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Monday, December 16, 2024

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Training in Florida | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Training in Florida | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members stand between Falcon 9 first-stage boosters at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos (Russia), Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), along with NASA Astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members stand in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Commander Anne McClain of NASA, Pilot Nichole Ayers of NASA, and Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos (Russia).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members pose in front of their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle as part of their SpaceX crew training at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Commander Anne McClain of NASA, Pilot Nichole Ayers of NASA, and Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos (Russia).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos (Russia) stands in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi stands in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and Pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission pictured at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Commander Anne McClain is pictured at the launch tower at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Official crew portrait of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 members:

(from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos (Russia); Pilot Nicole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Four crew members are preparing to launch for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Russia will join astronauts at the orbiting laboratory no earlier than February 2025.

The flight is the 10th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). While aboard, the international crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions and benefit people on Earth.

Veteran Astronaut Anne McClain NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/anne-c-mcclain/

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/anne-c-mcclain/

Astronaut Nichole Ayers NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers/

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi Biography:

https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/astronaut/onishi-takuya/

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission will be the first spaceflight for Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Russia. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned a degree in Engineering from the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation School and was a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for airlines Nordwind and Ikar. Assigned as a test-cosmonaut in 2020, he has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.

Learn more about NASA's SpaceX Crew-10:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crew-10/

NASA's Commercial Crew Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/commercial-crew-program/

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.

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Image Dates: Nov. 18-Dec. 16, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceXCrew10 #SpaceX #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Falcon9Rocket #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #Crew10MissionCommander #NicholeAyers #TakuyaOnishi #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #KirillPeskov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #CCP #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #JSC #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Mars Images: December 12-16, 2024 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: December 12-16, 2024 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1356

Mars 2020 - sol 1359

Mars 2020 - sol 1358

MSL - sol 4393

Mars 2020 - sol 1355

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life.

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Date: Dec. 12-16, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Most Thrilling Moments of China's Space Endeavors in 2024

Most Thrilling Moments of China's Space Endeavors in 2024

Crewed space station missions, sampling of the Moon's far side south pole and more commercial launches—Check on the most exhilarating moments in China's space in 2024.

Spoiler Alert: Crewed lunar landings are on the way . . .

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe was launched on May 3, 2024, and carried four international payloads. Its lander-ascender combination touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2, 2024.

The returner of the Chang'e-6 probe touched down safely on Earth, June 25, 2024, in Siziwang Banner, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It brought back the world's first samples collected from the Moon's far side south polar region. These are critical for a better understanding of the Moon's origin, its geological history, and its interactions with our planet.

In 2020, Chang'e-5 was the first lunar sample-return mission since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. The mission made China the third country to return samples from the Moon after the United States and the Soviet Union.

Video Credit: New China TV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Dec. 16, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #Shenzhou18 #Shenzhou19 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #CNSA #中国国家航天局 #CMSA #国家航天局 #CLEP #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble’s Inside the Image: Protoplanetary Disks | NASA Goddard

Hubble’s Inside the Image: Protoplanetary Disks | NASA Goddard

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning images of protoplanetary disks—dynamic, swirling structures of gas and dust surrounding young stars. In this video, Dr. Padi Boyd takes us on a journey through these remarkable objects, explaining how Hubble's observations are unraveling the mysteries of planet formation and providing a glimpse into the birthplaces of new solar systems.

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
Exoplanet Animations:
ESA/Hubble - M. Kornmesser & L. Calçada
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: December 16, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #ProtoplanetaryDisks #Planets #Exoplanets #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #Animation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Evidence for Planet-forming Discs Living Longer in Early Universe | Webb

Evidence for Planet-forming Discs Living Longer in Early Universe | Webb

This is a NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope image of NGC 346, a massive star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors. With its relative lack of elements heavier than helium and hydrogen, the NGC 346 cluster serves as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the early, distant Universe. Ten, small, yellow circles overlaid on the image indicate the positions of the ten stars surveyed in this study.

This image features NGC 346, one of the most dynamic star-forming regions in nearby galaxies, as seen by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

This graph shows, on the bottom left in yellow, a spectrum of one of the 10 target stars in this study (as well as accompanying light from the immediate background environment). Spectral fingerprints of hot atomic helium, cold molecular hydrogen, and hot atomic hydrogen are highlighted. On the top left in magenta is a spectrum slightly offset from the star that includes only light from the background environment. This second spectrum lacks a spectral line of cold molecular hydrogen.

On the right is the comparison of the top and bottom lines. This comparison shows a large peak in the cold molecular hydrogen coming from the star but not its nebular environment. Also, atomic hydrogen shows a larger peak from the star. This indicates the presence of a protoplanetary disc immediately surrounding the star. The data was taken with the microshutter array on the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) instrument.

NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope finds planet-forming discs lived longer in early Universe. New data refutes current theories of planet formation in Universe’s early days. Webb just solved a conundrum by proving a controversial finding made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope more than 20 years ago. In 2003, Hubble provided evidence of a massive planet around a very old star, almost as old as the Universe. Such stars possess only small amounts of heavier elements that are the building blocks of planets. This implied that some planet formation happened when our Universe was very young, and those planets had time to form and grow big inside their primordial discs, even bigger than Jupiter. But how? This was puzzling.

To answer this question, researchers used Webb to study stars in a nearby galaxy that, much like the early Universe, lacks large amounts of heavy elements. They found that not only do stars there have planet-forming discs, but that those discs are longer-lived than those seen around young stars in our Milky Way galaxy.

“With Webb, we have a really strong confirmation of what we saw with Hubble, and we must rethink how we model planet formation and early evolution in the young Universe,” said study leader Guido De Marchi of ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, Netherlands.

A Different Environment in Early Times

In the early Universe, stars formed from mostly hydrogen and helium, and very few heavier elements, such as carbon and iron. These came later through supernova explosions.

“Current models predict that with so few heavier elements, the discs around stars have a short lifetime, so short in fact that planets cannot grow big,” said the Webb study’s co-investigator Elena Sabbi, chief scientist for Gemini Observatory at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab in Tucson. “But Hubble did see those planets, so what if the models were not correct and discs could live longer?”

To test this idea, scientists trained Webb on the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors. In particular, they examined the massive, star-forming cluster NGC 346. It also has a relative lack of heavier elements. The cluster served as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the early, distant Universe.

Hubble observations of NGC 346 from the mid 2000s revealed many stars about 20 to 30 million years old that seemed to still have planet-forming discs around them. This went against the conventional belief that such discs would dissipate after 2 or 3 million years.

“The Hubble findings were controversial, going against not only empirical evidence in our galaxy but also against the current models,” said De Marchi. “This was intriguing, but without a way to obtain spectra of those stars, we could not really establish whether we were witnessing genuine accretion and the presence of discs, or just some artificial effects.”

Now, thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and resolution, scientists have the first-ever spectra of forming, Sun-like stars and their immediate environments in a nearby galaxy.

“We see that these stars are indeed surrounded by discs and are still in the process of gobbling material, even at the relatively old age of 20 or 30 million years,” said De Marchi. “This also implies that planets have more time to form and grow around these stars than in nearby star-forming regions in our own galaxy.”

A New Way of Thinking

This finding refutes previous theoretical predictions that when there are very few heavier elements in the gas around the disc, the star would very quickly blow away the disc. So the disc’s life would be very short, even less than a million years. However, if a disc does not stay around the star long enough for the dust grains to stick together and pebbles to form and become the core of a planet, how can planets form?

The researchers explained that there could be two distinct mechanisms, or even a combination, for planet-forming discs to persist in environments scarce in heavier elements.

First, to be able to blow away the disc, the star applies radiation pressure. For this pressure to be effective, elements heavier than hydrogen and helium would have to reside in the gas. The massive star cluster NGC 346 only has about ten percent of the heavier elements that are present in the chemical composition of our Sun. Perhaps it simply takes longer for a star in this cluster to disperse its disc.

The second possibility is that, for a Sun-like star to form when there are few heavier elements, it would have to start from a larger cloud of gas. A larger gas cloud will produce a bigger disc. Thus, there is more mass in the disc and therefore it would take longer to blow the disc away, even if the radiation pressure were working in the same way.

“With more matter around the stars, the accretion lasts for a longer time,” said Sabbi. "The discs take ten times longer to disappear. This has implications for how you form a planet, and the type of system architecture that you can have in these different environments. This is so exciting.”

The science team’s paper appears in the December 16, 2024 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Pagan (STScI)
Release Date: Jan. 11, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Webb #StarClusters #StarCluster #NGC346 #Tucana #Constellation #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #NASAWebb #JWST #NIRSpec #Infrared #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Infographic #STEM #Education

Seeing Eye to Eye: Spiral Galaxy NGC 2566 in Puppis | Hubble

Seeing Eye to Eye: Spiral Galaxy NGC 2566 in Puppis | Hubble

Featured in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture is the spiral galaxy NGC 2566. It sits 76 million light-years away in the constellation Puppis. A prominent bar of stars stretches across the center of this galaxy, and spiral arms emerge from each end of the bar. Because NGC 2566 appears tilted from our perspective, its disc takes on an almond shape, giving the galaxy the appearance of a cosmic eye.

As NGC 2566 gazes at us, astronomers gaze right back, using Hubble to survey the galaxy’s star clusters and star-forming regions. The Hubble data are especially valuable for studying stars that are just a few million years old; these stars are bright at the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths to which Hubble is sensitive. Using these data, researchers will measure the ages of NGC 2566’s stars, helping to piece together the timeline of the galaxy’s star formation and the exchange of gas between star-forming clouds and stars themselves.

Several other astronomical observatories have examined NGC 2566, including the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope. The Webb data complement this Hubble image, adding a view of NGC 2566’s warm, glowing dust to Hubble’s stellar portrait. At the long-wavelength end of the electromagnetic spectrum, NGC 2566 has also been observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is a network of 66 radio telescopes that work together as one to capture detailed images of the clouds of gas in which stars form. Together, Hubble, Webb and ALMA provide an overview of the formation, lives and deaths of stars in galaxies across the Universe.

Image Description: An oval-shaped spiral galaxy. Its core is a compact, glowing blue spot. A bright bar of light, lined with dark reddish dust, extends horizontally to the edge of the disc. A spiral arm emerges from each end of the bar and follows the edge of the disc, lined with blue and red glowing patches of stars, to the opposite end and a little off the galaxy. Blue stars are scattered between us and the galaxy.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker
Release Date: Dec. 16, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC2566 #SpiralGalaxy #Puppis #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Sunday, December 15, 2024

China to Launch New Long March-8 Rocket at First Commercial Space Launch Site

China to Launch New Long March-8 Rocket at First Commercial Space Launch Site

China's new-generation medium-sized rocket, the Long March-8 (CZ-8), was successfully transferred to the launching area at the country's first commercial space launch site in Wenchang of China's south island province of Hainan on Sunday afternoon, December 15, 2024—ready to be launched at an appropriate time in the coming days.

The rocket was developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). It adopts liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LH/LOX)—a "green" and environmentally friendly liquid propellant, and concluded a successful full rehearsal in early November this year. The new Long March-8 rocket implements a larger 3.35 meters diameter liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen second stage, coupled with two upgraded versions of the YF-75D engines (known as the YF-75H) with increased thrust to 10 tonnes each through measures, such as increased turbopump speeds. The Long March 8A can also use a larger 5.2 meter diameter payload fairing.

At 13:44, the rocket was transferred to No. 1 launch pad at the Hainan Commercial Spacecraft Launch Site.

Construction of the No. 1 launch pad started in July 2022 and finished on December 29, 2023.

The launch of Long March-8 marks the inaugural event for the No. 1 launch pad, serving as a further capability test of the launch site following its first successful launch mission.

On Nov. 30, a Long March-12 carrier rocket was successfully launched into space, serving as the maiden launch mission undertaken by the launch site.

China's commercial space industry expanded from 800 billion yuan (about 112 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019 to 1.9 trillion yuan in 2023. The market scale is expected to reach 2.34 trillion yuan by the end of 2024, according to an industry report.

Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)
Duration: 28 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 15, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #CNSA #中国国家航天局 #LongMarch8 #CZ8 #CZ8A #长征八号运载火箭 #Rocket #RocketEngine #LHLOX #LiquidHydrogen #LiquidOxygen #RocketLaunch #CarrierRocket #MediumLift #CASC #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #CommercialSpace #Spaceflight #HICAL #WSLS #Wenchang #Hainan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship Static Fire: Preparing for Starship Flight Test#7

SpaceX Starship Static Fire: Preparing for Starship Flight Test#7

On December 15, 2024, SpaceX performed a brief static test fire of the Starship that will be used for Flight Test#7 at SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket—collectively referred to as Starship—represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.

Key Starship Parameters:
Height: 121m/397ft
Diameter: 9m/29.5ft
Payload to LEO: 100 – 150t (fully reusable)

"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."

Learn more about Starship:

https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Video Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 11 seconds
Capture Date: Dec.15, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #Starship #Spacecraft #Starship7 #TestFlight7 #HeavyBooster #SuperHeavyRocket #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #Starbase #BocaChica #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Download Free 2025 ESA Hubble & Webb Space Telescopes Calendar | ESA

Download Free 2025 ESA Hubble & Webb Space Telescopes Calendar | ESA

To celebrate another year of exciting images and discoveries from the NASA/Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, ESA/Hubble and ESA/Webb have released a new 2025 calendar that showcases beautiful imagery from both missions.

Print, share & enjoy:

High Resolution Digital 2025 Calendar PDF File (100 MB)
https://esahubble.org/media/archives/calendars/pdf/cal2025.pdf

Low Resolution Digital 2025 Calendar PDF File (6 MB)

https://esahubble.org/media/archives/calendars/pdfsm/cal2025.pdf

Print-Ready 2025 Calendar PDF File (465 MB) https://esahubble.org/media/archives/announcements/pdf/calendar_hubble_2025_v05_print.pdf

The 2025 calendar features a selection of images from press releases (for Hubble and Webb), Hubble Pictures of the Week and Webb Pictures of the Month published in 2024. These include imagery of planets, star clusters, galaxies, and more.

Here is a list of images in the 2025 calendar:

Cover: Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud lies the young star cluster NGC 602 where star formation is ongoing. This image highlights the cluster stars, the young stellar objects, and the surrounding gas and dust ridges, while also showing background galaxies and other stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud.

January: The giant planet Jupiter, in all its banded glory, is revisited by Hubble in this image taken on January 6, 2024. A pair of battling storms are visible right of center, a deep red cyclone and a reddish anticyclone. To the left of the planet its volcanic moon Io appears.

February: This sharpest-ever infrared view of the famous Horsehead Nebula from Webb shows the depth and complexity of the thick clumps of material like never before. Also featured are Hubble’s 23rd anniversary image, and one of the first images from ESA’s Euclid telescope.

March: The two bright ‘eyes’ and semi-circular ‘smile’ in the Webb image of this spiral galaxy are the result of an off-center collision by the elliptical galaxy now seen here to its left. A tenuous gas bridge runs between the galaxies, together known as Arp 107.

April: M76, the colorful Little Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula created by a collapsing red giant star. Hot, vibrant gases are propelled outwards by the now white-dwarf’s stellar winds; the red color is from nitrogen, and blue is from oxygen. Hubble turned to this favorite target of amateur astronomers for its 34th anniversary in April 2024.

May: This is NGC 5253, a starburst galaxy filled with extraordinary star clusters and continually forming stars. Hubble’s image reveals super star clusters lurking in its core amongst dark dust clouds. As a dwarf galaxy, it resembles ancient galaxies and is a laboratory to study star and galaxy evolution.

June: Among the many massive galaxies of the lensing galaxy cluster shown here, SPT-CL J0615−5746, lies the Cosmic Gems arc. An infant galaxy from just 460 million years after the Big Bang, it is visible thanks to strong gravitational lensing by the cluster. Astronomers are using Webb to map its inner workings.

July: R Aquarii is a binary star system surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula. Outbursts eject powerful jets, forming loops and trails as plasma emerges in streamers. They are energized by blistering radiation from the stellar duo to glow in visible light.

August: A stunning mosaic of images from Webb showcases the nearby star-forming cluster, NGC 1333, in the Perseus molecular cloud. Large patches of orange represent gas glowing in the infrared as ionised material ejected from young stars collides with the surrounding cloud. They are hallmarks of a very active site of star formation.

September: Omega Centauri is the brightest, largest, and most massive Milky Way globular cluster known. This image shows the depth and extent of its population of stars. In 2024 astronomers found new evidence in Hubble data that it hides an intermediate-mass black hole at its center.

October: The Serpens Nebula is home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars. This Webb image shows the nebula’s center. Filaments and wisps of different hues represent reflected starlight from still-forming protostars within the cloud; dust in front of that reflection appears in an orange, diffuse shade.

November: Hubble continued its long run of capturing beautiful celestial objects in fine color and detail in 2024, and this year as ever, many were spiral galaxies. Seen here are NGC 4951, NGC 3810, NGC 3783 and Messier 90, gems from a treasure trove of new Hubble observations.

December: Westerlund 1 is one of our galaxy’s few remaining super star clusters. Its large, dense, and diverse population of massive stars is unrivalled in the Milky Way galaxy. Webb can pierce the dense dust surrounding it and study its population of lower-mass stars.

Please note that hard copies are not available directly from ESA/Hubble/Webb.

Credit: ESA/Webb/ESA Hubble Team
Release Date: Dec. 12, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #HST #JWST #Planets #Stars #StarClusters #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #AdobePDF #PDF #FreeCalendar #Calendar2025 #STEM #Education

Stars Castor & Pollux in Gemini | UK's New Forest Observatory

Stars Castor & Pollux in Gemini | UK's New Forest Observatory

Data captured with a Meade 127mm apo-refractor, a 500 lines/mm transmission grating-3D printed spectrometer and a QHY5-11m camera. Spectral data processed using Basic Astronomical Spectroscopy Software (BASS) Project.

Featured here is an image of the stars Castor and Pollux, the prominent stars in the constellation Gemini (The Twins). As you will have noted if you have ever looked at this constellation, Castor and Pollux are quite close in brightness—1.93 magnitude and 1.14 magnitude, respectively. Blue-white Castor is part of a multiple star system, approximately 52 light years away. Pollux, an orange giant, is slightly brighter than Castor and is found about 34 light years away.

All stars emit light across a variety of spectral wavelengths or colors. The wavelength that light output peaks provides information about a star's temperature. Pollux is classified as a K0 IIIb spectral-type star. It is actually cooler than our Sun, having an estimated surface temperature of 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,400 degrees Celsius), compared with the Sun's surface temperature of 10,000 F (5,500 C). Castor is an A type Main Sequence star (A1V + dM1e), much more massive than the Sun and much hotter (between 8,000-10,000 C). This spectral comparison between Castor and Pollux was another collaborative effort with my spectroscopist friend, George Roberts.

Image Details: Taken with the 200 mm lenses and M26C OSC CCDs on the MiniWASP array.

Image & Caption Credit: Greg Parker
Location: New Forest Observatory, U.K. Coordinates: 50.819444, -1.59
The JPO, Suffolk, U.K. Coordinates: 52.483161, 1.702376
Release Date: Dec. 12, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Spectra #StarSystems #Castor #Star #Pollux #OrangeGiant #Gemini #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Optical #Astrophotographer #GregParker #Astrophotography #Suffolk #UK #UnitedKingdom #STEM #Education #EPoD

China's Shenzhou-19 Station Crew in Full Swing Conducting Scientific Experiments

China's Shenzhou-19 Station Crew in Full Swing Conducting Scientific Experiments

China's Shenzhou-19 crew have been carrying out multiple scientific and technical research tasks in an orderly manner over their past 47 days aboard the orbiting Tiangong Space Station.

During research on the biological effects and molecular mechanisms of fruit flies under a weak magnetic field in space, crew members completed the transfer and collection of fruit flies with a soft glove cover.

They also carried out the replacement of the gas purification module, plus the transfer and storage of the fruit flies' collection tube. The experiment is expected to realize the first clear generation of fruit flies at the China Space Station.

In an experiment to monitoring and guide astronaut heart rates and other data in a range of situations, crew members used activity recording devices to collect their heart rates and other health data. Then, they backed the data up and sent it to the ground for analysis.

The crew have completed the in-orbit upgrade and testing of the station's material information management system. This system plays the role of a "smart warehouse", recording the consumption and location changes of materials within the space station in real time.

During the six-month mission in orbit, the crew will conduct audiological tests regularly to monitor their hearing health.

The crew has continued their weightlessness protection training since they arrived at the space station in late October. This is to better ensure their physical health and in-orbit working ability during their long-term mission.

The Shenzhou-19 crew has also carried out inspection and maintenance work on the devices of the regenerative life support system. This helps recycle consumable resources, such as water at the China Space Station to ensure the long-term stay of astronauts in orbit.

Of course, the crew also regularly cleaned the cabin environment and organized the storage of devices and materials.

The crew members—Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze—were sent to the Tiangong Space Station on October 30, 2024, for a six-month mission.

During their flight, the three astronauts will conduct 86 space science research and technology experiments, covering fields, such as space life sciences, basic microgravity physics, space material science, aerospace medicine, and new aerospace technologies.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:

Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)

Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)

Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 15, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #SpaceDebris #MicrogravityExperiments #Maintenance #CMSA #国家航天局 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Journey to Nebula LHA 120-N150 in Dorado | Hubble

Journey to Nebula LHA 120-N150 in Dorado | Hubble

This video zooms in on the nebula LHA 120-N150. It begins with a view of the night sky focused on the Large Magellanic Cloud, as seen from the ground. It then zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, which show the whole Tarantula Nebula — in which LHA 120-N150 is located. The video finally ends with a view of the nebula obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

The final image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150. It is a substructure of the gigantic Tarantula Nebula. The latter is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated more than 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf irregular galaxy that orbits our Milky Way.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble, NASA, Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Duration: 51 seconds

Release Date: March 18, 2020

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #LHA120N150 #N150 #Nebula #TarantulaNebula #Dorado #Constellation #LargeMagellanicCloud #LMC #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up view: Nebula LHA 120-N150: A Massive Star Formation Lab | Hubble

Close-up view: Nebula LHA 120-N150: A Massive Star Formation Lab | Hubble

This image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150. It is a substructure of the gigantic Tarantula Nebula. The latter is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated more than 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf irregular galaxy that orbits our Milky Way.

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble, NASA, I. Stephens
Duration: 25 seconds
Release Date: March 18, 2020

Close-up view: Grand Spiral NGC 5643 in Lupus | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up view: Grand Spiral NGC 5643 in Lupus | Hubble Space Telescope

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643. It is located roughly 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus. NGC 5643 is a grand design spiral, referring to how the galaxy’s two large, winding spiral arms are clear to see. The spiral arms are defined by bright blue stars, lacy reddish-brown dust clouds and pink star-forming regions.

As fascinating as the galaxy appears at visible wavelengths, NGC 5643 has several interesting features invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet and X-ray images and spectra of NGC 5643 show that the galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN): an especially bright galactic core powered by a feasting supermassive black hole. When a supermassive black hole ensnares gas from its surroundings, the gas collects in a disc that heats up to hundreds of thousands of degrees. The superheated gas shines brightly across the electromagnetic spectrum, but especially at X-ray wavelengths.

NGC 5643’s active galactic nucleus is not the brightest source of X-rays in the galaxy, though. Researchers using the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton discovered an even brighter X-ray-emitting object, called NGC 5643 X-1, on the galaxy’s outskirts. What could be a more powerful source of X-rays than a supermassive black hole? Surprisingly, the answer appears to be a much smaller black hole! While the exact identity of NGC 5643 X-1 is not yet known, evidence points to a black hole that is about 30 times more massive than the Sun. Locked in an orbital dance with a companion star, the black hole ensnares gas from its stellar companion, creating a superheated disc that outshines the galactic center.

NGC 5643 was also the subject of a previous picture. The new image incorporates additional wavelengths of light, including the red color that is characteristic of gas heated by massive young stars.

Image Description: A close-up of a spiral galaxy, seen face-on. Its center is a bright white point, surrounded by a large yellowish oval with thin lines of dust swirling in it. From the sides of the oval emerge two bright spiral arms which wind through the round disc of the galaxy, filled with shining pink spots where stars are forming and more dark reddish dust. Many stars can be seen in the foreground, over and around the galaxy.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, D. Thilker, D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC5643 #SpiralGalaxy #AGN #BlackHoles #NGC5643X1 #Lupus #Constellation #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What name would you give this nebula? | European Southern Observatory

What name would you give this nebula? | European Southern Observatory

The image shows a large nebulous cloud at the center, taking up most of the frame. The bulgy nebula is opaque and yellowy at the bottom right, slashed by darker parts, and becomes more diffuse, pink-hued and translucent towards the top. The dark background is full of small orange and blue stars. A bigger blue star pops up in the middle of the nebula as well as to the top right of it.

Do you see a playful fox, a skulking hyena or . . . a chicken’s head? Located in the Centaurus constellation, this gas cloud is part of the giant Running Chicken Nebula. There are people that see it as the head of the chicken, others see the chicken’s rear end.

However, as much as scientists love fun names for nebulae, they are often not very conducive to clear communication in an international field like astronomy. That is why this nebula is formally known by two names that sound, well . . . a little less funky.

In 1955, Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum made an inventory of 84 emission nebulae in the southern sky: the Gum catalog. This one is known, quite dryly, as Gum 40. Long before Gum, in 1888, Danish astronomer John Louis Emil Dreyer had already compiled the ambitious New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC), an index of 7,840 astronomical objects, such as galaxies, star clusters and emission nebulae like this one. Dreyer later added two Index Catalogues (IC) to his work, describing another 5386 celestial objects. This nebula was labelled IC 2872. The NGC is still used today: it received its most recent update in 2019, with 13,957 new objects.

This image of IC 2872—or Gum 40, the chicken head or whatever nickname you might wish to give it—was captured by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. As telescopes and instruments keep getting better, more and more deep-sky objects are discovered, so the lists and catalogues will never be complete. Nevertheless, this should not keep us from attempting to compile them—or making up fun nicknames, right?

Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team.
Release Date: Dec. 9, 2024

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #Nebula #EmissionNebula #Gum40 #IC2872 #StarFormation #StellarNursery #HIIRegion #RunningChickenNebula #Centaurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLTSurveyTelescope #VST #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Training: Ayers & Onishi | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Training: Ayers & Onishi | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and Pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission outside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi outside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California.

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and Pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California.