Take a Tour of the Horsehead Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

Take a Tour of the Horsehead Nebula | James Webb Space Telescope

Dr. Macarena Garcia Marin presents the latest James Webb Space Telescope images of the Horsehead Nebula, showcasing the intricate details and structures that were previously unseen. 

These new observations offer deeper insights into the formation and evolution of this iconic nebula, enriching our understanding of stellar nurseries. 

The discussion also highlights the scientific significance of these findings, bringing complex astrophysical concepts into clearer focus.

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Paul Morris: Lead Producer 

Thaddeus Cesari: Script

Image Credits:

NASA/Webb, CSA, ESA, ESA/Euclid, Euclid Consortium, ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. De Martin, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS)

Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 29, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Nebulae #Nebula #HorseheadNebula #Barnard33 #HorseheadNebula #PDR #StellarNursery #Orion #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Launches Six Satellites by Sea on Commercial CERES-1 Rocket

China Launches Six Satellites by Sea on Commercial CERES-1 Rocket

China launched a Galactic Energy CERES-1 carrier rocket from the waters near east China's Shandong Province on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, sending six satellites into planned orbit. The launch was the 15th flight mission for the CERES-1 rocket series.

The commercial rocket blasted off at 13:22 (Beijing Time), carrying Yunyao-1 15, 16 and 17 satellites and three other satellites. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carried out the offshore launch.

The Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with GNSS occultation (GNSS-RO) and infrared imaging payloads, intended to provide meteorological data for commercial firm Yunyao Yuhang.

Also aboard was Jitian-A03, the first satellite for Suzhou Jitian Xingzhou Space Technology Co. Ltd. The satellite is equipped with a hyperspectral remote sensing payload for high-resolution optical remote sensing technology verification.

Hyperspectral sensors capture data across hundreds of narrow, contiguous spectral bands, allowing these sensors to distinguish between materials, making these useful for applications including mineral exploration, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Additional payloads:

The Suxing-1 (01) satellite was developed by Shanghai AIS Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. and carries an optical payload. The satellite will be used by Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) Taicang Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, according to Beijing News.

The hyperspectral Tianfu Gaofen-2 satellite, also known as Huaxiangyuan-1, was developed by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. The satellite will be operated by Xiamen Tianwei Technology Co., Ltd.. It will use the data for applications in fields including environmental monitoring, resource management and urban planning.

On Sept. 23, 2024, Galactic Energy conducted its first sea launch, becoming the first private Chinese space company to conduct successful land and sea-based launches.

Learn more about Galactic Energy: 

https://galactic-energy.cn/index.php/En

Video Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Caption Credit: CGTN/SpaceNews

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Aug. 29, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #Satellites #China #中国 #GalacticEnergy #星河动力 #CERES1 #CERES1Rocket #SeaLaunch #CommercialSpace #YellowSea #Rizhao #Shandong #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Desde Chile capturan la imagen más detallada de una Incubadora Estelar

Desde Chile capturan la imagen más detallada de una Incubadora Estelar

Una sección de 50 billones de kilómetros de largo (33 billones de millas, o 5 años luz) de la pared occidental de la Nebulosa de Carina, como se observa con óptica adaptativa en el telescopio de Gemini Sur. Esta sección montañosa de la nebulosa revela un número inusual de estructuras, incluyendo una larga serie de cimas paralelas que pueden ser producidas por un campo magnético; una notable y casi perfecta onda; además de fragmentos que parecen estar en proceso de ser arrancados de la nube por un poderoso viento. También hay evidencia de un chorro de material eyectado desde una estrella recién formada. Los exquisitos detalles que se ven en la imagen se deben en parte a una tecnología conocida como óptica adaptativa, la que produce una mejora en la resolución de 10 veces, comparada con otras observaciones del equipo de investigación.

Credit:

Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, NASA, D. Stover/ESO/S. Brunier/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Image Processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin

Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #español #Nebulae #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #AdaptiveOptics #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Highly Detailed Image of Carina Nebula: The Famous Stellar Nursery

Highly Detailed Image of Carina Nebula: The Famous Stellar Nursery

A 50-trillion-km (33-trillion-mile, or 5 light-year) long section of the western wall in the Carina Nebula, as observed with adaptive optics on the Gemini South telescope. This mountainous section of the nebula reveals a number of unusual structures including a long series of parallel ridges that could be produced by a magnetic field, a remarkable almost perfectly smooth wave, and fragments that appear to be in the process of being sheared off the cloud by a strong wind. There is also evidence for a jet of material ejected from a newly-formed star. The exquisite detail seen in the image is in part due to a technology known as adaptive optics, which resulted in a ten-fold improvement in the resolution of the research team’s observations.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

Credit:

Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, NASA, D. Stover/ESO/S. Brunier/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Image Processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin

Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #AdaptiveOptics #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Carina Nebula: Western Wall's Key Features | Gemini South Telescope

The Carina Nebula: Western Wall's Key Features | Gemini South Telescope

A 50-trillion-km (33-trillion-mile, or 5 light-year) long section of the western wall in the Carina Nebula, as observed with adaptive optics on the Gemini South telescope. This mountainous section of the nebula reveals a number of unusual structures including a long series of parallel ridges that could be produced by a magnetic field, a remarkable almost perfectly smooth wave, and fragments that appear to be in the process of being sheared off the cloud by a strong wind. There is also evidence for a jet of material ejected from a newly-formed star. The exquisite detail seen in the image is in part due to a technology known as adaptive optics, which resulted in a ten-fold improvement in the resolution of the research team’s observations.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / P. Hartigan (Rice University)

Image Processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #AdaptiveOptics #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #Infographic #STEM #Education

Zooming on Western Wall of The Carina Nebula | NOIRLab

Zooming on Western Wall of The Carina Nebula | NOIRLab

A 50-trillion-km (33-trillion-mile, or 5 light-year) long section of the western wall in the Carina Nebula, as observed with adaptive optics on the Gemini South telescope. This mountainous section of the nebula reveals a number of unusual structures including a long series of parallel ridges that could be produced by a magnetic field, a remarkable almost perfectly smooth wave, and fragments that appear to be in the process of being sheared off the cloud by a strong wind. There is also evidence for a jet of material ejected from a newly-formed star. The exquisite detail seen in the image is in part due to a technology known as adaptive optics, which resulted in a ten-fold improvement in the resolution of the research team’s observations.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, NASA, D. Stover/ESO/S. Brunier/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Image Processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin.

Duration: 26 seconds 

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #AdaptiveOptics #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Carina Nebula: Western Wall | Gemini South Telescope

The Carina Nebula: Western Wall | Gemini South Telescope

A 50-trillion-km (33-trillion-mile, or 5 light-year) long section of the western wall in the Carina Nebula, as observed with adaptive optics on the Gemini South telescope. This mountainous section of the nebula reveals a number of unusual structures including a long series of parallel ridges that could be produced by a magnetic field, a remarkable almost perfectly smooth wave, and fragments that appear to be in the process of being sheared off the cloud by a strong wind. There is also evidence for a jet of material ejected from a newly-formed star. The exquisite detail seen in the image is in part due to a technology known as adaptive optics, which resulted in a ten-fold improvement in the resolution of the research team’s observations.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / P. Hartigan (Rice University)

Image Processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3372 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #AdaptiveOptics #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Discovering Earth’s Third Global Energy Field | NASA Goddard

Discovering Earth’s Third Global Energy Field | NASA Goddard

High above the Earth’s North and South Poles, a steady stream of particles escapes from our atmosphere into space. Scientists call this mysterious outflow the “polar wind,” and for almost 60 years, spacecraft have been flying through it as scientists have theorized about its cause. The leading theory was that a planet-wide electric field was drawing those particles up into space. But this so-called ambipolar electric field, if it exists, is so weak that all attempts to measure it have failed—until now.

In 2022, scientists traveled to Svalbard, a small archipelago in Norway, to launch a rocket in an attempt to measure Earth’s ambipolar electric field for the first time. This was NASA’s Endurance rocketship mission. Here is its story.

To learn more, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasa-discovers-long-sought-global-electric-field-on-earth/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Producer: Lacey Young (MORI Associates), Miles Hatfield (MORI Associates), Rachel Lense (ADNET Systems)

Editor: Lacey Young (MORI Associates)

Writer: Miles Hatfield (MORI Associates), Glyn Collinson (NASA), Rachel Lense (ADNET Systems)

Talent: Glyn Collinson (NASA)

Animator: Krystofer Kim (Rothe Enterprises, Inc.), Wes Buchanan (ARES Corporation)

Duration: 4 minutes, 21 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 28, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Heliophysics #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Planet #Earth #ElectricFields #AmbipolarElectricField #PolarWind #Atmosphere #NorthPole #Svalbard #Norway #Norge #SoundingRockets #SubOrbitalRockets #EnduranceMission #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Dim, Starry Mini-Galaxy Andromeda VI in Pegasus | Hubble

Dim, Starry Mini-Galaxy Andromeda VI in Pegasus | Hubble

A glittering collection of stars shines against a background of much more distant galaxies in this view from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the Pegasus Dwarf spheroidal galaxy, also known as Andromeda VI. 

The Andromeda galaxy (Messier 31) is the Milky Way galaxy’s closest grand spiral galaxy neighbor, and is host to at least 13 dwarf galaxies that orbit around it. The Pegasus Dwarf spheroidal galaxy, also called Andromeda VI, is one of these mini-galaxies. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are the dimmest and least massive galaxies known. They tend to have elliptical shapes and relatively smooth distributions of stars. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are usually devoid of gas and dominated by old and intermediate-age stars, although some have experienced small amounts of recent star formation. 

The Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy was discovered in 1998 and has been characterized as having a small amount of heavy elements and little of the gas needed  to form another generation of stars―though more than many of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies within our Local Group of galaxies. Researchers suspect that Andromeda’s gravitational field may have stripped the star-forming gases from it, leaving a dearth of material to build more than a few generations of stars. In comparison, there are dwarf spheroidal companion galaxies of the Milky Way found at comparable distances that do contain intermediate-age stars. However, this could be because Andromeda is so massive and extended that its gravitational effects extend farther.

The jury is still out on how dwarf spheroidal galaxies form. Theories include collisions between galaxies that break off small fragments, the gravitational influence of larger galaxies on small disk-shaped dwarf galaxies, and processes associated with the birth of small systems among collections of dark matter. Andromeda and the Milky Way are the only galaxies close enough for astronomers to view these dim satellite galaxies, so clues to their formation will have to come from close neighbors like this one.

Hubble studied this galaxy as part of an examination of the entire Andromeda system of satellites in order to investigate such critical matters as dark matter, reionization, and the growth of galactic ecosystems across cosmic time.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Weisz (University of California – Berkeley); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #AndromedaVI #PegasusDwarfSpheroidalGalaxy #Pegasus #Constellation #AndromedaGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Milky Way Galaxy | International Space Station

The Milky Way Galaxy | International Space Station

The Milky Way is pictured from the International Space Station near the top of this long-duration photograph with a camera programmed for high sensitivity.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

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:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: Aug. 7, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Moon #Planet #Earth #SolarSystem #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education

Perseid Meteors over Inyo National Forest in California

Perseid Meteors over Inyo National Forest in California

Astrophotographer Preston Dyches: "Four meteors was the best I could do with the cloudy skies I encountered for the Perseids this year. By the time I woke up at 4 a.m. to grab the camera, it was overcast and starting to drizzle. And so it is."

"This was a location in Inyo National Forest called Westgard Pass, not far from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. There's some pinkish glow from the aurora at left, and a little greenish skyglow on the right, which is kind of neat. Andromeda Galaxy appears at the top just left of center."

"This is a blend of stacked, low-level-lit foreground exposures and a single sky background exposure. The three fainter meteors are composited, after being rotated into the correct position with respect to the Perseids radiant."

Learn more about the Perseid meteor shower here:

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/

Inyo National Forest is a United States National Forest covering parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney—the highest point in the contiguous United States;

Inyo National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/inyo/

Image Credit: Preston Dyches

Location: Inyo National Forest - near Zurich, California, United States

Image Date: Aug. 12, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Airglow #AuroraBorealis #Meteors #PerseidMeteors #Perseids #Meteor #Fireballs #Perseus #Constellation #Astrophotography #PrestonDyches #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #SolarSystem #WestguardPass #InyoNationalForest #California #United #STEM #Education

Solar Array ‘Wings’ for NASA's Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper Spacecraft

Solar Array ‘Wings’ for NASA's Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper Spacecraft

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is getting ready for launch, and its massive solar arrays were recently installed. These “wings” are so large because Jupiter receives only 3% to 4% of the sunlight Earth gets. Thus, the arrays need to be able to collect enough sunlight to power the spacecraft throughout its mission. 

With the arrays deployed, the spacecraft spans more than 100 feet (30.5 meters). This is nearly the distance from the Statue of Liberty’s toes to her head. The arrays will help the spacecraft make its 1.8 billion-mile (2.6 billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter and power science instruments, electronics, heaters, and other subsystems during the years orbiting Jupiter and flying by the moon Europa. They also support six antennas that stick out perpendicularly from the panels. These antennas are for the Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) instrument. It will probe for water within and beneath Europa’s ice. 

Both wings were installed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in collaboration with the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Airbus Netherlands. The solar arrays are so large only one can be installed and tested at a time. Both will be folded and stowed for launch. They will fully deploy in space. 

Scientists believe the moon Europa has an ocean under its icy crust that may have conditions suitable for supporting life. Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center and arrive in the Jovian system in 2030.

Europa Clipper Mission website: 

https://europa.nasa.gov/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC/APL/Airbus

Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #SolarArrays #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JHUAPL #GSFC #MSFC #JPL #Caltech #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Europe's Jupiter Probe: Lunar-Earth Flyby Timelapse | ESA

Europe's Jupiter Probe: Lunar-Earth Flyby Timelapse | ESA

Between August 19-20, 2024, the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft successfully completed a lunar-Earth flyby with flight controllers guiding it first past the Moon, then Earth. The gravity of the two changed JUICE’s speed and direction, sending it on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus.

The closest approach to the Moon was at 23:15 CEST on August 19, deflecting JUICE towards a closest approach to Earth just over 24 hours later at 23:56 CEST on August 20. In the hours before and after both close approaches, JUICE’s two monitoring cameras captured photos, giving us a unique ‘JUICE eye view’ of our home planet.

JUICE’s two monitoring cameras provide 1024 x 1024 pixel snapshots that can be processed in color. Their main purpose is to monitor the spacecraft’s various booms and antennas, especially during the challenging period after launch. The photos they captured of the Moon and Earth during the lunar-Earth flyby are a bonus.

Follow the JUICE Mission: www.esa.int/juice

Learn more:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_s_lunar-Earth_flyby_all_you_need_to_know

https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/Juice_why_s_it_taking_sooo_long

Video Credit: ESA - European Space Agency

Acknowledgements: Simeon Schmauß & Mark McCaughrean

Duration: 1 minute, 31 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #Planets #Earth #Jupiter #Moons #Europa #Callisto #Ganymede #JUICE #JUICEMission #Spacecraft #LunarEarth #GravitationalAssists #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #Europe #Infographics #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

Panning across Nebula NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus | Webb Telescope

Panning across Nebula NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus | Webb Telescope

This new mosaic of images from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope showcases the nearby star-forming cluster, NGC 1333. The nebula is in the Perseus molecular cloud, and located approximately 960 light-years away.

Webb’s superb sensitivity allows astronomers to investigate young objects with extremely low masses. The faintest ‘stars’ in the picture are in fact newly born free-floating brown dwarfs with masses comparable to those of giant planets.

The center of the image presents a deep peek into the heart of the NGC 1333 cloud. Across the image, we see large patches of orange that represent gas glowing in the infrared. These so-called Herbig-Haro objects form when ionized material ejected from young stars collides with the surrounding cloud. They are hallmarks of a very active site of star formation.

Many of the young stars in this image are surrounded by discs of gas and dust. These may eventually produce planetary systems. On the right hand side of the image, we can glimpse the shadow of one of these discs oriented edge-on—two dark cones emanating from opposite sides, seen against a bright background.

Similarly to the young stars in this mosaic, our own Sun and planets formed inside a dusty molecular cloud, 4.6 billion years ago. Our Sun did not form in isolation but as part of a cluster. It was perhaps even more massive than NGC 1333. The cluster in the mosaic, only 1–3 million years old, presents us with an opportunity to study stars like our Sun, as well as brown dwarfs and free-floating planets, in their nascent stages.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Scholz, K. Muzic, A. Langeveld, R. Jayawardhana

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Nebula #DarkNebula #NGC1333 #StellarNursery #HerbigHaroObjects #Perseus #Constellation  #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #CSA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nebula NGC 1333: Peeking into The Perseus Molecular Cloud | Webb Telescope

Nebula NGC 1333: Peeking into The Perseus Molecular Cloud | Webb Telescope

This new mosaic of images from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope showcases the nearby star-forming cluster, NGC 1333. The nebula is in the Perseus molecular cloud, and located approximately 960 light-years away.

Webb’s superb sensitivity allows astronomers to investigate young objects with extremely low masses. The faintest ‘stars’ in the picture are in fact newly born free-floating brown dwarfs with masses comparable to those of giant planets.

The center of the image presents a deep peek into the heart of the NGC 1333 cloud. Across the image, we see large patches of orange that represent gas glowing in the infrared. These so-called Herbig-Haro objects form when ionized material ejected from young stars collides with the surrounding cloud. They are hallmarks of a very active site of star formation.

Many of the young stars in this image are surrounded by discs of gas and dust. These may eventually produce planetary systems. On the right hand side of the image, we can glimpse the shadow of one of these discs oriented edge-on—two dark cones emanating from opposite sides, seen against a bright background.

Similarly to the young stars in this mosaic, our own Sun and planets formed inside a dusty molecular cloud, 4.6 billion years ago. Our Sun did not form in isolation but as part of a cluster. It was perhaps even more massive than NGC 1333. The cluster in the mosaic, only 1–3 million years old, presents us with an opportunity to study stars like our Sun, as well as brown dwarfs and free-floating planets, in their nascent stages.

The same cluster was featured as the 33rd anniversary image of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in April 2023. Hubble’s image just scratched the surface of this region, because clouds of dust obscure much of the star formation process. Observing with a larger aperture and in the infrared part of the spectrum, Webb is capable of peering through the dusty veil to reveal newborn stars, brown dwarfs and planetary mass objects. 

Image Description: A nebula made up of cloudy gas and dust in the form of soft and wispy clouds and, in the center, thin and highly detailed layers pressed close together. Large, bright stars surrounded by six long points of light are dotted over the image, as well as small, point-like stars embedded in the clouds. The clouds are lit up in blue close to the stars; orange colors show clouds that glow in infrared light.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Scholz, K. Muzic, A. Langeveld, R. Jayawardhana

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Nebula #DarkNebula #NGC1333 #StellarNursery #HerbigHaroObjects #Perseus #Constellation  #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #CSA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Sharpest Ground Observations for Black Holes Ever | ESO Chasing Starlight

The Sharpest Ground Observations for Black Holes Ever | ESO Chasing Starlight

The images of black holes released by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration in 2019 and 2022 were the sharpest images of the cosmos ever obtained from Earth. They were captured using a virtual telescope the size of our planet. If we are already using the largest ground-based telescope we possibly can, are we able to take even sharper black hole images? 

In this episode of Chasing Starlight, European Southern Observatory astronomer Suzanna Randall reveals how a pilot experiment using telescopes that are part of the EHT was able to obtain the highest-resolution observations ever made from the ground, and what that means for future black hole images.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Directed by: L. Calçada, M. Wallner

Hosted by: S. Randall

Written by: L. Spillman

Videography: A. Tsaousis

Animations & footage: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Benisty et al., ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Maercker et al.; N. R. Fuller/NSF

Scientific consultant: P. Amico, J. C. Munoz-Mateos

Acknowledgement: Eduardo Ros

Duration: 8 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #NSF #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #EventHorizonTelescope #EHT #VLT #Telescope #Chile #ChasingStarlight #STEM #Education #HD #Video