Tuesday, April 02, 2024

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi Interview | IWASM

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi Interview | IWASM

Selected in 2021, Nora Al Matrooshi became the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) first ever female astronaut. She trained alongside the most recent NASA astronaut class, including her compatriot, Mohammed Al-Mulla, graduating in March 2024. Watch this short video of the International Women's Air & Space Museum (IWASM) interview with Al Matrooshi.

Nora Al Matrooshi, hailing from UAE's third largest city, Sharjah, possesses an impressive academic background. She graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United Arab Emirates University and further honed her skills through specialized training at the Vaasa University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Nora also studied the Korean language at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. 

Starting in 2016, she worked as a piping engineer at the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. She is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Nora was chosen from over 4,000 candidates to be trained for future space exploration missions.


International Women's Air & Space Museum Website: 

Subscribe to The International Women's Air & Space Museum YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@internationalwomensairspac1760


Video Credit: International Women's Air & Space Museum

Record Date: March 5, 2024

Duration: 3 minutes, 22 seconds

Release Date: April 2, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #ISS #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisGeneration #Astronauts #AstronautCandidates #ASCANs #Training #NoraAlMatrooshi #Leader #Pioneer #UAE #MBRSC #UAESA #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video  نورا المطروشي

Panning over Interacting Galaxies NGC 5996 & NGC 5994 (Arp 72) | Hubble

Panning over Interacting Galaxies NGC 5996 & NGC 5994 (Arp 72) | Hubble

This image features Arp 72, a very selective galaxy group that only includes two interacting galaxies: NGC 5996 (the large spiral galaxy) and NGC 5994 (its smaller companion, in the lower left of the image). Both galaxies lie approximately 160 million light-years from Earth, and their cores are separated from each other by a distance of around 67 thousand light-years. Moreover, the distance between the galaxies at their closest points is even smaller, closer to 40 thousand light-years. Whilst this might still sound vast, in galactic separation terms it is really very cozy! For comparison, the distance between the Milky Way and its nearest independent galactic neighbor Andromeda is around 2.5 million light-years. Alternatively, the distance between the Milky Way and its largest and brightest satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (satellite galaxies are galaxies that are bound in orbit around another galaxy), is about 162 thousand light-years. 

Given this, coupled with the fact that NGC 5996 is roughly comparable in size to the Milky Way, it is not surprising that NGC 5996 and NGC 5994—apparently separated by only 40 thousand light-years or so—are interacting with one another. In fact, the interaction might be what has caused the spiral shape of NGC 5996 to distort and apparently be drawn in the direction of NGC 5994. It also prompted the formation of the very long and faint tail of stars and gas curving away from NGC 5996, up to the top right of the image. This ‘tidal tail’ is a common phenomenon that appears when galaxies get in close together, as can be seen in several Hubble images.

Image Description: A large spiral galaxy with a smaller neighboring galaxy. The spiral galaxy is wide and distorted, with colorful dust. Its companion lies close by it at the end of a spiral arm, to the lower left. A long, faint tail of stars reaches up from the right side of the spiral galaxy to the top of the image. Several small, distant galaxies can be seen in the background, as well as one bright star in the foreground.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, L. Galbany, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: April 2, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #NGC5996 #NGC5994 #Arp72 #SerpensCaput #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 70 Crew Photos: Spring 2024 | International Space Station

Expedition 70 Crew Photos: Spring 2024 | International Space Station

Five NASA astronauts wear eye-protecting specs in anticipation of viewing the solar eclipse from the International Space Station's cupola. The Expedition 70 crewmates will have three opportunities on April 8 to view the Moon's shadow as it tracks across the Earth surface during the eclipse.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara is pictured in her spacesuit before beginning a spacewalk for maintenance on the International Space Station's port solar alpha rotary joint, which allows the solar arrays to track the Sun and generate electricity to power the orbital outpost.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara is pictured during a spacewalk for maintenance on the International Space Station's port solar alpha rotary joint, which allows the solar arrays to track the Sun and generate electricity to power the orbital outpost.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps installs the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-2, or ADSEP-2. The scientific device can interface with the Dragon and Cygnus cargo craft and houses cassettes that process samples for biology and physics research including cell and tissue culturing, protein crystal growth, microorganism and bacteria studies, and materials science research.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Mike Barratt works aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module processing protein crystal samples inside a portable glovebag to learn how to generate personalized medicines in space for astronauts.
Expeditiom 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Nikolai Chub from Roscosmos, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps, both from NASA, are pictured inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. The trio was awaiting the opening of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft's hatch on Harmony's space-facing port.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick smiles for a portrait during photography duties aboard the International Space Station.
Just a tiny image in the center of this photograph, the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship carrying three crew members is pictured approaching the International Space Station for a docking to the Poisk module. Aboard the Soyuz MS-25 were, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya. At left, is the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship docked to the Rassvet module, and at right, is the Prichal docking module attached to the Nauka science module.


The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 70 temporarily increases the station’s population to 10.

On March 25, 2024, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy (Russia), and Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya joined NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, already living and working aboard the space station.

Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos (Russia), who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.

Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.

Follow Expedition 70 Updates: 

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

Expedition 70 Crew
Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia), Oleg Novitskiy (Russia), Marina Vasilevskaya (Belarus)
NASA: Loral O'Hara, Matthew Dominik, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

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

Image Dates: Nov. 1, 2023-March 29, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Belarus #Беларусь #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition70 #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Monday, April 01, 2024

What's Up for April 2024 | Skywatching Tips from NASA (Northern Hemisphere)

What's Up for April 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA (Northern Hemisphere)

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for April 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere:

Catch Mars and Saturn rising, and Jupiter hangs out with Comet 12P. Plus NASA has you covered for the total eclipse in North America whether you are headed to totality or watching from afar.

View and download the eclipse map here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5073

0:00 Intro 

0:14 Moon & planet highlights

0:57 Comet 12p/Pons-Brooks

1:38 Total solar eclipse

3:45 April Moon phases

NASA's Night Sky Network

https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/night-sky-network/

Skywatching resources from NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching


Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: April 1, 2024


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #SolarEclipse #Planets #Mars #Saturn #Jupiter #Comets #Comet12P #Comet12pPonsBrooks #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #JPL #Caltech #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronauts Share Tips for Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse

NASA Astronauts Share Tips for Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse

Astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, Frank Rubio, and Sultan Alneyadi are on a mission to get you ready for the upcoming total eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.

View and download the eclipse map here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5073

Not in the path of the eclipse? Watch with us from anywhere in the world. We will provide live broadcast coverage from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT (1700 to 2000 UTC) on April 8. We will share conversations with experts and provide telescope views of the eclipse from several sites along the eclipse path: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJY_ptQW1o&t=0s

WARNING: Except during the brief totality phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. Indirect viewing methods, such as pinhole projectors, can also be used to experience an eclipse. 

For more on how to safely view this eclipse: https://go.nasa.gov/Eclipse2024Safety 

Learn more about the total solar eclipse: https://go.nasa.gov/Eclipse2024 

Track the eclipse path: https://go.nasa.gov/EclipseExplorer 


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producer: Sonnet Apple

Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

Release Date: April 1, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Moon #Sun #SolarEclipses #EclipseMap #SolarEclipse #Canada #Mexico #UnitedStates #ISS #Astronauts #StephenBowen #WoodyHoburg #FrankRubio #SultanAlneyadi #UAE #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars: North Pole Dry Ice & Sand Dunes | Europe's Mars Express

Planet Mars: North Pole Dry Ice & Sand Dunes | Europe's Mars Express

With its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter captured a region in Planum Boreum at Mars’ north pole on April 14, 2023. Here, frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) covers vast sand dunes.

Celebrating over 20 years at Mars! 

The Mars Express mission was launched on June 2, 2003, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on board a Russian Soyuz rocket with a Fregat upper stage. In addition to being Europe’s first mission to Mars, Mars Express is the first fully European mission to any planet.


Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

Image Capture Date: April 14, 2023

Video Credit: SciNews

Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Mars #NorthPole #PlanumBoreum #SandDunes #DryIce #CarbonDioxide #Geology #MarsExpress #MarsExpressSpacecraft #HRSC #Europe #DLR #FUBerlin #Berlin #Germany #Deutschland #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Panning over Globular Cluster NGC 1651 in The Large Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

Panning over Globular Cluster NGC 1651 in The Large Magellanic Cloud | Hubble


This image shows a globular cluster known as NGC 1651. It is located about 162,000 light-years away in the largest and brightest of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). A notable feature of this image is that the globular cluster almost fills the entire image, even though globular clusters are only about 10 to 300 light-years in diameter (NGC 1651 has a diameter of roughly 120 light-years). 

A common misconception is that Hubble and other large telescopes manage to observe wildly differently sized celestial objects by zooming in on them, as one would with a specialized camera here on Earth. However, while small telescopes might have the option to zoom in and out to a certain extent, large telescopes do not. Each telescope’s instrument has a fixed ‘field of view’ (the size of the region of sky that it can observe in a single observation). For example, the ultraviolet/visible light channel of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), the channel and instrument that were used to collect the data used in this image, has a field of view roughly one twelfth the diameter of the Moon as seen from Earth. Whenever WFC3 makes an observation, that is the size of the region of sky that it can observe.

The reason that Hubble can observe objects of such wildly different sizes is two-fold. First, the distance to an object will determine how big it appears to be from Earth, so entire galaxies that are relatively far away might take up the same amount of space in the sky as a globular cluster like NGC 1651 that is relatively close by. In fact, there is a distant spiral galaxy lurking in this image, directly left of the cluster—though undoubtedly much larger than this star cluster, it appears small enough here to blend in with foreground stars! Second, multiple images spanning different parts of the sky can be mosaiced together to create single images of objects that are too big for Hubble’s field of view. This is a very complex task and is not typically done for most images, but it has been done for Hubble’s most iconic ones.

Image Description: A spherical collection of stars fills the whole view. The stars merge into a bright, bluish core in the center, and form a sparse band around that out to the edges of the image. A few stars lie in front of the cluster, with visible diffraction spikes. The background is dark black.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, L. Girardi, F. Niederhofer

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: March 25, 2024


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC1651 #Mensa #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Companions: Interacting Galaxies NGC 5996 & NGC 5994 | Hubble

Companions: Interacting Galaxies NGC 5996 & NGC 5994 | Hubble


This image features Arp 72, a very selective galaxy group that only includes two interacting galaxies: NGC 5996 (the large spiral galaxy) and NGC 5994 (its smaller companion, in the lower left of the image). Both galaxies lie approximately 160 million light-years from Earth, and their cores are separated from each other by a distance of around 67 thousand light-years. Moreover, the distance between the galaxies at their closest points is even smaller, closer to 40 thousand light-years. Whilst this might still sound vast, in galactic separation terms it is really very cozy! For comparison, the distance between the Milky Way and its nearest independent galactic neighbor Andromeda is around 2.5 million light-years. Alternatively, the distance between the Milky Way and its largest and brightest satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (satellite galaxies are galaxies that are bound in orbit around another galaxy), is about 162 thousand light-years. 

Given this, coupled with the fact that NGC 5996 is roughly comparable in size to the Milky Way, it is not surprising that NGC 5996 and NGC 5994—apparently separated by only 40 thousand light-years or so—are interacting with one another. In fact, the interaction might be what has caused the spiral shape of NGC 5996 to distort and apparently be drawn in the direction of NGC 5994. It also prompted the formation of the very long and faint tail of stars and gas curving away from NGC 5996, up to the top right of the image. This ‘tidal tail’ is a common phenomenon that appears when galaxies get in close together, as can be seen in several Hubble images.

Image Description: A large spiral galaxy with a smaller neighboring galaxy. The spiral galaxy is wide and distorted, with colorful dust. Its companion lies close by it at the end of a spiral arm, to the lower left. A long, faint tail of stars reaches up from the right side of the spiral galaxy to the top of the image. Several small, distant galaxies can be seen in the background, as well as one bright star in the foreground.


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

Release Date: April 1, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #NGC5996 #NGC5994 #Arp72 #SerpensCaput #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over Scotland

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over Scotland

12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 71 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. It is also one of the brightest known periodic comets, reaching an absolute visual magnitude ~5 in its approach to perihelion.

Comet Pons-Brooks was discovered at Marseilles Observatory in July 1812 by Jean-Louis Pons.


Image Credit: Alan Tough 

Release Date: March 30, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Earth #Comets #Comet #Comet12PPonsBrooks #Perihelion #Lacerta #Constellation #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #AlanTough #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #Scotland #STEM #Education

Tonight's Sky: April 2024 (Northern Hemisphere)

Tonight's Sky: April 2024 (Northern Hemisphere)

Clear April nights are filled with starry creatures. Near the Big Dipper, you will find several interesting binary stars. You can also spot galaxies like the Pinwheel Galaxy, M82, and M96—the last one is an asymmetric galaxy that may have been gravitationally disrupted by encounters with its neighbors. Keep watching for space-based views of these celestial objects.

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. 

This video was produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University. 


Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: March 29, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #BinaryStars #Galaxies #PinwheelGalaxy #M82 #M96 #Nebulae #BigDipper #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #STScI #JPL #Caltech #SSU #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft Moves into Space Simulator | JPL

NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft Moves into Space Simulator | JPL

A timelapse video shows engineers and technicians moving NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft into the 85-foot-tall Space Simulator at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The spacecraft underwent thermal vacuum testing in the chamber in February 2024 and passed with flying colors. 

Europa Clipper is set to launch to Jupiter's ocean moon Europa in October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

When the spacecraft is in JPL’s clean room, viewers also can watch a 24-hour live feed of the spacecraft at: bit.ly/clippercam 

More mission information: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Built in 1961, the Space Simulator is designed for environmental testing of robotic spacecraft in simulated interplanetary conditions of extreme cold, high vacuum, and intense solar radiation. The chamber is a stainless steel cylindrical vessel with a diameter of 25 feet and a height of 85 feet. A 15-by-25-foot door provides access for loading spacecraft.

Missions, such as Europa Clipper, contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research field that studies the conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it. While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct a detailed exploration of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 


Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: March 27, 2024


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #OceanMoon #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #APL #MSFC #JPL #Caltech #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test#11: March 27, 2024 | Stennis Space Center

NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test#11: March 27, 2024 | Stennis Space Center


An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engine (RS-25 developmental engine E0525) was tested on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1 Test Stand) at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on March 27, 2024, at 18:10 UTC (13:10 CDT). This was the 5th test using a new production engine nozzle providing additional performance data on the upgraded unit and the 11th hot fire test out of the 12 planned in the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of engines for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) that will be used beginning with Artemis V. The test had a planned duration of 500 seconds, with the RS-25 engine running up to 113% power level.

Upgrades to the nozzle include a new type and amount of insulation. This is a critical consideration since the RS-25 engines are exposed to more heat during SLS launches than previous space shuttle missions. SLS features four RS-25 engines instead of the three main engines used for the space shuttle and the proximity of the RS-25 nozzle to the SLS solid rocket boosters is closer than on the space shuttle.

The goal of the upgrades is to streamline the nozzle production process, while making it more cost efficient and still achieving the same performance level as with previous RS-25 engines. While new manufacturing methods have been incorporated into the production of the nozzle, the shape, length, and diameter remain the same.

Sixteen main engines remained from the shuttle program. All were modified and tested at NASA Stennis for use on the first four Artemis missions.

For information about the Space Launch System, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html


Credit: NASA's Stennis Space Center

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 9 minutes

Release Date: March 27, 2024


#NASA #Space #Artemis #ArtemisV #Moon #Rocket #SpaceLaunchSystem #SLS #Engine #RS25 #AerojetRocketdyne #MoonToMars #DeepSpace #Propulsion #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #NASAStennis #Mississippi #MSFC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4139
MSL - sol 4135
MSL - sol 4135
MSL - sol 4137
MSL - sol 4138
MSL - sol 4139
MSL - sol 4137
Mars 2020 - sol 1100

Celebrating 11+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)
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 3+ 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.
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: March 25-29, 2024

#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

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia

Petr Horálek: "Shown above is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks gracing the evening sky above the summits of Kežmarský štít (8,389 ft/2,557 m), at right, and Lomnický štít (8,635 ft/2,632 m), at left in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. I had planned this image for a very long time, but despite precise planning, hundreds of kilometers of driving, and high-quality equipment, bad weather seemed to accompany me on my previous photo expeditions. However, March 19, 2024, I finally succeeded!"

"If you take a close look at the summit of Lomnický štít, you'll notice a small domed building. This structure is the Skalnaté pleso Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in central Europe. It's known for its success in visual comet hunting. In fact, between 1946 and 1959, when comet Pons-Brooks last visited our Solar System, several comets were discovered here." 

12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 71 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. It is also one of the brightest known periodic comets, reaching an absolute visual magnitude ~5 in its approach to perihelion.

Comet Pons-Brooks was discovered at Marseilles Observatory in July 1812 by Jean-Louis Pons.


Equipment Details: 

Canon Ra camera; Tamron 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm; 1.4 x Teleconverter; ISO 2000; 42x20 seconds exposures - comet tracked on Vixen Polarie U; plus 7x20 seconds exposures for foreground image.

Location: Veľká Lomnica, Slovakia 

Coordinates: 49.133, 20.355 


Image & Caption Credit: Petr Horálek - Institute of Physics in Opava

Petr’s Website: https://www.petrhoralek.com

Image Date: March 19, 2024

Release Date: March 29, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Earth #Comets #Comet #Comet12PPonsBrooks #Perihelion #Lacerta #Constellation #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #PetrHorálek #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #VeľkáLomnica #Slovakia #Europe #STEM #Education #EPoD

Globular Cluster Omega Centauri: A New Ten Million Star View

Globular Cluster Omega Centauri: A New Ten Million Star View


Globular star cluster Omega Centauri, also known as NGC 5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150 light-years in diameter. It is the largest and brightest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way. With a yellowish hue, Omega Centauri's red giant stars are easy to pick out in this sharp, color telescopic view.

Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco & Mirco Turra

Massimo Di Fusco's Website:

https://www.astrobin.com/users/massimo.difusco/

Release Date: March 28, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #StarClusters #GlobularCluster #OmegaCentauri #NGC5139 #Centaurus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #CitizenScience #MassimoDiFusco #MircoTurra #STEM #Education #APoD

Volunteers Help NASA & European Space Agency Mission to Discover 5,000 Comets

Volunteers Help NASA & European Space Agency Mission to Discover 5,000 Comets

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, has discovered its 5,000th comet, thanks to the help of volunteer comet hunters participating in the NASA-funded Sungrazer Project.

The sungrazing comet was spotted in SOHO images on March 25, 2024, by Hanjie Tan in the Czech Republic, who has participated in the Sungrazer Project since he was 13 years old. The comet is small and has a short orbital period around the Sun. It belongs to the “Marsden group” of comets, which are thought to be related to the larger comet 96P/Machholz. The group is named after the late scientist Brian Marsden, who first recognized the group using SOHO observations.

To learn more about the discovery and SOHO, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/esa-nasa-solar-observatory-discovers-its-5000th-comet/

Since the early 2000s, the Sungrazer Project has allowed anyone with a computer to search for comets in images taken by the SOHO spacecraft.

To learn more about the Sungrazer Project, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/the-sungrazer-project/


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

Producer & Editor: Lacey Young (MORI Associates)

Videographer: Joy Ng (National Institute of Aerospace)

Advisor: Beth Anthony (MORI Associates)

Scientist: Karl Battams (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

Duration: 2 minutes, 43 seconds

Release Date: March 27, 2024


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