Saturday, September 07, 2024

Journey to The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

Journey to The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

This video zooms in to the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula, located in the constellation Chamaeleon.

This ethereal image, captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, looks as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. It is, however, a structure known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula. It is located near the center of the even larger Chamaeleon I dark cloud—one of the nearest star-forming regions in our Milky Way galaxy.


Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA /E. Slawik, D. De Martin / Kwon O Chul

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

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #ChaIR #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope

The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope


This ethereal image, captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, looks as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. It is, however, a structure known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula. It is located near the center of the even larger Chamaeleon I dark cloud—one of the nearest star-forming regions in our Milky Way galaxy.

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.

Learn more about the Gemini South Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/


Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA 

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

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #ChaIR #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Smoke Fills South American Skies | NOAA/NASA Deep Space Climate Observatory

Smoke Fills South American Skies | NOAA/NASA Deep Space Climate Observatory

Intense fires burning in several South American countries draped large swaths of smoke across the continent throughout August and early September 2024. In Brazil and Bolivia, fire activity reached levels not seen since 2010 as a prolonged drought parched landscapes in both countries. Drought has amplified fire activity across the continent, contributing to exceptionally high carbon emissions in Bolivia and Brazil.

From about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away from Earth, NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) imager on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite captured this view of smoke billowing from the blazes on September 3, 2024.

Smoke from fires in Brazil swept over the country’s capital city in mid-August and early September. For several days, São Paolo’s air was clouded with smog, and air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to AirNow. The smoke grounded flights and forced schools to close in the most populous city in Brazil, according to The Guardian.

The fire season in the southern Amazon, which generally ramps up in August and peaks in September and October, has been intense this year. According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), a component of the European Union’s space program, emissions from fires have been exceptionally high in Bolivia and the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso do Sul.

CAMS estimates near-real-time wildfire emissions using its Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS), which aggregates observations made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. Compared to the previous 21 years, these areas have registered their highest year-to-date total emissions, at 44, 22, and 13 million metric tons of carbon, respectively.

The Pantanal region straddles the Brazil-Bolivia border and is home to one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands. It has been especially hard hit in 2024. Early and intense blazes spread over the wetlands in late May and continued into August. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), there were a record number of fire detections in the biome in June 2024, and fires have continued to burn at high levels since.

Through September 6, blazes tore through more than 10 million hectares of Bolivia, or roughly 9 percent of the country’s total area. Out of the 42 million metric tons of carbon emitted in Bolivia between May and August, 33 million metric tons came from fires in the state of Santa Cruz, according to Mark Parrington, CAMS senior scientist with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

Large parts of South America have seen significant rainfall deficits over the past three months. According to ECMWF, this has led to “exceptional drought” (the highest drought ranking) over much of the central and northern parts of the continent. Brazil’s Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts Center noted on September 5 that shifted rainfall patterns from El Niño, increased temperatures from climate change, and reduced humidity from deforestation have all contributed to the drought.

The Deep Space Climate Observatory is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather, space climate, and Earth observation satellite at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point—four times farther than the orbit of the Moon where the gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth cancel out, providing a stable orbit and a continuous view of Earth. This is NOAA's first operational deep space satellite and became its primary system of warning Earth in the event of solar magnetic storms. 

NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or EPIC, is a million miles from the planet. The camera is attached to NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, satellite. From this distance, EPIC captures a color image of the sunlit side of Earth at least once every two hours. This capability allows researchers to track features as the planet rotates in the instrument’s field of view.


Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using DSCOVR EPIC data

Article Credit: Emily Cassidy

Image Date: Sept. 3, 2024

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2024


#NASA #NOAA #Science #Space #Satellite #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology  #SouthAmerica #Brazil #Brasil #Bolivia #Wildfires #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #GlobalWarming #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #DeepSpace #DSCOVR #EPIC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s Boeing Flight Test Landing: Uncrewed | International Space Station

NASA’s Boeing Flight Test Landing: Uncrewed | International Space Station








Boeing and NASA teams work around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 Mountain Time (Sept. 7 Eastern Time), at White Sands, New Mexico. This approach allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on the spacecraft. At 6:04 p.m. EDT, on Sept. 6, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2024, readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

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

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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.


Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Image Date: Sept. 6, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #WhiteSands #NewMexico #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Friday, September 06, 2024

Uncrewed Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Departs International Space Station

Uncrewed Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Departs International Space Station

The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station shortly after undocking from the Harmony module on Sept. 6, 2024. [NASA+ Video Frame Grab]
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station's forward-facing port of the Harmony module as the orbiting lab soared 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
The American flag is pictured inside the window of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjacent to the Starliner.
The Starliner spacecraft on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjacent to the Starliner.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 256 miles above the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China.

At 6:04 p.m. EDT, on Sept. 6, 2024, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station. Starliner is headed for a deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. and a targeted landing at 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2024, readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. 

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.


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

Image Dates: June 15-Sept. 6, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Stars & Aurora | International Space Station

Stars & Aurora | International Space Station



On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

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.


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

Image Date: Aug. 10-11, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Stars #Planet #Earth #Aurora #SolarSystem #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion, Crew Recovery + Egress Testing

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion, Crew Recovery + Egress Testing

Want the latest update for NASA's Artemis campaign? Learn about how the Orion spacecraft is experiencing vacuum chamber testing, Artemis II astronauts complete an underway recovery test, and the emergency egress baskets undergo drop testing.

For more information about the Orion spacecraft, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/orion-spacecraft/

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/


Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024


#NASA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #NASAOrion #OrionSpacecraft #LockheedMartin #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

Meet engineers contributing to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. They will study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to see if it has conditions suitable to support life. Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California with key spacecraft infrastructure contributions from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

Europa Clipper has nine dedicated science instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and an ice-penetrating radar. These instruments will study Europa’s icy shell, the ocean beneath, and the composition of the gases in the moon’s atmosphere and surface geology, and provide insights into the moon’s potential habitability. The spacecraft also will carry a thermal instrument to pinpoint locations of warmer ice and any possible eruptions of water vapor. Strong evidence shows the ocean beneath Europa’s crust is twice the volume of all the Earth’s oceans combined.

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/173/europa-clipper-journey-to-an-ocean-world-poster/

For more information on this mission, visit: https://europa.nasa.gov/


Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024


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

The Bubble Nebula | Hubble’s Inside the Image

The Bubble Nebula | Hubble’s Inside the Image


NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a stunning image of the Bubble Nebula, a glowing cosmic bubble formed by the intense winds of a massive star.

In this video, Dr. Ken Carpenter dives into the mesmerizing details of the Bubble Nebula and discusses how Hubble's observations continue to reveal the intricate beauty and complexity of the universe.

The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is an emission nebula located 8,000 light-years away. It is also referred to as Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11. It is an H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star, SAO 20575 (BD+60°2522).

The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. It was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel. 


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Producer, Director & Editor: James Leigh

Director of Photography: James Ball

Executive Producers: James Leigh & Matthew Duncan

Production & Post: Origin Films 

Video Credits:

Hubble Space Telescope Animation:

ESA/Hubble - M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen

Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebula #BubbleNebula #NGC7635 #Sharpless162 #Caldwell11 #StarSAO20575 #Cassiopeia #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: The Road Ahead | Week of Sept. 6, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: The Road Ahead | Week of Sept. 6, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Mission managers have given the first “go” for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to undock from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, and land in New Mexico about six hours later. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. 

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)


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

Duration: 3 minutes, 44 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Thursday, September 05, 2024

China's Lunar & Deep Space Exploration | International Astronautical Federation

China's Lunar & Deep Space Exploration | International Astronautical Federation

During the ongoing second International Deep Space Exploration Conference held in Huangshan city of China's Anhui Province, CGTN's Wu Lei talked with the executive director of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) on his evaluation of China's lunar and deep space collaboration programs. China is preparing to construct the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) with international partners.

Learn more about China's ILRS plans:

https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/2023/TPs/ILRS_presentation20230529_.pdf

https://lnkd.in/gpuAF3ge

IAF Executive Director: Dr. Christian Feichtinger

International Astronautical Federation

https://www.iafastro.org

IAF Motto: “A space-faring world cooperating for the benefit of humanity.”

Founded in 1951, the International Astronautical Federation is the world’s leading space advocacy body with 513 Members from 77 countries, including all leading space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes and museums worldwide.

The Federation advances knowledge about space, supporting the development and application of space assets by promoting global cooperation.


Video Credit: CGTN

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024


#NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #IRLS #国际月球科研站 #IAF #ChangeProgram #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aurora Borealis & Perseid Meteors over The French Alps

Aurora Borealis & Perseid Meteors over The French Alps

The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. The Alps are one of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east)—Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. 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.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August. It is considered the best meteor shower of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to view them comfortably.

Learn more:

The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

The Perseid Meteor Shower (NASA):

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


Image Credit: Clément Brustel

Location: Lac Miroir, Queyras

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Planet #Earth #AlpesFrançaises #FrenchAlps #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Meteors #PerseidMeteors #Perseids #Perseus #Constellation #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #ClémentBrustel #LacMiroir #Queyras #France #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: The Science of Opportunity | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: The Science of Opportunity | International Space Station

As NASA astronaut Don Pettit returns to the International Space Station for the fourth time, he will be bringing with him new ideas . . . ideas for science experiments!

In addition to his duties onboard the space station, Pettit will be conducting what he calls “Science of Opportunity”—bonus science experiments of his own in addition to those he will work on day-to-day. These experiments could include everyday objects found on station, including liquid salt, powdered milk, and even Legos. As Pettit demonstrated in the past with his experiments, this bonus science can lead to peer reviewed scientific papers and new discoveries, proving you never know until you try.  

NASA’s Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia are preparing for their upcoming trip to the orbital outpost. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner are scheduled to launch on Sept. 11, 2024, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a planned six-month mission to the International Space Station.

NASA Astronaut Donald R. Pettit Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/donald-r-pettit/

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/donald-r-pettit/


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

Duration: 7 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #SoyuzMS26Crew #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition72 #InternationalCooperation #HD #Video

Hubble Space Telescope Helps Investigate the Mystery of Mars’ Escaping Water

Hubble Space Telescope Helps Investigate the Mystery of Mars’ Escaping Water

Mars was once a very wet planet. Scientists know that over the last 3 billion years, part of the water went underground, but what happened to the rest? Now, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Mission are helping to unlock that mystery. To understand how much water there was and what happened to it, scientists need to understand how the atoms escape into space.

A team combined data from Hubble and MAVEN to measure the current rate of these atoms escaping into space. This information allowed them to extrapolate the escape rate backwards through time to understand the history of water on the Red Planet.

For more information on MAVEN, go to: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/maven/


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Paul Morris: Lead Producer

Dan Gallagher: Producer for Assorted Mars Animations

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Star #Sun #Planet #PlanetaryScience #Mars #Atmosphere #Water #MAVENMission #MAVENSpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #GSFC #LASP #CUBoulder #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 474 & Spiral Galaxy NGC 470 in Pisces | ESO

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 474 & Spiral Galaxy NGC 470 in Pisces | ESO

Compared to their more intricate spiral cousins, elliptical galaxies resemble soft, hazy clouds. These galaxies have smooth, undefined boundaries, and bright cores surrounded by a fuzzy, diffuse glow. However, looks can be deceiving. At least 10% of ellipticals extend much further out into the cosmos than you might expect, and possess a range of far finer structures than first meets the eye—features such as loops and shells. 

Located around 100 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces (The Fish), the galaxy to the upper-left of this image is named NGC 474. It is a stunning example of a shell elliptical galaxy; enormous wispy tails flick around the galaxy’s main body, while the inner structure is formed of a series of nested concentric rings. In fact, the full extent of the galaxy cannot even be contained in this field of view. The tendril-like outer regions of NGC 474 billow and wisp away like smoke, extending outwards for large distances from the galaxy’s main bulk.

Astronomers are unsure why galaxies take on this kind of appearance and structure, but they believe it concerns gravity—namely, how nearby galaxies gravitationally interact with one another. It is possible that the spiral galaxy to the lower-right, NGC 470, has been tugging on its larger friend for billions of years, causing density waves to reshape its structure. 

This galaxy was observed as part of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Cosmic Gems program, an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes for the purposes of education and public outreach. The program makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESO’s science archive.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Jan. 6, 2020


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC474 #EllipticalGalaxy #ShellEllipticalGalaxy #NGC470 #SpiralGalaxy #InteractingGalaxies #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #FORS2 #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 474 & Spiral Galaxy NGC 470 | Victor Blanco Telescope

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 474 & Spiral Galaxy NGC 470 | Victor Blanco Telescope

Elliptical galaxies are generally characterized by their relatively smooth appearance when compared with spiral galaxies (one is to the left). Ellipticals have more flocculent structures interwoven with dust lanes and spiral arms. NGC 474 is at a distance of about 100 million light-years in the constellation of Pisces. This image shows unusual structures around NGC 474 characterized as tidal tails and shell-like structures made up of hundreds of millions of stars. These features are due to recent mergers (within the last billion years) or close interactions with smaller infalling dwarf galaxies. 

NGC 470 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces (visible on the left side of the image). Located approximately 91 million light years from Earth, it was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1784. This galaxy weakly interacts with elliptical galaxy NGC 474.

This image is an excerpt from the Dark Energy Survey. It is a global collaboration that includes the Department of Energy's (DOE) Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. The image was taken with the Dark Energy Camera, fabricated by DOE, on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope.

The 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope was commissioned in 1974. It is a near twin of the Mayall 4-meter telescope on Kitt Peak. In 1995 it was dedicated and named in honor of Puerto Rican astronomer Víctor Manuel Blanco. It is also part of the Dark Energy Survey (DES), a visible and near-infrared survey that aims to probe the dynamics of the expansion of the Universe.

Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope 


Credit: DES/DOE/Fermilab/NCSA & CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA 

Acknowledgments: Image processing: DES, Jen Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin

Release Date: Jan. 14, 2021


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