Thursday, August 29, 2024

Southern Africa by Moonlight | International Space Station

Southern Africa by Moonlight | International Space Station

The desert coast of Namibia and the city lights of Johannesburg, South Africa, and surrounding areas on Earth's horizon are pictured from the International Space Station as it soared 263 miles above the Atlantic Ocean in this nighttime photograph.

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. 21, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Moon #Moonlight #Planet #Earth #Africa #SouthernAfrica #Namibia #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica #ArtemisProgram #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

New NASA Study Measures Carbon Emissions from Massive Canadian Fires

New NASA Study Measures Carbon Emissions from Massive Canadian Fires

Carbon monoxide from Canada wildfires curls thousands of miles across North America in this animation showing data from summer 2023. Lower concentrations are shown in purple; higher concentrations are in yellow. Red triangles indicate fire hotspots. 

Stoked by Canada’s warmest and driest conditions in decades, extreme forest fires in 2023 released about 640 million metric tons of carbon, NASA scientists have found. This is comparable in magnitude to the annual fossil fuel emissions of a large industrialized nation. NASA funded the study as part of its ongoing mission to understand our changing planet.

The research team used satellite observations and advanced computing to quantify the carbon emissions of the fires. It burned an area roughly the size of North Dakota from May to September 2023. The new study, published on Aug. 28, 2024 in the journal Nature, was led by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

They found that the Canadian fires released more carbon in five months than Russia or Japan emitted from fossil fuels in all of 2022 (about 480 million and 291 million metric tons, respectively). While the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from both wildfires and fossil fuel combustion cause extra warming immediately, there’s an important distinction, the scientists noted. As the forest regrows, the amount of carbon emitted from fires will be reabsorbed by Earth’s ecosystems. The CO2 emitted from the burning of fossil fuels is not readily offset by any natural processes.

A European Space Agency (ESA) instrument designed to measure air pollution observed the fire plumes over Canada. The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument, or TROPOMI, flies aboard the Sentinel 5P satellite, which has been orbiting Earth since 2017. TROPOMI has four spectrometers that measure and map trace gases and fine particles (aerosols) in the atmosphere.

The scientists started with the end result of the fires: the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere during the fire season. Then they “back-calculated” how large the emissions must have been to produce that amount of CO. They were able to estimate how much CO2 was released based on ratios between the two gases in the fire plumes.

“What we found was that the fire emissions were bigger than anything in the record for Canada,” said Brendan Byrne, a JPL scientist and lead author of the new study. “We wanted to understand why.”

Warmest Conditions Since at Least 1980

Wildfire is essential to the health of forests, clearing undergrowth and brush and making way for new plant life. In recent decades, however, the number, severity, and overall size of wildfires have increased, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Contributing factors include extended drought, past fire management strategies, invasive species, and the spread of residential communities into formerly less developed areas.

To explain why Canada’s fire season was so intense in 2023, the authors of the new study cited tinderbox conditions across its forests. Climate data revealed the warmest and driest fire season since at least 1980. Temperatures in the northwest part of the country—where 61% of fire emissions occurred — were more than 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.6 degrees Celsius) above average from May through September. Precipitation was also more than 3 inches (8 centimeters) below average for much of the year.

Driven in large part by these conditions, many of the fires grew to enormous sizes. The fires were also unusually widespread, charring some 18 million hectares of forest from British Columbia in the west to Quebec and the Atlantic provinces in the east. The area of land that burned was more than eight times the 40-year average and accounted for 5% of Canadian forests.

“Some climate models project that the temperatures we experienced last year will become the norm by the 2050s,” Byrne said. “The warming, coupled with lack of moisture, is likely to trigger fire activity in the future.”

If events like the 2023 Canadian forest fires become more typical, they could impact global climate. This is because Canada’s vast forests compose one of the planet’s important carbon sinks, meaning that they absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere than they release. The scientists said that it remains to be seen whether Canadian forests will continue to absorb carbon at a rapid rate or whether increasing fire activity could offset some of the uptake, diminishing the forests’ capacity to forestall climate warming.


Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Duration: 20 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 28, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Space #Satellites #JPSS #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #CarbonDioxide #CarbonMonoxide #GreenhouseGases #AirPollution #AirQuality #Weather #Meteorology #Canada #Wildfires #Smoke #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

NASA "Espacio a Tierra" | El científico: 23 de agosto 2024

NASA "Espacio a Tierra" | El científico: 23 de agosto 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: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/ciencia-en-la-estacion/

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: 

https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov


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

Duration: 4 minutes, 24 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 29, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #NASAenespañol #español #Союз #Progress89Mission #ProgressMS28Spacecraft #CargoSpacecraft #Astronauts #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #HD #Video

Haz un recorrido por la Nebulosa Cabeza de Caballo | NASA Webb

Haz un recorrido por la Nebulosa Cabeza de Caballo | NASA Webb

La doctora Macarena García Marín presenta las imágenes más recientes de la Nebulosa Cabeza de Caballo tomadas por el telescopio espacial James Webb, revelando los complejos detalles y estructuras que eran desconocidos hasta ahora.

Estas nuevas observaciones profundizan nuestro conocimiento sobre la formación y evolución de esta emblemática nebulosa, contribuyendo a nuestra comprensión de los viveros estelares.

La discusión también resalta la importancia científica de estos hallazgos, haciendo que los complejos conceptos astrofísicos sean más fáciles de entender.


Crédito: Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la NASA

Productor: Paul Morris

Guión: Thaddeus Cesari

Créditos de las imágenes:

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

Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 29, 2024

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

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

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

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

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

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

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