Layered Bedrock on Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Layered Bedrock on Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Layered sediments are the key to the puzzle of Martian history. They tell us about the conditions that existed when the sediments were deposited, and how they changed over time. This image shows an eroded mesa made up of rhythmically layered bedrock that seems to indicate cyclic deposition. The layers are accentuated by recent dark sand deposits that have accumulated on the benches of the brighter sediments. The plateau is topped by a younger set of layers that appear to be finer and less blocky than the older layers below, suggesting a different depositional environment. Similar layered sediments are found in nearby craters in southwestern Arabia Terra.

The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, that 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

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Nov. 17, 2021

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Science #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #Bedrock #SedimentLayers #Mesa #MRO #Orbiter #Spacecraft #HiRISE #Camera #JPL #Caltech #UniversityOfArizona #BallAerospace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket Flight Test Highlights

United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket Flight Test Highlights

"United Launch Alliance (ULA) marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its next generation Vulcan rocket on Jan. 8, 2024, at 2:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Vulcan provides industry-leading capabilities to deliver any payload, at any time, to any orbit."

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis program, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket   successfully launched the first U.S. commercial robotic launch for Artemis lunar science missions. Vulcan has supported a NASA science mission via Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. This was the ULA Vulcan rocket's first certification mission (Cert-1).

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One is designed to carry NASA and commercial payloads for studies of the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment of the lunar surface.

Learn more about Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander (Adobe PDF):

https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Peregrine-Launch_Info_Packet-Web-1.pdf

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/ 

Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Jan. 8, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #SouthPole #MonsMouton #WaterIce #Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #ULA #VulcanRocket #Cert1FlightTest #CLPS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Quieting the Boom: Meet NASA's X-59 Supersonic Aircraft | 60 Second Science

Quieting the Boom: Meet NASA's X-59 Supersonic Aircraft | 60 Second Science

What if you could fly from coast to coast in half the time? NASA's Quesst Mission is working to see if that vision can become reality.

Meet the X-59, NASA's quiet supersonic aircraft that will turn sonic booms into sonic "thumps" and could one day cut flight times in half.

The X-59's goal is to expand supersonic flight and provide regulators with data to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

Learn more here:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/

https://www.nasa.gov/flightlog

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

Hablas español? Visita: https://ciencia.nasa.gov/el-x-59-se-asemeja-una-aeronave-real para aprender mas sobre la mision Quesst

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Jan. 8, 2024

#NASA #Aerospace #SupersonicFlight #SupersonicAircraft #X59 #Sonicboom #QuietAviation #Aviation #QuesstMission #CommercialAviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #AerospaceResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

ULA Vulcan Rocket Flight Test for NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Missions

ULA Vulcan Rocket Flight Test for NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Missions

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis program, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket   successfully launched at 2:18 a.m. EST Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first U.S. commercial robotic launch for Artemis lunar science missions. Vulcan has supported a NASA science mission via Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. This was the ULA Vulcan rocket's first certification mission (Cert-1).

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One is designed to carry NASA and commercial payloads for studies of the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment of the lunar surface.

Learn more about Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander (Adobe PDF):

https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Peregrine-Launch_Info_Packet-Web-1.pdf

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/ 

Image Credits: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Image Date: Jan. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #SouthPole #MonsMouton #WaterIce #Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #ULA #VulcanRocket #Cert1FlightTest #CLPS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Telescopes Chase Down "Green Monster" in Cassiopeia A Star's Debris

NASA Telescopes Chase Down "Green Monster" in Cassiopeia A Star's Debris

Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. A curious structure there was first identified in Webb’s infrared data from April 2023. The origin of this feature, dubbed the “Green Monster” because of its resemblance to the wall in the left field of Fenway Park, was not clear. However, by combining the Webb data with x-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers think they have hunted down the source of the Green Monster.

While the astronomers already suspected the Green Monster was created by a blast wave from the exploded star slamming into material surrounding it, the Chandra data helped clinch the case. They showed that the properties of the X-rays from the Green Monster are similar to the X-rays from the blast wave rather than from the supernova debris.

When a massive star exploded to create Cas A about 340 years ago, from Earth’s perspective, it created a ball of matter and light that expanded outward. In the outer parts of Cas A the blast wave is striking surrounding gas that was ejected by the star between about 10,000 and 100,000 years before the explosion.

Chandra detects debris from the star because it is heated to tens of millions of degrees by shock waves, akin to sonic booms from a supersonic plane. Webb can see some material that has not been affected by shock waves, what can be called “pristine” debris. Much of this lies behind the Green Monster. This means the combination of Webb and Chandra data gives a fuller census of debris from the exploded star.

Astronomers will continue to use every tool available—including Chandra and Webb—to study this object that has fascinated them for years.

Video Credit: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Jan. 8, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #CassiopeiaA #CasA #SupernovaRemnant #Cassiopeia #Constellation #SpaceTelescopes #JamesWebb #JWST #Infrared #NASAChandra #Xrays #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #JPL #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Arp 122: A "Herculean" Galactic Merger | Hubble Space Telescope

Arp 122: A "Herculean" Galactic Merger | Hubble Space Telescope

This Hubble image features Arp 122, a peculiar galaxy that is made up of two galaxies—NGC 6040, the tilted, warped spiral galaxy and LEDA 59642, the round, face-on spiral—that are in the middle of a collision in the constellation Hercules. This dramatic cosmic encounter is located at the very safe distance of roughly 570 million light-years from Earth. Peeking in at the corner is the elliptical galaxy NGC 6041, a central member of the galaxy cluster that Arp 122 resides in, but otherwise not participating in this monster merger.

Image Description: Two spiral galaxies are merging together at the right side of the image. One is seen face-on and is circular in shape. The other seems to lie in front of the first one. This galaxy is seen as a disc tilted away from the viewer and it is partially warped. In the lower-left corner, cut off by the frame, a large elliptical galaxy appears as light radiating from a point. Many small galaxies cover the background.

Galactic collisions and mergers are monumentally energetic and dramatic events, but they take place on a very slow timescale. For example, the Milky Way is on track to collide with its nearest galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), but these two galaxies have a good four billion years to go before they actually meet. The process of colliding and merging will not be a quick one either. It may  take hundreds of millions of years to unfold. These collisions take so long because of the truly massive distances involved.

Galaxies are composed of stars and their solar systems, dust and gas. In galactic collisions, therefore, these constituent components may experience enormous changes in the gravitational forces acting on them. In time, this completely changes the structure of the two (or more) colliding galaxies, and sometimes ultimately results in a single, merged galaxy. This may well be what results from the collision pictured in this image. Galaxies that result from mergers are thought to have a regular or elliptical structure, as the merging process disrupts more complex structures (such as those observed in spiral galaxies). It would be fascinating to know what Arp 122 will look like once this collision is complete . . . but that will not happen for a long, long time. 

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

Acknowledgement: L. Shatz

Release Date: Jan. 8, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #Arp122 #NGC6040 #NGC6041 #SpiralGalaxies #MergingGalaxies #Hercules #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Launch of First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA Vulcan Rocket

Launch of First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA Vulcan Rocket

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis program, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket   successfully launched at 2:18 a.m. EST Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first U.S. commercial robotic launch to the Moon’s surface. Vulcan has supported a NASA science mission via Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. This was the ULA Vulcan rocket's first certification mission (Cert-1).

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One is carrying NASA and commercial payloads to study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment of the lunar surface. 

Learn more about Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander (Adobe PDF):

https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Peregrine-Launch_Info_Packet-Web-1.pdf

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/ 

Image Credits: NASA/Isaac Watson/United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Image Date: Jan. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #SouthPole #MonsMouton #WaterIce #Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #ULA #VulcanRocket #CLPS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Successful Launch of First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA

Successful Launch of First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis program, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket   successfully launched at 2:18 a.m. EST Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first U.S. commercial robotic launch to the Moon’s surface. Vulcan is supporting a NASA science mission via Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. This is the ULA Vulcan rocket's first certification mission (Cert-1).

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One is carrying NASA and commercial payloads to study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment of the lunar surface. 

Learn more about Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander (Adobe PDF):

https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Peregrine-Launch_Info_Packet-Web-1.pdf

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/ 

Video Credit: NASA/United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 7 minutes

Image Dates: Jan. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #SouthPole #MonsMouton #WaterIce #Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #ULA #VulcanRocket #CLPS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on Pandora’s Cluster | Hubble

Zooming in on Pandora’s Cluster | Hubble

This sequence starts with a broad view of the southern skies. We close in on an apparently empty region of sky in the faint constellation of Sculptor. As we zoom in further we can start to make out a cloud of faint galaxies that is revealed in the final NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image to be a spectacularly rich merging cluster of galaxies called Abell 2744, and nicknamed Pandora's Cluster. This remarkable object seems to be the result of the collision of at least four separate galaxy clusters.

Distance: 4 billion light years

Credit: ESO/NASA/ESA and J. Merten (Heidelberg/Bologna)/D. Coe (STScI)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/A. Fujii

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #PandorasCluster #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell2744 #DarkMatter #Sculptor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #Optical #HST #VLT #ESO #Chile #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Panning across Pandora’s Cluster | Hubble

Panning across Pandora’s Cluster | Hubble

This video shows a composite image of Hubble and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) observations of galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster. This remarkable object seems to be the result of the collision of at least four separate galaxy clusters.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and D. Coe (STScI)/J. Merten (Heidelberg/Bologna)

Duration: 36 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #PandorasCluster #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell2744 #DarkMatter #Sculptor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #Optical #HST #VLT #ESO #Chile #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Space Telescope Sees "Ghost Light" from Dead Galaxies in Pandora's Cluster

Hubble Space Telescope Sees "Ghost Light" from Dead Galaxies in Pandora's Cluster

The massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster, takes on a ghostly look in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope view. Distance: 4 billion light years

In this image the total starlight from the cluster has been artificially colored blue. This reveals that not all the starlight is contained within the cities of stars—the galaxies—that appear as bright blue-white blobs. A fraction of the starlight is also dispersed throughout the cluster, as seen in the darker blue regions.

This light comes from dead galaxies. The galaxies were torn apart long ago by the cluster's gravitational forces, and their stars were scattered into what is known as intracluster space—the space between the galaxies.

These orphaned stars roam the cluster, without being gravitationally tethered to any single galaxy. Because these extremely faint stars are brightest at near-infrared wavelengths of light, this type of observation could only be accomplished with Hubble’s infrared sensitivity to extraordinarily dim light.

The galaxies that are not colored blue are either in the foreground or background and are not part of the cluster.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/hubble-sees-ghost-light-from-dead-galaxies/

Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Montes (IAC), and J. Lotz, M. Mountain, A. Koekemoer, and the HFF Team (STScI)

Release Date: Oct. 31, 2014

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #GalacticClusters #PandorasCluster #Abell2744 #Sculptor #Constellation #GravitationalLensing #Astrophysics #Cosmology #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Dark Matter & Galaxies in Pandora's Cluster | NASA Optical & X-ray Views

Dark Matter & Galaxies in Pandora's Cluster | NASA Optical & X-ray Views

This image combines visible light exposures of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 taken by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), with X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and a mathematical reconstruction of the location of dark matter.

The galaxies in the cluster, while they are the only part that is visible in the optical part of the spectrum, actually only provide around 5% of the mass in the cluster.

Hot intracluster gas (shown in pink, and responsible for around 20% of the mass in the cluster) is visible through its X-ray emissions, observed by NASA’s Chandra satellite.

The blue overlay shows a map of the mass in the cluster. This is reconstructed based on detailed analysis of the way that the cluster bends light from galaxies in the distant background. Evidence of this light bending can be seen in arc-like distortions in parts of this image. Since dark matter makes up the lion’s share of mass in the cluster—around 75%—this blue overlay reveals the location of the otherwise invisible dark matter.

Analysis of this data has allowed scientists to observe some strange phenomena in Abell 2744, including a pocket of dark matter with no gas or galaxies, and a clump of galaxies with no associated gas. Astronomers believe that Abell 2744 formed from the simultaneous pile-up of at least four separate clusters.

Credit: NASA, ESA, ESO, CXC & D. Coe (STScI)/J. Merten (Heidelberg/Bologna)

Release Date: June 22, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #PandorasCluster #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell2744 #DarkMatter #Sculptor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #Xrays #NASAChandra #Optical #HST #VLT #ESO #Chile #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA Vulcan Rocket Ready for Launch

First NASA Artemis Robotic Moon Mission | ULA Vulcan Rocket Ready for Launch

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis program, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Astrobotic are currently targeting 2:18 a.m. EST Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, for the first commercial robotic launch to the Moon’s surface. Carrying NASA science, liftoff of ULA’s Vulcan rocket and Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander will happen from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Launch of Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One will carry NASA and commercial payloads to study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment of the lunar surface. 

Learn more about Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander (Adobe PDF):

https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Peregrine-Launch_Info_Packet-Web-1.pdf

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/ 

Image Credits: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Image Dates: Jan. 5-7, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #SouthPole #MonsMouton #WaterIce #Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #ULA #VulcanRocket #CLPS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Pandora's Cluster: Discover the Abell 2744 Collection of Galaxies | Hubble

Pandora's Cluster: Discover the Abell 2744 Collection of Galaxies | Hubble

Hubblecast 47: This joint episode of the Hubblecast and ESOcast presents Abell 2744, an unusual cluster of galaxies nicknamed "Pandora's Cluster" by the astronomers who have studied it. Looking at the galaxies, gas and dark matter in the cluster, scientists have reconstructed the series of huge collisions that created it, and have uncovered some strange phenomena never seen together before.

Video Credits:

European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble, European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser  

Animations: Martin Kornmesser, Luis Calcada  

Web and technical support: Lars Holm Nielsen and Raquel Yumi Shida  

Written by: Oli Usher and Richard Hook  

Narration: Gaitee Hussain  

Images: NASA, ESA, ESO  

Directed by: Oli Usher  

Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 3, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #PandorasCluster #Abell2744 #DarkMatter #Sculptor #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ESO #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

The Center of Pandora’s Cluster: Abell 2744 in Sculptor | Hubble

The Center of Pandora’s Cluster: Abell 2744 in Sculptor | Hubble

This Hubble image, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), shows the central part of merging galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora’s Cluster. This remarkable object seems to be the result of the collision of at least four separate galaxy clusters. This cluster is thought to have a very violent history, having formed from a cosmic pile-up of multiple galaxy clusters. 

Abell 2744 is a giant galaxy cluster resulting from the simultaneous pile-up of at least four separate, smaller galaxy clusters that took place over a span of 350 million years, and is located approximately 4 billion light years from Earth. The galaxies in the cluster make up less than five percent of its mass. The gas (around 20 percent) is so hot that it shines only in X-rays. Dark matter makes up around 75 percent of the cluster's mass. This cluster also shows a radio halo along with several other Abell clusters. It has a strong central halo, along with an extended tail, which could either be relic radiation, or an extension of the central halo.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and D. Coe of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)/J. Merten (Heidelberg/Bologna)

Release Date: June 22, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #PandorasCluster #Abell2744 #Sculptor #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GravitationalLensing #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Pandora’s Cluster: Abell 2744 in Sculptor | Hubble Space Telescope

Pandora’s Cluster: Abell 2744 in Sculptor | Hubble Space Telescope

Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora’s Cluster, was the first of six targets within the Frontier Fields program that together have produced deep images of gravitational lensing. The cluster is thought to have a very violent history, having formed from a cosmic pile-up of multiple galaxy clusters. 

Abell 2744 is a giant galaxy cluster resulting from the simultaneous pile-up of at least four separate, smaller galaxy clusters that took place over a span of 350 million years, and is located approximately 4 billion light years from Earth. The galaxies in the cluster make up less than five percent of its mass. The gas (around 20 percent) is so hot that it shines only in X-rays. Dark matter makes up around 75 percent of the cluster's mass. This cluster also shows a radio halo along with several other Abell clusters. It has a strong central halo, along with an extended tail, which could either be relic radiation, or an extension of the central halo.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and the HST Frontier Fields Team/Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2015

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #PandorasCluster #Abell2744 #Sculptor #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GravitationalLensing #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education