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The Sun is stirring from its latest slumber. As sunspots and flares bubble from the Sun’s surface, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel have announced the Sun has reached its solar maximum period.
The solar cycle is the natural cycle of the Sun as it transitions between low and high activity. During the most active part of the cycle, known as solar maximum, the Sun can unleash immense explosions of light, energy, and solar radiation. This can create conditions known as space weather. Space weather can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications systems—such as radio and GPS—and power grids on Earth.
The Fate of Stars Like Our Sun | European Southern Observatory
"Follow us on a cosmic tour of planetary nebulae—the final stages in the evolution of stars like our Sun. Why are they called that? What happens with the material they expel? Find out in this video!"
Time-lapse: Evolution of R Aquarii Binary Star System (2014 to 2023) | Hubble
This video features five frames spanning from 2014 to 2023 of R Aquarii, a symbiotic binary star that lies only roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. This is a type of binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant that is surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula.
These frames show the brightness of the central binary changing over time due to strong pulsations in the red giant star. The central structures can also be seen to be spiraling outwards due to their interaction with material previously ejected by the binary.
This time-lapse highlights the value of Hubble’s high resolution optical observations in the changing Universe, known as time-domain astronomy.
Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, M. Stute, M. Karovska, D. de Martin & M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble) Duration: 18 seconds Release Date: Oct. 16, 2024
Binary Star System R Aquarii | Hubble Space Telescope
This image features R Aquarii, a symbiotic binary star that lies only roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. This is a type of binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant that is surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula.
Image Description: A bright binary star surrounded by a nebula. The star, in the center, is a large white spot surrounded by a circular glow. It has a large, X-shaped set of diffraction spikes around it. The nebula extends far above, below, left and right of the star in long, arcing shapes made of thin, multicolored filaments—mostly red and greenish colors, but lit in a bright cyan near the star where its light illuminates the gas.
Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, M. Stute, M. Karovska, D. de Martin & M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
The Core of Abell 3381 Galaxy Cluster| ESA Euclid Space Telescope
This image shows an area of the mosaic released by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope on October 15, 2024. The area is zoomed in 36 times compared to the large mosaic. In this image, the core of galaxy cluster Abell 3381 is visible, 678 million light-years away from us. The image shows many galaxies of various shapes and sizes—from massive elliptical to modest spiral galaxies, down to tiny and dim dwarf galaxies.
Image Description: A dark black backdrop with bright dots of stars and disks of galaxies scattered across it. Fading into the background there is a myriad of light points, like specks of paint in white and light hues of yellow, blue and purple. In the foreground, a handful of bright light sources draw attention. Spanning from the top right corner to the bottom left of the image, yellow light points form a diagonal string of sparkling beads. A number of these are sharp, piercing dots with six faint spikes, others are blurry blobs of light, gleaming bright in their center with their edges blending into the depths of the black background. In the lower left quarter of the image, two hazy white spiral shapes of light catch the eye. They appear to be swirling around each other.
Interacting Galaxies: Distance 420 Million Light-years | ESA Euclid Space Telescope
This image shows an area of the mosaic released by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope on October 15, 2024. The area is zoomed in 150 times compared to the large mosaic. On the left of the image, Euclid captured two galaxies (called ESO 364-G035 and G036) that are interacting with each other, 420 million light-years from us. On the right of the image, galaxy cluster Abell 3381 is visible, 678 million light-years away from us.
Image Description: Three groups of light sources, as well as a scatter of piercing dots of light with six faint spikes stand out in stark contrast against a black backdrop. The most prominent light sources occupy the center of the image. They are two hazy white spirals, that appear to be swirling in a cosmic dance with each other, with the lower spiral being larger than the one above it. On the right side of the image, two spots of gleaming yellow light draw attention. The hazy light blobs emit a golden glow from their center, which fades out in a circular shape into the background. In the bottom left corner of the picture, another spiral shape can be seen. It appears as if it is a thin white bar spinning in a circle and emitting a white spray of paint at its ends, leaving behind a diffuse trace of light.
A 208-Gigapixel Glimpse into The Universe | ESA Euclid Space Telescope
This will be the "first page" of the European Space Agency Euclid’s great cosmic atlas. It shows millions of stars and galaxies in pristine detail in a huge 208-gigapixel mosaic. The mosaic covers an area of the Southern Sky more than 500 times the area of the full Moon as seen from Earth.
Starting from a vast cosmic panorama with an estimated 14 million galaxies, a series of ever-deeper zooms brings you to a crisp view of a swirling spiral galaxy, in a final image enlarged 600 times compared to the full mosaic. Many of the 14 million galaxies in the initial vista will be used to study the hidden influence of dark matter and dark energy on the Universe.
This mosaic accounts for 1% of the area that Euclid will cover over six years, and was obtained by combining 260 observations collected in just two weeks.
This first chunk of Euclid’s survey was revealed on October 15, 2024 at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy.
Video Credit & Copyright: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CEA Paris-Saclay, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre, E. Bertin, G. Anselmi; ESA/Gaia/DPAC; ESA/Planck Collaboration
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) with "Anti-Tail" over Canary Islands
"Comet tails are supposed to point away from the sun. Last night, Nick James of the British Astronomical Association photographed a tail pointing in the opposite direction."
"The 'anti-tail' looked amazing in this image of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS I took from 2100m on La Palma," said James.
"When James took the picture, Earth was passing through the orbital plane of the comet, and that is what made the anti-tail. The sharp edge of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS's fan-shaped dust tail briefly appeared to point toward the suna counterintuitive optical illusion."
"The anti-tail will fade in the days ahead, even as the comet itself remains a gorgeous sight in the evening sky. Look west about 40 minutes after local sunset. The comet is easy to find using binoculars and, then, once found, is equally easy to see with the unaided eye. The comet's long tail (the real tail) stretches more than 10 degrees above the western horizon, remaining visible in the moonlight for as much as an hour after the head of the comet sets. Enjoy the view!"
The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. La Palma, also known as La isla bonita and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Supporting NASA's Deep Space Exploration | Lockheed Martin
"Explore Lockheed Martin's rich history of deep space exploration. From studying the Sun to understanding the evolution of the universe and everything in between, we have been at the forefront of deep space for over 50 years."
Shenzhou-18 Crew Gears Up for Shenzhou-19 Arrival | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-18 mission crew has carried out their work in an orderly manner this week in preparation for the handover to Shenzhou-19 crew members at China's Tiangong space station later this month.
On April 25 this year, China launched the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, sending three astronauts to Tiangong for a six-month mission, and the three astronauts are expected to return to Earth later this month.
Over the past week, the Shenzhou-18 crew carried out rendezvous and docking operation training as planned, using the remote-operated rendezvous and docking in-orbit training system to conduct operational skills training, such as image recognition, manual docking, and manual evacuation under a variety of initial conditions.
In terms of the study of astronauts' behavioral capabilities, the crew recorded their pscychological workload measurements and fatigue levels after the in-orbit training of rendezvous and docking. This will help ground scientific researchers explore the characteristics and patterns of changes in astronauts' flight mission operational skills.
Furthermore, the mission crew carried out a series of microgravity-based experiments in the high-temperature material experimental cabinet in the Mengtian lab module. These are of great significance for understanding the inherent laws of material physics and chemical processes, enriching and improving the basic theories of material science, guiding and promoting the preparation process and production of basic materials, improving material performance, and promoting the development of related ground-based material industries.
The mission crew also conducted personal noise exposure dose measurement, acoustic environment monitoring, air cleanliness testing, and wind speed and temperature measurements.
Moreover, the mission crew examined their cardiopulmonary functions, hearing capabilities, bone densities, and masses, and used neuromuscular stimulators, acupoint stimulation suits, bone loss countermeasures and other equipment for weightlessness protection to maintain their health during their long-term stay in orbit.
In addition, the crew completed daily tasks including cabin equipment inspection and maintenance and carefully maintaining the space vegetable garden.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) at Dawn over Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) at dawn over Mauna Kea. The zodiacal light is seen to the left. Mauna Kea is a dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi. Its peak is 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in Hawaii.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is a comet from the solar system's Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory east of Nanjing, China, on January 9, 2023, and independently found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. C/2023 A3 passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million miles) on September 27, 2024.
The Oort cloud is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years). The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, in whose honor the idea was named. Oort proposed that the bodies in this cloud replenish and keep constant the number of long-period comets entering the inner Solar System—where they are eventually consumed and destroyed during close approaches to the Sun.
The zodiacal light—also called “false dawn” when seen before sunrise—is a faint, diffuse band of light in the night sky, reaching up from the horizon. It follows the direction of the ecliptic—the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. This plane is rich in tiny particles of dust. It scatters sunlight and creates this phenomenon.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA/ M. Rodriguez
Spiral Galaxy Messier 90: Best View Yet | Hubble Space Telescope
This striking spiral galaxy is Messier 90 (M90, also NGC 4569), located in the constellation Virgo. In 2019, an image of M90 was released using data from the older Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2—data taken in 1994 soon after the camera’s installation. That image has a distinctive stair-step pattern due to the layout of WFPC2’s sensors. WFPC2 was replaced in 2010 by the Wide Field Camera 3, and Hubble used WFC3 when it turned its aperture to Messier 90 again in 2019 and 2023. The resulting data was processed to create this stunning new image, providing a much fuller view of the galaxy’s dusty disc, its gaseous halo and its bright core.
The inner regions of M90’s disc are sites of star formation. This is highlighted here by red H-alpha light from nebulae, but this is absent in the rest of the galaxy. M90 sits among the galaxies of the relatively nearby Virgo Cluster, and the course of its orbit took it on a path near the cluster’s centre about three hundred million years ago. The density of gas in the inner cluster weighed on M90 like a strong headwind, stripping enormous quantities of gas from the galaxy and creating the diffuse halo that can be seen around it here. This gas is no longer available for M90 to form new stars with, and it will eventually fade as a spiral galaxy as a result.
M90 is located 55 million light-years from Earth, but it is one of the very few galaxies getting closer to us. Its orbit through the Virgo cluster has accelerated it so much that it is in the process of escaping the cluster entirely, and by happenstance it is moving in our direction—other galaxies in the Virgo cluster have been measured at similar speeds, but in the opposite direction. Over the coming billions of years, we will be treated to a yet better view of M90 while it evolves into a lenticular galaxy.
Image Description: A spiral galaxy. It has a bright core with light spilling out, and its disc is filled with thick clumps of dark reddish dust that swirls around the galaxy following its rotation. Parts of the disc are speckled with blue, showing brighter and hotter stars. A halo of faintly-lit gas wraps around the galaxy, extending beyond the edges of the image.
Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team
Elon Musk: "Even rockets need hugs." 🥰 | SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Booster
Following a successful liftoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and coast, the Super Heavy booster performed its landing burn and was caught by the chopstick arms (Mechazilla) of the launch and catch tower at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13, 2024. "Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria had to be met prior to the catch attempt, and thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers, we succeeded with catch on our first attempt."
"Prior to catch, Starship executed another successful hot-staging separation, igniting its six Raptor engines and completing ascent into outer space. It coasted along its planned trajectory to the other side of the planet before executing a controlled reentry, passing through the phases of peak heating and maximum aerodynamic pressure, before executing a flip, landing burn, and splashdown at its target area in the Indian Ocean. The flight test concluded at splashdown 1 hour, 5 minutes and 40 seconds after launch."
"The entire SpaceX team should take pride in the engineering feat they just accomplished. The world witnessed what the future will look like when Starship starts carrying crew and cargo to destinations on Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond."
"Congratulations to the SpaceX team for taking this leap in our quest to make life multiplanetary. And thank you to our customers, Cameron County, spaceflight fans, and the wider community for the continued support and encouragement."
Watch the full fifth flight test and review the mission summary here:
"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."
SpaceX Mechazilla Close-up: Tower Catches Starship Super Heavy Booster
Following a successful liftoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and coast, the Super Heavy booster performed its landing burn and was caught by the chopstick arms (Mechazilla) of the launch and catch tower at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13, 2024. "Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria had to be met prior to the catch attempt, and thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers, we succeeded with catch on our first attempt."
"Prior to catch, Starship executed another successful hot-staging separation, igniting its six Raptor engines and completing ascent into outer space. It coasted along its planned trajectory to the other side of the planet before executing a controlled reentry, passing through the phases of peak heating and maximum aerodynamic pressure, before executing a flip, landing burn, and splashdown at its target area in the Indian Ocean. The flight test concluded at splashdown 1 hour, 5 minutes and 40 seconds after launch."
"The entire SpaceX team should take pride in the engineering feat they just accomplished. The world witnessed what the future will look like when Starship starts carrying crew and cargo to destinations on Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond."
"Congratulations to the SpaceX team for taking this leap in our quest to make life multiplanetary. And thank you to our customers, Cameron County, spaceflight fans, and the wider community for the continued support and encouragement."
Watch the full fifth flight test and review the mission summary here:
"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."
NASA Europa Clipper Ocean Moon Mission Launch | SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket
NASA's Europa Clipper Mission was successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 14, 2024.
Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life.
Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface, which scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans.
Europa Clipper's science instruments include 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.
NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft Separates from SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has separated from SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket after a successful launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Monday, October 14, 2024. Europa Clipper is on its way to Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, to study its icy crust and the salty ocean below. The Europa Clipper spacecraft is expected to reach Europa in 2030 and perform nearly 50 flybys of the Moon.
Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life.
Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface, which scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans.
Europa Clipper's science instruments include 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.
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