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Red Sprites Spotted off South African Coast | International Space Station
Close-up view of red sprites off South African Coast
High-resolution wide-view of red sprites off South African Coast
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. A rare event. My knowledge is pretty much just from Wikipedia but I want to know more."
Red Sprites: These mysterious bursts of light in the upper atmosphere momentarily resemble gigantic jellyfish. One unusual feature of sprites is that they are relatively cold. They operate more like long fluorescent light tubes than hot compact light bulbs. In general, red sprites take only a fraction of a second to occur and are best seen when powerful thunderstorms are visible from the side.
Technical details: 50mm lens, f1.2, 1/5s, ISO 3200
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, 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 (JSC)/Astronaut Matthew Dominick
The first rays of an orbital sunrise reflect off the International Space Station's roll-out solar arrays that overshadow and augment the orbital outpost's main solar arrays. The space station was soaring 260 miles above Arizona northeast of Phoenix at the time of this photograph.
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, 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.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Milky Way & Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxies+Aurora over Western Australia
Astrophotographer Trevor Dobson: "This is an 8 shot panorama of the recent Aurora event of May 11. In this shot you can see the Aurora Australis, aka the Southern Lights, with the Crux/Carina region of the Milky Way above it. The Large Magellanic Cloud is also visible on the far right centre of the image."
For many people, the aurora is a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to Earth's polar regions just to observe. It is the only way for most people to actually experience space weather.
Earth auroras have different names depending on the pole where they occur. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Peers into Densest & Strangest Stars
Astronomers have taken an important step toward understanding examples of the densest and strangest objects in the Universe by using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton. These results show that the interiors of neutron stars may contain a special type of ultra-dense matter that does not exist anywhere else in the universe.
Neutron stars are the dense cores that can form after massive stars collapse. They are so dense that a teaspoon of their matter weighs about a trillion pounds.
The team in this new study analyzed previously released data from neutron stars to determine the so-called equation of state. This refers to the basic properties of the neutron stars including the pressures and temperatures in their interiors.
The authors used machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to compare the data to different equations of state. Their results imply that a significant fraction of the equations of state—the ones that do not include the capability for rapid cooling at higher masses—can be ruled out.
The researchers capitalized on neutron stars in the study being located in supernova remnants, including 3C 58. Since astronomers have age estimates of the supernova remnants, they also have the ages of the neutron stars that were created during the explosions that created both the remnants and the neutron stars. The astronomers found that the neutron star in 3C58 and two others were much cooler than the rest of the neutron stars in the study.
The team thinks that part of the explanation for the rapid cooling is that these neutron stars are more massive than most of the rest. Because more massive neutron stars have more particles, special processes that cause neutron stars to cool more rapidly might be triggered.
One possibility for what is inside these neutron stars is a type of radioactive decay near their centers where neutrinos—low mass particles that easily travel through matter—carry away much of the energy and heat, causing rapid cooling. Another possibility is that there are types of exotic matter found in the centers of these more rapidly cooling neutron stars.
These are objects that seem to just get more interesting the more scientists examine them!
Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/ICE-CSIC/A. Marino et al.; Optical: SDSS
Shenzhou-18 Crew Performs Health & Science Experiments| China Space Station
The Shenzhou-18 crew has carried out a series of in-orbit experiments, physical exercises, and their first extravehicular activities over the past one and a half months since they entered the China's space station on April 26, 2024.
The three Chinese astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent to the orbiting space station for a six-month mission on April 25, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
Four zebrafish and hornwort were brought into orbit via the Shenzhou-18 spaceship for a life science and ecological experiment.
So far, the astronauts have successfully carried out two water samplings and one fish food container replacement. They have found abnormal directional behaviors of the zebrafish in microgravity, such as making rotational movements, going in circles and even swimming upside-down.
The water samples, fish eggs, and videos recording spatial movement behaviors of the zebrafish will be sent back to Earth for scientists to study the influence of the space environment on the growth and behaviors of vertebrates. This will provide references for research on material circulation of contained ecosystems in space.
The three astronauts completed the mission to replace samples of the container-free material cabinet. Previously, a number of key research projects had been carried out in the container-free cabinet, and many batches of experimental samples had been brought back to Earth for further tests and investigation.
The Shenzhou-18 crew also replaced a burner, plus vacuumized and exhausted waste gas on the combustion experimental cabinet.
The combustion experimental cabinet is one of the eight experimental cabinets carried by Mengtian, a lab module of China's space station. It can help scientists carry out in-depth research on basic science problems of combustion, space propulsion, fire safety for spacecraft, combustion pollution control, and other basic and applied technologies.
They have completed the installation of the conversion cable of the combustion solenoid valve, that can remotely controlled the switch of the solenoid valve, to accurately control fuel flow during experiments.
The crew also assembled and tested material extravehicular exposure of experimental equipment.
The astronauts in space face a series of physiological challenges brought about by the microgravity environment, including changes in the cardiovascular system, muscle atrophy, and bone density loss.
The three astronauts used an ultrasound diagnostic device to complete carotid artery ultrasound imaging and spectrum testing, and used an instrument to perform bone density testing.
They have performed regular weightlessness protection exercises, such as treadmill training and resistance training, so as to maintain good physical condition for the half-year mission.
The trio cooperated closely to complete the first spacewalk of their mission on May 28, 2024. They spent about 8.5 hours working outside the Tiangong space station and completed multiple tasks, including the installation of space debris protection devices. It was the longest spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) record for China to date.
During the in-orbit stay of the Shenzhou-18 mission crew, they will take care of the space station and application payloads as planned, and carry out maintenance and inspection of the space station, so as to ensure the station's safe, reliable and efficient operation.
The crew will utilize scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to conduct more than 90 experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology.
Shenzhou-18 Crew:
Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)
Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)
Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)
Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV) Video News Agency
NASA's Space to Ground: "Science, Spacewalks & Starliner"
Week of June 21, 2024: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.
NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt are getting ready for the first spacewalk of the Expedition 71 mission set to begin at 7 a.m. EDT on Monday, June 24. The suited up duo will exit the depressurized Quest airlock into the vacuum of space for six-and-a-half hours of radio hardware removal tasks and to sample collections of microorganisms that may have exited through station vents.
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore
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.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | Prueba de vuelo: 14 de junio de 2024
Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.
Aprende más sobre la ciencia a bordo de la estación espacial:
The Serpens Nebula: Objects Identified | James Webb Space Telescope
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this detailed image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
The astronomers found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.
The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
This video showcases the new Webb Serpens Nebula image, with notable features and objects highlighted.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Aligned Protostellar Outflows Captured for First Time | James Webb Space Telescope
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
Astronomers have found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.
The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (about 100,000 years old), where a number will eventually grow to the mass of our Sun. Webb’s image of this nebula revealed a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows (seen in the top left). The jets are identified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red. These are shock waves caused when the jet hits the surrounding gas and dust.
Video Credits:
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Written by: Bethany Downer
Footage: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Serpens Nebula North: Aligned Protostellar Outflows | James Webb Space Telescope
This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows a portion of the Serpens Nebula where astronomers have discovered a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows. The jets are represented by bright clumpy streaks that appear red. These are shock waves from the jet hitting surrounding gas and dust. Here, the red color represents the presence of molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm. Researchers say the discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
Image Description: A portion of the young star-forming region known as the Serpens Nebula. It is filled with wispy orange and red layers of gas and dust and within that orange dust are several small red plumes of gas that extend from the top left to the bottom right, at the same angle. There are wispy blue filaments of gas in the bottom right corner of the image. Small points of light are sprinkled across the field. The brightest sources in the field have the eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Zooming to The Serpens Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope
This zoom-in video shows the relative location of the Serpens Nebula in the sky. It begins with a ground-based photo by the late astrophotographer Akira Fujii, then transitions into a plate from the Digitized Sky Survey. Next, an image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope appears, and finally the video arrives at the image of Serpens from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope.
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
Astronomers have found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.
The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (about 100,000 years old), where a number will eventually grow to the mass of our Sun. Webb’s image of this nebula revealed a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows (seen in the top left). The jets are identified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red. These are shock waves caused when the jet hits the surrounding gas and dust.
Throughout this image filaments and wisps of distinct hues represent reflected starlight from still-forming protostars within the cloud. There is dust in front of that reflection and it appears here in an orange, diffuse shade.
Video Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Pagan (STScI)
Acknowledgement: Akira Fujii, Digitized Sky Survey, Spitzer Space Telescope
Panning across The Serpens Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
Astronomers have found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.
The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (about 100,000 years old), where a number will eventually grow to the mass of our Sun. Webb’s image of this nebula revealed a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows (seen in the top left). The jets are identified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red. These are shock waves caused when the jet hits the surrounding gas and dust.
Throughout this image filaments and wisps of distinct hues represent reflected starlight from still-forming protostars within the cloud. There is dust in front of that reflection and it appears here in an orange, diffuse shade.
Image Description: A young star-forming region is filled with wispy orange, red, and blue layers of gas and dust. The upper left corner of the image is filled with mostly orange dust and within that orange dust are several small red plumes of gas that extend from the top left to the bottom right, at the same angle. The center of the image is filled with mostly blue gas. At the center, there is one particularly bright star that has an hourglass shadow above and below it. To the right of that is what looks like a vertical eye-shaped crevice with a bright star at the center. The gas to the right of the crevice is a darker orange.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute)
The Center of The Serpens Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
Astronomers have found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.
The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible only by Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information about the fundamentals of how stars are born.
This image shows the center of the Serpens Nebula as seen by the Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (about 100,000 years old), where a number will eventually grow to the mass of our Sun. Webb’s image of this nebula revealed a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows (seen in the top left). The jets are identified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red. These are shock waves caused when the jet hits the surrounding gas and dust.
Throughout this image filaments and wisps of distinct hues represent reflected starlight from still-forming protostars within the cloud. There is dust in front of that reflection and it appears here in an orange, diffuse shade.
Image Description: A young star-forming region is filled with wispy orange, red, and blue layers of gas and dust. The upper left corner of the image is filled with mostly orange dust and within that orange dust are several small red plumes of gas that extend from the top left to the bottom right, at the same angle. The center of the image is filled with mostly blue gas. At the center, there is one particularly bright star that has an hourglass shadow above and below it. To the right of that is what looks like a vertical eye-shaped crevice with a bright star at the center. The gas to the right of the crevice is a darker orange.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute)
How far away is the Moon? How much do the stars move in an hour? What’s the tipoff that you’re looking at a star and not a planet? This brief tour of fascinating fun facts about the night sky with NASA skywatching expert Preston Dyches will share answers to these and other questions. Bring your curiosity and leave with wisdom you can share with friends or family next time you’re gazing at the night sky together.
"We’re launching STEM Engagement to new heights with learning resources that connect teachers, students, parents and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth and strive to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon with the Artemis program."
Remote Island Tristan da Cunha | International Space Station & Landsat 9 Images
Expedition 56 image of Tristan da Cunha island from the International Space Station
Landsat 9 Image of Tristan da Cunha island (labeled)
Landsat 9 Image | From left to right: Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, & Tristan da Cunha (upper right-hand corner)
Life finds ways to survive on this small volcanic island chain that is way off the beaten path . . .
Tristan da Cunha, often said to be the most remote inhabited island in the world, is the sort of place where seabirds outnumber people. It is part of an island group in the South Atlantic Ocean situated approximately halfway between the southern tips of South America and Africa. Neighboring volcanic peaks within the group include the smaller, uninhabited Inaccessible Island and the Nightingale Islands.
The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9 captured its image of the island group on May 24, 2023. Tristan da Cunha’s highest point, Queen Mary’s Peak, reaches 2,060 meters (6,760 feet) above sea level and displays steep gullies that radiate downward on all sides.
The island’s vegetation is divided into distinct zones related to elevation. Large tussock-forming grasses once covered the island’s coastal fringes, but most of this has become pasture, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Woodlands of Phylica arborea, known as island cape myrtle, cover the volcano’s lower slopes (dark green) and transition into ecosystems that include tree ferns, sphagnum moss, small grasses, bryophytes, and lichens on its upper reaches (light green).
Offshore, underwater forests of giant kelp surround the islands. The kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is one of the fastest-growing seaweeds on the planet. Though suspended sediment may be discoloring the water in some areas, signs of kelp forests (green) are visible in several areas immediately offshore. In preparation for an ecological survey of the island’s marine ecosystems, a team of National Geographic researchers used dozens of Landsat 7 and 8 images to locate the likely locations of kelp forests and plan underwater surveys.
About 240 people live in Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the small town on the northern edge of the island. The main occupations are fishing and farming. Many residents harvest crayfish—sold as Tristan rock lobster—and raise potatoes and livestock. Away from town, thousands of birds, including populations of northern rockhopper penguins, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, and broad-billed prion, nest on the small, circular island.
The number of birds might be higher if mice and rats had not found their way to the islands. Likely introduced by sailors in the 1800s, rodent populations have boomed, despite an annual rat hunting competition and holiday. The small mammals are thought to eat large numbers of bird eggs and young birds.
Ecologists have warned that an abundance of oversized mice may even be on the verge of pushing a critically endangered seabird, the Tristan albatross, to the brink of extinction on Gough Island (out of the scene to the southeast). Another notable species on Inaccessible Island is the Inaccessible Island rail, the smallest living flightless bird in the world.
All of the islands are the product of a volcanic hot spot, a type of volcanism that brings magma from deep within Earth’s mantle. Tristan da Cunha, the youngest and largest of the group, formed about 200,000 years ago. It last erupted in October 1961, forcing people on the island to evacuate. Radiometric dating techniques indicate that Nightingale is the oldest of the three main islands, with volcanic rocks ranging from 360,000 to 18 million years old. Inaccessible Island has rocks that range from 1 million to 6 million years old.
The Mysteries of Irregular Galaxy UGC 8201 in Draco | Hubble
The galaxy UGC 8201, captured here by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, is a dwarf irregular galaxy, so called because of its small size and chaotic structure. It lies just under 15 million light-years away from us in the constellation of Draco (the Dragon). As with most dwarf galaxies it is a member of a larger group of galaxies. In this case UCG 8201 is part of the M81 galaxy group; this group is one of the closest neighbors to the Local Group of galaxies, that contains our galaxy, the Milky Way.
UGC 8201 is at an important phase in its evolution. It recently completed a long period of star formation. This had significant impact on the entire galaxy. It lasted for several hundred million years and produced a high number of newborn bright stars. These stars can be seen in this image as the dominating light source within the galaxy. This process also changed the distribution and amount of dust and gas in between the stars in the galaxy.
Such large star formation events need extensive sources of energy to trigger them. However, compared to larger galaxies, dwarf galaxies lack such sources and they do not appear to have enough gas to produce as many new stars as they do. This raises an important unanswered question in galaxy evolution: How do relatively isolated, low-mass systems, such as dwarf galaxies, sustain star formation for extended periods of time?
Due to its relative proximity to Earth, UGC 8201 is an excellent object for research and provides an opportunity to improve our understanding of how dwarf galaxies evolve and grow.
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