Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope

Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is unfolding the universe, and revealing sights humanity has never seen before.  In this video, astronomers describe working with the telescope and how the images and data are collected.  From first images to routine operations: experts at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD explain how the images are processed, and turned from raw data to the spectacular full-color images seen on the internet.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Producer: 

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM)

Writer: 

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM)

Interviewer: 

(Lead) Michael P. Menzel (AIMM) 

Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Michael McClare (KBRwyle)

Interviewee: 

(Lead) Karl Gordon (STScI)

Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Video editor: 

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM)

Animators: 

Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBRwyle)

European Space Agency

Michael Lentz (KBRwyle)

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM)

Walt Feimer (KBRwyle)

Cinematographers: 

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM) 

John D. Philyaw (AIMM) 

Narrator: 

Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Videographers: 

Arianespace/ESA/CNES

Michael McClare (KBRwyle)

Michael P. Menzel (AIMM)

Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Technical support: 

Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET)

Camera Operators: 

(Lead) John D. Philyaw (AIMM) 

Michael McClare (KBRwyle)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Astronomers #ImageProcessing #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Nebulae #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Successfully Launches First Methane-powered Rocket to Earth Orbit | CGTN

China Successfully Launches First Methane-powered Rocket to Earth Orbit | CGTN

China's ZhuQue-2 has become the world's first rocket using methalox as a propellant to fly to orbit, marking a major breakthrough in the cutting-edge technology dominated U.S. companies like SpaceX. The 49.5-meter-long Zhuque-2 lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on July 11, 2023. The Zhuque-2 mission carried no payload and the rocket’s first stage was not recovered.

A methane-liquid oxygen propellant mix offers advantages in performance and reduces issues of soot formation and coking for purposes of reusability.

Zhuque-2 surpassed a range of other methalox rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship, the ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Rocket Lab’s Neutron and Terran R from Relativity Space, in reaching orbit. However, these other launch vehicles will be much larger and offer greater payload capacity.

This successful launch also makes Landspace the second private Chinese launch firm to reach orbit with a liquid propellant rocket. It follows the success of Space Pioneer with its Tianlong-2 rocket in April 2023.

CGTN's Zheng Yibing provides details at the launch site.

Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Acknowledgement: SpaceNews

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #Landspace #ZhuQue2Rocket #RocketLaunch #OrbitalFlight #MethaneFueled #Methalox #LiquidPropellant #Science #Technology #Engineering #CommercialSpace #Spaceport #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #酒泉卫星发射中心 #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet the Mars Samples: Robine and Malay (Samples 6 & 7) | NASA/JPL

Meet the Mars Samples: Robine and Malay (Samples 6 & 7) | NASA/JPL

Meet two of the Martian samples that have been collected and are awaiting return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. As of late June 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes. The next stage is to get them back for study.

Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with the European Space Agency (ESA) on this important endeavor. 

Learn more about Samples No. 6 and 7—“Robine” and “Malay”—a pair of rock cores collected by Perseverance from the “Issole” outcrop in Jezero Crater. When the rover used its drill’s abrasion bit to grind away the surface of “Issole,” its cameras spotted an intriguing sulfate crystal resembling the shape of a polar bear. Mineral types within this target rock are known by scientists on Earth to be capable of preserving signs of ancient life.

Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples

Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr 

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

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

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Mars2020 #PerseveranceRover #JezeroCrater #Robine #Malay #MarsSampleReturn #MSR #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | A la mitad: 7 de julio de 2023

NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | A la mitad: 7 de julio de 2023

Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional. 

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: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 5 minutes, 25 seconds

Original Broadcast Date: July 7, 2023

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Astronauts #FrankRubio #StephenBowen #WoodyHoburg #SultanAlneyadi #UAE #MBRSC #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Russia #Роскосмос #Microgravity #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Where Does Space Begin? We Asked a NASA Expert

Where Does Space Begin? We Asked a NASA Expert

Where does space begin? Well, it depends. There is no sharp boundary that marks the end of the atmosphere and the beginning of space. However, no matter where you draw the line in the sand—or the air—Earth’s atmosphere is full of all kinds of interesting aspects. This is why scientists like Doug Rowland are studying our atmosphere's many layers.

Learn more:

https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2919/earths-atmosphere-a-multi-layered-cake/

Credit: NASA

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde

Editor: Dan Salazar

Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Sun #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #SpaceWeather #Heliosphere #Heliophysics #SolarSystem #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Rho Ophiuchi Video Tour | James Webb Space Telescope

Rho Ophiuchi Video Tour | James Webb Space Telescope

This video tours a portion of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth at a distance of 390 light-years. The image was taken to celebrate the first anniversary of the start of science operations for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disk, the makings of future planetary systems. Once our entire solar system, encompassing the entire history of life as we know it, would have appeared something like this if seen from a distance.

At bottom, a glowing cave of dust dominates the image. It was carved out by the star S1, at the center of the cavity—the only star in the image that is significantly more massive than our Sun.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Credit:  NASA, ESA, CSA, Greg Bacon (STScI)

Duration: 1 minute, 40 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarS1 #InterstellarClouds #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchiCloudComplex #Infrared #Ophiuchus #Constellation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Exploring the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex Star-forming Region | Webb Telescope

Exploring the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex Star-forming Region | Webb Telescope

Space Sparks Episode 11: To celebrate its first year of science, a new Webb image has been released of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. 

The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is the closest star-forming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you would never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disc, the makings of future planetary systems.

The young stars at the center of many of these discs are similar in mass to the Sun or smaller. The heftiest in this image is the star S1, which appears amid a glowing cave it is carving out with its stellar winds in the lower half of the image. The lighter-colored gas surrounding S1 consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a family of carbon-based molecules that are among the most common compounds found in space.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Editing: Nico Bartmann   

Web and technical support: Enciso Systems   

Written by: Bethany Downer   

Footage and photos: ESA, NASA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 1 minute, 55 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarS1 #InterstellarClouds #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchiCloudComplex #Infrared #Ophiuchus #Constellation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zoom into the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

Zoom into the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

This video takes the viewer on a journey through space to the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.   

From our cosmic backyard in the Solar System to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has delivered on its promise of revealing the Universe like never before in its first year of science operations. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, a new Webb image has been released of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. While the region is relatively quiet, its proximity at 390 light-years makes for a highly detailed close-up, with no foreground stars in the intervening space.

The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is the closest star-forming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you would never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disc, the makings of future planetary systems.

The young stars at the center of many of these discs are similar in mass to the Sun or smaller. The heftiest in this image is the star S1, which appears amid a glowing cave it is carving out with its stellar winds in the lower half of the image. The lighter-colored gas surrounding S1 consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a family of carbon-based molecules that are among the most common compounds found in space.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, ESA, CSA, JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, DSS2, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. de Martin, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), K. Pontoppidan (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI)  

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarS1 #InterstellarClouds #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchiCloudComplex #Infrared #Ophiuchus #Constellation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #MIRI #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

From our cosmic backyard in the Solar System to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has delivered on its promise of revealing the Universe like never before in its first year of science operations. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, a new Webb image has been released of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. While the region is relatively quiet, its proximity at 390 light-years makes for a highly detailed close-up, with no foreground stars in the intervening space.

The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is the closest star-forming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you would never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disc, the makings of future planetary systems.

The young stars at the center of many of these discs are similar in mass to the Sun or smaller. The heftiest in this image is the star S1, which appears amid a glowing cave it is carving out with its stellar winds in the lower half of the image. The lighter-colored gas surrounding S1 consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a family of carbon-based molecules that are among the most common compounds found in space.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarS1 #InterstellarClouds #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchiCloudComplex #Infrared #Ophiuchus #Constellation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #MIRI #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex | James Webb Space Telescope

This first anniversary image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope displays star birth like it has never been seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you would never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disc, the makings of future planetary systems.

The young stars at the center of many of these discs are similar in mass to the Sun or smaller. The heftiest in this image is the star S1, which appears amid a glowing cave it is carving out with its stellar winds in the lower half of the image. The lighter-colored gas surrounding S1 consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a family of carbon-based molecules that are among the most common compounds found in space.

Image Description: Red dual opposing jets coming from young stars fill the darker top half of the image, while a glowing pale-yellow, cave-like structure is bottom center, tilted toward two o’clock, with a bright star at its center. The dust of the cave structure becomes wispy toward eight o’clock. Above the arched top of the dust cave three groupings of stars with diffraction spikes are arranged. A dark cloud sits at the top of the arch of the glowing dust cave, with one streamer curling down the right-hand side. The dark shadow of the cloud appears pinched in the center, with light emerging in a triangle shape above and below the pinch, revealing the presence of a star inside the dark cloud. The image’s largest jets of red material emanate from within this dark cloud, thick and displaying structure like the rough face of a cliff, glowing brighter at the edges. At the top center of the image, a star displays another, larger pinched dark shadow, this time vertically. To the left of this star is a more wispy, indistinct region.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA

Release Date: July 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarS1 #InterstellarClouds #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchiCloudComplex #Infrared #Ophiuchus #Constellation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescope #MIRI #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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

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

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