The Ghosts of Star Gamma Cassiopeia

The Ghosts of Star Gamma Cassiopeia

Gamma Cassiopeiae shines high in northern autumn evening skies. It is the brightest spiky star in this telescopic field of view toward the constellation Cassiopeia. Gamma Cas shares the ethereal-looking scene with ghostly interstellar clouds of gas and dust, IC 59 (top left) and IC 63. About 600 light-years distant, the clouds are not actually ghosts. They are slowly disappearing though, eroding under the influence of energetic radiation from hot and luminous gamma Cas. Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae. Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as hydrogen atoms ionized by the star's ultraviolet radiation recombine with electrons. Farther from the star, IC 59 shows proportionally less H-alpha emission but more of the characteristic blue tint of dust reflected star light. The cosmic stage spans over 1 degree or 10 light-years at the estimated distance of gamma Cas and friends.

Image Credit & Copyright: Guillaume Gruntz, Jean-François Bax 

Guillaume Gruntz's website: https://www.astrobin.com/users/GuillaumeGz/

Jean-François Bax's website: https://www.astrobin.com/users/GuillaumeGz/

Release Date: October 28, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Star #GammaCassiopeiae #GammaCas #Nebulas #Nebulae #IC59 #IC63 #Cassiopeia #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotographer #Astrophotography #STEM #Education #APoD

How NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Will Map the Cosmos | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

How NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Will Map the Cosmos | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA’s upcoming SPHEREx space telescope mission will map the entire sky like no spacecraft before it. To do that, SPHEREx needs specialized hardware. Three concentric cones called photon shields surround the telescope and block light and heat from the Sun and Earth. Without those shields, the telescope’s detectors would be blinded.

SPHEREx also needs to be cold because it detects infrared light. Invisible to human eyes, infrared is emitted by warm objects on Earth and out in the universe. It is also emitted by the telescope. Keeping it cold reduces the infrared glow, which lets SPHEREx see faint objects that are really far away.

SPHEREx stands for the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, SPHEREx is set to launch no later than April 2025. 

For more information about the SPHEREx mission, visit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/spherex

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 2 minutes, 42 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 9, 2023

#NASA #Space #SPHEREx #Astronomy #Science #SurveyMission #Galaxies #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SPHERExSpaceTelescopes #SpaceTelescopes #Infrared #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #KARI #Korea #한국 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3310 in Ursa Major | Schulman Telescope

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3310 in Ursa Major | Schulman Telescope

NGC 3310 is a grand design spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It is a starburst galaxy and it is likely that NGC 3310 collided with one of its satellite galaxies about 100 million years ago, triggering widespread star formation. It is thought to be located approximately 46 million light-years away from the Earth, and is considered to be about 22,000 light-years wide. The ring clusters of NGC 3310 have been undergoing starburst activity for at least the last 40 million years.

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

Caption Acknowledgements: UA/Wikipedia

Image Date: March 1, 2011

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #NGC3310 #SpiralGalaxy #StarburstGalaxy #UrsaMajor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Astrophotographer #AdamBlock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Earthrise 1968: NASA Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman (1928-2023) Tribute

Earthrise 1968: NASA Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman (1928-2023) Tribute

NASA astronaut Bill Anders' first color image of Earthrise over the Moon on Dec. 24, 1968. NASA Image#AS08-14-2383

Earthrise  - Dec. 24, 1968 - Apollo 8 Mission

Earthrise  - Dec. 24, 1968 - Apollo 8 Mission

The first photograph taken of Earthrise by a human—NASA astronaut Bill Anders on Dec. 24, 1968. 

NASA Image#AS08-13-2329

Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman (1928-2023) took this photo of Earthrise during the first human mission to the Moon in December 1968.

Official NASA Portrait of Astronaut Frank Borman (09-09-1968)

The Apollo 8 Prime Crew on Nov. 1, 1968: Left to right, are astronauts William A. Anders, lunar module pilot; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and Frank Borman, commander.

The Apollo 8 crew rocketed into orbit on December 21, 1968.

NASA astronaut Frank Borman (1928-1963) led the first team of American astronauts to circle the moon—extending humanity's horizons into deep space. His Apollo 8  crew rocketed into orbit on December 21, 1968, and after circling the moon 10 times on Christmas Eve, it was time to come home. On Christmas morning, mission control waited anxiously for word that Apollo 8’s engine burn to leave lunar orbit had worked. They soon got confirmation when Lovell radioed, “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.”

The crew splashed down in the Pacific on December 27. A lunar landing was still months away, but for the first time ever, humans from Earth had visited the moon and returned home safely.

Former NASA Astronaut Frank Borman passed away Nov. 7, in Billings, Montana, at the age of 95. 

Learn more about Frank Borman: 

https://www.nasa.gov/former-astronaut-frank-borman/

NASA Honors the life of Astronaut Frank Borman:

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-honors-life-of-apollo-astronaut-frank-borman/

Read about NASA's Apollo 8 Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-8/

Image Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center

Image Dates: Sept. 9-Dec. 24, 1968

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Moon #Earthrise #Environment #ApolloProgram #Apollo8 #Astronaut #FrankBorman #JimLovell #BillAnders #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #History #Photography #STEM #Education

Shenzhou 17 Astronauts: Behind the Scenes | China's Tiangong Space Station

Shenzhou 17 Astronauts: Behind the Scenes | China's Tiangong Space Station

Busy in space—Shenzhou 17 astronauts in their daily work at the Tiangong Space Station (CSS). The Shenzhou-17 crew is expected to stay in orbit for nearly six months, carrying out several extravehicular activities, and conducting a large number of experiments and tests in areas of basic physics in a microgravity environment, materials science, life science, space medicine and space technology. 

Shenzhou-17 Crew:

Hongbo Tang (Commander)

Shengjie Tang (Mission Specialist)

Xinlin Jiang (Mission Specialist)

Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA) Watcher 

Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 11, 2023

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Shenzhou17 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HongboTang #ShengjieTang #XinlinJiang #SpaceLaboratory #ChinaSpaceStation #CSS #TiangongSpaceStation #中国空间站 #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Collins Aerospace NextGen Spacesuit for The Moon & Mars

Collins Aerospace NextGen Spacesuit for The Moon & Mars

Collins Aerospace is dedicated to inspiring and advancing the future of space for all with our next generation space suit, designed by astronauts for astronauts. 

Collins Aerospace is building new space suits for NASA's Artemis Moon Missions.

Learn more:  https://collins.aero/3QSLRoU

Credit: Collins Aerospace

Duration: 2 minutes, 27 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 10, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #ISS #Microgravity #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Astronauts #Spacesuits #xEVAS #EVA #Spacewalks #Moonwalks #Marswalks #HumanSpaceflight #CollinsAerospace #MoonToMars #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Red Arc of Light & The Milky Way over France

A Red Arc of Light & The Milky Way over France

This broad, luminous red arc was a surprising visitor to partly cloudy evening skies over northern France. Captured extending toward the zenith in a west-to-east mosaic of images from November 5, 2023,the faint atmospheric ribbon of light is an example of a Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc. The rare night sky phenomenon was also spotted at unusually low latitudes around world, along with more dynamic auroral displays during an intense geomagnetic storm. 

SAR arcs and their relation to auroral emissions have been explored by citizen science and satellite investigations. From altitudes substantially above the normal auroral glow, the deep red SAR emission is thought to be caused by strong heating due to currents flowing in planet Earth's inner magnetosphere. Beyond this SAR, the Milky Way arcs above the cloud banks along the horizon, a regular visitor to night skies over northern France.

Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten

Julien's website: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/julienlooten/

Release Date: Nov. 11, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #AtmosphericOptics #Physics #NorthernLights #StableAuroralRed #SAR #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #France #Astrophotography #JulienLooten #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #STEM #Education #APoD

NASA Sounding Rocket Launches into Alaskan Aurora

NASA Sounding Rocket Launches into Alaskan Aurora

A sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 8, 2023, carrying the DISSIPATION mission. The rocket launched into aurora and successfully captured data to understand how auroras heat the atmosphere and cause high-altitude winds.

The teams continue to support a second sounding rocket launch for BEAM-PIE, a mission for Los Alamos National Laboratory that will use an electron beam to create radio waves, measuring how atmospheric conditions modulate them. The data is key to interpreting measurements from many other missions. 

NASA’s Sounding Rockets Program, funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division, is managed at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, under NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Image Credit: NASA/Lee Wingfield

Image Date: Nov. 8, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Suborbital #Earth #Sun #Heliophysics #PokerFlatResearchRange #Fairbanks #Alaska #SoundingRocket #RocketLaunch #DissipationMission #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #GSFC #NASAGoddard #WFF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Jupiter Profile | Hubble Space Telescope

Planet Jupiter Profile | Hubble Space Telescope

Jupiter is the fifth planet from our Sun and is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system—more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.

Jupiter's stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years.

Jupiter is named for the king of the ancient Roman gods.​

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter

Credits: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 15 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 2, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #GreatRedSpot #SolarSystem #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Jupiter in Ultraviolet | Hubble Space Telescope

Planet Jupiter in Ultraviolet | Hubble Space Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet Jupiter in a color composite of ultraviolet wavelengths. The Great Red Spot appears red to the human eye, however in this ultraviolet image it appears darker because high altitude haze particles absorb light at these wavelengths. The reddish, wavy polar hazes are absorbing slightly less of this light due to differences in either particle size, composition, or altitude. The data used to create this ultraviolet image is part of a Hubble proposal that looked at Jupiter’s stealthy superstorm system. Hubble has a long history of observing the outer planets. From the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts to studying Jupiter's storms, Hubble's decades-long career and unique vantage point provide astronomers with valuable data to chart the evolution of this dynamic planet.

Hubble’s ultraviolet-observing capabilities allow astronomers to study the short, high-energy wavelengths of light beyond what the human eye can see. Ultraviolet light reveals fascinating cosmic phenomena, including light from the hottest and youngest stars embedded in local galaxies; the composition, densities, and temperatures of the material between stars; and the evolution of galaxies.

This is a false-color image because the human eye cannot detect ultraviolet light. Therefore, colors in the visible light spectrum were assigned to the images, each taken with a different ultraviolet filter. In this case, the assigned colors for each filter are: Blue: F225W, Green: F275W, and Red: F343N.

Credits: NASA, ESA, M. Wong (University of California - Berkeley), G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America); CC BY 4.0

Release Date: Nov. 7, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Ultraviolet #SolarSystem #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Autumn in Japan | Earth from Space | Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3 Satellite

Autumn in Japan | Earth from Space | Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3 Satellite

This image, from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission on Nov. 1, 2023, captures the colors of autumn over the Japanese archipelago.

Japan is made up of thousands of islands stretching over 2,500 km through the western Pacific Ocean. Almost all of the land area, however, is taken up by the country’s four main islands, three of which are pictured in this image. From north to south we see Honshu, the largest island extending in a northeast–southwest arc, Shikoku, just beneath the lower part of Honshu, and Kyushu at the bottom.

The image also shows how Japan is mainly mountainous and about 68% of the land area is covered by forest. Cooler temperatures and fewer daylight hours triggered the autumn foliage. This shows up here in shades of brown and red, particularly in forests in the upper part of the image. The colors depend on the various tree species, local weather, altitude and orientation of the slopes.

Urban areas and cultivated land stand out in sharp contrast in tones of grey. The largest area on the eastern coast of Honshu is Japan’s capital Tokyo. This metropolitan area—commonly known as Greater Tokyo—stretches around Tokyo Bay and is home to about 37 million people, making it the largest megacity in the world. Other urban areas, visible moving south along the Pacific coast of Honshu, are Nagoya and Osaka.

Honshu is also home to the country’s highest mountain Mount Fuji, a volcano that has been dormant since 1707. Its snow-capped summit can be spotted as a small white dot near the Pacific coast, about 100 km southwest of Tokyo.

Another volcano, visible with a plume of smoke pouring from its summit, is Sakurajima on the southern island of Kyushu. Formerly an island-volcano in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, it is now a peninsula after a powerful eruption in 1914 connected it with the Osumi Peninsula to the east.

Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites carry four sensors working together, making it the most complex so far of all the Sentinel missions. The Ocean and Land Color Instrument used to create this image offers new eyes on Earth, monitoring ocean ecosystems, supporting crop management and agriculture, and providing estimates of atmospheric aerosol and clouds.

Learn more about Copernicus Sentinel satellites:

https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/home

Image Credit: Copernicus Sentinel data (2023), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image Date: Nov. 1, 2023

Release Date: Nov. 10, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Satellite #Sentinel3Satellite #Planet #Earth #Japan #日本 #Autumn #Autumn2023 #Europe #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #FalseColor #STEM #Education

Celebrating the NASA Worm Logo | This Week @NASA | Week of Nov. 10, 2023

Celebrating the NASA Worm Logo | This Week @NASA | Week of Nov. 10, 2023

Celebrating the NASA worm, NASA telescopes spot a record-breaking black hole, and the first science images from a new space observatory . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer & Editor: Andre Valentine

Narrator: Emanuel Cooper

Duration: 2 minutes, 35 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 10, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASALogo #ESAEuclid #GalaxyUHZ1 #Abell2744 #Constellation #Sculptor #Universe #ChandraObservatory #Xray #MSFC #JWST #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #CSA #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Night Launch | Week of Nov. 10, 2023

NASA's Space to Ground: Night Launch | Week of Nov. 10, 2023

 

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft—carrying about 6,500 pounds of critical science, hardware, and crew supplies—is on its way to the International Space Station following a successful launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 8:28 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on SpaceX’s 29th resupply services mission for NASA to the orbiting laboratory.

The mission marks the ninth flight on the Commercial Resupply Services-2 SpaceX contract and the second flight of this Dragon, which previously flew on NASA’s SpaceX 26th resupply services mission.

Dragon now is safely in orbit, and its solar arrays have deployed. A series of thruster firings will help Dragon reach the space station at approximately 5:20 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11. Upon its arrival, it will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara monitoring operations.

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.

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

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 46 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 9, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Earth #CRS29 #SpaceX #DragonSpacecraft #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbelli #AndreasMogensen #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 Falcon 9 Launch | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 Falcon 9 Launch | International Space Station

Falcon 9’s first stage landing

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST. Dragon will deliver 6,500 pounds of scientific research, technology demonstrations, crew supplies, and hardware to the space station to support its Expedition 70 crew, including NASA’s Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) and Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE). 

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage (B1081) landed on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, having previously supported the Crew-7 mission.

The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida. 

Image Credits: NASA/Francisco Martin/SpaceX

Image Date: Nov. 9, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #DragonSpacecraft #CRS29 #CommercialResupplyServices #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceLaboratory #Spaceport #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #Expedition70 #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 Falcon 9 Launch | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 Falcon 9 Launch | International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA's CRS-29 Dragon cargo spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Nov. 9, 2023, at 8:28pm EST. The CRS-29 Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock to the International Space Station on Nov. 11, 2023, at approximately 05:20am EST. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage (B1081) landed on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, having previously supported the Crew-7 mission. CRS-29 is the second flight for this Dragon spacecraft, which previously flew CRS-26 to the International Space Station. 

Credit: NASA/SpaceX

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Nov. 9, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #DragonSpacecraft #CRS29 #CommercialResupplyServices #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceLaboratory #Spaceport #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Science: SpaceX's 29th Cargo Resupply Mission | International Space Station

NASA Science: SpaceX's 29th Cargo Resupply Mission | International Space Station

The 29th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission for NASA carries scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of enhanced optical communications and measurement of atmospheric waves. The uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than 8:28 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Details: https://go.nasa.gov/402KJSA

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Oct. 23, 2023 

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #DragonSpacecraft #CRS29 #CommercialResupplyServices #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceLaboratory #Spaceport #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video