Newly Detected Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura): Tails Growing Near Sun

Newly Detected Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura): Tails Growing Near Sun

Comet Nishimura is expanding. More precisely, the tails of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) are growing as it nears the Sun. Discovered in August 2023, the comet is already near naked eye brightness as it now moves inside the Earth's orbit. The comet will be nearest the Earth next week, but nearest the Sun the week after—on September 17, 2023. Speculation holds that expelled ice and dust from Comet Nishimura's last visit to the inner Solar System may have created the Sigma Hydrids meteor shower which peaks yearly in December. If so, then this meteor shower may become more active, refreshed with new comet debris. 

This image of Comet Nishimura was captured from Edgewood, New Mexico, USA four nights ago, showing a long ion tail structured by interactions with the solar wind. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona. 

Look for this comet near your eastern horizon just before sunrise for the next few mornings, but very near your western horizon just after sunset next week—as its coma continues to brighten and its tails continue to grow.

C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is a long-period comet discovered by Hideo Nishimura on Aug. 12, 2023. With an observation arc of seven months, the orbital period of the comet is estimated to be 434 years. An eccentricity of 0.996 gives the comet a semi-major axis (average distance from the Sun) of about 57 astronomical units (AU), which is comparable to the average distance of Eris at 68 AU. The comet will not leave the Solar System and will come to aphelion (farthest distance from the Sun) in the year 2227.

1 astronomical unit (AU) = equal to 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) or 8.3 light-minutes

An astronomical unit is a unit of length, roughly the distance from Earth to the Sun. 

Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered the comet in images he obtained using a 200-mm f/3 telephoto lens mounted on a Canon EOS 6D on Aug. 12, 2023, when the comet was 1 AU from the Sun. 

Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Kennett

Peter's Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/kennettphotography/

Image Date: Sept. 5, 2023

Release Date: Sept. 9, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Earth #Comets #Comet2023P1 #CometNishimura #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #PeterKennett #HideoNishimura #Astrophotographers #CitizenScience #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #STEM #Education #APoD

Esto es lo que necesitas saber sobre Encélado | NASA en Español

Esto es lo que necesitas saber sobre Encélado | NASA en Español

Bajo su superficie helada, la luna de Saturno Encélado esconde muchas sorpresas: un depósito de agua líquida, compuestos químicos orgánicos y fuentes hidrotermales. Descubre lo que necesitas saber sobre Encélado, un mundo oceánico que podría presentar condiciones favorables para la vida.

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 en Español

Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASAenespañol #estoesloquenecesitassaber #Saturn #Planet #Enceladus #Encélado #Moon #OceanMoon #SouthPole #WaterVapour #Plume #Jet #Astrobiology #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana: Supporting Human Spaceflight

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana: Supporting Human Spaceflight

On September 7, 1961, NASA named the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) to be the sole manufacturing plant for building human space flight vehicles. This year MAF is responsible for producing space flight hardware for Apollo, Shuttle, and now Artemis. Throughout the years, MAF has endured several natural disasters which tested their resiliency—a test they continue to pass time and time again.

Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #ApolloProgram #SpaceShuttleProgram #STS #ArtemisProgram #Rockets #LaunchVehicles #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #MichoudAssemblyFacility #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #UnitedStates #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission Safely Returns to Earth | This Week @NASA

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission Safely Returns to Earth | This Week @NASA 

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission safely returns to Earth, the tech demo hitching a ride on NASA's Psyche spacecraft, and studying ancient life on Earth to better understand Mars . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 44 seconds

Release Date: September 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Mars #PsycheMission #Science #ISS #Spacecraft #SpaceX #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew6 #CrewDragonEndeavour #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #JAXA #Japan #日本 #UAE #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Storm Brewing in the Indian Ocean | International Space Station

A Storm Brewing in the Indian Ocean | International Space Station

A storm is seen in the Indian Ocean from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above nearing the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

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

Expedition 69 Crew (Sept. 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Jasmin Moghbeli (USA)

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

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)

Image Date: Sept. 5, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Weather #Storm #IndianOcean #Sumatra #Indonesia #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

Astronauts Moghbeli & Rubio Talk to Georgia Students | International Space Station

Astronauts Moghbeli & Rubio Talk to Georgia Students | International Space Station

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA answered pre-recorded questions about life and work on the orbiting laboratory during an in-flight event Sept. 7, 2023, with students at Dames Ferry Elementary School in Gray, Georgia. Rubio and Moghbeli are in the midst of science missions living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. 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.

NASA Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jasmin-moghbeli

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jasmin-moghbeli/biography

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/frank-rubio

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/frank-rubio/biography

Expedition 69 Crew (Sept. 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Jasmin Moghbeli (USA)

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

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: 20 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Astronauts #FrankRubio #JasminMoghbeli #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #Denmark #UnitedStates #MicrogravityResearch #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #Georgia #Students #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Virgin Galactic Completes Second Private Astronaut Flight: Galactic 03

Virgin Galactic Completes Second Private Astronaut Flight: Galactic 03

Virgin Galactic announced the completion of its second private astronaut flight, ‘Galactic 03.’ on Sept. 8, 2023. The mission flew three of Virgin Galactic’s first customers.

‘Galactic 03’ was Virgin Galactic’s fourth successful spaceflight in the past four months, and the third flight of Virgin Galactic’s inaugural commercial spaceflight season. The flight followed the Company’s first research mission in June 2023 and first private astronaut mission in August.

Onboard Galactic 03:

Astronaut 014 Ken Baxter from the United States of America

Astronaut 015 Timothy Nash from South Africa

Astronaut 016 Adrian Reynard from the United Kingdom

Spaceship VSS Unity was piloted by Commander Nicola Pecile and Pilot Michael Masucci; Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses was also on board. Mothership VMS Eve was piloted by Commander Jameel Janjua and Pilot Kelly Latimer.

Learn more on Virgin Galactic's website: https://www.virgingalactic.com

Credit: Illustration, images & video footage courtesy of Virgin Galactic

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 1 minute, 23 seconds

Release Date: June 29, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #CommercialSpaceflight #VirginGalactic #SpaceShipTwoVehicle #Galactic03 #VSSUnity #VMSEve #SuborbitalFlight #Astronauts #KenBaxter #TimothyNash #AdrianReynard #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceportAmerica #SpaceTourism #NewMexico #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Splashdown in the Atlantic | Week of Sept. 8, 2023

NASA's Space to Ground: Splashdown in the Atlantic | Week of Sept. 8, 2023

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

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

Expedition 69 Crew (Sept. 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Jasmin Moghbeli (USA)

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

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: 2 minutes, 29 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #SatoshiFurukawa #AndreasMogensen #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #Denmark #UnitedStates #MicrogravityResearch #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

New Expedition 69 Crew Photos | International Space Station

New Expedition 69 Crew Photos | International Space Station

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli collects water samples for microbial analysis

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is inside the NanoRacks Bishop airlock

Astronaut Andreas Mogensen works out on the space station

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa replaces components on a 3D biological printer

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa swaps research samples

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

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

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Jasmin Moghbeli (USA)

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

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)

Image Dates: Sept. 4-6, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Astronauts #JasminMoghbeli #SatoshiFurukawa #AndreasMogensen #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #Denmark #UnitedStates #MicrogravityResearch #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

Emission Nebula IC 417 in Auriga | Schulman Telescope

Emission Nebula IC 417 in Auriga | Schulman Telescope

IC 417 is an emission nebula almost 100 light-years across, located about 10,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Auriga.

Technical Details

Optics: Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STX16803

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

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2013

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC417 #Sh2234 #EmissionNebula #Auriga #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Astrophotographer #AdamBlock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

New Mars Images: Sept. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

New Mars Images: Sept. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

Mars 2020 - Sol 905 

Mars 2020 - Sol 904

Mars 2020 - Sol 721

Mars 2020 - Sol 793

Mars 2020 - Sol 654

MSL - Sol 3940

MSL - Sol 3934

Support FriendsofNASA.org 

Celebrating 11+ Years on Mars (2012-2023)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 2+ Years on Mars

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 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/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Sept. 1-7, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #IngenuityHelicopter #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Black Hole 'Snack Attack' | NASA Goddard

Black Hole 'Snack Attack' | NASA Goddard

Using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which launched in 2004, scientists have discovered a black hole in a distant galaxy repeatedly nibbling on a Sun-like star. The object heralds a new era of Swift science made possible by a novel method for analyzing data from the satellite’s X-ray Telescope (XRT).

When a star strays too close to a monster black hole, gravitational forces create intense tides that break the star apart into a stream of gas. The leading edge swings around the black hole, and the trailing edge escapes the system. These destructive episodes are called tidal disruption events. Astronomers see them as flares of multiwavelength light created when the debris collides with a disk of material already orbiting the black hole. 

Recently, astronomers have been investigating variations on this phenomena, which they call partial or repeating tidal disruptions. 

During these events, every time an orbiting star passes close to a black hole, the star bulges outward and sheds material, but survives. The process repeats until the star looses too much gas and finally breaks apart. The characteristics of the individual star and black hole system determine what kind of emission scientists observe, creating a wide array of behaviors to categorize. 

On June 22, 2022, XRT captured Swift J0230 for the first time. It lit up in a galaxy around 500 million light-years away in the northern constellation Triangulum. Swift’s XRT has observed nine additional outbursts from the same location roughly every few weeks. 

Scientists propose that Swift J0230 is a repeating tidal disruption of a Sun-like star orbiting a black hole with over 200,000 times the Sun’s mass. They estimate the star loses around three Earth masses of material on each pass. This system provides a bridge between other types of suspected repeating disruptions and allowed scientists to model how interactions between different star types and black hole sizes affect what we observe.  

Swift J0230’s discovery was possible thanks to a new, automated search of XRT observations called the Swift X-ray Transient Detector.

After the instrument observes a portion of the sky, the data is transmitted to the ground, and the program compares it to previous XRT snapshots of the same spot. If that portion of the X-ray sky has changed, scientists get an alert. In the case of Swift J0230, astronomers were able to rapidly coordinate additional observations of the region.

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Producer: Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Science writer: Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park)

Editor: Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Narrator: Sophia Roberts (AIMM)

Animator: Chris Smith (KBRwyle)

Project support: Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle)

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #SwiftJ0230 #BlackHole #Triangulum #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Sierra Dream Chaser Spaceplane: CRS-2 Mission Profile | International Space Station

Sierra Dream Chaser Spaceplane: CRS-2 Mission Profile | International Space Station

Learn how the world’s only commercial spaceplane flies from launch to landing for its upcoming NASA CRS-2 mission to resupply the International Space Station. With its unique design, Dream Chaser incurs a 1.5g re-entry before landing at NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, making critical cargo accessible faster. 

Learn more about Dream Chaser: https://www.sierraspace.com/space-transportation/dream-chaser-spaceplane/

NASA's Commercial Resupply Services

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/overview.html

Credit: Sierra Space

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #CommercialCargo #SierraSpace #DreamChaser #Spaceplane #Spacecraft #CRS #CRS2 #HumanSpaceflight #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Glittering Globular Star Cluster Terzan 12 in Sagittarius | Hubble

Glittering Globular Star Cluster Terzan 12 in Sagittarius | Hubble

Globular star cluster Terzan 12

This composite image shows the location of the globular star cluster Terzan 12 in Sagittarius as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.

The glittering globular cluster Terzan 12—a vast, tightly bound collection of stars—fills the frame of this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This star-studded stellar census comes from a string of observations that aim to systematically explore globular clusters located towards the center of our galaxy, such as this one in the constellation Sagittarius. The locations of these globular clusters—deep in the Milky Way galaxy—mean that they are shrouded in gas and dust, which can block or alter the wavelengths of starlight emanating from the clusters.

Distance: 15,000 light years

Image Description: The frame is completely filled with bright stars, ranging from tiny dots to large, shining stars with prominent spikes. In the lower-right the stars come together in the core of the star cluster, making the brightest and densest area of the image. The background varies from darker and warmer in color, to brighter and paler where there are more stars.

Here, astronomers were able to sidestep the effect of gas and dust by comparing the new observations made with the razor-sharp vision of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide-Field Camera 3 with pre-existing images. Their observations should shed light on the relation between age and composition in the Milky Way’s innermost globular clusters.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen (Rutgers University)

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #StarCluster #Terzan12 #GlobularStarCluster #Sagittarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Infographic #STEM #Education

Japan Launches Moon Lander & XRISM Satellite | Tanegashima Space Center

Japan Launches Moon Lander & XRISM Satellite | Tanegashima Space Center

Japan launched a rocket on September 7, 2023, carrying a lunar lander and X-ray telescope to explore the origins of the universe. The HII-A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan carrying the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite. This is a joint mission between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA to study the universe. The  XRISM satellite aims to pry apart high-energy light into the equivalent of an X-ray rainbow using an instrument called Resolve. The mission’s other instrument, developed by JAXA, is called Xtend. It will give XRISM one of the largest fields of view of any X-ray imaging satellite flown to date. 

Once XRISM reaches its operating orbit 550 km above Earth’s surface, scientists and engineers will begin a ten-month phase of testing and calibrating the spacecraft’s scientific instruments and verifying the science performance of the mission. XRISM will then spend at least three years observing the most energetic objects and events in the cosmos based on proposals elaborated by scientists all over the world.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission designed to demonstrate accurate lunar landing techniques. SLIM will not take a direct route to the moon. After a lunar transfer orbit burn, it will make a lunar flyby, heading into a wide loop away from the Earth-moon system before returning to enter lunar orbit in around four months’ time. This will save on propellant.

The landed weight will be about 210 kg. The landing objective is to be within 100 meters of the target point, the ejecta blanket of Shioli crater (a crater centered at approximately 13.322 S, 25.232 E). Shioli is a small lunar impact crater that is located within the much larger Cyrillus crater on the near side of the Moon. It is a young crater with a prominent ray system.

SLIM launched on September 7, 2023, as a "ride-share" payload with the XRISM mission. 

Video Credit: South China Morning Post (SCMP)

Duration: 2 minutes, 34 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #HIIARocket #SLIMMission #MoonLander #XRISMSatellite #XRISM #Resolve #Xtend #Xrays #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #JAXA #Japan #日本 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #GSFC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

XRISM Launch in Japan: Exploring the Hidden X-ray Cosmos | NASA & JAXA

XRISM Launch in Japan: Exploring the Hidden X-ray Cosmos | NASA & JAXA

Japan successfully launched a rocket on September 7, 2023, carrying a lunar lander and X-ray telescope to explore the origins of the universe. The HII-A Launch Vehicle No. 47 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan. The H-IIA successfully launched the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) Mission. XRISM is a collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA. This new satellite aims to pry apart high-energy light into the equivalent of an X-ray rainbow using an instrument called Resolve. 

Resolve measures tiny temperature changes created when an X-ray hits its 6-by-6-pixel detector. To measure that minuscule increase and determine the X-ray’s energy, the detector needs to cool down to around minus 460 Fahrenheit (minus 270 Celsius), just a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. The mission’s other instrument, developed by JAXA, is called Xtend. It will give XRISM one of the largest fields of view of any X-ray imaging satellite flown to date, observing an area about 60% larger than the average apparent size of the full Moon.

XRISM is a collaborative mission between JAXA and NASA, with participation by the European Space Agency. NASA’s contribution includes science participation from the Canadian Space Agency.

Once XRISM reaches its operating orbit 550 km above Earth’s surface, scientists and engineers will begin a ten-month phase of testing and calibrating the spacecraft’s scientific instruments and verifying the science performance of the mission. XRISM will then spend at least three years observing the most energetic objects and events in the cosmos based on proposals elaborated by scientists all over the world.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission designed to demonstrate accurate lunar landing techniques. SLIM will not take a direct route to the moon. After a lunar transfer orbit burn, it will make a lunar flyby, heading into a wide loop away from the Earth-moon system before returning to enter lunar orbit in around four months’ time. This will save on propellant. 

The landed weight will be about 210 kg. The landing objective is to be within 100 meters of the target point, the ejecta blanket of Shioli crater (a crater centered at approximately 13.322 S, 25.232 E). Shioli is a small lunar impact crater that is located within the much larger Cyrillus crater on the near side of the Moon. It is a young crater with a prominent ray system.

SLIM launched on September 7, 2023, as a "ride-share" payload with the XRISM mission. 

Image Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Caption Credit: NASA/ESA

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #HIIARocket #SLIMMission #MoonLander #XRISMSatellite #XRISM #Resolve #Xtend #Xrays #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #JAXA #Japan #日本 #TanegashimaSpaceCenter #GSFC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education