Frosty Sand Dunes of Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Frosty Sand Dunes of Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

A field of sand dunes occupies this frosty 5-kilometer diameter crater in the high-latitudes of the northern plains of Mars. Some dunes have separated from the main field and appear to be climbing up the crater slope along a gully-like form.

Black and white images are less than 5 km across; enhanced color images are less than 1 km.

Local Mars time

14:15

Latitude (centered)

76.150°

Longitude (East)

270.545°

Spacecraft altitude

315.8 km (196.3 miles)

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Image Date: Feb. 17, 2021

Duration: 1 minute

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Release Date: March 15, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Geology #NorthernPlains #SandDunes #Crater #Landscape #Terrain #MRO #HiRISE #Spacecraft #JPL #Caltech #UA #UniversityOfArizona #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Smoke from Wildfires in Canada Reaches Europe | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

Smoke from Wildfires in Canada Reaches Europe | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

Smoke from wildland fires, which have been burning in the Canadian province of Quebec for weeks, has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and darkened skies in southwestern Europe.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image in the morning (11:10 Universal Time) on June 26, 2023. At the time, smoke drifted over northern Portugal and Spain. It also reached northward over other European countries beyond the scope of this image.

The smoke’s widespread reach is apparent in the map above. It shows a plume of black carbon particles—commonly called soot—spanning eastward from North America and across more than 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The black carbon density data come from NASA’s GEOS forward processing (GEOS-FP) model, which assimilates data from satellite, aircraft, and ground-based observing systems. In addition to making use of satellite observations of aerosols and fires, GEOS-FP incorporates meteorological data like air temperature, moisture, and winds to project the plume’s behavior.

Hazy skies in Europe were also observed by a global network of ground sensors called the Aerosols Robotic Network, or AERONET. The network contains more than 500 Sun photometer instruments that measure aerosol optical depth (AOD) around the world. On the morning of June 26, AERONET sensors in northern Spain and France measured AODs greater than 0.5. The AOD in these areas is typically close to 0.1. (For reference, a perfectly clear sky would have an AOD of less than 0.05, while an AOD of 3 would make it difficult to see the Sun.)

Yet air quality in the smoke-covered parts of Europe on June 26 remained mostly fair, compared to unhealthy and hazardous air quality in the smoke-affected parts of Canada and the United States. This is because most of the smoke that reached Europe was higher in the atmosphere, where it is less likely to affect human health.

Still, the smoke over Europe will likely be noticed by people. According to the UK Met Office, the smoke aerosols could contribute to vivid sunrises and sunsets.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and GEOS-5 data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC 

Story Credit: Kathryn Hansen

Image Date: June 26, 2023

Release Date: June 27, 2023

#NASA #Space #Satellites #TerraSatellite #Science #Earth #Planet #Canada #Ontario #Quebec #Wildfires #Smoke #AtlanticOcean #Portugal #Spain #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #Atmosphere #AirQuality #Weather #Meteorology #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora Borealis over Icelandic Waterfall

Aurora Borealis over Icelandic Waterfall

Cari Letelier: "It seemed like the sky exploded. The original idea was to photograph an aurora over a waterfall. After waiting for hours under opaque clouds, though, hope was running out. Others left. Then, unexpectedly, the clouds moved away. Suddenly, particles from a large solar magnetic storm were visible impacting the Earth's upper atmosphere with full effect. The night sky filled with colors and motion in a thrilling auroral display. Struggling to steady the camera from high Earthly winds, the 34 exposures that compose the featured image were taken. The resulting featured composite image shows the photogenic Godafoss (Goðafoss) waterfall in northern Iceland in front of a very active aurora in late February." 

"The solar surface explosion that expelled the energetic particles occurred a few days before. Our Sun is showing an impressive amount of surface activity as it approaches solar maximum, indicating that more impressive auroras are likely to appear in Earth's northern and southern sky over the next few years."

Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier

Cari's Instagram Page: 

https://www.instagram.com/cariletelier/

Release Date: July 4, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Iceland #Ísland #GodafossWaterfall #GoðafossWaterfall #CariLetelier #Photography #Astrophotography #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #APoD

Star AB Aurigae & Reflection Nebula vdB31: Wide-field View | ESO

Star AB Aurigae & Reflection Nebula vdB31: Wide-field View | ESO

This wide-field view shows the region of the sky, in the constellation of Auriga, where AB Aurigae and reflection nebula vdB31 can be found. This view was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Release Date: May 20, 2020

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Stars #Nebulae #Nebula #ReflectionNebula #vdB31 #Star #ABAurigae #Auriga #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Happy July Fourth! Pan over Celestial Fireworks in Galaxy NGC 1569 | Hubble

Happy July Fourth! Pan over Celestial Fireworks in Galaxy NGC 1569 | Hubble

The nearby dwarf galaxy NGC 1569 is a hotbed of vigorous star birth activity which blows huge bubbles and super-bubbles that riddle the main body of the galaxy. The galaxy's vigorous star factories are also manufacturing brilliant blue star clusters. This galaxy had a sudden and relatively recent onset of star birth 25 million years ago, which subsided about the time the very earliest human ancestors appeared on Earth.

In this image, taken with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, the bubble structure is sculpted by the galactic super-winds and outflows caused by a colossal input of energy from collective supernova explosions that are linked with a massive episode of star birth.The bubble-like structures seen in this image are made of hydrogen gas that glows when hit by the fierce winds and radiation from hot young stars and is racked by supernovae shocks. The first supernovae blew up when the most massive stars reached the end of their lifetimes roughly 20-25 million years ago. The environment in NGC 1569 is still turbulent and the supernovae may not only deliver the gaseous raw material needed for the formation of further stars and star clusters, but also actually trigger their birth in the tortured swirls of gas.

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

Duration: 24 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 24, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #FourthOfJuly #Science #Galaxy #DwarfGalaxy #NGC1569 #Stars #StarClusters #Supernovae #Camelopardalis #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Happy Fourth of July! Celestial Fireworks in Starburst Galaxy NGC 1569 | Hubble

Happy Fourth of July! Celestial Fireworks in Starburst Galaxy NGC 1569 | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the iridescent interior of one of the most active galaxies in our local neighborhood—NGC 1569, a small galaxy located about eleven million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe).

Distance: 11 million light years

This galaxy is currently a hotbed of vigorous star formation. NGC 1569 is a starburst galaxy, meaning that—as the name suggests—it is bursting at the seams with stars, and is currently producing them at a rate far higher than that observed in most other galaxies. For almost 100 million years, NGC 1569 has pumped out stars over 100 times faster than the Milky Way!

As a result, this glittering galaxy is home to super star clusters, three of which are visible in this image—one of the two bright clusters is actually  the superposition of two massive clusters. Each containing more than a million stars, these brilliant blue clusters reside within a large cavity of gas carved out by multiple supernovae, the energetic remnants of massive stars.

In 2008, Hubble observed the galaxy's cluttered core and sparsely populated outer fringes. By pinpointing individual red giant stars, Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys enabled astronomers to calculate a new—and much more precise—estimate for NGC 1569’s distance. This revealed that the galaxy is actually one and a half times further away than previously thought, and a member of the IC 342 galaxy group.

Astronomers suspect that the IC 342 cosmic congregation is responsible for the star-forming frenzy observed in NGC 1569. Gravitational interactions between this galactic group are believed to be compressing the gas within NGC 1569. As it is compressed, the gas collapses, heats up and forms new stars.

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

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)

Release Date: June 27, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #DwarfGalaxy #NGC1569 #Stars #StarClusters #Supernovae #Camelopardalis #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula vdB31 in Auriga | Schulman Telescope

Reflection Nebula vdB31 in Auriga | Schulman Telescope

The dark dust clouds of vdB31, illuminated by and reflecting the light of the bright blue star AB Aurigae. It is an extremely young star just 4 million or so years old, still in the process of settling down after its birth. It has more than twice the mass of the Sun, and is fiercely hot and luminous, visible in binoculars despite its distance of well over 500 light years.

AB Aurigae is so hot it puts out most of its light in the blue part of the spectrum. Moreover, the tiny grains of silicates and carbon tend to let red light pass by them even while blue light tends to be scattered off them—sent in semi-random directions. These factors combine to create the incredibly lovely blue glow to the dust hanging in space around the star. Without it, the wisps and filaments in the dust would be invisible to our eyes.

The 0.81 m (32 in) Schulman Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector built by RC Optical Systems and installed in 2010. It is operated by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and is Arizona's largest dedicated public observatory. The Schulman Telescope was designed from inception for remote control over the Internet by amateur and professional astrophotographers worldwide. It is currently the world's largest telescope dedicated for this purpose.

Image Credit: Adam Block

Caption Credit: Phil Plait

Image Date: Jan. 1, 2013

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Nebulae #Nebula #ReflectionNebula #vdB31 #Star #ABAurigae #Auriga #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula VdB 38 in Orion | Schulman Telescope

Reflection Nebula VdB 38 in Orion | Schulman Telescope

VdB 38, also known as Sh-2 263, is a single-emission, fragmentary reflection nebula, visible in the Orion constellation. The star of the nebula gas light is HD 34989, a magnitude 5,78 magnitude-star blue-blue star, well visible to the naked eye on clearer nights. 

The cloud appears distinct in a shining part for reflection of the star light, and in fact, shows a markedly blue color, and a part on the background that appears ionized and has a reddish light. Part of the gas cloud that is part of vdB 38 is not illuminated and looks like a dark nebula masking the light coming from the behind-the-scenes stars; This obscured part returns the abbreviation LDN 1588 (B223). The distance between the cloud and the star would be approximately 736 light years according to parallax studies, which would place them in the most peripheral regions of the Orion Complex.

The 0.81 m (32 in) Schulman Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector built by RC Optical Systems and installed in 2010. It is operated by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and is Arizona's largest dedicated public observatory. The Schulman Telescope was designed from inception for remote control over the Internet by amateur and professional astrophotographers worldwide. It is currently the world's largest telescope dedicated for this purpose.

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Caption Credit: Mark Hanson

Image Date: Jan. 1, 2013

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Nebulae #Nebula #ReflectionNebula #VdB38 #Sh2263 #LDN1588 #Star #HD34989 #Orion #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 69 Space Station Crew Talks with WBTS-TV Boston, AccuWeather

Expedition 69 Space Station Crew Talks with WBTS-TV Boston, AccuWeather 

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg and Steve Bowen of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview June 29, 2023, with WBTS-TV (NBC, Boston) and AccuWeather. Hoburg and Bowen are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 69 Crew (May 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg

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: 21 minutes

Release Date: June 29, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #ISS #Astronauts #StephenBowen #WoodyHoburg #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #UAE #MicrogravityResearch #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UNOOSA #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Venus in Ultraviolet: Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter | JAXA

Planet Venus in Ultraviolet: Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter  | JAXA

    

Why is Venus so different from Earth? To help find out, Japan launched the Akatsuki spacecraft which entered orbit around Venus late in 2015 after an unplanned five-year adventure around the inner Solar System. Even though Akatsuki was past its original planned lifetime, the spacecraft and instruments were operating so well that much of its original mission was reinstated. Also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki's instruments investigated unknowns about Earth's sister planet, including whether volcanoes are still active, whether lightning occurs in the dense atmosphere, and why wind speeds greatly exceed the planet's rotation speed. 

In this image taken by Akatsuki's UVI camera, the day-side of Venus is seen shown with planet-scale V-shaped cloud pattern. The image displays three ultraviolet colors and indicates a dip in the relative abundance of sulfur dioxide shown in faint blue. Analyses of Akatsuki images and data has shown, among other discoveries, that Venus has equatorial jet similar to Earth's jet stream.

Akatsuki (あかつき, 暁, "Dawn"), also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, is a Japanese (JAXA) spacecraft tasked to study the atmosphere of Venus. By using five different cameras, working at several wavelengths, Akatsuki is studying the stratification of the atmosphere, atmospheric dynamics, and cloud physics. It was launched aboard an H-IIA 202 rocket on May 20, 2010.

Image Credit & Copyright: JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Planet-C Project Team

Processing Credit & Copyright: Dr. Mehmet Hakan

Release Date: June 23, 2023

#NASA #JAXA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Venus #Atmosphere #EquatorialJet #SulfurDioxide  #Ultraviolet #Meteorology #Weather #Clouds #Ultraviolet #VenusClimateOrbiter #VCO #Akatsuki #あかつき #PlanetC #Spacecraft #Japan #日本  #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #MehmetHakan #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #APoD

Neighboring Irregular Galaxy ESO 174-1 in Centaurus | Hubble

Neighboring Irregular Galaxy ESO 174-1 in Centaurus | Hubble

The highly irregular galaxy ESO 174-1, which resembles a lonely, hazy cloud against a backdrop of bright stars, dominates this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. ESO 174-1 lies around 11 million light-years from Earth and consists of a bright cloud of stars and a faint, meandering tendril of dark gas and dust.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, R. Tully  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #ESO1741 #IrregularGalaxy #Centaurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Serene Supernova Aftermath: Galaxy UGC 11860 in Pegasus | Hubble

Serene Supernova Aftermath: Galaxy UGC 11860 in Pegasus | Hubble

The spiral galaxy UGC 11860 seems to float serenely against a field of background galaxies in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. UGC 11860 lies around 184 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus, and its untroubled appearance can be deceiving. This galaxy recently played host to an almost unimaginably energetic stellar explosion.

A supernova explosion—the catastrophically violent end of a massive star’s life—was detected in UGC 11860 in 2014 by a robotic telescope dedicated to scouring the skies for transient astronomical phenomena—astronomical objects which are only visible for a short period of time. Two different teams of astronomers used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to search through the aftermath and unpick the lingering remnants of this vast cosmic explosion.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, a fuzzy oval tilted diagonally and partially towards the viewer. The center glows in warm colors, and has two prominent spiral arms around it, with bright points of star formation. The galaxy is central in a field of small stars and galaxies on a dark background.

One team explored UGC 11860 to understand more about the progenitor star systems that eventually meet their demise in supernovae. The unimaginably energetic environment during supernova explosions is predominantly responsible for forging the elements between silicon and nickel on the periodic table. This means that understanding the influence of progenitor star systems’ masses and compositions is vital to explaining how many of the chemical elements here on Earth originated.

The other group of astronomers used Hubble to follow up supernovae that were detected by robotic telescopes. These automated eyes on the sky function without the intervention of humans, and capture transient events in the night sky. Robotic telescopes allow astronomers to detect everything from unexpected asteroids to rare, unpredictable supernovae, and can identify intriguing objects that can then be investigated in more detail by powerful telescopes such as Hubble.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko, J. D. Lyman

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC11860 #Spiral #Supernova #Pegasus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble & Webb Space Telescope Views

Galaxy NGC 3256  in Vela | Hubble & Webb Space Telescope Views

The peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 takes center stage in the two images featured in this video. This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two spiral galaxies which likely occurred 500 million years ago, and it is studded with clumps of young stars which were formed as gas and dust from the two galaxies collided.

The first image contains data from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3. Here the visible light lays out in detail the dark threads of dust and molecular gas that spin around the centers of the two merged galaxies. Many of the young, infrared-emitting stars produced by the collision are obscured in visible wavelengths by this dark dust.

The second image contains data from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, using both the Near-InfraRed Camera and the Mid-InfraRed Instrument. The collision that produced NGC 3256 spurred an enormous burst of star formation, and these new stars radiate enormously brightly in infrared wavelengths as seen here. Learn more about this image here.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3256 #Vela #Constellation #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescopes #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zoom into Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | James Webb Space Telescope

Zoom into Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | James Webb Space Telescope

This video takes the viewer on a journey through space to the peculiar galaxy NGC 3256. This Milky Way-sized galaxy lies about 120 million light-years away in the constellation Vela, and is a denizen of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster.

This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two spiral galaxies which likely occurred 500 million years ago, and it is studded with clumps of young stars which were formed as gas and dust from the two galaxies collided.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 53 seconds

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3256 #Vela #Constellation #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of Galaxy NGC 3256 | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of Galaxy NGC 3256 | James Webb Space Telescope

This video features the peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 as seen by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope. This Milky Way-sized galaxy lies about 120 million light-years away in the constellation Vela, and is a denizen of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster.

NGC 3256 may seem peaceful, a swirl of tightly entwined spiral arms set in a hazy cloud of light, but this image shows the aftermath of an ancient cosmic clash. This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two equally massive spiral galaxies which astronomers estimate to have met around 500 million years ago. The tumultuous past of NGC 3256 is captured in the long tendrils of bright gas and stars which extend outwards from the main body of the galaxy. These luminous tendrils are called tidal tails, and are studded with young stars which were formed as gas and dust from the two galaxies collided.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3256 #Vela #Constellation #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Clash of the Titans: Galaxy NGC 3256 | James Webb Space Telescope

Clash of the Titans: Galaxy NGC 3256 | James Webb Space Telescope

The peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 dominates this image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope. This Milky Way-sized galaxy lies about 120 million light-years away in the constellation Vela, and is a denizen of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster.

NGC 3256 may seem peaceful, a swirl of tightly entwined spiral arms set in a hazy cloud of light, but this image shows the aftermath of an ancient cosmic clash. This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two equally massive spiral galaxies which astronomers estimate to have met around 500 million years ago. The tumultuous past of NGC 3256 is captured in the long tendrils of shining dust and stars which extend outwards from the main body of the galaxy. The striking red and orange regions spread across the galaxy contain young stars created in the merger that are irradiating small dust grains, which then emit infrared light that is captured in astonishing detail by Webb’s instruments. Further out, there are extended tidal features, which are mostly stars pulled out of the galaxies when they collided.

Image Description: A large, face-on spiral galaxy. The core is radiating very brightly. Streaks of dust glow intensely red, in the center and across most of the galaxy. This gas is surrounded by a dark grey halo made of the galaxy’s stars. The halo stretches out into a tidal tail at the upper-left, and another at the bottom. Small stars and galaxies surround the spiral galaxy, on a black background.

If you were asked to picture a galaxy collision, you might picture stars careening into one another with catastrophically explosive results. In reality, the spaces between the stars in a galaxy are vast; when galaxies collide, their clouds of stars pass through one another and mingle like two clouds of smoke. The gas and dust in colliding galaxies does interact, however, and with spectacular results. The galactic collision that created NGC 3256 triggered a luminous burst of star formation that can be seen in the brightest portions of this image. These infant stars shine most brightly at infrared wavelengths, light which can penetrate through obscuring dust in the galaxy, and which makes the stars perfect subjects for Webb.

This observation is one of several which take a detailed look at the physics of star formation and black hole growth in nearby merging galaxies, hoping to transform astronomers' understanding of galactic evolution. Capturing a selection of luminous infrared galaxies like NGC 3256 will help the astronomical community to understand how Webb can unravel the complex histories of nearby star-forming galaxies.

This image contains data from Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera and Mid-InfraRed Instrument, which—as the names suggest—capture NGC 3256 in stunning detail at infrared wavelengths. 

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. Evans

Release Date: July 3, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3256 #Vela #Constellation #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education