Planet Uranus | James Webb Space Telescope

Planet Uranus | James Webb Space Telescope

This image of Uranus from the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) on the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the planet and its rings in new clarity. The planet’s seasonal north polar cap gleams in a bright white, and Webb’s exquisite sensitivity resolves Uranus’ dim inner and outer rings, including the Zeta ring—the extremely faint and diffuse ring closest to the planet.

This Webb image also shows 14 of the planet’s 27 moons: Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Perdita, Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Ariel, Miranda, Bianca, and Portia.

One day on Uranus is about 17 hours, so the planet’s rotation is relatively quick. This makes it supremely difficult for observatories with a sharp eye like Webb to capture one simple image of the entire planet—storms and other atmospheric features, and the planet’s moons, move visibly within minutes. This image combines several longer and shorter exposures of this dynamic system to correct for those slight changes throughout the observing time.

Webb’s extreme sensitivity also picks up a smattering of background galaxies—most appear as orange smudges, and there are two larger, fuzzy white galaxies to the right of the planet in this field of view.

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

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 18, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Planets #Planet #Uranus #Rings #Moons #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #InfraredTelescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy MCG-01-24-014 in Hydra | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy MCG-01-24-014 in Hydra | Hubble

This whirling image features a bright spiral galaxy known as MCG-01-24-014. It is located about 275 million light-years from Earth. In addition to being a well-defined spiral galaxy, MCG-01-24-014 has an extremely energetic core, known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), so it is referred to as an active galaxy. Even more specifically, it is categorized as a Type-2 Seyfert galaxy. Seyfert galaxies host one of the most common subclasses of AGN, alongside quasars. While the precise categorization of AGNs is nuanced, Seyfert galaxies tend to be relatively nearby ones where the host galaxy remains plainly detectable alongside its central AGN, while quasars are invariably very distant AGNs whose incredible luminosities outshine their host galaxies.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy. It appears to be almost circular and seen face-on, with two prominent spiral arms winding out from a glowing core. It is centered in the frame as if a portrait. Most of the background is black, with only tiny, distant galaxies, but there are two large bright stars in the foreground, one blue and one red, directly above the galaxy.

There are further subclasses of both Seyfert galaxies and quasars. In the case of Seyfert galaxies, the predominant subcategories are Type-1 and Type-2. These are differentiated from one another by their spectra—the pattern that results when light is split into its constituent wavelengths—where the spectral lines that Type-2 Seyfert galaxies emit are particularly associated with specific so-called ‘forbidden’ emission. To understand why emitted light from a galaxy could be considered forbidden, it helps to understand why spectra exist in the first place. Spectra look the way they do because certain atoms and molecules will absorb and emit light very reliably at very specific wavelengths. The reason for this is quantum physics: electrons (the tiny particles that orbit the nuclei of atoms and molecules) can only exist at very specific energies, and therefore electrons can only lose or gain very specific amounts of energy. These very specific amounts of energy correspond to certain light wavelengths being absorbed or emitted.

Forbidden emission lines, therefore, are spectral emission lines that should not exist according to certain rules of quantum physics. Nevertheless, quantum physics is complex, and the rules adopted to predict it use assumptions that suit laboratory conditions here on Earth. Under those rules, this emission is ‘forbidden’—so improbable that it’s disregarded. However, in space, in the midst of an incredibly energetic galactic core, those assumptions do not hold anymore, and the ‘forbidden’ light gets a chance to shine out towards us.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

Release Date: Dec. 18, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #MCG0124014 #SeyfertGalaxy #AGN #Hydra #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

'The Moon God Awakens' Launch: Japanese Earth Imaging Satellite | Rocket Lab

'The Moon God Awakens' Launch: Japanese Earth Imaging Satellite | Rocket Lab

iQPS Tsukuyomi I satellite in orbit

iQPS Tsukuyomi I satellite payload integration

Rocket Lab successfully launched its 42nd mission, 'The Moon God Awakens', on an Electron rocket for Japan-based company iQPS at 17:05 NZDT, December 15, 2023, from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The mission was Rocket Lab’s 10th Electron launch for the year, surpassing its previous annual record of nine launches in 2022. 

Learn more about Rocket Lab: 

https://www.rocketlabusa.com

Learn more about iQPS: https://i-qps.net/en/

Image Credit: Rocket Lab

Image Date: Dec. 15, 2023

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #RocketLab #ElectronRocket #RocketLaunch #TheMoonGodAwakens #iQPS #Japan #日本 #NewZealand #MahiaPeninsula #CommercialSpace #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #PeterBeck #STEM #Education

3D Visualization of Variable Star RS Puppis (Artist's Impression)

3D Visualization of Variable Star RS Puppis (Artist's Impression)

This 3D visualization shows Hubble observations of variable star RS Puppis. A stunning example of a phenomenon known as a light echo can be seen around the star, creating the illusion of gas clouds expanding out from RS Puppis.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, M. Kornmesser

Duration: 21 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #CepheidVariableStar #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Art #3D #Visualization #HD #Video

Visible Light Echoes around Variable Star RS Puppis Explained | Hubble

Visible Light Echoes around Variable Star RS Puppis Explained | Hubble

Hubblecast 71: This episode of the Hubblecast explores striking new Hubble observations of a variable star known as RS Puppis. This star is growing brighter and dimmer as it pulsates over a period of five weeks. These pulsations have created a stunning example of a phenomenon known as a light echo, where light appears to reverberate through the foggy environment around the star.

Distance: 6,500 light years

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble

Directed by: Nicola Guttridge

Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser

Written by: Nicola Guttridge & Georgia Bladon

Presented by: Joe Liske (Dr J)

Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa

Images: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-Hubble/Europe Collaboration

Acknowledgment: H. Bond (STScI and Penn State University)

View of Milky Way: Nick Risinger

Videos: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada), G. Bacon (STScI)

Cinematography: Peter Rixner

Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #CepheidVariableStar #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble

Zooming in on Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble

This video zooms in on the variable star RS Puppis. The sequence begins with a view of the night sky near the southern constellation of Puppis. It then zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, and ends with a view of the star as obtained by Hubble. 

RS Puppis is unusual. This variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity.

Distance: 6,500 light years

Video Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Digitized Sky Survey 2, Nick Risinger

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #CepheidVariableStar #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Panning across Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble

Panning across Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble

This video pans across Hubble observations of variable star RS Puppis. These observations show the ethereal object embedded in its dusty environment, set against a dark sky filled with background galaxies. RS Puppis is unusual. This variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity.

Distance: 6,500 light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #CepheidVariableStar #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble Space Telescope

Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble Space Telescope

This Hubble image shows RS Puppis, a type of variable star known as a Cepheid variable. As variable stars go, Cepheids have comparatively long periods—RS Puppis, for example, varies in brightness by almost a factor of five every 40 or so days.

Distance: 6,500 light years

RS Puppis is unusual. This variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity.

These Hubble observations show the ethereal object embedded in its dusty environment, set against a dark sky filled with background galaxies.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-Hubble/Europe Collaboration

Acknowledgment: H. Bond (STScI and Penn State University)

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #Star #CepheidVariableStar #LightEcho #Dust #Nebula #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Cepheid Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble’s Inside The Image | NASA Goddard

Cepheid Variable Star RS Puppis | Hubble’s Inside The Image | NASA Goddard

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken over 1.5 million observations over the years. One of them is the incredible image of RS Puppis.

RS Puppis is a remarkable and highly luminous Cepheid variable star located in the constellation Puppis, known for its regular pulsations and dramatic changes in brightness.

In this video, Dr. Padi Boyd explains this breathtaking image and how important Hubble is to exploring the mysteries of the universe.

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

Producer, Director & Editor: James Leigh

Director of Photography: James Ball

Executive Producers: James Leigh & Matthew Duncan

Production & Post: Origin Films 

Video Credits:

Hubble Space Telescope Animation

ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen) 

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Dates: Dec. 17, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #CepheidVariableStar #Puppis #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Fireball over Pennsylvania | Geminid Meteor Shower 2023

Fireball over Pennsylvania | Geminid Meteor Shower 2023

Astrophotographer Tom Wildoner: "Snagged this beauty early in the morning on December 16, 2023 while testing a ZWO ASI071MC and Samyang Lens. You can still capture some Geminid meteors before and after the peak dates."

Every December we have a chance to see one of our favorite meteor showers—the Geminids. All meteors appear to come from the same place in the sky called the radiant. The Geminids appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini, hence the name “Geminids.”

The Geminids are typically rich in green-colored fireballs like this one!

The Geminids are caused by debris from a celestial object known as 3200 Phaethon, whose origin is the subject of debate. A number of astronomers consider it to be an extinct comet, based on observations showing a small amount of material leaving Phaethon’s surface. Others argue that it has to be an asteroid because of its orbit and its similarity to the main-belt asteroid Pallas.

Whatever the nature of Phaethon, observations show that the Geminids are denser than meteors belonging to other showers, enabling them to get as low as 29 miles above Earth’s surface before burning up. Meteors belonging to other showers, like the Perseids, burn up much higher.

The Geminids can be seen by most of the world. Yet, it is best viewed by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. As you enter the Southern Hemisphere and move towards the South Pole, the altitude of the Geminid radiant—the celestial point in the sky where the Geminid meteors appear to originate—gets lower and lower above the horizon. Thus, observers in these locations see fewer Geminids than their northern counterparts.

Besides the weather, the phase of the Moon is a major factor in determining whether a meteor shower will have good rates during any given year.

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 Technical Specs: ZWO ASI071MC Camera (not cooled), Samyang Lens f/2.8, 45-second exposure, tripod mounted, unguided, using AllSkEye software

Image Credit: Tom Wildoner

Tom's website: https://sites.google.com/view/thedarksideobservatory

Location: near Weatherly, Pennsylvania, United States

Image Date: Dec. 16, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Meteors #Bolides #Fireballs #Astrophotography #TomWildoner #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #SolarSystem #Pennsylvania #UnitedStates #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Booster Segment Processing | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Booster Segment Processing | Kennedy Space Center

Engineers and technicians process the right forward center segment (one of ten total) of the Space Launch System solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2023.

The team has been examining the 10 booster segments one-by-one then lifting them to make sure they are ready for integration and launch before moving them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking atop the mobile launcher. 

Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will blast off from Kennedy and travel around the moon for the agency’s first crewed mission under Artemis that will test all of the Orion spacecraft’s systems.

Learn more about the Artemis II Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii 

Learn more about Space Launch System (SLS): nasa.gov/sls

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Date: Nov. 28, 2023

#NASA #Space #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Moon #Rocket #SpaceLaunchSystem #NASASLS #SRB #NorthropGrumman #MoonToMars #DeepSpace #Propulsion #Engineering #Technology #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education

Space Barber Shop: Chinese Astronaut Gets Haircut | China Space Station

Space Barber Shop: Chinese Astronaut Gets Haircut | China Space Station

On Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, a video showing the Shenzhou-17 crew aboard China's space station getting haircuts and washing their hair was released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). It soon went viral online and drew numerous likes from viewers. A temporary "barber shop" in China's Tiangong Space Station opened as Shenzhou-17 crew members scrubbed up their appearances to give each other haircuts. Shenzhou-17 astronaut Tang Shengjie can be seen giving fellow astronaut Jiang Xinlin a haircut. Shenzhou-17 astronaut Tang Hongbo (crew commander) can also be seen washing and drying his hair.

Tang Shengjie cut the hair of his colleague Jiang Xinlin using a smart device. Then, a vacuum cleaner-like device sucked up the discarded hair strands to avoid any potential safety risk to the space station's hardware.

The video also showed the mission commander Tang Hongbo using special "shower caps" to wash his hair. He put on the first shower cap with shampoo in it and rubbed his hair. Then, he put on the second shower cap containing water to clean his hair, before drying it with a towel.

The three members of the Shenzhou-17 crew have stayed in orbit for nearly 50 days. They have successfully completed assigned tasks, including moving equipment out of the space station for space experiments, managing equipment and facilities, and maintaining experiment facilities for long-term scientific research.

The three Shenzhou-17 astronauts are expected to spend about six months on China's Tiangong Space Station. The Shenzhou-17 crew launched to the station on October 26, 2023. Shenzhou-17 is the sixth spaceflight to the station.

Shenzhou-17 Crew:

Hongbo Tang (Commander)

Shengjie Tang (Mission Specialist)

Xinlin Jiang (Mission Specialist)

Credit: China Manned Space Agency/CCTV Video News Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Shenzhou17 #神舟十七号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #Haircuts #HongboTang #ShengjieTang #XinlinJiang #SpaceLaboratory #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #TiangongSpaceStation #中国空间站 #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Webb Space Telescope’s New Look at an Exploded Star | This Week @NASA

The Webb Space Telescope’s New Look at an Exploded Star | This Week @NASA 

Week of December 15, 2023: The James Webb Space Telescope’s new look at an exploded star, teams prepare to install Moon rocket hardware, and completing NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer: Andre Valentine

Video Editor: Andre Valentine

Narrator: Emanuel Cooper

Duration: 2 minutes, 37 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 16, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #ArtemisII #CassiopeiaA #CasA #SupernovaRemnant #Cassiopeia #Constellation #WebbTelescope #JWST #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Sparks Commercial Delivery Service to the Moon

NASA Sparks Commercial Delivery Service to the Moon

As NASA prepares to send humans back to the Moon, we will send science and technology instruments ahead of time to lay the foundation for a sustainable human presence. Through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS initiative, we are enabling American companies to send our science experiments and technologies to the lunar surface for us. This unique commercial delivery service is poised to change the way we work and perform science at the Moon, greatly expanding our capabilities for exploration. 

Learn more about this innovative approach: https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Moon #CLPS #ArtemisProgram #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Sun Emits X2.8 Class Solar Flare | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Sun Emits X2.8 Class Solar Flare | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Sun emitted a strong X2.8 class solar flare (upper right side) on December 14, 2023, peaking at 12:02 p.m. EST. Solar flares are sudden explosions of energy in the Sun’s atmosphere that can release a large amount of radiation into space. 

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory watches the Sun constantly and captured images of the event.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare is classified as an X2.8 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit: 

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center: https://spaceweather.gov

This is the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.

Credit: NASA Goddard (GSFC)/Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) images, the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 1 minute, 33 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #SpaceWeather #Sun #Star #Solar #XClass #SolarFlares #Ultraviolet #Plasma #MagneticField #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #SDO #Satellite #SolarSystem #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mars: New December 2023 Images | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars: New December 2023 Images | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1000

Mars 2020 - sol 1000

Mars 2020 - sol 1000

MSL - sol 4033

MSL - sol 4033

MSL - sol 4035

MSL - sol 4035

Mars 2020 - sol 1000

  

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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: Dec. 12-14, 2023

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