Tuesday, August 22, 2023

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Launch Dress Rehearsal | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Launch Dress Rehearsal | Kennedy Space Center

Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Russia, left,  European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, second from left, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, right, wearing SpaceX spacesuits








An international crew is preparing to launch to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (commander), European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (pilot) of Denmark, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos (Russia) will perform research technology demonstrations, science experiments, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A during a dress rehearsal prior to the Crew-7 mission launch, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov are scheduled to launch no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017.

Mogensen will be the spacecraft pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission—the first non-US astronaut assigned in this capacity. This will be the first long-duration mission for Mogensen. He previously served as a flight engineer on a ten-day mission to the International Space Station in 2015. Crew-7 will be his second trip to space.

Learn more about the Crew-7 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-7/


Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Capture Date: August 22, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew7 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #ESA #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Europe #Cosmonaut #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SatoshiFurukawa #Japan #日本 #JAXA #HumanSpaceflight #CCP #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Recientemente: Descubre por qué julio de 2023 fue un mes que batió récords

Recientemente: Descubre por qué julio de 2023 fue un mes que batió récords

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/

Find out why July 2023 was a record-breaking month, a high-flying NASA aircraft is helping to study lighting, and making landings safe for flights of the future . . . a few of the stories to tell you about— This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023


#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Planet #Earth #July2023 #GlobalTemperatureRecords #Weather #Meteorology #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Climate #Environment #GreenhouseGases #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #ER2Aircraft #GISS #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SLS Rocket Stage for NASA's Artemis III Crewed Moon Mission Arrives in Florida

SLS Rocket Stage for NASA's Artemis III Crewed Moon Mission Arrives in Florida


The upper stage for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will power the agency’s Artemis III mission and send astronauts on to the Moon for a lunar landing arrived at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Poseidon Wharf in Florida, Aug. 9, 2023. It will undergo final checkouts by contractors Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) at ULA’s facilities before it is delivered to NASA’ s nearby Kennedy Space Center.

The SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) with its single RL10 engine is responsible for giving NASA’s Orion spacecraft and astronauts inside the big push needed to journey to the Moon in a precise trajectory during Artemis III. The ICPS for the mission is the last of its kind as Artemis missions beginning with Artemis IV will use the SLS Block 1B configuration with its more powerful exploration upper stage for launch and flight.

Manufactured by ULA, the ICPS left Decatur, Alabama, Aug. 1, 2023, traveling down the Mississippi River and along the Gulf Coast toward ULA’s Florida facility via ULA’s RocketShip. The RL10 engine is produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the SLS engines lead contractor, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Learn more about the SLS rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/


Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Image Date: August 9, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #CrewedMission #Astronauts #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #ICPS #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #ULA #AerojetRocketdyne #SpaceCoast #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #History #STEM #Education

Monday, August 21, 2023

NASA Astronaut & SpaceX Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli | NASA Kennedy

NASA Astronaut & SpaceX Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli | NASA Kennedy


NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli smiles to the crowd after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida—along with the rest of her crewmates—on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Moghbeli is part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission—the agency’s seventh rotational mission to the International Space Station. Moghbeli is a naval aviator, test pilot, and aerospace engineer. This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Official NASA Biography:


Moghbeli will be joined by European Space astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Russia.


Crew-7 will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

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.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.


Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Capture Date: August 20, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew7 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronaut #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #SpaceXCrew7Commander #ESA #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Europe #Cosmonaut #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SatoshiFurukawa #Japan #日本 #JAXA #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Psyche Mission—Journey to a Metal World: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

NASA's Psyche Mission—Journey to a Metal World: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

Meet some of the engineers contributing to NASA’s Psyche mission, which will be the first to explore a metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche. This trailer previews the team members profiled in the series whose work will help scientists understand the story behind this unusual asteroid.

Whether the asteroid Psyche is the partial core of a planetesimal (one of the building blocks of the rocky planets in our solar system) or primordial material that never melted, scientists expect the mission to help answer fundamental questions about Earth’s own metal core and the formation of our solar system. 

Each week, this five-part video series will introduce a Psyche team member who will tell the story of how they came to join the mission: Christina Hernandez, Meena Sreekantamurthy, Ben Inouye, Julie Li, and Luis Dominguez.

Psyche’s launch period opens Oct. 5, 2023. The spacecraft is expected to begin orbiting the asteroid Psyche in 2029.

More About the Psyche Mission

Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar is providing the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. Psyche was selected in 2017 as the 14th mission under NASA’s Discovery Program.

Learn all about our first-of-its-kind Psyche Mission at: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche

For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission go to: www.nasa.gov/psyche and psyche.asu.edu


Credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Produced by: NASA 360 Productions

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #MissionToPsyche #PsycheMission #PsycheAsteroid #16Psyche #Asteroids #PsycheSpacecraft #SolarElectricPropulsion #Planets #Mars #Jupiter #AsteroidBelt #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #ASU #MaxarTechnologies #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 Mission to the International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 Mission to the International Space Station

An international crew is preparing to launch to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (commander), European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (pilot) of Denmark, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos (Russia) will perform research technology demonstrations, science experiments, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.

Crew-7 is targeted to launch no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 25 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-7 marks the eighth human spaceflight mission supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the seventh crew rotation mission to the International Space Station since 2020 for NASA.

This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017.

Mogensen will be the spacecraft pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission—the first non-US astronaut assigned in this capacity. This will be the first long-duration mission for Mogensen. He previously served as a flight engineer on a ten-day mission to the International Space Station in 2015. Crew-7 will be his second trip to space.

Learn more about the Crew-7 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-7/


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer: Sonnet Apple

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew7 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #ESA #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Europe #Cosmonaut #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SatoshiFurukawa #Japan #日本 #JAXA #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Ring Nebula in Lyra (MIRI image) | James Webb Space Telescope

The Ring Nebula in Lyra (MIRI image) | James Webb Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has observed the well-known Ring Nebula with unprecedented detail. Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. Also known as M57 and NGC 6720, it is both relatively close to Earth at roughly 2,500 light-years away.

Image Description: This image of the Ring Nebula appears as a distorted doughnut. The nebula’s inner cavity hosts shades of red and orange, while the detailed ring transitions through shades of yellow in the inner regions and blue/purple in the outer region. The ring’s inner region has distinct filament elements.

This new image provides unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity. In particular, Webb’s MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) reveals particular details in the concentric features in the outer regions of the nebulae’s ring (right).

There are some 20,000 dense globules in the nebula, which are rich in molecular hydrogen. In contrast, the inner region shows very hot gas. The main shell contains a thin ring of enhanced emission from carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Roughly ten concentric arcs located just beyond the outer edge of the main ring. The arcs are thought to originate from the interaction of the central star with a low-mass companion orbiting at a distance comparable to that between the Earth and the dwarf planet Pluto. In this way, nebulae like the Ring Nebula reveal a kind of astronomical archaeology, as astronomers study the nebula to learn about the star that created it.

The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has both a camera and a spectrograph that sees light in the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with wavelengths that are longer than our eyes see. MIRI covers the wavelength range of 5 to 28 microns. 

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6720 #M57 #Lyra #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #MIRI #ESA #CSA #Europe #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Ring Nebula in Lyra (NIRCam image) | James Webb Space Telescope

The Ring Nebula in Lyra (NIRCam image) | James Webb Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has observed the well-known Ring Nebula with unprecedented detail. Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. Also known as M57 and NGC 6720, it is both relatively close to Earth at roughly 2,500 light-years away.

This new image provides unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity. For example, the intricate details of the filament structure of the inner ring are particularly visible in this dataset.

Image Description: This image of the Ring Nebula appears as a distorted doughnut. The nebula’s inner cavity hosts shades of blue and green, while the detailed ring transitions through shades of orange in the inner regions and pink in the outer region. The ring’s inner region has distinct filament elements.

There are some 20,000 dense globules in the nebula, which are rich in molecular hydrogen. In contrast, the inner region shows very hot gas. The main shell contains a thin ring of enhanced emission from carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Roughly ten concentric arcs are located just beyond the outer edge of the main ring. The arcs are thought to originate from the interaction of the central star with a low-mass companion orbiting at a distance comparable to that between the Earth and the dwarf planet Pluto. In this way, nebulae like the Ring Nebula reveal a kind of astronomical archaeology, as astronomers study the nebula to learn about the star that created it.

The Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) is Webb's primary imager that covers the infrared wavelength range 0.6 to 5 microns.


Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson

Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6720 #M57 #Lyra #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #NIRCam #ESA #CSA #Europe #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Sparkling Galactic Neighbor: Irregular Galaxy ESO 300-16 | Hubble

 A Sparkling Galactic Neighbor: Irregular Galaxy ESO 300-16 | Hubble

The galaxy ESO 300-16 looms over this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy, which lies 28.7 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus, is a ghostly assemblage of stars which resembles a sparkling cloud. A rogue’s gallery of distant galaxies and foreground stars complete this astronomical portrait, which was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys. 

Image Description: An irregular galaxy that resembles the shape of a cloud. It is made of many tiny stars all clumped together, surrounded in a diffuse light. In the central, brightest part there is a bubble of blue gas. The galaxy is surrounded by mostly very small and faint objects, though there are bright stars above and to the left of it, and a string of galaxies nearby.

The megaparsec—meaning one million parsecs—is a unit used by astronomers to chart the mind-bogglingly large distances involved in astronomy. The motion of Earth around the Sun means that stars appear to slightly shift against very distant stars over the course of a year. This small shift is referred to as parallax and is measured in angular units: degrees, minutes, and seconds. One parsec is equivalent to saying a parallax of one-arcsecond, and is equivalent to 3.26 light-years or 30.9 trillion kilometers. The closest exoplanet to the Sun is Proxima Centauri b, which lies 1.3 parsecs away.

This observation is one of a series which aims to get to know our galactic neighbors; around three quarters of the known galaxies suspected to lie within 10 megaparsecs of Earth have been observed by Hubble in enough detail to resolve their brightest stars and establish the distances to these galaxies. A team of astronomers proposed using small gaps in Hubble’s observing schedule to acquaint ourselves with the remaining quarter of the nearby galaxies.


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

Release Date: Aug. 21, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #ES30016 #IrregularGalaxy #Eridanus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Megaparsecs #Parsecs #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Sunday, August 20, 2023

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (crew commander), second from right, answers a question from a member of the media along side fellow crewmates Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Russia), European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Denmark), and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa








NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and fellow crewmates Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov are scheduled to launch no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT on August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. 

This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017.

Mogensen will be the spacecraft pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission—the first non-US astronaut assigned in this capacity. This will be the first long-duration mission for Mogensen. He previously served as a flight engineer on a ten-day mission to the International Space Station in 2015. Crew-7 will be his second trip to space.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Capture Date: August 20, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew7 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #ESA #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Danmark #Europe #Cosmonaut #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SatoshiFurukawa #Japan #日本 #JAXA #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Cosmic Zoo in Cepheus: Elephant, Bat, Squid & Seahorse Nebulae

A Cosmic Zoo in Cepheus: Elephant, Bat, Squid & Seahorse Nebulae

Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mix glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this nearly 12 degree wide field of view toward the northern constellation Cepheus the King. Energized by its central star IC 1396 (left), is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant. The nebula's intriguing dark shapes include a winding dark cloud popularly known as the Elephant's Trunk below and right of center. Tens of light-years long, it holds the raw material for star formation and is known to hide protostars within. Located a similar distance from planet Earth, the bright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the right suggest its popular name, the Flying Bat Nebula. Within the Flying Bat, the most recently recognized addition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint bluish emission from Ou4, the Giant Squid Nebula. Near the lower right edge of the frame, the suggestive dark marking on the sky cataloged as Barnard 150 is also known as the dark Seahorse Nebula.


Image Credit & Copyright: Yann Sainty

Yann's website: 

https://www.astrobin.com/users/yann_sainty/

Release Date: Aug. 17, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC1396 #ElephantsTrunk #SH2129 #FlyingBatNebula #EmissionNebula #Ou4 #GiantSquidNebula #Barnard150 #SeahorseNebula #Star #HD206267 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula: IC 1396A | WIYN Telescope

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula: IC 1396A | WIYN Telescope

This image of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula was taken with the Mosaic camera on the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. The Elephant's Trunk is a dense, elongated cloud of gas inside a bright cluster of stars known as IC 1396. The trunk conceals many young protostars that are in the process of forming. It is located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.


Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and WIYN/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Release Date: June 30, 2020


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC1396 #EmissionNebula #Star #HD206267 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #WIYNTelescope #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula: IC 1396A | Mayall Telescope

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula: IC 1396A | Mayall Telescope


This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the 4-meter Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. IC 1396 is a giant emission nebula that is over 3 degrees in diameter. It is illuminated by a hot, massive O-type star (HD 206267) near its center. The star is not visible in this image—it is off of the top edge. This image is of IC 1396A, a dark, dense cloud of gas embedded in the nebula. It is informally known as the “Elephant's Trunk Nebula” because of its distinctive shape. The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region of IC 1396. It is located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after the American observational astronomer of the same name. The telescope saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest in the world at that time.


Image Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Release Date: Nov. 11, 2015


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC1396 #EmissionNebula #Star #HD206267 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #MayallTelescope #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Under The Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds in Chile's Atacama Desert

Under The Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds in Chile's Atacama Desert

Astrophotographer Tomas Slovinsky: "This is a splendid view of southern night sky with the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds (lower right). This image was captured from the edge of the Atacama Desert of Chile, perhaps the most arid place on the planet and home to some of the darkest night skies in the world as well. I spent a month here earlier this year, in the house/observatory at center, with the desert and night sky as my backyard." 

The Magellanic Clouds are two irregular dwarf galaxies visible in the southern celestial hemisphere. Orbiting the Milky Way galaxy, these satellite galaxies are members of the Local Group. The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way.


Image & Caption Credits: Tomas Slovinsky  

Location: Atacama Desert, Chile Coordinates: -23.8634, -69.1328

Image Date: April 22, 2023

Release Date: Aug. 18, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #DwarfGalaxies #MagellanicClouds #SMC #LMC #Earth #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #SouthernHemisphere #Astrophotographer #TomasSlovinsky #Astrophotography #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #EPoD

Saturday, August 19, 2023

The Fox Fur Nebula: NGC 2264 in Monoceros | Steward Observatory

The Fox Fur Nebula: NGC 2264 in Monoceros | Steward Observatory

The Fox Fur Nebula is a nebula (a formation of gas and dust) located in the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn) not far off the right arm of Orion and included in the NGC 2264 Region. In the Sharpless catalog it is number 273. This image is a close-up of a small section of a much larger complex, generally known as the Christmas Tree cluster. The Cone Nebula is also a part of the same cloud. 

The red regions of this nebula are caused by hydrogen gas that has been stimulated to emit its own light by the copious ultraviolet radiation coming from the hot, blue stars of the cluster. The blue areas shine by a different process. They are mainly dust clouds that reflect the bluish light of the same stars.

The popular name of this nebula comes from those who thought it looked like the head of a stole made from the fur of a red fox. A stole is a woman's shoulder scarf of fur.


Distance: 2,700 light years

Technical Details

Optics: Phillips 24-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STL11000


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


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC2264 #Sh2273 #EmissionNebula #Monoceros #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #StewardObservatory #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #PhillipsTelescope #Astrophotographer #AdamBlock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Hurricane Hilary in Pacific Ocean Nearing Mexico's State of Baja California | NOAA

Hurricane Hilary in Pacific Ocean Nearing Mexico's State of Baja California | NOAA

National Weather Service Forecast (U.S.) on Aug. 19, 2023: "Hurricane Hilary has now turned north-northwestward and is forecast to track near Baja California before making landfall near the U.S.-Mexico border later this weekend. Heavy rainfall associated with the system is forecast to develop across the southwestern U.S. today, well in advance of the storm's center, and continue through the weekend, with the heaviest amounts expected on Sunday."

"Highly anomalous moisture transport into the region will support rainfall amounts exceeding the average annual totals for some locations in the Southwest. Flash, urban, and arroyo flooding is expected, with dangerous and locally catastrophic impacts likely.  In addition to flooding rains, Hilary is forecast to bring tropical storm conditions to portions of southern California on Sunday."

"Large swells will affect portions of southern California over the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Widespread cloud cover will keep temperatures below average, with unseasonably cool temperatures forecast to expand northward from southern California and western Arizona into the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin through the weekend."

Baja California is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. The mainland portion of the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean; on the east by Sonora, the U.S. state of Arizona, and the Gulf of California; on the north by the U.S. state of California; and on the south by Baja California Sur. [Wikipedia]


Image Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Image Date: Aug. 19, 2023

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2023


#NASA #NOAA #Space #Satellites #GOESEast #Science #Earth #Planet #Weather #Meteorology #NWS #August2023 #PacificOcean #EasternPacific #HurricaneHilary #Hurricane #Storm #Rainfall #Precipitation #Flooding #BajaCalifornia #Mexico #California #Arizona #UnitedStates #NorthAmerica #STEM #Education