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Tuesday, July 11, 2023

NASA's New Artemis Crew Transport Electric Vehicles | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's New Artemis Crew Transport Electric Vehicles | Kennedy Space Center

Three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2023.

One of the zero-emission vehicles is shown here at Launch Pad 39B. From left are Jeremy Graeber, Artemis assistant launch director; Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director; and Tony Aquila, chairman and CEO, Canoo Technologies Inc.

With the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in the background, the three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally-friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2023. The zero-emission vehicles, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, were delivered by the manufacturer, Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California.

Image Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

Image Date: July 11, 2023

#NASA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisII #ArtemisIII #SLSRocket #DeepSpace #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #MoonToMars #Engineering #Technology #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CrewTransportationVehicles #CrewVehicles #CTV #ElectricVehicles #ZeroEmissionVehicles #CanooTechnologies #EGS #KSC #Florida #Spaceport #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Anvil of Creation: Star Formation 3D Computer Simulation | NOIRLab

The Anvil of Creation: Star Formation 3D Computer Simulation | NOIRLab

[No Audio] This computer simulation shows the evolution of a star formation region over several million years. It is the most realistic, highest-resolution 3D simulation of star formation to date. It is the first time an entire gas cloud—100 times more massive than previously possible and full of vibrant colors—has been simulated and also the first simulation which simultaneously models star formation, evolution and dynamics while accounting for stellar feedback, including jets, radiation, wind and nearby supernovae activity.

The color of the represented gas is determined by how turbulent the gas is (purple=low, yellow=high) and the lightness increases with the density of the gas.

Due to turbulence and gravity the cloud quickly develops a filamentary structure. In these dense filaments the gravitational force overpowers pressure forces, causing the gas to collapse and form stars. Gas continues to fall onto newly formed stars, but interactions with the local magnetic field cause a portion of the infalling gas to be launched away from the star. These high velocity materials form protostellar jets. Jets stir and disrupt the flow of gas in the cloud, allowing more stars to form.

Massive stars launch powerful stellar winds, which both heat and push away the nearby gas. Once a number of massive stars have formed, their combined effect becomes powerful enough to disrupt star formation in the entire cloud and expel the remaining gas. With most of the gas flung out, the gravitational force weakens in the remaining star cluster, leading to its expansion and eventual dissolution. Massive stars live only a relatively short time, a few million years, after which they explode as supernovae. Even one of these extremely powerful explosions could disrupt the cloud and expel all gas. However, by the time they occur the cloud has already been destroyed by radiation and stellar winds from massive stars.

Note: The full dome video display format is designed for projection systems in planetariums.

Credit: NOIRLab/STARFORGE cooperation/Planetarium Mannheim/National Science Foundation (NSF)

Duration: 16 minutes

Release Date: July 11, 2023

#NASA #NOIRLab #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarFormation #Nebula #GasCloud #3DSimulation #ComputerSimulation #ComputerModels #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #STARFORGE #PlanetariumMannheim #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #FullDome #HD #Video

Exploring the Cosmic Jewels of Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A | Mayall Telescope

Exploring the Cosmic Jewels of Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A | Mayall Telescope

CosmoView Episode 29: The dwarf galaxy Sextans A is a cosmic jewelry box filled with bright young stars. Located around 4.4 million light-years from Earth, it has been contorted by several supernova explosions that give it a peculiar square shape. The galaxy overflows with young, blue stars and red-hued star-forming regions. This glittering image was taken at the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, P. Marenfeld

Data obtained and processed by: P. Massey (Lowell Obs.), G. Jacoby, K. Olsen, & C. Smith (AURA/NSF)

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute, 12 seconds

Release Date: June 25, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #DwarfGalaxy #SextansA #IrregularGalaxy #Sextans #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #MayallTelescope #KPNO #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #CosmoView #HD #Video

The Cosmic Jewels of Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A | Mayall Telescope

The Cosmic Jewels of Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A | Mayall Telescope

This glittering image captured by the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, shows the irregular dwarf galaxy Sextans A, which lies around 4.4 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy, which is only a fraction of the size of the Milky Way, has been contorted by successive waves of supernova explosions into the roughly square shape we see from Earth—a cosmic jewelry box filled with bright young stars.

Sextans A is displayed in style in this gorgeous image, which showcases the irregular shape of this dwarf galaxy. Irregular galaxies such as Sextans A do not have the regular appearance of spiral or elliptical galaxies, but instead display a range of weird and wonderful shapes. These galaxies are relatively small, and they are often susceptible to distortions resulting from close encounters or collisions with larger galaxies—sometimes leading to their irregular shapes. Sextans A is particularly small, measuring only about 5,000 light-years across.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Data Obtained & Processed by: P. Massey (Lowell Obs.), G. Jacoby, K. Olsen, & C. Smith (AURA/NSF)

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: June 30, 2021

Our Sun: Sunspot Activity Jan.-June 2023 | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

Our Sun: Sunspot Activity Jan.-June 2023 | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

Why is our Sun so active now? No one is certain. An increase in surface activity was expected because our Sun is approaching solar maximum in 2025. However, last month our Sun sprouted more sunspots than in any month during the entire previous 11-year solar cycle—even dating back to 2002. The picture is a composite of images taken every day from January to June 2023 by NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory.

Showing a high abundance of sunspots, large individual spots can be tracked across the Sun's disk, left to right, over about two weeks. As a solar cycle continues, sunspots typically appear closer to the equator. Sunspots are just one way that our Sun displays surface activity. NASA also tracks solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that expel particles out into the Solar System. Since these particles can affect astronauts and electronics, we most closely monitor these surface disturbances. Conversely, solar activity can have very high aesthetic value in the Earth's atmosphere when they trigger aurora.

Image Credit: NASA, Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO)

Processing & Image Copyright: Şenol Şanlı

Şenol's website:

https://www.instagram.com/snlsanli/

Release Date: July 11, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #SpaceWeather #Sun #Star #Sunspots #Sunspots2023 #SolarActivity #SolarFlares #Ultraviolet #Plasma #MagneticField #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Spacecraft #Satellites #SDO #SolarSystem #GSFC #UnitedStates #ŞenolŞanlı #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #APoD

Dark Shrouds in Orion: LDN 1622 | Mayall Telescope

Dark Shrouds in Orion: LDN 1622 | Mayall Telescope

The shadowy clouds of LDN 1622 are pictured in this observation from the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona, produced through a program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab.

LDN 1622 is a dark nebula, so called because these dense interstellar clouds of gas and dust blot out light from background objects, appearing as ink-dark clouds against a backdrop of stars. This enigmatic cosmic cloud lies 1,300 light-years from Earth in the nearby Orion complex, a star-forming region thronging with young stars and other dark nebulae.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)/T. A. Rector

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #LDN1622 #DarkNebula #Orion #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #MayallTelescope #KPNO #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Pan of Serene Supernova Aftermath: Galaxy UGC 11860 | Hubble

Pan of Serene Supernova Aftermath: Galaxy UGC 11860 | 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 is deceiving; this galaxy recently played host to an almost unimaginably energetic stellar explosion.

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

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 11, 2023

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

Planet Mars Images: July 9-10, 2023 | NASA's Perseverance Rover | JPL

Planet Mars Images: July 9-10, 2023 | NASA's Perseverance Rover | JPL

Mars2020 - sol 654

Mars2020 - sol 848

Mars2020 - sol 847

Mars2020 - sol 846

Mars2020 - sol 843

Mars2020 - sol 847

Timekeeping on Mars

Sol (borrowed from the Latin word for sun) is a solar day on Mars; that is, a Mars-day. A sol is the apparent interval between two successive returns of the Sun to the same meridian (sundial time) as seen by an observer on Mars. It is one of several units for timekeeping on Mars.

A sol is slightly longer than an Earth day. It is approximately 24 hours, 39 minutes, 35 seconds long. A Martian year is approximately 668 sols, equivalent to approximately 687 Earth days or 1.88 Earth years.

NASA's Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rovers all counted the sol of touchdown as "Sol 0."

2+ Years on Mars (2021-2023)

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

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)

Image Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: July 9-July 10, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #IngenuityHelicopter #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #ASU #MSSS #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Recientemente: Lo que el telescopio Webb encontró en los inicios del universo | NASA

Recientemente: Lo que el telescopio Webb encontró en los inicios del universo | NASA

Recientemente en la NASA, la versión en español de las cápsulas This Week at NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la NASA.

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov/

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds

Original Broadcast Date: July 7, 2023

Release Date: July 10, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Sun #ParkerSolarProbe #Mars #IngenuityHelicopter #Hubble #JWST #Stars #CEERSSurvey #Galaxies #Galaxy #CEERS1019 #BlackHoles #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Monday, July 10, 2023

The Evolution of Supergiant Star Eta Carinae | Hubble

The Evolution of Supergiant Star Eta Carinae | Hubble

Hubblecast 122 Light: This Hubblecast explores the various observations the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has made of the Eta Carinae in various wavelengths. Eta Carinae is located 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Carina. It is within the Carina Nebula, a giant star-forming region in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 1 minute, 22 seconds

Release Date: July 1, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #EtaCarinae #Nebulae #HomunculusNebula #ReflectionNebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's X-59 Supersonic Research Aircraft Prepared for Testing

NASA's X-59 Supersonic Research Aircraft Prepared for Testing

NASA’s X-59 was moved to Run Stall 5. Technicians check out the X-59 supersonic aircraft as it sits near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

NASA’s X-59 aircraft is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. This is where the X-59 will be housed during ground and initial flight tests.

NASA's X-59 supersonic research aircraft parked inside the hangar with a head-on view

NASA’s X-59 research aircraft has moved from its construction site to the flight line—or the space between the hangar and the runway—at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 16, 2023. This milestone kicks off a series of ground tests to ensure the X-59 is safe and ready to fly.

The X-59 is designed to fly faster than Mach 1 while reducing the resulting sonic boom to a thump for people on the ground. NASA will evaluate this technology during flight tests as part of the agency’s Quesst mission, which helps enable commercial supersonic air travel over land.

For more information about NASA's quiet supersonic mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/Quesst

Hablas español? Visita: https://ciencia.nasa.gov/el-x-59-se-asemeja-una-aeronave-real para aprender mas sobre la mision Quesst

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

Location: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, California, USA

Release Date: July 6, 2023

#NASA #Aerospace #X59 #QuesstMission #FlightDemonstrator #SupersonicFlight #Sonicboom #QuietAviation #QuietSupersonicTechnology #LowBoom #Aviation #Science #Physics #Technology #Engineering #AviationResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #SkunkWorks #Palmdale #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Zooming in on Star Formation in the Southern Milky Way | ESO

Zooming in on Star Formation in the Southern Milky Way | ESO

This zoom sequence takes the viewer deep into the spectacular southern Milky Way in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). We see two regions where stars are forming, the very rich cluster NGC 3603 and its surroundings and the strange glowing gas clouds known as NGC 3576. The final detailed views come from images taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.

The star cluster NGC 3603 is located 20,000 light-years away in the Carina–Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The collection of glowing gas clouds, known as NGC 3576, lies only about half as far from Earth.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/G. Beccari/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org)

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #StellarNurseries #StarCluster #NGC3603 #Nebula #EmissionNebula #NGC3576 #Carina #Constellation #SouthernMilkyWay #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Close-up Look at Star Formation in the Southern Milky Way | ESO

A Close-up Look at Star Formation in the Southern Milky Way | ESO

This pan video gives a close-up view of a spectacular mosaic of images from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile that shows two dramatic star formation regions in the southern Milky Way. The first is of these, on the left, is dominated by the star cluster NGC 3603, located 20,000 light-years away, in the Carina–Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The second object, on the right, is a collection of glowing gas clouds known as NGC 3576 that lies only about half as far from Earth.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/G. Beccari

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2014

Star Formation in The Southern Milky Way | ESO

Star Formation in The Southern Milky Way | ESO

This mosaic of images from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile shows two dramatic star formation regions in the southern Milky Way. The first of these, on the left, is dominated by the star cluster NGC 3603, located about 20,000 light-years away, in the Carina–Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The second object, on the right, is a collection of glowing gas clouds known as NGC 3576 that lies only about half as far from Earth.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/G. Beccari

Release Date: August 20, 2014

Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower in the Chilean Desert

Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower in the Chilean Desert

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower was captured in this stunning image by astrophotographer Petr Horálek. It was taken near San Pedro de Atacama, a Chilean town about 50 km away from the Chajnantor observatory site, where APEX and ALMA, astronomical facilities co-owned by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), are located. The Eta Aquariids meteors are caused by leftover debris from Halley’s comet and make up the bright, arrow-like darts of light in the photo.

The luminous object towards the bottom of the sky is Venus. Above it, arranged in a satisfying line, are several planets in conjunction. Directly above Venus is Jupiter, followed by the bright red Mars, and then Saturn. Conjunctions such as this are rare, often occurring decades apart. The planets also trace the zodiacal light, the faint glow stretching like a pillar, up towards the bright stellar-dense center of the Milky Way, our home galaxy.

Zodiacal light is often seen from dark sites like ESO observatories just after sunset, or before sunrise, and is the reflected sunlight from dust particles in the plane of the Solar System. The dust comes from asteroids, passing comets, and even from other inner Solar System planets, such as Mars. Here we see the zodiacal light paired with the red sunset over the mountains and volcanoes surrounding the Chajnantor site, a spectacular backdrop to this dreamy night sky.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/P. Horalek

Release Date: July 4, 2022

#ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planets #Venus #Jupiter #Mars #Saturn #Meteors #EtaAquariids #ZodiacalLight #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #PetrHorálek #Astrophotographer #ChajnantorObservatory #SanPedrodeAtacama #Chile #SouthAmerica #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #STEM #Education

Red Giant Star U Camelopardalis Blows a Bubble | Hubble

Red Giant Star U Camelopardalis Blows a Bubble | Hubble

A bright star is surrounded by a tenuous shell of gas in this unusual image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. U Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a star nearing the end of its life. As it begins to run low on fuel, it is becoming unstable. Every few thousand years, it coughs out a nearly spherical shell of gas as a layer of helium around its core begins to fuse. The gas ejected in the star’s latest eruption is clearly visible in this picture as a faint bubble of gas surrounding the star.

U Cam is an example of a carbon star. This is a rare type of star whose atmosphere contains more carbon than oxygen. Due to its low surface gravity, typically as much as half of the total mass of a carbon star may be lost by way of powerful stellar winds.

Located in the constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe), near the North Celestial Pole, U Cam itself is actually much smaller than it appears in Hubble’s picture. In fact, the star would easily fit within a single pixel at the center of the image. Its brightness, however, is enough to overwhelm the capability of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys making the star look much bigger than it really is.

The shell of gas, which is both much larger and much fainter than its parent star, is visible in intricate detail in Hubble’s portrait. While phenomena that occur at the ends of stars’ lives are often quite irregular and unstable, the shell of gas expelled from U Cam is almost perfectly spherical.

The image was produced with the High Resolution Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble, NASA and H. Olofsson (Onsala Space Observatory)

Release Date: July 2, 2012

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #RedGiantStar #CarbonStar #UCamelopardalis #UCam #Camelopardalis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #Ultraviolet #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

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Tuesday, July 11, 2023

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