Tonight's Sky: March 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

Tonight's Sky: March 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

In March 2023, the stars of spring lie eastward: Look for the constellations Gemini and Cancer to spot interesting celestial features like star clusters M35 and the Beehive Cluster, and NGC 3923, an oblong elliptical galaxy with an interesting ripple pattern. Keep watching for space-based views of the galaxies.

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. 

This product is based on work supported by NASA under award numbers NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University. 

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 5 minutes, 21 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Constellations #Gemini #Cancer #StarCluster #M35 #BeehiveCluster #Galaxy #NGC3923 #Elliptical #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Venus over BlackGEM Telescopes in Chile | European Southern Observatory

Venus over BlackGEM Telescopes in Chile | European Southern Observatory

This image shows Venus shining bright in the night sky at the center of the picture. Around Venus is a weak light, and below Venus is an orange glow that comes from the rising Sun. The night sky takes up about two thirds of the upper part of the image, and is sprinkled with stars. In the lower part of the image is a road that leads to several telescopes. There are three dome shaped telescopes on pillars as well as one larger telescope to the left of the road. At the horizon, to the right, a telescope dome can be seen on top of a mountain. It is far away in the distance.

In this Picture of the Week, Venus is shining brightly over the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The picture was taken just before dawn, towards the East, and also features the diffuse zodiacal light—sunlight scattered by dust particles in the Solar System. 

The three domes to the left of the road are the BlackGEM telescopes, built by Radboud University, the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA), and KU Leuven. BlackGEM will search for the afterglow of some of the most dramatic events in the Universe, such as the collision of black holes and neutron stars. The ripples in space and time generated by these violent events can be detected by the LIGO and Virgo observatories. Thanks to their large field of view, the BlackGEM telescopes can locate the source of visible light from the afterglow of these events, and thereby pinpoint where the collision took place. This allows astronomers to study in greater detail what happens when black holes and neutron stars merge.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2023

#ESO #Earth #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Venus #Stars #ZodiacalLight #LaSilla #Observatory #BlackGEMTelescopes #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #Atacama #Desert #SouthAmerica #Europe #Netherlands #Nederland #STEM #Education

Galactic Seascape: Jellyfish Galaxy JO201 | Hubble

Galactic Seascape: Jellyfish Galaxy JO201 | Hubble

A jellyfish galaxy with trailing tentacles of stars hangs in inky blackness in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. As Jellyfish galaxies move through intergalactic space they are slowly stripped of gas, which trails behind the galaxy in tendrils illuminated by clumps of star formation. These blue tendrils are visible drifting below the core of this galaxy, and give it its jellyfish-like appearance. This particular jellyfish galaxy—known as JO201—lies in the constellation Cetus, which is named after a sea monster from ancient Greek mythology. This sea-monster-themed constellation adds to the nautical theme of this image.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy lies just off-center. It has large, faint, reddish spiral arms and a bright, reddish core. These lie over two brighter blue spiral arms. These are patchy, with blotches of star formation. Long trails of these bright blotches trail down from the lower spiral arm, resembling tendrils. The background is black, lightly scattered with small galaxies and stars, and a larger elliptical galaxy in one corner.

The tendrils of jellyfish galaxies extend beyond the bright disc of the galaxy core. This particular observation comes from an investigation into the sizes, masses and ages of the clumps of star formation in the tendrils of jellyfish galaxies. Astronomers hope that this will provide a breakthrough in understanding the connection between ram-pressure stripping—the process that creates the tendrils of jellyfish galaxies—and star formation.

This galactic seascape was captured by Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), a versatile instrument that captures images at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. WFC3 is the source of some of Hubble’s most spectacular images, from a view of Jupiter and Europa to a revisit to the Pillars of Creation.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, M. Gullieuszik

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2023

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #JellyfishGalaxy #JO201 #Ka364 #Spiral #Cetus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Launch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Launch | Kennedy Space Center

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia), NASA astronaut Warren “Woody" Hoburg, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-6 mission launch, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen

NASA astronaut Warren “Woody" Hoburg

The vehicles carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-6 mission launch, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft is on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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 (CCP). NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia) are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. 

The four Crew-6 crewmates will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 23 hours after liftoff.

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV: 

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

Learn more about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

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.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: Feb. 26, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Falcon9 #Rocket #Astronauts #SultanAlNedayi #MBRSC #UAE #Cosmonaut #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #WilliamHoburg #StephenBowen #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft is on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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 (CCP). NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia) are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. 

The four Crew-6 crewmates will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 23 hours after liftoff.

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV: 

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

Learn more about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

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.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Dates: Feb. 22-23, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Falcon9 #Rocket #Astronauts #SultanAlNedayi #MBRSC #UAE #Cosmonaut #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #WilliamHoburg #StephenBowen #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Star-Forming Chamaeleon Cloud I | Hubble

Star-Forming Chamaeleon Cloud I | Hubble

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image captures one of three segments that comprise a 65-light-year wide star-forming region named the Chamaeleon Cloud Complex. The segment in this Hubble composite image, called Chamaeleon Cloud I (Cha I), reveals dusty-dark clouds where stars are forming, dazzling reflection nebulae glowing by the light of bright-blue young stars, and radiant knots called Herbig-Haro objects.

Herbig-Haro objects are bright clumps and arcs of interstellar gas shocked and energized by jets expelled from infant “protostars” in the process of forming. The white-orange cloud at the bottom of the image hosts one of these protostars at its center. Its brilliant white jets of hot gas are ejected in narrow torrents from the protostar’s poles, creating the Herbig-Haro object HH 909A.

Image Description: Bright blue and white nebula with bright young blue stars dotted through the image. Bottom center: Herbig-Haro object, bright white clouds extend left and right, center point is white with rusty margins

The cross-like spikes around bright stars in the image occur when light waves from a very bright point source (like a star) bend around Hubble’s cross-shaped struts that support the telescope’s secondary mirror. As the light waves pass these struts, they coalesce on the other side, creating the bright, spikey starburst effect we see.

Hubble studied Cha I as part of a search for extremely dim, low-mass brown dwarfs. These “failed stars” lie somewhere in size between a large planet and a small star (10 to 90 times the mass of Jupiter), and do not have enough mass to ignite and sustain nuclear fusion in their cores. Hubble’s search found six new low-mass brown dwarf candidates that are helping astronomers better understand these objects.

This 315-million-pixel composite image is comprised of 23 observations made by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Gaps between those observations were filled by 20 Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 images. Any remaining gaps were filled with ground-based data from the European Southern Observatory's VISTA VIRCAM.

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), K. Luhman and T. Esplin (Pennsylvania State University), et al., and ESO Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: Jan. 31, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #ChamaeleonCloudComplex #ChamaeleonCloudI #ChaI #HerbigHaroObjects#HH909A #Nebulae #Reflection #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Sparkling Spray of Stars in Open Cluster NGC 2660 | Hubble

Sparkling Spray of Stars in Open Cluster NGC 2660 | Hubble

This glittering group of stars, shining through the darkness like sparks left behind by a firework, is NGC 2660 in the constellation Vela, best viewed in the southern sky. NGC 2660 is an open cluster, a type of star cluster that can contain anywhere from tens to a few hundreds of stars loosely bound together by gravity. The stars of open clusters form out of the same region of gas and dust and thus share many characteristics, such as age and chemical composition. Unlike globular clusters—their ancient, denser, and more tightly-packed cousins—open clusters are easier to study since astronomers can more easily distinguish between individual stars. Their stars can be old or young, and they may disperse after a few million years into the spiral or irregular galaxies where they are born.

Image Description: Bright blue-white stars fill the scene, but are concentrated on the right side of the image. A bright reddish-orange star sits in the upper left quadrant of the image near image center.

The spikes surrounding many of the stars in this image are “diffraction spikes,” which occur when the glow from bright points of light reflects off of Hubble's secondary mirror support. The bright red object to the left with the very prominent diffraction spikes is a foreground star that is not part of the cluster. Hubble observed this open cluster as part of a program to study the ages of white dwarf stars in open clusters.

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and T. von Hippel (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)

Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: Nov. 29, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC2660 #Vela #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Falcon 9 Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen at launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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 (CCP). NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia) are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. 

The four Crew-6 crewmates will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 23 hours after liftoff.

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV: 

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

Learn more about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

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.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Dates: Feb. 24-25, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Falcon9 #Rocket #Astronauts #SultanAlNedayi #MBRSC #UAE #Cosmonaut #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #WilliamHoburg #StephenBowen #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket Engine Moved into Position for Final Join

NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket Engine Moved into Position for Final Join

Technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana, moved the engine section of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon, into position for the final join of the core stage Feb. 22. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. It is the last of five major elements that is needed to connect the stage into one major structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. During launch and flight, liquid propellants from the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tanks are delivered through the engine section to the four RS-25 engines. The engine section also includes the avionics that help steer the engines after liftoff.

Next, teams will join the engine section to the core stage for the second SLS rocket. After the join is complete, teams will begin to add each of the four RS-25 engines one by one to complete the stage. The completely assembled stage with its four RS-25 engines will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this year. The SLS rocket is the only rocket capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

Learn more about the Artemis II Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/subject/14152/artemis-ii-was-exploration-mission-2/

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Artemis_II

Image Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

Image Date: Feb. 22, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Moon #MoonToMars #Mars #Artemis #ArtemisII #SLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Rocket #Boeing #Astronauts #Science #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #UnitedStates #Europe #ESA #STEM #Education

Download Free History eBook: "NACA to NASA to Now"

Download Free History eBook: "NACA to NASA to Now"

NACA to NASA to Now: The Frontiers of Air and Space in the American Century

Download Free ePub version: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/naca_to_nasa_to_now.epub

Download Free Adobe PDF version (fixed layout):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/naca_to_nasa_to_now_tagged.pdf

Author: Roger D. Launius | Length: 292 Pages 

Publisher: NASA's History Division | Published: Feb. 2023

NACA to NASA to Now: The Frontiers of Air and Space in the American Century tells the story of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The NACA and NASA facilitated the advance of technology for flight in air and space throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. This book explores how and why aerospace technology took the course it did, discusses some of the key people who drove aerospace science and technology development, and examines the political, economic, managerial, international, and cultural contexts in which the events of flight have unfolded.

The U.S. government explicitly challenged the NACA in 1915 to accelerate aeronautical research and to further the capability of the United States to push back the frontiers of flight. After more than 40 years of groundbreaking research into the problems of flight, the NACA was transformed in 1958 into NASA and given the added task of pursuing spaceflight with both humans and robots.

This fascinating work, written by Roger D. Launius, former NASA Chief Historian and Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, illuminates the storied, multifaceted history of this agency in a single concise volume. It will serve as an excellent introduction and resource for NASA employees, journalists, scholars, and the general public to understand NASA’s rich heritage.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Release Date: Feb. 9, 2023

#NASA #NACA #Space #Astronomy #History #Spaceflight #Aerospace #Aviation #Research #NonFiction #Author #RogerLaunius #Books #eBook #ePub #PDF #AdobePDF #eBooks #Science #Technology #Engineering #Government #CivilSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Mars Images: Feb. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: Feb. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 3750 - MAHLI

Mars2020 - sol 709 - NavLeft

MSL - sol 3746 - MAHLI

Mars2020 - sol 715 - NavRight

MSL - sol 3749 - MAHLI

MSL - sol 3749 - MAHLI

MSL - sol 3749 - MAHLI

MSL - sol 3749 - Mastcam

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

Celebrating 10 Years+ on Mars! (2012-2023)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

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

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.

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)

Launch: July 30, 2020    

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Feb. 21-23, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #Ingenuity #JezeroCrater #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

International Congratulations on China Space Station's Completion

International Congratulations on China Space Station's Completion 

The Tiangong space station has been hailed as a 'remarkable achievement' for China and the world. Both the United Nations (UN) and International Astronautical Federation (IAF) sent their congratulations and best wishes for the China Space Station. CGTN reporter Wu Lei has spoken to the acting director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and the executive director of the International Astronautical Federation. Take a listen.

Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 1 minute, 13 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Earth #LongMarch #Rockets #Spacecraft #Taikonauts #Tiangong #天宫 #ChinaSpaceStation #CASC #CNSA #CMSA #Technology #Engineering #International #UN #UNOOSA #IAF #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Next Crew Headed to the International Space Station | This Week at NASA

The Next Crew Headed to the International Space Station | This Week at NASA

The next crew headed to the space station, black holes on a collision course, and an anniversary on Mars . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Mars #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Astronauts #SultanAlNedayi #MBRSC #UAE #Cosmonaut #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #WilliamHoburg #StephenBowen #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Cosmic Contortions: Massive Galaxy Cluster in Cetus | Hubble

Cosmic Contortions: Massive Galaxy Cluster in Cetus | Hubble

A massive galaxy cluster in the constellation Cetus dominates the center of this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This image is populated with a serene collection of elliptical and spiral galaxies, but galaxies surrounding the central cluster—which is named SPT-CL J0019-2026—appear stretched into bright arcs, as if distorted by a gargantuan magnifying glass. This cosmic contortion is called gravitational lensing, and it occurs when a massive object like a galaxy cluster has a sufficiently powerful gravitational field to distort and magnify the light from background objects. Gravitational lenses magnify light from objects that would usually be too distant and faint to observe, and so these lenses can extend Hubble’s view even deeper into the Universe.

Distance: 5 billion light years

Image Description: A cluster of large galaxies, surrounded by various stars and smaller galaxies on a dark background. The central cluster is mostly made of bright elliptical galaxies that are surrounded by a warm glow. Nearby the cluster is the stretched, distorted arc of a galaxy, gravitationally lensed by the cluster.

This observation is part of an ongoing project to fill short gaps in Hubble’s observing schedule by systematically exploring the most massive galaxy clusters in the distant Universe, in the hopes of identifying promising targets for further study with both Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. This particular galaxy cluster lies at a vast distance of 4.6 billion light years from Earth.

Each year, the Space Telescope Science Institute is inundated with observing proposals for Hubble, in which astronomers suggest targets for observation. Even after selecting only the very best proposals, scheduling observations of all of Hubble’s targets for a year is a formidable task. There is sometimes a small fraction of observing time left unused in Hubble’s schedule, so in its ‘spare time’ the telescope has a collection of objects to explore—including the lensing galaxy cluster shown in this image.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, H. Ebeling  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Galaxies #Elliptical #Spiral #SPTCLJ00192026 #2MASXJ001907922026281 #GalaxyClusters #GravitationalLensing #Cetus #Constellation #Science #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Astronaut Steve Bowen: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Commander

Meet Astronaut Steve Bowen: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Commander

The first submarine officer ever selected to be a NASA astronaut, who flew on three space shuttle missions in less than two and a half years, is the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station. Meet Steve Bowen, a Massachusetts native and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and hear him talk about his childhood and a Navy career that led to three construction trips to space (and seven spacewalks!), and his excitement about returning to the space station to take part in the science mission that is paving the way for future exploration beyond low Earth orbit.

NASA Astronaut Stephen Bowen's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/stephen-g-bowen

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

The four Crew-6 crewmates—Commander Stephen Bowen, Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Mission Specialist United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Mission Specialist Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia)—will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 23 hours after liftoff.

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)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Astronaut #StephenBowen #SpaceShuttle #USNavy #USNavalAcademy #Science #Engineering #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #Houston #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Astronaut Woody Hoburg: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Pilot

Meet Astronaut Woody Hoburg: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Pilot

Teen model rocket maker.  Rock climber and aircraft designer. MIT student and later professor. And now, pilot of NASA’s Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station. A childhood dream of flying in space is about to come true for Pennsylvania native Woody Hoburg; join him for a look at his incredible path of aeronautics and engineering and computer science and robotics—and time as an EMT with Yosemite Search and Rescue—that has brought him to a launch pad in Florida for the culmination of a dream of a lifetime.

NASA Astronaut William Hoburg's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/warren-hoburg

https://www.nasa.gov/content/warren-hoburg-phd-nasa-astronaut

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

The four Crew-6 crewmates—Commander Stephen Bowen, Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Mission Specialist United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Mission Specialist Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia)—will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 23 hours after liftoff.

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)

Duration: 3 minutes, 23 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew6 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Astronaut #WilliamHoburg #Rocketry #Science #Engineering #Robotics #ComputerScience #Technology #MIT #UCBerkeley #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #Houston #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video