Mars Images: Fall 2023 | NASA's Perseverance Rover + Ingenuity | JPL

Mars Images: Fall 2023 | NASA's Perseverance Rover + Ingenuity | JPL

Mars 2020 - Sol 950

Mars 2020 - Sol 955

Mars 2020 - Sol 952

Mars 2020 - Sol 955 - Ingenuity Helicopter

Mars 2020 - Sol 938

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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: Oct. 11-31, 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

Panning across Interacting Galaxy Pair Arp-Madore 2339-661 in Tucana | Hubbl

Panning across Interacting Galaxy Pair Arp-Madore 2339-661 in Tucana | Hubble

A dynamic duo . . . or trio?

This striking image captures the interacting galaxy pair known as Arp-Madore 2339-661, so named because they belong to the Arp-Madore catalogue of peculiar galaxies. However, this particular peculiarity might be even odder than first meets the eye, as there are in fact three galaxies interacting here, not just two. 

The two clearly defined galaxies are NGC 7733 (smaller, lower right) and NGC 7734 (larger, upper left). The third galaxy is currently referred to as NGC 7733N, and can actually be spotted in this picture if you look carefully at the upper arm of NGC 7733, where there is a visually notable knot-like structure, glowing with a different color to the arm and obscured by dark dust. This could easily pass as part of NGC 7733, but analysis of the velocities (speed, but also considering direction) involved in the galaxy shows that this knot has a considerable additional redshift, meaning that it is very likely its own entity and not part of NGC 7733. This is actually one of the many challenges that observational astronomers face: working out whether an astronomical object really is just one, or one lying in front of another as seen from Earth’s perspective!

All three galaxies lie quite close to each other, roughly 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Tucana, and, as this image shows, they are interacting gravitationally with one another. In fact, some science literature refers to them as a ‘merging group’, meaning that they are on a course to ultimately become a single entity.

Image Description: Two spiral galaxies. Each glows brightly in the center, where a bar stretches from side to side. The upper one is more round and its arms form two thin rings. The lower galaxy is flatter and its arms make one outer ring; a dusty knot atop its upper arm marks out a third object. Gravity is pulling gas and dust together where the galaxies come close. A number of small galaxies surround them on a black background.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Acknowledgement: L. Shatz

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 23, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #Galaxies #NGC7733 #NGC7734 #NGC7733N #ArpMadore2339661 #InteractingGalaxies #Tucana #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #NOIRLab #DOE #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Halloween 2023: James Webb Space Telescope Fan Pumpkin Carvings | NASA

Halloween 2023: James Webb Space Telescope Fan Pumpkin Carvings | NASA

Did you carve a NASA Webb pumpkin? 

Send us pictures!

Email us at: GSFC-NASAwebb@mail.nasa.gov!

For next year, you can download sample carving patterns here: jwst.nasa.gov/content/features/spacePumpkin.html 

[There are even more NASA designs here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13416]

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. 

Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. 

Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Learn more: https://webbtelescope.org/home

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is "NASA’s premiere space flight complex and home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the Sun, our solar system, and the universe."

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/

Image Credits (in order): Kelly Lepo, Brad Tucker, Zack Seese, Jim Flis, Zack Seese, Jim Flis

Image Dates: Oct. 25-27, 2023

#NASA #ESA #NASAWebb #JWST #Astronomy #Space #Science #Halloween #Halloween2023 #PumpkinCarving #Nebulae #Stars #Galaxies #Planets #Exoplanets #SolarSystem #Cosmos #Universe #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Eerie “Face” Spotted on Planet Jupiter | NASA's Juno Mission | JPL

Eerie “Face” Spotted on Planet Jupiter | NASA's Juno Mission | JPL

On Sept. 7, 2023, during its 54th close flyby of Jupiter, NASA’s Juno mission captured this view of an area in the giant planet’s far northern regions called Jet N7. The image shows turbulent clouds and storms along Jupiter’s terminator, the dividing line between the day and night sides of the planet. The low angle of sunlight highlights the complex topography of features in this region, which scientists have studied to better understand the processes playing out in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

As often occurs in views from Juno, Jupiter’s clouds in this picture lend themselves to pareidolia, the effect that causes observers to perceive faces or other patterns in largely random patterns.

Citizen scientist Vladimir Tarasov made this image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument. At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 4,800 miles (about 7,700 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 69 degrees north.

More information about NASA citizen science can be found at https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience.

More information about Juno is at https://www.nasa.gov/juno and https://missionjuno.swri.edu. For more about this finding and other science results, see https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/science-findings.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Image Processing: Vladimir Tarasov © CC 

Release Date: Oct. 25, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Planet #Perijove54 #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Storms #Clouds #JetN7 #Pareidolia #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #CitizenScience #VladimirTarasov #CitizenScientist #Halloween2023 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's X-ray Telescopes Reveal the "Bones" of a Ghostly Cosmic Hand

NASA's X-ray Telescopes Reveal the "Bones" of a Ghostly Cosmic Hand

In 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays and used them to image the bones in his wife's hand, kicking off a revolutionary diagnostic tool for medicine. Now two of NASA’s X-ray space telescopes have combined their imaging powers to unveil the magnetic field “bones” of a remarkable hand-like structure in space. Together, these telescopes reveal the behavior of a dead collapsed star that lives on through plumes of particles of energized matter.

A small, dense object only twelve miles in diameter is responsible for this beautiful X-ray nebula that spans 150 light years. The story begins around 1,500 years ago when a giant star ran out of nuclear fuel to burn. This led to the star collapsing onto itself and forming an incredibly dense object called a neutron star.

Rotating neutron stars with strong magnetic fields are called pulsars. With today’s telescopes, astronomers use them as laboratories for extreme physics, offering high-energy conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth. For example, young pulsars can create jets of matter and antimatter moving away from the poles of the pulsar, along with an intense wind, forming a “pulsar wind nebula”. These are ideal places to study certain questions in physics.

In 2001, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory first observed the pulsar PSR B1509-58 and revealed that its pulsar wind nebula—known as MSH 15-52—randomly resembles a human hand. The pulsar is located at the base of the “palm” of the nebula. Finger-like structures extend to the north, apparently energizing knots of material in this neighboring gas cloud. The transfer of energy from the wind to these knots makes them glow brightly in X-rays (orange and red features to the upper right). The temperature in this region appears to vary in a circular pattern around this ring of emission, suggesting that the pulsar may be precessing like a spinning top and sweeping an energizing beam around the gas in MSH 15-52.

The combination of rapid rotation and ultra-strong magnetic field makes B1509 one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the Galaxy. This generator drives an energetic wind of electrons and ions away from the neutron star. As the electrons move through the magnetized nebula, they radiate away their energy and create the elaborate nebula

Astronomers think that B1509 is about 1,700 years old as measured in Earth's time-frame (referring to when events are observable at Earth) and is located about 17,000 light years away. B1509 is spinning completely around almost 7 times every second and is releasing energy into its environment at a prodigious rate—presumably because it has an intense magnetic field at its surface, estimated to be 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. B1509's nebula is 15 times wider than the Crab Nebula.

Now, NASA’s newest X-ray telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), has observed MSH 15-52 for about 17 days, the longest it has looked at any single object since it launched in December 2021.

The IXPE data gives astronomers the first map of the magnetic field in the hand. The charged particles producing the X-rays travel along the magnetic field, determining the basic shape of the nebula, like the bones do in a person’s hand.

These new data are revealing interesting aspects of this cosmic hand that researchers did not know before. By combining the data from these two telescopes, astronomers are learning more not only about MSH 15-52, but also other pulsar wind nebulae in general, with more discoveries yet to come.

Credit: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Pulsar #Star #NeutronStar #PSRB150958 #B1509 #Nebula # #MSH1552 #RCW89 #GasCloud #Circinus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #IXPE #XrayTelescopes #MSFC #SpaceTelescope #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China’s Shenzhou-16 Crew Returns to Earth | China Space Station

China’s Shenzhou-16 Crew Returns to Earth | China Space Station

China’s Shenzhou-16 crew of three returned to Earth on October 31, 2023, after spending five months aboard the Tiangong Space Station. The team handed over the ship’s duties to their successors, the Shenzhou-17 crew that arrived a few days before. The Shenzhou-16 mission reportedly conducted dozens of experiments in space medicine, biotechnology, ecology, fluid physics, and materials science.

The Shenzhou-16 crew spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, on Oct. 31, 2023, at 00:11 UTC (08:11 China Standard Time). The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft transported the fifth crew of three astronauts, Jing Haipeng (景海鹏, commander), Zhu Yangzhu (朱杨柱) and Gui Haichao (桂海潮), from a long duration mission aboard the China Space Station.

Shenzhou-16 Crew:

Jing Haipeng (Commander) 

Zhu Yangzhu (Mission Specialist)

Gui Haichao  (Mission Specialist)

Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/South China Morning Post (SCMP)

Duration: 1 minute, 55 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 31, 2023

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Earth #Shenzhou16 #神舟十六 #Spacecraft #Landing #InnerMongolia #Taikonauts #Astronauts #JingHaipeng #ZhuYangzhu #GuiHaichao #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #CSS #Tiangong #ChinaSpaceStation #天和核心舱 #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #SCMP #HD #Video

Tour The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

Tour The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

This video tours the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant that lies 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Despite this distance from Earth, the Crab Nebula is a relatively close example of what remains after the explosive death of a massive star.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures in unprecedented detail the components that comprise the Crab, including the expanding cloud of hot gas, cavernous filaments of dust, and synchrotron emission. The synchrotron emission is the result of the nebula’s pulsar: a rapidly rotating neutron star that is located in the center.

The wind produced by the pulsar shapes the Crab Nebula’s form and pushes fast-moving particles along the magnetic field, forming thin ribbons that flow throughout the nebula’s interior. Toward the nebula’s edges are cavernous filaments of dust and hot gas—now-fractured material that was and continues to be ejected at high speeds. Zooming out reveals the nebula’s unique structure, including areas where the synchrotron emission seems to be pinched.

Webb’s sensitivity, along with the rich data collected by other telescopes, is helping astronomers study this complex and changing scene. This information will lead to an improved understanding of the Crab Nebula’s mysterious origins as well as broaden knowledge about the lives and deaths of stars.

Video Credit: 

Science: Tea Temim

Image Processing: Joseph Depasquale

Video: Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI)

Narration: Courtesy of Bunny Studios

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2023

#NASA #ESA #NASAWebb #JWST #Astronomy #Space #Star #NeutronStar #Nebula #CrabNebula #NGC1952 #Taurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zoom into The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

Zoom into The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

This video takes the viewer on a cosmic journey to the Crab Nebula. The new image of the object revealed at the end from NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope was captured by the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) instruments to reveal new details in infrared light.

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula in the search for answers about the supernova remnant’s origins. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) have revealed new details in infrared light.

Similar to the Hubble optical wavelength image released in 2005, with Webb the remnant appears to consist of a crisp, cage-like structure of fluffy red-orange filaments of gas that trace doubly ionized sulphur (sulphur III). Within the remnant’s interior, yellow-white and green fluffy ridges form large-scale loop-like structures, which represent areas where dust particles reside.

The area is composed of translucent, milky material. This material is emitting synchrotron radiation. It is emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum but becomes particularly vibrant thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and spatial resolution. It is generated by particles accelerated to extremely high speeds as they wind around magnetic field lines. The synchrotron radiation can be traced throughout the majority of the Crab Nebula’s interior.

Locate the wisps that follow a ripple-like pattern in the middle. In the center of this ring-like structure is a bright white dot: a rapidly rotating neutron star. Further out from the core, follow the thin white ribbons of the radiation. The curvy wisps are closely grouped together, following different directions that mimic the structure of the pulsar’s magnetic field. Note how certain gas filaments are bluer in color. These areas contain singly ionized iron (iron II).

Image Description: An oval nebula with a complex structure against a black background. On the oval's exterior lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Interior to this outer shell lie large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. Translucent thin ribbons of smoky white lie within the remnant’s interior, brightest toward its center.

Video Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, STScI, KPNO/NOIRLab, ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), N. Risinger, D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2023

#NASA #ESA #JWST #Astronomy #Space #Star #NeutronStar #Nebula #CrabNebula #NGC1952 #Taurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula in the search for answers about the supernova remnant’s origins. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) have revealed new details in infrared light.

Similar to the Hubble optical wavelength image released in 2005, with Webb the remnant appears to consist of a crisp, cage-like structure of fluffy red-orange filaments of gas that trace doubly ionized sulphur (sulphur III). Within the remnant’s interior, yellow-white and green fluffy ridges form large-scale loop-like structures, which represent areas where dust particles reside.

The area is composed of translucent, milky material. This material is emitting synchrotron radiation, which is emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum but becomes particularly vibrant thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and spatial resolution. It is generated by particles accelerated to extremely high speeds as they wind around magnetic field lines. The synchrotron radiation can be traced throughout the majority of the Crab Nebula’s interior.

Locate the wisps that follow a ripple-like pattern in the middle. In the center of this ring-like structure is a bright white dot: a rapidly rotating neutron star. Further out from the core, follow the thin white ribbons of the radiation. The curvy wisps are closely grouped together, following different directions that mimic the structure of the pulsar’s magnetic field. Note how certain gas filaments are bluer in color. These areas contain singly ionized iron (iron II).

Image Description: An oval nebula with a complex structure against a black background. On the oval's exterior lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Interior to this outer shell lie large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. Translucent thin ribbons of smoky white lie within the remnant’s interior, brightest toward its center.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Oct 30, 2023

#NASA #ESA #JWST #Astronomy #Space #Star #NeutronStar #Nebula #CrabNebula #NGC1952 #Taurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

The Crab Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula in the search for answers about the supernova remnant’s origins. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) have revealed new details in infrared light.

Similar to the Hubble optical wavelength image released in 2005, with Webb the remnant appears to consist of a crisp, cage-like structure of fluffy red-orange filaments of gas that trace doubly ionized sulphur (sulphur III). Within the remnant’s interior, yellow-white and green fluffy ridges form large-scale loop-like structures, which represent areas where dust particles reside.

The area is composed of translucent, milky material. This material is emitting synchrotron radiation, which is emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum but becomes particularly vibrant thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and spatial resolution. It is generated by particles accelerated to extremely high speeds as they wind around magnetic field lines. The synchrotron radiation can be traced throughout the majority of the Crab Nebula’s interior.

Locate the wisps that follow a ripple-like pattern in the middle. In the center of this ring-like structure is a bright white dot: a rapidly rotating neutron star. Further out from the core, follow the thin white ribbons of the radiation. The curvy wisps are closely grouped together, following different directions that mimic the structure of the pulsar’s magnetic field. Note how certain gas filaments are bluer in color. These areas contain singly ionized iron (iron II).

Image Description: An oval nebula with a complex structure against a black background. On the oval's exterior lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Interior to this outer shell lie large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. Translucent thin ribbons of smoky white lie within the remnant’s interior, brightest toward its center.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University)

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2023

#NASA #ESA #JWST #Astronomy #Space #Star #NeutronStar #Nebula #CrabNebula #NGC1952 #Taurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Panning over Arp 107 in Leo Minor: A Galactic Collision in Progress | Hubble

Panning over Arp 107 in Leo Minor: A Galactic Collision in Progress | Hubble

This Hubble image—taken using NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)—shows Arp 107, a celestial object that comprises a pair of galaxies in the midst of a collision. The larger galaxy (in the left of this image) is an extremely energetic galaxy type known as a Seyfert galaxy, which house active galactic nuclei at their cores. Seyfert galaxies are notable because despite the immense brightness of the active core, radiation from the entire galaxy can be observed. This is evident in this image, where the spiraling whorls of the whole galaxy are readily visible. The smaller companion is connected to the larger by a tenuous-seeming ‘bridge’, composed of dust and gas. The colliding galactic duo lie about 465 million light-years from Earth. 

Image Description: A pair of merging galaxies. The galaxy on the left has a large, single spiral arm curving out from the core and around to below it, with very visible glowing dust and gas. The right galaxy has a bright core but only a bit of very faint material. A broad curtain of gas connects the two galaxies’ cores and hangs beneath them. A few small stars and galaxies are scattered around the black background.

Arp 107 is part of a catalogue of 338 galaxies known as the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which was compiled in 1966 by Halton Arp. It was observed by Hubble as part of an observing program that specifically sought to fill in an observational ‘gap’, by taking limited observations of members of the Arp catalogue. Part of the intention of the observing program was to provide the public with images of these spectacular and not-easily-defined galaxies, and as such, it has provided a rich source for Hubble Pictures of the Week. In fact, several recent releases, including this one and this one, have made use of observations from the same observing program. 

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton

Duration: 30 seconds 

Release Date: Sept.18, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #SeyfertGalaxy #Arp107 #GalacticCollission #LeoMinor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1566: The "Spanish Dancer" in Dorado | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1566: The "Spanish Dancer" in Dorado | Hubble

This vibrant and dynamic-looking image features the spiral galaxy NGC 1566. It is sometimes informally referred to as the ‘Spanish Dancer Galaxy’. NGC 1566 is a weakly-barred or intermediate spiral galaxy, meaning that it does not have either a clearly present or a clearly absent bar-shaped structure at its center. The galaxy owes its nickname to the vivid and dramatic swirling lines of its spiral arms, which could evoke the shapes and colors of a dancer’s moving form. NGC 1566 lies around 60 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado, and is also a member of the Dorado galaxy group. 

Galaxy groups are assemblages of gravitationally bound galaxies. Groups differ from galaxy clusters in size and mass: galaxy clusters may contain hundreds of galaxies, whereas groups might contain several tens of galaxies. That said, there is not a precise delineation between the definition of a galaxy group and a galaxy cluster. Astronomers have proposed that the definitions be improved, with one suggestion that galaxy aggregations with less mass than 80 trillion Suns should qualify as galaxy groups.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy. The entire galaxy is displayed, centered and face-on to the viewer. It has two spiral arms that each make only a half-turn from start to finish, resembling the shape of a comma. Lanes of dark dust follow the arms into the center, and split into many fibers that swirl around the glowing galactic core. Bright pink blooms along the arms show areas of new star formation.

The Dorado group has had a fluctuating membership over the past few decades, with scientific papers changing its list of constituent galaxies. This is an example of why it is so challenging for astronomers to pin down members of groups, such as the Dorado group. We can imagine a photograph of an adult human and a large oak tree. We have foreknowledge of the approximate size of the person and the tree, so if we were to see a photo where the person appeared roughly the same size as the tree, then we would be able to guess that, in reality, the person was positioned much closer to the camera than the tree was, giving the false impression that they were the same size. When working out members of a galaxy group, astronomers are not necessarily equipped with the knowledge of the size of the individual galaxies, and so have to work out whether galaxies really are relatively close together in space, or whether some of them are actually much closer or much further away. This has become easier with more sophisticated observation techniques, but still sometimes presents a challenge.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, D. Calzetti and the LEGUS team, R. Chandar

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #NGC1566 #Galaxies #Dorado Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's New Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: What Views Can We Expect?

NASA's New Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: What Views Can We Expect?

NASA’s new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will provide one of the deepest-ever views into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. The mission will monitor hundreds of millions of stars in search of tell-tale flickers that betray the presence of planets, distant stars, small icy objects that haunt the outskirts of our solar system, and isolated black holes. Roman will likely set a new record for the farthest-known exoplanet, offering a glimpse of a different galactic neighborhood that could be home to worlds quite unlike the more than 5,500 that are currently known.

Have you played the Roman Space Observer Video Game yet? (retro 8-bit style): https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/game/

Roman’s long-term sky monitoring will enable these results. It represents a boon to what scientists call time-domain astronomy that studies how the universe changes over time. Roman will join a growing, international fleet of observatories working together to capture these changes as they unfold. Roman’s Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will focus on the Milky Way, using the telescope’s infrared vision to see through clouds of dust that can block our view of the crowded central region of our galaxy.

When Roman launches, expected by May 2027, the mission will scour the center of the Milky Way for microlensing events that occur when an object, such as a star or planet, comes into near-perfect alignment with an unrelated background star from our viewpoint. Because anything with mass warps the fabric of space-time, light from the distant star bends around the nearer object as it passes close by. The nearer object, therefore acts as a natural magnifying glass, creating a temporary spike in the brightness of the background star’s light. This signal lets astronomers know there is an intervening object, even if they cannot see it directly.

In current plans, the survey will involve taking an image every 15 minutes around the clock for about two months. Astronomers will repeat the process six times over Roman’s five-year primary mission for a combined total of more than a year of observations.

Astronomers expect the survey to reveal more than a thousand planets orbiting far from their host stars and in systems located farther from Earth than any previous mission has detected. This includes those that could lie within their host star’s habitable zone —the range of orbital distances where liquid water can exist on the surface—and worlds that weigh in at as little as a few times the mass of the Moon.

A similar type of shadow play will reveal 100,000 transiting planets between Earth and the center of the galaxy. These worlds cross in front of their host star as they orbit and temporarily dim the light we receive from the star. This method will reveal planets orbiting much closer to their host stars than microlensing reveals, and likely those that lie in the habitable zone.

All of these scientific discoveries will come from Roman’s Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey. It will account for less than a fourth of the observing time in Roman’s five-year primary mission. Its broad view of space will allow astronomers to conduct many of these studies in ways that have never been possible before, giving us a new view of an ever-changing universe.

Learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope under development: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov

Learn about Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman (1925-2018): "Mother of Hubble" https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/225/nancy-roman-1925-2018/

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Producer: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Science writer: Ashley Balzer (ADNET Systems, Inc.)

Writer: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Animator: Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Graphics: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Narrator: Barb Mattson (University of Maryland College Park)

Scientist: Scott Gaudi (Ohio State University)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 24, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #RomanSpaceTelescope #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #ESA #GSFC #STScI #Women #Leaders #Pioneers #NancyGraceRoman #Astronomer #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Ax-3 Mission Crew Media Roundtable | Axiom Space | International Space Station

Ax-3 Mission Crew Media Roundtable | Axiom Space | International Space Station

Axiom Space held a virtual media roundtable with the astronauts of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). 

In an historic venture, three countries—Italy, Türkiye, and Sweden through the European Space Agency (ESA)—have united for Ax-3. Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut Michael López-Alegría (dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain), former NASA astronaut and Axiom Mission 1 commander, will serve as the Ax-3 commander. Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Alper Gezeravcı of Türkiye and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.

As part of Ax-3, Türkiye is sending its first astronaut to space in a larger effort to expand the nation’s space exploration capabilities and establish a national human spaceflight program. Ax-3 will also be the first commercial spaceflight mission for an ESA-sponsored astronaut. For Italy, the Ax-3 mission represents a whole-of-country effort to foster its endeavor for safe, secure, and effective access to space. 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 2024. Once docked, the Ax-3 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days on board implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-3: https://axiom.space/ax3 

The Ax-3 Crew

Michael López-Alegría - Ax-3 Commander

Michael's Biography: https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/michael-lopez-alegria

Walter Villadei - Ax-3 Pilot

Walter's Biography: https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/walter-villadei

Alper Gezeravcı - Ax-3 Mission Specialist

Alper's Biography: https://www.axiomspace.com/astronauts/alper-gezeravci

Marcus Wandt - Ax-3 Mission Specialist

Marcus' Biography: https://www.axiomspace.com/astronauts/marcus-wandt

Learn more about Axiom: www.axiomspace.com

VIdeo Credit: Axiom Space

Duration: 45 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 27, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax3Mission #Ax3 #Ax3Crew #CommercialAstronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #WalterVilladei #AlperGezeravcı #MarcusWandt #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Falcon9Rocket #CommercialSpace #Science #SpaceLaboratory #Italy #Italia #Türkiye #Sweden #Swede #Sverige #Spain #España #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8: Pre-flight Training in California | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8: Pre-flight Training in California | International Space Station

 

From left, are Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin from Roscosmos (Russia), and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all from NASA

From left, are Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps Mission Specialist (NASA), Commander Matthew Dominick (NASA), Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin from Roscosmos (Russia), and Pilot Michael Barratt (NASA).

NASA Astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps

NASA Astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps

NASA Astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps

NASA Astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps on the left, and on the right, NASA Astronaut and Pilot Michael Barratt (NASA)

Astronaut and Commander Matthew Dominick and Astronaut and Pilot Michael Barratt of NASA

Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin from Roscosmos (Russia)

The four SpaceX Crew-8 crew members Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos (Russia), plus Jeanette Epps, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick—all NASA astronauts, are pictured during training and inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

They will join Expedition 70 and 71 crew members aboard the International Space Station in early 2024 to conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities.

This will be Epps’ first trip to the International Space Station. She was selected as an astronaut in July 2009, and has served on the Generic Joint Operation Panel working on space station crew efficiency, as a crew support astronaut for two expeditions, and as lead capsule communicator in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Epps previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA reassigned Epps to allow Boeing time to complete development of Starliner while also continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for future mission needs.

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

This will be Barratt’s third trip to the space station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. He has spent a total of 212 days in space. 

Grebenkin, who graduated from Irkutsk High Military Aviation School, Irkutsk, Russia, majoring in engineering, maintenance, and repair of aircraft radio navigation systems, is flying on his first mission, too. He graduated from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in radio communications, broadcasting, and television.

NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jeanette-j-epps/biography

NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/matthew-dominick/

NASA Astronaut Michael Barratt Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/michael-reed-barratt/biography

This is the eighth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. It works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Image Date: Oct. 15, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew8 #Earth #Astronauts #MatthewDominick #MichaelBarratt #JeanetteEpps #Cosmonaut #AleksandrGrebenkin #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #Hawthorne #California #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #Expedition71 #STEM #Education

Cosmonauts Oleg & Nikolai on Spacewalk | International Space Station

Cosmonauts Oleg & Nikolai on Spacewalk | International Space Station

Russian spacewalker Nikolai Chub

Russian spacewalkers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub

Russian spacewalkers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub

Russian spacewalker Oleg Kononenko

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko (suit with red stripes) and Nikolai Chub (suit with blue stripes), from Russia's space agency Roscosmos, are pictured during a spacewalk to inspect a backup radiator, deploy a nanosatellite, and install communications hardware on the International Space Station's Nauka science module.

Oleg and Nikolai concluded their spacewalk Oct. 25, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 41 minutes. During the spacewalk, Kononenko and Chub inspected and photographed an external backup radiator on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. They also isolated the radiator from Nauka’s cooling system.

Furthermore, the two cosmonauts released a nanosatellite to test solar sail technology. Additionally, the cosmonauts installed a synthetic radar communications system. This was the sixth spacewalk in Kononenko’s career, and the first for Chub. It is the 268th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

On Nov. 1, 2023, NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli are scheduled to exit the station’s Quest airlock. U.S. Spacewalk 89 will be the first for both Moghbeli and O’Hara. Moghbeli will serve as extravehicular activity crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. O’Hara will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit.

Follow Expedition 70 Updates:

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

Expedition 70 Crew

Station Commander: Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (Denmark)

Roscosmos (Russia): Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Konstantin Borisov

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)

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: Oct. 25, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #HumanSpaceflight #EVA #Spacewalk #Cosmonauts #OlegKononenko #NikolaiChub #Russia #Роскосмос #Astronauts #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Denmark #Europe #UnitedStates  #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition70 #STEM #Education