"The Great Turkey Nebula"

"The Great Turkey Nebula"

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! 

"It is not Thanksgiving without turkey!" 

Although there is no official deep-sky object bearing this bird’s name, observers like to imagine the famous Orion Nebula (M42) as the Great Turkey Nebula. Surprisingly reminiscent of The Great Nebula in Orion, The Great Turkey Nebula spans this creative field of view. Of course, if it were the Orion Nebula it would be our closest large stellar nursery, found at the edge of a large molecular cloud a mere 1,500 light-years away. 

The Orion Nebula, also known as M42, is visible to the eye as the middle "star" in the sword of Orion the Hunter, a constellation in planet Earth's skies. Stellar winds from clusters of newborn stars scattered throughout the Orion Nebula sculpt its ridges and cavities seen in familiar in telescopic images. Much larger than any bird you might be cooking, this Great Turkey Nebula was imagined to be similar in size to the Orion Nebula, about 13 light-years across. 

The Orion Nebula can be easily seen with binoculars or any telescope as a gauzy, bright glow surrounding several tightly packed bright stars—these are the Trapezium Cluster, birthed from the clouds of gas and dust that make up the nebula. These massive suns are now starting to sculpt the clouds with the intense winds they blast out.

Take some time to study the nebula and its shape. Does it look like a Turkey to you? The “head” is a hooked cloud along the northern edge, with the large, round body and fanned-out tail extending to the south. If you cannot see enough detail at the eyepiece, consider taking a photograph. This will gather more light than your eye is capable of bringing in to better highlight the clouds’ shape more sharply. If you do not see the Great Turkey Nebula, M42 is still one of the very best deep-sky sights you can catch to top off an excellent evening of family and feasting.

Imagination Credit & Copyright: Eric Coles

Eric's website: https://www.astrobin.com/users/coles44/

Caption Credit: NASA/Astronomy.com

Release Date: Nov. 26, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarFormation #Nebulae #GreatTurkeyNebula #OrionNebula #Messier42 #M42 #Orion #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Astrophotography #Imagination #Art #Humor #STEM #Education #APoD

Planet Venus "Meets" Earth Meteor over Colorado

Planet Venus "Meets" Earth Meteor over Colorado

"It came from outer space."

Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized chemical elements released as the meteor disintegrates. Blue-green colors typically originate from magnesium, calcium radiates violet, and nickel glows green. Red, however, typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash—less than a second—but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible.

Learn more about meteors and meteorites:

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/

Image Credit: Mike Lewinski

Image Date:  Nov. 22, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Venus #Atmosphere #Meteors #Bolides #Astrophotography #MikeLewinski #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #SolarSystem #Colorado #UnitedStates #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education

American Thanksgiving Message | International Space Station

American Thanksgiving Message | International Space Station

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa shared their thoughts about spending Thanksgiving in space and discussed the foods they plan to enjoy while in orbit. 

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)

Duration: 2 minutes, 27 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 22, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Earth #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #ESA #Europe #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #OlegKononenko #NikolaiChub #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nile River in African Nation of Sudan | International Space Station

Nile River in African Nation of Sudan | International Space Station

This view of Earth shows the White Nile River leading to the Nile River and winding through the African nation of Sudan. The dark spot at top left, is the Jebel Al Dair National Park containing a variety of mountains in the southern portion of Sudan.

Jebel Al Dair National Park

https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/arab-states/jebel-al-dair

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: Nov. 21, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #Africa #Sudan #NileRiver #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #AndreasMogensen #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: Two Views of a High-Altitude Flight | JPL

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: Two Views of a High-Altitude Flight | JPL 

As NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter made its 59th flight on Mars—achieving its second highest altitude while taking pictures of this flight—the Perseverance Mars rover was watching. See two perspectives of this 142-second flight that reached an altitude of 66 feet (20 meters). This flight took place on Sept.16, 2023. 

In this side-by-side video, you will see the perspective from Perseverance on the left, which was captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z imager from about 180 feet (55 meters) away. On the right, you will see the perspective from Ingenuity, which was taken by its downward-pointing Navigation Camera (Navcam). During Flight 59, Ingenuity hovered at different altitudes to check Martian wind patterns. The highest altitude achieved in this flight was 66 feet. At the time, that was a record for the helicopter. 

Ingenuity is the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. It has completed 66 flights since April 19, 2021. That far exceeds its originally planned technology demonstration of up to five flights. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations for Ingenuity and Perseverance. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument on Perseverance, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.

For more information on Ingenuity, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/ingenuity

For a log of all Ingenuity’s flights, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Flight-Log

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Duration: 2 minutes, 27 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 22, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Ingenuity #Helicopter #Aviation #Flight #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mars: Defrosting Dunes in Kaiser Crater | NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars: Defrosting Dunes in Kaiser Crater | NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The dark sand dune at the center of this observation is covered in a blanket of white seasonal ice in the winter. In this Martian springtime image, the western slope of the dune is partly defrosted.

Bright patches of frost (white in enhanced color) are clearly visible and are made up of water and carbon dioxide ices. Dark streaks of sand have flowed down the dune’s slope that sometimes covers the frost. These flows are caused by the rapid transformation of the frost from ice to gas as the sun heats the dune in the spring.

We can also see how these flows are diverted by the ripples on the dune. (The width of the cutout is around 520 meters.)

Note: Black and white images are 5 km across; enhanced color images are 1 km.

Image Data:

Latitude (centered)

-46.715°

Longitude (East)

20.136°

Spacecraft altitude

251.4 km (156.3 miles)

The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates  the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. 

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

“For 17 years, MRO has been revealing Mars to us as no one had seen it before,” said the mission’s project scientist, Rich Zurek of JPL.

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Caption Credit: Susan J. Conway

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Duration: 50 seconds

Image Date: Dec. 8, 2021

Release Date: March 15, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Science #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #Craters #KaiserCrater #CO2 #CarbonDioxideIce #WaterIce #Sublimation #MRO #Orbiter #Spacecraft #HiRISE #Camera #JPL #Caltech #UniversityOfArizona #BallAerospace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Recientemente: Un envío a la Estación Espacial Internacional | NASA

Recientemente: Un envío a la Estación Espacial Internacional | NASA

Recientemente en la NASA, la versión en español de las cápsulas This Week at NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la NASA. 

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 24 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #NASAenespañol #español #AretmisI #Moon #LucyMission #Science #SpaceX #DragonSpacecraft #CRS29 #CommercialResupplyServices #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: For Everything, There is a First Time

NASA's Space to Ground: For Everything, There is a First Time

Week of Nov. 22, 2023: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

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)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Nov. 22, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Earth #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #ESA #Europe #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #OlegKononenko #NikolaiChub #KonstantinBorisov #Russia #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

City Lights of Moscow & Saint Petersburg | International Space Station

City Lights of Moscow & Saint Petersburg | International Space Station

The city lights (bottom center to far left) of Moscow and Saint Petersburg in Russia, to Helsinki, Finland, are framed by an aurora in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above.

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 Furuk

awa (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: Nov. 17, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #Moscow #Москва #SaintPetersburg #СанктПетербург #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #JAXA #Japan #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship Liftoff & Hot-staging Separation | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

SpaceX Starship Liftoff & Hot-staging Separation | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

These are close-up views of Starship's liftoff, plus views of hot-staging separation between Starship and the Super Heavy Booster by tracking cameras.

"SpaceX's Starship returned to integrated flight testing with its second launch from Starbase in Texas. While it did not happen in a lab or on a test stand, it was absolutely a test. What we did with this second flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship."

On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas and achieved a number of major milestones, including all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster starting up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent.

There are views here from the top of the launch tower at Starbase in Texas, providing a front row seat to watch liftoff of the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. 

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket—collectively referred to as Starship—represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry up to 150 metric tonnes to Earth orbit reusable, and up to 250 metric tonnes expendable.

"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."

Key Starship Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/29.5ft

Payload to LEO: 100 – 150 t (fully reusable)

Capabilities:

Satellites: "Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb."

Raptor Engine Parameters:

Diameter: 1.3m/4ft

Height: 3.1m/10.2ft

Thrust: 230tf/500 klbf

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF): 

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Release Date: Nov. 18-19, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisIII #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavyBooster #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #Starbase #BocaChica #Texas #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship Liftoff: 360 Degree Video of 2nd Launch | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

SpaceX Starship Liftoff: 360 Degree Video of 2nd Launch | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

"SpaceX's Starship returned to integrated flight testing with its second launch from Starbase in Texas. While it did not happen in a lab or on a test stand, it was absolutely a test. What we did with this second flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship."

On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas and achieved a number of major milestones, including all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster starting up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent.

This 360-degree view comes from the top of the launch tower at Starbase in Texas, providing a front row seat to watch liftoff of the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. 

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket—collectively referred to as Starship—represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry up to 150 metric tonnes to Earth orbit reusable, and up to 250 metric tonnes expendable.

"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."

Key Starship Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/29.5ft

Payload to LEO: 100 – 150 t (fully reusable)

Capabilities:

Satellites: "Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb."

Raptor Engine Parameters:

Diameter: 1.3m/4ft

Height: 3.1m/10.2ft

Thrust: 230tf/500 klbf

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF): 

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 19 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisIII #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavyBooster #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #Starbase #BocaChica #Texas #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #360Video #Video

Williamina Fleming's Triangular Wisp Nebula in Cygnus

Williamina Fleming's Triangular Wisp Nebula in Cygnus

These chaotic and tangled filaments of shocked, glowing gas are spread across planet Earth's sky toward the constellation of Cygnus as part of the Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born of the death explosion of a massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion likely reached Earth over 5,000 years ago. The glowing filaments are really more like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into the glow of ionized hydrogen atoms shown in red and oxygen in blue hues. 

Also known as the Cygnus Loop and cataloged as NGC 6979, the Veil Nebula now spans about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon. The length of the wisp corresponds to about 30 light years, given its estimated distance of 2,400 light years. Often identified as Pickering's Triangle for a director of Harvard College Observatory, it is perhaps better named for its discoverer, Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming (1857-1911), as Fleming's Triangular Wisp.

Learn more about astronomer Williamina Fleming (1857-1911):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming

Image Credit & Copyright: Cristiano Gualco

Cristiano's website:

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

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Nebula #VeilNebula #FlemingsTriangularWisp #PickeringsTriangle #SupernovaRemnant #Cygnus #Constellation #Astronomer #WilliaminaFleming #Astrophotographer #Astrophotography #Cosmos #Universe #STEM #Education #APoD

The Horsehead Nebula in Orion

The Horsehead Nebula in Orion

Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is about 1,500 light-years distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. About five light-years "tall," the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Stars are forming within the dark cloud. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023, surrounding a hot, young star, is at the lower left of the full image. The featured gorgeous color image combines both narrowband and broadband images recorded using several different telescopes.

Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh, SSRO, PROMPT, CTIO, NSF

Mark's website:

https://www.hansonastronomy.com/bio

Martin's website:

https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/about

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #HorseheadNebula #Barnard33 #Star #SigmaOrionis #IC434 #NGC2023 #OrionCloudComplex #Orion #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotographers #Astrophotography #STEM #Education #APoD

Airlocks & Robots | International Space Station

Airlocks & Robots | International Space Station

The Nauka science module's experiment airlock

The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module

The Canadarm2 robotic arm and Dextre

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 Furuk

awa (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.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: Nov. 14-15, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Earth #NaukaAirlock #Robotics #Canadarm2 #Dextre #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbelli #AndreasMogensen #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #STEM #Education

Pan of The Milky Way Galaxy's Center: Sagittarius C | Webb Telescope

Pan of The Milky Way Galaxy's Center: Sagittarius C | Webb Telescope

The full view of the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals a 50 light-years-wide portion of the Milky Way’s dense center. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, along with as-yet unidentified features.

A vast region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, wraps around an infrared-dark cloud. This is so dense that it blocks the light from distant stars behind it. Intriguing needle-like structures in the ionized hydrogen emission lack any uniform orientation. Researchers note the surprising extent of the ionized region, covering about 25 light-years.

A cluster of protostars—stars that are still forming and gaining mass—are producing outflows that glow like a bonfire at the base of the large infrared-dark cloud, indicating that they are emerging from the cloud’s protective cocoon and will soon join the ranks of the more mature stars around them. Smaller infrared-dark clouds dot the scene, appearing like holes in the starfield.

Researchers say they have only begun to dig into the wealth of unprecedented high-resolution data that Webb has provided on this region, and many features bear detailed study. This includes the rose-colored clouds on the right side of the image, which have never been seen in such detail.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, STScI, S. Crowe (UVA), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 20, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Protostars #SagittariusC #SgrC #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #Infrared #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Milky Way Galaxy's Center: Sagittarius C | James Webb Space Telescope

The Milky Way Galaxy's Center: Sagittarius C | James Webb Space Telescope

The full view of the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals a 50 light-years-wide portion of the Milky Way’s dense center. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, along with as-yet unidentified features. 

A vast region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, wraps around an infrared-dark cloud. It is so dense that it blocks the light from distant stars behind it. Intriguing needle-like structures in the ionized hydrogen emission lack any uniform orientation. Researchers note the surprising extent of the ionized region, covering about 25 light-years. 

A cluster of protostars—stars that are still forming and gaining mass—are producing outflows that glow like a bonfire at the base of the large infrared-dark cloud, indicating that they are emerging from the cloud’s protective cocoon and will soon join the ranks of the more mature stars around them. Smaller infrared-dark clouds dot the scene, appearing like holes in the starfield. 

Image Description: In a field crowded with stars, a funnel-shaped region of space appears darker than its surroundings with fewer stars. It is wider at the top edge of the image, narrowing towards the bottom. Toward the narrow end of this dark region a small clump of red and white appears to shoot out streamers upward and left. A large, bright cyan-colored area surrounds the lower portion of the funnel-shaped dark area, forming a rough U shape. The cyan-colored area has needle-like, linear structures and becomes more diffuse in the center of the image. The right side of the image is dominated by clouds of orange and red, with a purple haze.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, S. Crowe (UVA)

Release Date: Nov. 20, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Protostars #SagittariusC #SgrC #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #NIRCam #Infrared #NearInfrared #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education