Wednesday, March 01, 2023

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

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






A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 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. 

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 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, 2023.

Obtain updates about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV:

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

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/Kim Shiflett

Image Dates: Feb. 26-March 1, 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

Supernova from Year 185 CE: Rare View of This Supernova Remnant | NOIRLab

Supernova from Year 185 CE: Rare View of This Supernova Remnant | NOIRLab

Dark Energy Camera captures the glowing remains of the first-ever documented supernova

The tattered shell of the first-ever historically recorded supernova was captured by the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, which is mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. RCW 86’s ring of debris is all that remains of a white-dwarf star that exploded more than 1,800 years ago, when it was recorded by Chinese stargazers as a ‘guest star’.

Draped around the outer edges of this star-filled image are wispy tendrils that appear to be flying away from a central point, like the tattered remains of a burst balloon. These cloud-like features are thought to be the glowing remains of a supernova that was witnessed by Chinese astronomers in the year 185 C.E. When it appeared, this baffling addition to the night sky was referred to as a ‘guest star’ by ancient astronomers. It remained visible to the naked eye for about eight months before fading from view. 

This historical supernova, which astronomers now refer to as SN 185, occurred more than 8,000 light-years away in the approximate direction of Alpha Centauri, between the constellations of Circinus and Centaurus. The resulting structure, RCW 86—as imaged by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab—helps shed light on how the remains of the supernova evolved over the past 1,800 years. DECam’s amazing wide-field vision enabled astronomers to create this rare view of the entire supernova remnant as it is seen today.

Though the link between RCW 86 and SN 185 is now well established, that was not always the case. For decades, astronomers thought it would take about 10,000 years for a traditional core-collapse supernova—one in which a massive star blows material away from itself by exploding—to form the structure as we see it today. This would make the structure far older than the supernova observed in the year 185. 

This preliminary estimate largely came from measurements of the supernova remnant’s size. However, a 2006 study found that the large size was due instead to an extremely high expansion velocity. The new estimate is much more in line with a comparatively youthful age of about 2,000 years, which strengthened the link between RCW 86 and the guest star observed centuries ago.

While a more accurate age estimate brought astronomers one step closer to understanding this unique stellar feature, one mystery still remained. How did RCW 86 expand so fast? The answer was uncovered when X-ray data of the region revealed large amounts of iron present, a tell-tale sign of a different kind of explosion: a Type Ia supernova. This type of blast occurs in a binary star system when a dense white dwarf (the end-of-life remains of a star like our Sun) siphons material from its companion star to the point of detonation. These supernovae are the brightest of all and no doubt SN 185 would have awed observers while it shone brightly in the night sky.

Astronomers now have a more complete picture of how RCW 86 formed. As the white dwarf of the binary system swallowed the material of its companion star, its high-velocity winds pushed the surrounding gas and dust outward, creating the cavity we observe today. Then, when the white dwarf could not support any more mass falling onto it from the companion star, it exploded in a violent eruption. The previously formed cavity gave ample room for the high-velocity stellar remnants to expand very quickly and to create the monumental features we see today. 

This new image of RCW 86 gives astronomers an even deeper look into the physics of this perplexing structure and its formation.

The image was obtained by NOIRLab’s Communication, Education & Engagement team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program.


Credits: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: March 1, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WhiteDwarf #Supernova #SN185 #SupernovaRemnant #RCW86 #Cosmos #Universe #CerroTololoInterAmericanObservatory #CTIO #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #History #China #中国 #STEM #Education

Supernova from Year 185 CE: Rare View of This Supernova Remnant | NOIRLab

Supernova from Year 185 CE: Rare View of This Supernova Remnant | NOIRLab

Cosmoview Episode 63: Supernova From the Year 185: A Rare View of the Entirety of This Supernova Remnant

Dark Energy Camera captures the glowing remains of the first-ever documented supernova

The tattered shell of the first-ever historically recorded supernova was captured by the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, which is mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. RCW 86’s ring of debris is all that remains of a white-dwarf star that exploded more than 1,800 years ago, when it was recorded by Chinese stargazers as a ‘guest star’.

Draped around the outer edges of this star-filled image are wispy tendrils that appear to be flying away from a central point, like the tattered remains of a burst balloon. These cloud-like features are thought to be the glowing remains of a supernova that was witnessed by Chinese astronomers in the year 185 C.E. When it appeared, this baffling addition to the night sky was referred to as a ‘guest star’ by ancient astronomers. It remained visible to the naked eye for about eight months before fading from view. 

This historical supernova, which astronomers now refer to as SN 185, occurred more than 8,000 light-years away in the approximate direction of Alpha Centauri, between the constellations of Circinus and Centaurus. The resulting structure, RCW 86—as imaged by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab—helps shed light on how the remains of the supernova evolved over the past 1,800 years. DECam’s amazing wide-field vision enabled astronomers to create this rare view of the entire supernova remnant as it is seen today.


Credits:

Images and Videos: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA, T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab), ESA/Hubble/L. Calcada, D. Munizaga, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WhiteDwarf #Supernova #SN185 #SupernovaRemnant #RCW86 #Cosmos #Universe #CerroTololoInterAmericanObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #History #China #中国 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Aurora | International Space Station

Earth Aurora | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and flight engineer Josh Cassada captured this picture of aurora activity on Earth from the International Space Station on Feb. 28, 2023.

Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying color and complexity. [Wikipedia]


Learn more: 

The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html


Follow Expedition 68 crew updates at: 


Expedition 68 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin
NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada
JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata

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 Station:

For more information about STEM on Station:
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: Feb. 28, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Aurora #Sun #SpaceWeather #SolarWind #ISS #Astronauts #NicoleMann #FrankRubio #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #AnnaKikina #DmitriPetelin #Роскосмос #Russia #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #UnitedStates #Canada #CSA #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education

Hubble Captures Asteroid Impact Debris after NASA DART Spacecraft Impact

Hubble Captures Asteroid Impact Debris after NASA DART Spacecraft Impact




These panels capture the breakup of the asteroid Dimorphos when it was deliberately hit by NASA’s 545-kilogram Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission spacecraft on September 26, 2022. The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope had a ringside view of the space demolition derby. The top panel, taken 2 hours after impact, shows an ejecta cone of an estimated 900,000 kilograms of dust.

[Image Description: Three labeled images are stacked vertically. All three images show a bright white spot in the center surrounded by an irregular cloud of blue that decreases in brightness with distance from the bright spot. The size and shape of the blue cloud are different in each image, as are the labels. In all three images the background is black and there are subtle diffraction spikes radiating from the bright spot.]

The center frame shows the dynamic interaction within the asteroid’s binary system that starts to distort the cone shape of the ejecta pattern about 17 hours after the impact. The most prominent structures are rotating, pinwheel-shaped features. The pinwheel is tied to the gravitational pull of the companion asteroid, Didymos.

In the bottom frame Hubble next captures the debris being swept back into a comet-like tail by the pressure of sunlight on the tiny dust particles. This stretches out into a debris train where the lightest particles travel the fastest and farthest from the asteroid. The mystery is compounded when Hubble records the tail splitting in two for a few days.


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), STScI, J. Li (PSI)

Release Date: March 1, 2023


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #DARTMission #Spacecraft #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #Test #SolarSystem #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Infographic #STEM #Education

Hubble Captures Movie of DART Asteroid Impact Debris

Hubble Captures Movie of DART Asteroid Impact Debris

This movie (no audio) captures the breakup of the asteroid Dimorphos when it was deliberately hit by NASA’s 545-kilogram Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission spacecraft on Sept. 26, 2022. The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope had a ringside view of the space demolition derby.

The Hubble movie starts at 1.3 hours before impact. The first post-impact snapshot is 20 minutes after the event. Debris flies away from the asteroid in straight lines, moving faster than four miles per hour (fast enough to escape the asteroid’s gravitational pull, so it does not fall back onto the asteroid). The ejecta forms a largely hollow cone with long, stringy filaments.

At about 17 hours after the impact the debris pattern entered a second stage. The dynamic interaction within the binary system started to distort the cone shape of the ejecta pattern. The most prominent structures are rotating, pinwheel-shaped features. The pinwheel is tied to the gravitational pull of the companion asteroid, Didymos.

Hubble next captures the debris being swept back into a comet-like tail by the pressure of sunlight on the tiny dust particles. This stretches out into a debris train where the lightest particles travel the fastest and farthest from the asteroid. The mystery is compounded later when Hubble records the tail splitting in two for a few days.


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), J. Li (PSI), J. DePasquale (STScI)

Duration: 19 seconds

Release Date: March 1, 2023


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #DARTMission #Spacecraft #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #Test #SolarSystem #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's DART Mission Confirms Crashing Spacecraft Can Deflect Asteroids

NASA's DART Mission Confirms Crashing Spacecraft Can Deflect Asteroids

Since NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully impacted its target on Sept. 26, 2022—altering the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by a whopping 33 minutes—the DART team has determined that the mission's kinetic impactor technique can be an effective way to change the trajectory of an asteroid. 

These findings were published in four papers in the journal Nature on March 1, 2023. 

Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3ZcTOae

For more on DART, visit:

https://nasa.gov/dart

https://dart.jhuapl.edu


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minutes, 47 seconds

Release Date: March 1, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #DART #DARTMission #Spacecraft #DRACO #SpaceX #USSF #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #Test #SolarSystem #JHUAPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6: Behind The Scenes | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6: Behind The Scenes | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts stand near the mission emblem in the astronaut crew quarters inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 26, 2023. From left are Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut (Russia) and mission specialist; NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander; and Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates astronaut and mission specialist.


After suit-up and final fit checks, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts participate in a traditional game of cards inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center crew in Florida on Feb. 26, 2023. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts walk down the hallway from the astronaut crew quarters to the elevator in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 26, 2023.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crewmember Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander, is in his SpaceX spacesuit

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crewmember Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist, checks his SpaceX spacesuit


NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crewmember Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot, checks his SpaceX spacesuit

These are example views inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the first launch attempt to the International Space Station on Feb. 26, 2023.

Crew-6 astronauts are NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates astronaut and mission specialist; and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut (Russia) and mission specialist. 

Launch is now targeted for no earlier than Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 12:34am EST (0534 UTC).

Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Obtain updates about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV:

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/Kim Shiflett
Image Date: Feb. 26, 2023


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

NASA Moon Mission Update: Artemis IV Orion & Artemis II European Service Module

NASA Moon Missions: Artemis IV Orion & Artemis II European Service Module





Seen in these images is the pressure vessel for the NASA Artemis IV Moon Mission inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. The pressure vessel is the underlying structure of the Orion crew module, containing the pressurized atmosphere astronauts will breathe and work in while in the vacuum of deep space. Artemis IV will be the first operational mission to Gateway—an outpost in lunar orbit serving as a staging point for deep space exploration—followed by a week-long surface mission on the Moon. Using Gateway, NASA will develop a long-term presence on the Moon, using this as a steppingstone before venturing on to Mars.

The European Service Module for the Artemis II mission is photographed inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The service module will provide the power necessary to propel Orion on a trip around the Moon, including the in-space maneuvering capability and other commodities necessary to sustain crew for the duration of the 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


Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Date: Feb. 21, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Moon #MoonToMars #Mars #Artemis #ArtemisII #ESM #ArtemisIV #Orion #Spacecraft #Gateway #LunarGateway #Astronauts #Science #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #ESA #STEM #Education

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

NASA's EZIE Mission: Exploring Earth's Link to Space | Applied Physics Laboratory

NASA's EZIE Mission: Exploring Earth's Link to Space | Applied Physics Laboratory

Developed and led for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, EZIE is a mission to explore Earth’s electrojets—intense electric currents flowing high above Earth’s polar regions and the dayside equatorial region. EZIE will provide unprecedented measurements of these electrical currents to answer decades-old—and much debated—mysteries. Understanding these currents is key to scientists’ ability to develop capabilities for predicting hazardous space weather.

For more information, visit: https://ezie.jhuapl.edu


Credit: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2023


#NASA #Space #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Sun #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #Satellite #EZIE #EZIEMission #Electrojets #ElectricalCurrents #Aurora #JHUAPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Tesla Vehicles | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Tesla Vehicles | Kennedy Space Center



NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts greet their family members after walking out of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 26, 2023





In these views outside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 26, 2023, are two Tesla vehicles that will transport NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts to Launch Complex 39A for launch to the International Space Station. 

Crew-6 astronauts are NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates astronaut and mission specialist; and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut (Russia) and mission specialist. 

Launch is now targeted for no earlier than Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 12:34am EST (0534 UTC).

Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Obtain updates about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV:

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/Brandon Garner
Image Date: Feb. 26, 2023

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

Zoom into "Seeing Triple": Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

Zoom into "Seeing Triple": Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

This video from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope takes the viewer on a journey through space to the location of the massive galaxy cluster RX J2129. Due to gravitational lensing, this observation contains three different images of the same supernova-hosting galaxy, which you can see in closer detail here. Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime to bend the path of light travelling past or through it, almost like a vast lens. In this case, the lens is the galaxy cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius.


Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Kelly, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, DSS, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. de Martin (ESA/Webb), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyCluster #RXJ2129 #GravitationalLensing #Aquarius #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of "Seeing Triple": Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of "Seeing Triple": Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

This video from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space James Webb Space Agency Telescope features the massive galaxy cluster RX J2129. Due to Gravitational lensing, this observation contains three different images of the same supernova-hosting galaxy, which you can see in closer detail here. Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime to bend the path of light travelling past or through it, almost like a vast lens. In this case, the lens is the galaxy cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime to bend the path of light travelling past or through it, almost like a vast lens. In this case, the lens is the galaxy cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Gravitational lensing can cause background objects to appear strangely distorted, as can be seen by the concentric arcs of light in the upper right of this image.


Image Description: Stars and galaxies, mostly reddish in color, are scattered across a dark background. In the foreground upper-right corner, a large elliptical galaxy is surrounded by many smaller similar galaxies in a cluster. These galaxies have bright centers and a diffuse white glow around them. The large galaxy has distorted images and arcs around it.

Astronomers discovered the supernova in the triply-lensed background galaxy using observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and they suspected that they had found a very distant Type Ia supernova. These supernovae always produce a fairly consistent luminosity—at the same distance, one looks as bright as any other—which makes them particularly helpful to astronomers. As their distance from Earth is proportional to how dim they appear in the night sky, objects with known brightness can be used as 'standard candles' to measure astronomical distances. 

The almost uniform luminosity of a Type Ia supernova could also allow astronomers to understand how strongly the galaxy cluster RX J2129 is magnifying background objects, and therefore how massive the galaxy cluster is. As well as distorting the images of background objects, gravitational lenses can cause distant objects to appear much brighter than they would otherwise. If the gravitational lens magnifies something with a known brightness, such as a Type Ia supernova, then astronomers can use this to measure the ‘prescription’ of the gravitational lens. 

This observation was captured by Webb's Near-InfraRed Camera to measure the brightness of the lensed supernova. As part of the same program, NIRSpec spectroscopy of the supernova was also obtained, which will allow comparison of this distant supernova to Type Ia supernovae in the nearby Universe. This is an important way to verify that one of astronomers’ tried-and-tested methods of measuring vast distances works as expected.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Kelly 

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyCluster #RXJ2129 #GravitationalLensing #Aquarius #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Seeing Triple: Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

Seeing Triple: Galaxy Cluster RX J2129 | James Webb Space Telescope

This observation from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope features the massive galaxy cluster RX J2129. Due to gravitational lensing, this observation contains three different images of the same supernova-hosting galaxy, which you can see in closer detail here. Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime to bend the path of light travelling past or through it, almost like a vast lens. In this case, the lens is the galaxy cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Gravitational lensing can cause background objects to appear strangely distorted, as can be seen by the concentric arcs of light in the upper right of this image.

Image Description: Stars and galaxies, mostly reddish in color, are scattered across a dark background. In the foreground upper-right corner, a large elliptical galaxy is surrounded by many smaller similar galaxies in a cluster. These galaxies have bright centers and a diffuse white glow around them. The large galaxy has distorted images and arcs around it.

Astronomers discovered the supernova in the triply-lensed background galaxy using observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and they suspected that they had found a very distant Type Ia supernova. These supernovae always produce a fairly consistent luminosity—at the same distance, one looks as bright as any other—which makes them particularly helpful to astronomers. As their distance from Earth is proportional to how dim they appear in the night sky, objects with known brightness can be used as 'standard candles' to measure astronomical distances. 

The almost uniform luminosity of a Type Ia supernova could also allow astronomers to understand how strongly the galaxy cluster RX J2129 is magnifying background objects, and therefore how massive the galaxy cluster is. As well as distorting the images of background objects, gravitational lenses can cause distant objects to appear much brighter than they would otherwise. If the gravitational lens magnifies something with a known brightness, such as a Type Ia supernova, then astronomers can use this to measure the ‘prescription’ of the gravitational lens. 

This observation was captured by Webb's Near-InfraRed Camera to measure the brightness of the lensed supernova. As part of the same program, NIRSpec spectroscopy of the supernova was also obtained, which will allow comparison of this distant supernova to Type Ia supernovae in the nearby Universe. This is an important way to verify that one of astronomers’ tried-and-tested methods of measuring vast distances works as expected.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Kelly 

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyCluster #RXJ2129 #GravitationalLensing #Aquarius #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

JUICE Mission to Jupiter's Moons Moves Closer to Launch | European Space Agency

JUICE Mission to Jupiter's Moons Moves Closer to Launch | European Space Agency

After many years of study, development, building and testing, the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, JUICE, has finally arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. At the end of 2022 the spacecraft underwent its final thermal vacuum test at an Airbus Defence and Space facility in Toulouse, as well as its final software verification tests, whereby it was controlled from the European Space Operations Center (ESOC) mission control center in Darmstadt, Germany.

Soon, an Ariane 5 rocket will lift Juice into orbit and send it on its journey to explore the largest planet in our Solar System and its three icy moons, Europa, Callisto and in particular Ganymede. By exploring and studying the Jovian system, the mission neatly fullfills its role in ESA’s Cosmic Vision program, teaching us about our Universe and the origins of life.

Follow mission updates here: www.esa.int/juice

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission will complement the European Space Agency's JUICE Mission. JUICE will fly-by Europa twice and Callisto multiple times before moving into orbit around Ganymede.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2023


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NASA's SpaceX Crew-6: Sultan Alneyadi (UAE) & Andrei Fedyaev (Russia)

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6: Sultan Alneyadi (UAE) & Andrei Fedyaev (Russia)

NASA SpaceX Crew-6 astronaut and mission specialist Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates, stands inside the crew access arm leading to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour

NASA SpaceX Crew-6 astronaut and mission specialist Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates, stands inside the crew access arm leading to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour



At right, Sultan Alneyadi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut and mission specialist, checks his spacesuit inside the crew suit-up room in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building

 Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev (Russia) is photographed in his SpaceX spacesuit inside the crew suit-up room in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building



Seated from left are Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates astronaut and mission specialist; and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist


Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronaut Warren “Woody" Hoburg, second from left, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, second from right, and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, right, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building

These are pictures of Sultan Alneyadi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut and mission specialist and of Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut (Russia) and mission specialist. UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center will make history by becoming the first astronaut from the Arab world to spend six months on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA's Crew-6 astronauts will launch to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA and SpaceX teams are now targeting no earlier than Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 12:34am EST (0534 UTC) for the next launch attempt of the Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station.

Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Obtain updates about the Crew-6 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-6/

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV: 

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: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)
Image Dates: Feb. 23, 2023

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