainter constellations of fall, including Pisces, Aries, and Triangulum. They will guide you to find several galaxies and a pair of white stars. Stay tuned for space-based views of spiral galaxy M74 and the Triangulum Galaxy, which are shown in visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light.

 

About this Series

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. 

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) 

Duration: 4 minutes, 39 seconds

Release Date: October 26, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Hubble #Spitzer #GALEX #Galaxies #M74 #TriangulumGalaxy #Stars #Pisces #Aries #Triangulum #Constellations #Galaxy #MilkyWay #Planets #SolarSystem #Skywatching #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Russian Progress 82 Cargo Spacecraft Launch | International Space Station

Russian Progress 82 Cargo Spacecraft Launch | International Space Station 

The uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 82 is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following launch at 8:20 p.m. EDT (5:20 a.m. Baikonur time) Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, on a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress will deliver almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station.

The resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned on its way to meet up with the orbiting laboratory and its Expedition 68 crew members.

Progress will dock to the space-facing side of the Poisk module on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 10:49 p.m. EDT Live coverage on NASA TV of rendezvous and docking will begin at 10:15 p.m. EDT.

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/Roscosmos

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 4 minutes, 25 seconds

Capture Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Soyuz #Союз #Rocket #Progress #Прогресс #Progress82 #Cargo #Spacecraft #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #ResupplyMission #Research #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #BaikonurCosmodrome #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

View of Martian Moon Phobos by NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover | JPL

View of Martian Moon Phobos by NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover | JPL

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to view Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, on Jan. 12, 2022, the 319th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. 

Phobos is the larger of Mars' two moons and is 17 x 14 x 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometers) in diameter. It orbits Mars three times a day, and is so close to the planet's surface that in some locations on Mars it cannot always be seen.

Phobos, gouged and nearly shattered by a giant impact crater and beaten by thousands of meteorite impacts, is on a collision course with Mars.

Phobos is nearing Mars at a rate of six feet (1.8 meters) every hundred years; at that rate, it will either crash into Mars in 50 million years or break up into a ring. Its most prominent feature is the 6-mile (9.7 kilometer) crater Stickney, its impact causing streak patterns across the moon's surface. 

Phobos was discovered on Aug. 17, 1877 by Asaph Hall.

The Perseverance team took this image to measure the amount of dust in the planet's nighttime atmosphere, which can be compared to similar measurements made by imaging the Sun during the day. 

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). 

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. 

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. 

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more about Perseverance: 

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

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

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University (ASU)

Image Date: January 12, 2022

Release Date: October 13, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Moon #Phobos #Atmosphere #Dust #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #MoonToMars #STEM #Education

Russian Progress 80 Cargo Craft Undocking | International Space Station

Russian Progress 80 Cargo Craft Undocking | International Space Station

The uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 80 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 6:46 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

The spacecraft backed away from the space station, and a few hours later, Progress’ engines fired in a deorbit maneuver to send the cargo craft into a destructive re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

The uncrewed Russian Progress 80 launched on a Soyuz rocket at 11:25 p.m. EST (9:25 a.m. on Feb. 15 Baikonur time) on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The unpiloted cargo craft delivered almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to 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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 5 minutes

Capture Date: October 23, 2022

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Russia #Progress #Прогресс #Progress80 #Cargo #Trash #Spacecraft #Soyuz #Роскосмос #Россия #Resupply #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

Russian Progress 80 Cargo Craft Undocking | International Space Station

Russian Progress 80 Cargo Craft Undocking | International Space Station

The uncrewed ISS Progress 80 Russian cargo craft is pictured moments after undocking from the International Space Station's Poisk module. The trash-filled Progress 80 would reenter the Earth's atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean a few hours later for a fiery, but "safe" demise.

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)

Capture Date: October 23, 2022

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Russia #Progress #Прогресс #Progress80 #Cargo #Trash #Spacecraft #Soyuz #Роскосмос #Россия #Resupply #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

How Did NASA Test the Artemis Moon Rocket for Launch?

How Did NASA Test the Artemis Moon Rocket for Launch?

Artemis I is the test flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. This mission will prepare NASA to send the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon. Testing of the rocket, systems, and teams had to be done to prepare SLS for liftoff. Watch to learn how NASA engineers and technicians put SLS to the test before launch day.

The Artemis I launch vehicle is set to return to the pad as soon as Nov. 4 for the launch of  Artemis I, no earlier than Nov. 14, 2022, at 12:07 a.m. EDT.

All about Artemis I:

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

Credit: NASA's Marshall Space FLight Center

Duration: 1 minute, 41 seconds

Release Date: October 25, 2022

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

Cosmic Wonders: Astronomy Visualizations | Space Telescope Science Institute

Cosmic Wonders: Astronomy Visualizations | Space Telescope Science Institute

Cosmic Wonders presents a stunning series of 18 astronomy visualizations. Each sequence combines Hubble Space Telescope images or research computer simulations with scientific knowledge and insight to create three dimensional visions of awesome celestial sights. These were created by astronomers and artists at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Producer: Office of Public Outreach, Space Telescope Science Institute

Editor: Danielle Kirschenblat

Visualization Leads: Greg Bacon, Frank Summers

Visualization Artists: Greg Bacon, Joseph DePasquale, Leah Hustak, Joseph Olmsted, Alyssa Pagan, Frank Summers, Tiffany Borders, Lisa Frattare, Zolt Levay, Dani Player

Visualizations:

The Bubble Nebula: Winds & Radiation from a Massive Star

A Flight Through the CANDELS Ultra Deep Survey Field

A Rose of Galaxies: Interacting Galaxies Arp 273

Sculpture Garden of Gas and Dust: Core of the Lagoon Nebula

Stellar Greetings from Globular Cluster M79

Hickson Compact Group 40: A Flight Through Interacting Galaxies

The Red Bubble: Supernova Remnant SNR 0509-67.5

Exploring the Structure of the Ring Nebula

Star Clusters in Collision

Blast Wave from a Stellar Explosion: Simulation of Supernova 1987A

Eta Carinae: The Great Eruption of a Massive Star

A Horse of a Different Color: The Gaseous Landscape of the Horsehead Nebula in Infrared

Celestial Fireworks: Star Cluster Westerlund 2

Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Visible Light

Crash of the Titans: Milky Way & Andromeda Collision

Celestial Snow Angel: Star-forming Region Sharpless 2-106

Flyby of the Whirlpool Galaxy

Cosmic Reef: NGC 2014 & NGC 2020

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #ComputerSimulations  #Visualizations #Art #Artists #HD #Video

Panning across The Cosmic Keyhole: Reflection Nebula NGC 1999 | Hubble

Panning across The Cosmic Keyhole: Reflection Nebula NGC 1999 | Hubble

This peculiar portrait from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope showcases NGC 1999, a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. NGC 1999 is around 1350 light-years from Earth and lies near to the Orion Nebula, the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. NGC 1999 itself is a relic of recent star formation—it is composed of detritus left over from the formation of a newborn star.

Just like fog curling around a street lamp, reflection nebulae like NGC 1999 only shine because of the light from an embedded source. In the case of NGC 1999, this source is the aforementioned newborn star V380 Orionis which is visible at the center of this image. The most notable aspect of NGC 1999’s appearance, however, is the conspicuous hole in its center, which resembles an inky-black keyhole of cosmic proportions.

This image was created from archival Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations that date from shortly after Servicing Mission 3A in 1999. At the time, astronomers believed that the dark patch in NGC 1999 was something called a Bok globule—a dense, cold cloud of gas, molecules, and cosmic dust that blots out background light. However, follow-up observations using a collection of telescopes including the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory revealed that the dark patch is actually an empty region of space. The origin of this unexplained rift in the heart of NGC 1999 remains unknown.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESO, K. Noll, N. Bartmann

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #OrionNebula #Nebula #ReflectionNebula #NGC1999 #StarV380Orionis #Messier42 #M42 #Orion #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #WFPC2 #GSFC #STScI #ESO #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Merging Galaxies IC 1623: Hubble & Webb Space Telescope Views

Merging Galaxies IC 1623: Hubble & Webb Space Telescope Views

In this video, the new image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope of merging galaxies IC 1623 A and B is juxtaposed with a new image of the same target from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

The first image, combining data from Hubble’s ACS and WFC3 instruments, gives a familiar visible-light view of these colliding galaxies, where the centers of the individual galaxies are much more obscured by dark dust. Meanwhile, in Webb’s combined MIRI and NIRCam view of the galaxies, shown second, the gas being used as fuel by the stellar nurseries is especially apparent. Webb’s ability to pierce the gaseous veil obscuring the bright galactic cores also causes prominent diffraction spikes to appear.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & Canadian Space Agency (CSA), L. Armus & A. Evans, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 15 seconds

Release Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC1623 #Cetus #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #Hubble #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Three Views of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

Three Views of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

These images from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope depicts IC 1623, an entwined pair of interacting galaxies which lies around 270 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. 

Shown first is Webb’s view of IC 1623 as seen by the MIRI instrument, followed by that of the NIRCam instrument. Finally, the third image presented includes the data from both MIRI and NIRCam combined.

The two galaxies in IC 1623 are plunging headlong into one another in a process known as a galaxy merger. Their collision has ignited a frenzied spate of star formation known as a starburst, creating new stars at a rate more than twenty times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & Canadian Space Agency (CSA), L. Armus & A. Evans, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC1623 #Cetus #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #MIRI #NIRCam #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope depicts IC 1623, an entwined pair of interacting galaxies which lies around 270 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. The two galaxies in IC 1623 are plunging headlong into one another in a process known as a galaxy merger. Their collision has ignited a frenzied spate of star formation known as a starburst, creating new stars at a rate more than twenty times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

This interacting galaxy system is particularly bright at infrared wavelengths, making it a perfect proving ground for Webb’s ability to study luminous galaxies. A team of astronomers captured IC 1623 across the infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum using a trio of Webb’s cutting-edge scientific instruments: MIRI, NIRSpec, and NIRCam. In so doing, they provided an abundance of data that will allow the astronomical community at large to fully explore how Webb’s unprecedented capabilities will help to unravel the complex interactions in galactic ecosystems.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & Canadian Space Agency (CSA), L. Armus & A. Evans, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC1623 #Cetus #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Pair of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

A Pair of Merging Galaxies: IC 1623 | James Webb Space Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope depicts IC 1623, an entwined pair of interacting galaxies which lies around 270 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. The two galaxies in IC 1623 are plunging headlong into one another in a process known as a galaxy merger. Their collision has ignited a frenzied spate of star formation known as a starburst, creating new stars at a rate more than twenty times that of the Milky Way galaxy.

Image description: The two galaxies swirl into a single chaotic object in the center. Long, blue spiral arms stretch vertically, faint at the edges. Hot gas spreads horizontally over that, mainly bright red with many small gold spots of star formation. The core of the merging galaxies is very bright and radiates eight large, golden diffraction spikes. The background is black, with many tiny galaxies in orange and blue.

The merger of these two galaxies has long been of interest to astronomers, and has previously been imaged by Hubble and by other space telescopes. The ongoing, extreme starburst causes intense infrared emission, and the merging galaxies may well be in the process of forming a supermassive black hole. A thick band of dust has blocked these valuable insights from the view of telescopes like Hubble. However, Webb’s infrared sensitivity and its impressive resolution at those wavelengths allows it to see past the dust and has resulted in the spectacular image above, a combination of MIRI and NIRCam imagery.

The luminous core of the galaxy merger turns out to be both very bright and highly compact, so much so that Webb’s diffraction spikes appear atop the galaxy in this image. The 8-pronged, snowflake-like diffraction spikes are created by the interaction of starlight with the physical structure of the telescope. The spiky quality of Webb’s observations is particularly noticeable in images containing bright stars, such as Webb’s first deep field image.

This interacting galaxy system is particularly bright at infrared wavelengths, making it a perfect proving ground for Webb’s ability to study luminous galaxies. A team of astronomers captured IC 1623 across the infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum using a trio of Webb’s cutting-edge scientific instruments: MIRI, NIRSpec, and NIRCam. In so doing, they provided an abundance of data that will allow the astronomical community at large to fully explore how Webb’s unprecedented capabilities will help to unravel the complex interactions in galactic ecosystems. These observations are also accompanied by data from other observatories, including the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, and will help set the stage for future observations of galactic systems with Webb.

MIRI was contributed by the European Space Agency 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.

NIRSpec was built for the European Space Agency (ESA) by a consortium of European companies led by Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center providing its detector and micro-shutter subsystems.

Results based on this observation of IC 1623 have been published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus & A. Evans

Acknowledgement: R. Colombari

Release Date: October 25, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC1623 #Cetus #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Zooming in on The Leo Triplet of Galaxies | European Southern Observatory

Zooming in on The Leo Triplet of Galaxies | European Southern Observatory

This video sequence starts with a view of the bright constellation of Leo (The Lion). We then zoom slowly in on three bright galaxies, NGC 3628, Messier 65 and Messier 66. In the final part of the video we see a very detailed view of this Leo Triplet, as well many background objects, in an image from the VLT Survey Telescope.

Distance: about 35 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/A. Fujii/Digitized Sky Survey 2/INAF-VST/OmegaCAM Acknowledgement: OmegaCen/Astro-WISE/Kapteyn Institute

Duration: 56 seconds

Release Date: November 27, 2015

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxy #Spiral #M66 #Messier66 #NGC3628 #Messier65 #M65 #LeoTriplet #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #LEGUS #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy Messier 66 & The Leo Triplet: Wide-field View (ground-based image)

Galaxy Messier 66 & The Leo Triplet: Wide-field View (ground-based image)

This wide-field image of the sky around the spiral galaxy Messier 66 was created from photographs forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Located about 35 million light-years away from Earth, this galaxy is about 100,000 light-years across. The field of view is approximately 3.0 by 2.2 degrees across. 

Messier 66 is the member of the Leo Triplet, a trio of interacting spiral galaxies, part of the larger Messier 66 group. Messier 66 wins in size over its fellow triplets—it is about 100,000 light-years across.

Credit: NASA, ESA and and Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble)

Release Date: April 8, 2010

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxy #Spiral #M66 #Messier66 #LeoTriplet #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #LEGUS #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education