NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Listens to the Symphony of Space

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Listens to the Symphony of Space

Where Parallel Lines Converge is a sonic rendering of a composite image of the Galactic Center, the center of our Milky Way galaxy, with data from NASA’s Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. The composition highlights three astronomical objects or moments in the image: an X-ray binary, arched filaments, and the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. 

This video takes you on a tour through the image, stopping at each of those locations in the data, with a slightly deeper visual dive as the composition plays. It ends with the poem "Relativity" by Sarah Howe that inspired the composition piece's title.  The music was composed by Sophie Kastner, with Dr. Kimberly Arcand as principal investigator of the project.

Video Credits:

Images: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; IR: Spitzer NASA/JPL-Caltech;

Animations: NASA/CXC/SAO/A. Jubett; Univ. of Exeter/Matthew Bate; NASA/ESO/Nick Risinger; Steer & NASA/GSFC;

Edited by: NASA/CXC/SAO/April Jubett;

Sonification of Galactic Center:

NASA/CXC/Dr. Kim Arcand & SYSTEM Sounds/Dr. Matt Russo & Andrew Santaguida

Duration: 4 minutes, 30 seconds

Release Date: May 8, 2024

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #GalacticCenter #BlackHole #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #XrayObservatory #Spitzer #Hubble #SpaceTelescopes #GSFC #JPL #Caltech #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Sonification #Audio #HD #Video

What is a Black Hole? | Science@NASA

What is a Black Hole? | Science@NASA

Black holes—what are they really? Learn with the help of NASA scientists.

You will hear from: 

Joanna Piotrowska - Astrophysicist at Caltech

Varoujan Gorjian - NASA Research Astronomer 

Daniel Stern - NASA Astrophysicist  

Michele Vallisneri - NASA Theoretical physicist 

Video Credits: 

Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)

Host and Co-Producer: Chelsea Gohd 

Editor/Director/Co-Producer: Keith Miller (Caltech-IPAC) 

Science Visualizations/Co-Producer: Robert Hurt (Caltech-IPAC) 

Duration: 6 minutes

Release Date: May 8, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #BlackHoles #BlackHole #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #SagittariusA #Supercomputers #Simulations #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #JPL #Caltech #IPAC #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualizations #Animation #HD #Video

Desde Chile descubren causas de la diversidad estelar en estrellas binarias

Desde Chile descubren causas de la diversidad estelar en estrellas binarias

Cosmoview Episodio 80: Utilizando el telescopio de Gemini Sur, ubicado en la Región de Coquimbo en Chile, un equipo de astrónomos confirmó por primera vez que las diferencias observadas en las estrellas binarias se deben a las diferencias químicas en la nube de material estelar de la cual se formaron. Los resultados ayudan a explicar por qué las estrellas que nacieron de la misma nube molecular pueden tener una composición química distinta y sistemas planetarios tan diferentes, además de plantear nuevos retos a los modelos actuales de formación estelar y planetaria.

Credit:

Images and Videos: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ESO/L. Calçada/International Gemini Observatory/Kwon O Chul/CTIO/N. Smith (University of Minnesota)/J. da Silva (Spaceengine)/M. Zamani/N. Bartmann

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: May 8, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #español #Stars #BinaryStars #ChemicalCompositions #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #GMOS #GeminiObservatory #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Origin of Unexpected Differences in Giant Binary Stars Revealed | Gemini South

Origin of Unexpected Differences in Giant Binary Stars Revealed | Gemini South

Cosmoview Episode 80: Using the Gemini South telescope a team of astronomers have confirmed for the first time that differences in binary stars’ composition can originate from chemical variations in the cloud of stellar material from which they formed. The results help explain why stars born from the same molecular cloud can possess different chemical composition and host different planetary systems, as well as pose challenges to current stellar and planet formation models. It is estimated that up to 85% of stars exist in binary star systems, some even in systems with three or more stars.

"By showing for the first time that primordial differences really are present and responsible for differences between twin stars, we show that star and planet formation could be more complex than initially thought,” said Carlos Saffe of the Institute of Astronomical, Earth and Space Sciences (ICATE-CONICET) in Argentina who leads the research team. “The Universe loves diversity!”

This research was presented in a paper accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters. 

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449263

Video Credit:

Images and Videos: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ESO/L. Calçada/International Gemini Observatory/Kwon O Chul/CTIO/N. Smith (University of Minnesota)/J. da Silva (Spaceengine)/M. Zamani/N. Bartmann

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: May 8, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #BinaryStars #ChemicalCompositions #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #GMOS #GeminiObservatory #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Chang'e-6 Science Mission Enters Lunar Orbit after Near-Moon Braking

China's Chang'e-6 Science Mission Enters Lunar Orbit after Near-Moon Braking

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully entered its circumlunar orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on May 8, 2024. The near-moon braking procedure is a key orbital control for Chang'e-6 during its flight. The braking makes its relative speed lower than the lunar escape velocity, so that it can be captured by the moon's gravity and orbit the moon.

The Chang'e-6 mission features scientific payloads from France, Italy, Sweden, and Pakistan. The international scientific payloads carried by the Chang'e-6 mission include the French radon gas detector (CNES), the European Space Agency/Swedish ion analyzer, and the Italian laser corner reflector (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana), as well as the Pakistani ICUBE-Q cube satellite. The mission will last about 53 days. 

Chang'e-6's pre-selected landing area is located in the southern part of the Apollo basin in the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin (43°±2° south latitude, 154°±4° west longitude). The SPA basin is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is the largest, oldest, and deepest basin recognized on the Moon.

In 2020, Chang'e-5 was the first lunar sample-return mission since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. The mission made China the third country to return samples from the Moon after the United States and the Soviet Union.

Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)

Duration: 1 minute, 25 seconds

Release Date: May 8, 2024

#NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #Queqiao2Satellite #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #Pakistan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Simulating Space to Test Europa Clipper Spacecraft Bound for Jupiter | NASA/JPL

Simulating Space to Test Europa Clipper Spacecraft Bound for Jupiter | NASA/JPL

How did the team working on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft test whether the spacecraft will work properly in outer space? They put the spacecraft in a special chamber that mimics the kind of sunlight and airless environment the spacecraft will experience when it is in outer space. 

In this video, Tony Licari—a mechanical systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California—shows how the team moved the main body of the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission into JPL's historic 85-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide (26-meter-by-8-meter) thermal vacuum chamber. Inside the chamber, the team simulated the kinds of conditions the spacecraft will experience while flying through space, and practiced deploying instruments. Europa Clipper successfully completed those tests in March 2024.

Europa Clipper will explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to see if there are conditions suitable for life. The spacecraft needs to be hardy enough to survive a 1.6 billion-mile, six-year journey to Jupiter, and sophisticated enough to perform a detailed science investigation of Europa once it arrives at the Jupiter system in 2030.

Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with APL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.

For more information on the mission go to: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 3 minutes, 39 seconds

Release Date: May 7, 2024

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

Planet Jupiter’s Great Red Spot | NASA Juno Mission

Planet Jupiter’s Great Red Spot | NASA Juno Mission

This image of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot and surrounding turbulent zones was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The color-enhanced image is a combination of three separate images taken on April 1, 2018, as Juno performed its 12th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the images were taken, the spacecraft was 15,379 miles (24,749 kilometers) to 30,633 miles (49,299 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of the planet.

The Great Red Spot, a swirling oval of clouds twice as wide as Earth, has been observed on the giant planet for more than 300 years. In 2021, findings from Juno showed that Jupiter’s storms are far taller than expected, with some extending 60 miles (100 kilometers) below the cloud tops and others, including the Great Red Spot, extending over 200 miles (350 kilometers).

Juno is a solar-powered spacecraft that spans the width of a basketball court and makes long, looping orbits around Jupiter. It seeks answers to questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, our solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos.

JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Learn more about NASA's Juno mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/

Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt / Seán Doran

Release Date: May 7, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #GreatRedSpot #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #NewHorizonsSpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #GeraldEichstädt #SeánDoran #STEM #Education

Desde Tololo observan la “mano de Dios” emergiendo desde una nebulosa

Desde Tololo observan la “mano de Dios” emergiendo desde una nebulosa

Cosmoview Episodio 81: Esta estructura turbulenta y ominosa es CG 4, un glóbulo cometario conocido también como la “Mano de Dios”. Se trata de uno de los muchos glóbulos cometarios que hay en la Vía Láctea. La forma en la que estos objetos adquieren su forma particular, sigue siendo un tema de debate entre los astrónomos. Las características que clasifican a CG 4 como un glóbulo cometario se distinguen en esta imagen captada por la Cámara de Energía Oscura construida por DOE e instalada en el Telescopio de 4 metros Víctor M. Blanco del Observatorio Cerro Tololo, un Programa de NOIRLab de NSF. Su polvorienta cabeza y su larga y tenue cola tienen un leve parecido a un cometa, pero no tienen nada en común. Los astrónomos creen que los glóbulos cometarios adquieren su estructura a partir de los vientos estelares de estrellas cercanas masivas y calientes.

Imágenes y Vídeos: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/N. Bartmann

Procesamiento de imágenes: T.A. Rector (Universidad de Alaska Anchorage/NOIRLab de NSF), M. Zamani (NOIRLab de NSF) & D. de Martin (NOIRLab de NSF)

Duration: 1 minute, 12 seconds

Release Date: May 7, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #español #Stars #CometaryGlobules #GodsHand #CG4 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CerroTololoObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Dress Rehearsal for the Next Commercial Crew Flight Test | This Week @NASA

A Dress Rehearsal for the Next Commercial Crew Flight Test | This Week @NASA

A dress rehearsal for the next commercial crew flight test, making room for another visitor at the International Space Station, and a mission to test a next-generation solar sail . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Launch updates: 

https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/atlas-v-starliner-cft

For more info on CFT and Starliner, visit: 

boeing.com/starliner

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer & Editor: Andre Valentine

Narrator: Emanuel Cooper

Duration: 2 minutes, 39 seconds

Release Date: May 7, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #AtlasVRocket #CommercialCrewProgram #CFT #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #BarryWilmore #HumanSpaceflight #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #LaunchAmerica #NASAKennedy #ULA #SolarSail #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming into Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis | Victor Blanco Telescope

Zooming into Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis | Victor Blanco Telescope

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco  Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #CometaryGlobules #GodsHand #CG4 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CerroTololoObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Cometary Globule Reaching for the Stars | Victor Blanco Telescope

A Cometary Globule Reaching for the Stars | Victor Blanco Telescope

Cosmoview Episode 81: This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco  Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute, 12 seconds

Release Date: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #CometaryGlobules #GodsHand #CG4 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CerroTololoObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan over Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis | Victor Blanco Telescope

Pan over Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis | Victor Blanco Telescope

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco  Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #CometaryGlobules #GodsHand #CG4 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CerroTololoObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis: "God's Hand" | Victor Blanco Telescope

Cometary Globule CG 4 in Puppis: "God's Hand" | Victor Blanco Telescope

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco  Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #CometaryGlobules #GodsHand #CG4 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CerroTololoObservatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #DOE #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: May 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: May 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 837

Mars 2020 - sol 1140

Mars 2020 - sol 1137

Mars 2020 - sol 1138

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter - Mars 2020 - sol 1138

Mars 2020 - sol 0849

MSL - sol 4173

Support FriendsofNASA.org

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: May 2-6, 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

Ready for Launch: Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test on ULA Atlas V Rocket

Ready for Launch: Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test on ULA Atlas V Rocket

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft are being readied for launch at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral for the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. 

Starliner will head to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams on board.

Launch Date and Time: May 6, 2024 at 10:34 p.m. EDT

Launch updates: 

https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/atlas-v-starliner-cft

For more info on CFT and Starliner, visit: 

boeing.com/starliner

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Atlas V Image Dates: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #AtlasVRocket #CommercialCrewProgram #CFT #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #BarryWilmore #HumanSpaceflight #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #LaunchAmerica #NASAKennedy #ULA #SLC41 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Infographics #STEM #Education

NASA Supercomputer Simulation’s Plunge into a Black Hole Explained

NASA Supercomputer Simulation’s Plunge into a Black Hole Explained

This new, immersive visualization produced on a NASA supercomputer represents a scenario where a camera—a stand-in for a daring astronaut—enters the event horizon, sealing its fate. 

Goddard scientists created the visualizations on the Discover supercomputer at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation.   

The destination is a supermassive black hole with 4.3 million times the mass of our Sun, equivalent to the monster located at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. To simplify the complex calculations, the black hole is not rotating.  

A flat, swirling cloud of hot, glowing gas called an accretion disk surrounds the black hole and serves as a visual reference during the fall. So do glowing structures called photon rings, which form closer to the black hole from light that has orbited it one or more times. A backdrop of the starry sky as seen from Earth completes the scene.   

The project generated about 10 terabytes of data—equivalent to roughly half of the estimated text content in the Library of Congress—and took about 5 days running on just 0.3% of Discover’s 129,000 processors. The same feat would take more than a decade on a typical laptop.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center /J. Schnittman and B. Powell

Producer: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Visualizer: Jeremy Schnittman (NASA/GSFC)

Science writer: Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)

Computer support: Brian Powell (NASA/GSFC)

Editor: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Duration: 4 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: May 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #BlackHoles #EventHorizon #BlackHole #Simulation #Supercomputers #Astrophysics #Physics #Cosmos #Universe #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Art #Illustration #Animation #Visualization #HD #Video