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Sunday, November 03, 2024

The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope

The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope

The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.

This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: ESO/G. Beccari

Release Date: Nov. 26, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3532 #Caldwell91 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing: First Images | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing: First Images | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 crew module at the landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Shenzhou-18 Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富)

Shenzhou-18 crew module at the landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shortly after landing

Shenzhou-18 Crew Emblem

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, successfully touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time.

The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.

During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.

They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.

After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Image Credits: Xinhua/CGTN/CCTV

Release Date: Nov. 3, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #YeGuangfu #LiCong #LiGuangsu #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #LongDurationSpaceflight #CMSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Inner Mongolia | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Inner Mongolia | China Space Station

During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 37 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 3, 2024

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Undocking for Earth Return | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Undocking for Earth Return | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-18 crew spacecraft that departed the Tiangong space station at 16:12 (Beijing Time) on Sunday, November 3, 2024, then proceeded to orbit the Earth under autonomous control. This process lasted several hours before final landing, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft later touched down at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early morning on Monday, November 4, 2024 Beijing.

The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They had completed all planned tasks during their stay in space that lasted for over six months.

During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted over 100 scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)
Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)
Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Nov. 3, 2024

Shenzhou-18 Ground Search & Rescue Team Training | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Ground Search & Rescue Team Training | China Space Station

A search and rescue team has carried out training at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to prepare for the return of the Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 Beijing time.

The ground search and rescue team at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been readied to ensure safe return of the Shenzhou-18 crew to the Earth despite the challenges of nighttime operation in the desert.

The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft separated from the Tiangong space station combination at 16:12 Beijing Time (0812 GMT) on Sunday, November 3, 2024, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The return capsule of the spaceship, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, is scheduled to touch down at the landing site in the early morning on Monday.

The ground team will take charge of searching for and transferring the return capsule, while providing immediate medical examination for the astronauts.

The team is equipped with a search vehicle, which will run in the forefront of the search operation. It can accommodate 10 searchers who are able to carry out the initial tasks if it finds the return capsule first.

"The Shenzhou-18 will return to our Dongfeng Landing Site. The landing site consists of the eastern and western parts. The eastern part is composed of soft Gobi, saline-alkali land, sacsaoul forest, mountains and rivers, while the western part is hard Gobi. This time the return capsule will target the western part," said Chen Guodong, a searcher of the team.

Besides the search vehicle, the team is also equipped with vehicles for command, communication, engineering transport and medical service.

Drivers of the vehicles have undergone special trainings in advance to adapt to the complicated road conditions in the desert, while more lights have been installed on the vehicles to illuminate the dark night during the search operation, according to Chen.

"This dark night may be better than that of the Shenzhou-14 return with a higher temperature, not so cold. However, we still conducted some targeted trainings. Our personnel carried out an overall reconnaissance of the landing site. We conducted intensive trainings for drivers to strengthen their capability of driving a vehicle in complicated roads, especially at night. We added search lights on the vehicles to give our drivers better field of vision at night so that they have enough time and ability to respond to different terrains. We installed a square light on the engineering transport vehicle to illuminate the dark night at the landing spot so that our staff can work as smoothly as in the daytime," Chen said.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 24 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 2, 2024

Air Search Team Ready for Shenzhou-18 Crew Return | China Space Station

Air Search Team Ready for Shenzhou-18 Crew Return | China Space Station

The air search and rescue team for the return of the three Shenzhou-18 astronauts is fully ready to welcome the trio back at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. They must navigate the complicated desert terrain with next to zero visibility during the wee hours to guarantee a safe return of the homecoming Shenzhou-18 crew.

The team is making final preparations and performing maintenance checks on its five helicopters: a command helicopter, a communications helicopter, a medical monitoring helicopter, and two for medical rescue.

The team, stationed approximately 40 kilometers from the anticipated landing point, has intensified its preparations for this nighttime rescue, led by members with extensive experiences in Shenzhou recovery missions.

Wang Wenjuan, an air search and rescue team member, said the two major challenges of this mission are next to zero visibility and sandy desert terrain.

Wang said the team stationed at the Dongfeng landing site in early October for comprehensive drills and site inspections, fully preparing themselves to handle the mission's challenges.

"In these training sessions, we enhanced our preparations in all aspects to tackle the mission's key challenges. For equipment, we installed high-power searchlights, infrared optical pods, and both binocular and quad-night vision goggles. As for personnel, each mission crew has two captains and two mechanics, with an additional navigator assigned. Our pilots each have over 3,100 hours of flight time, bringing extensive experience to the task. The navigator plays a crucial role in supporting the whole crew receiving navigation signals, planning search route, and providing real-time positioning data. They assist the pilots with precise calculations to approach the return capsule and ensure a smooth and accurate landing without deviating by a single meter or degree. Overall, our air search and rescue team is fully prepared with the highest level of expertise, safety, and reliability to bring our astronauts home," she said.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Nov. 2, 2024

The Orion Nebula | Kitt Peak National Observatory

The Orion Nebula | Kitt Peak National Observatory

This picture shows the great nebula in the constellation of Orion the Hunter around 1,500 light years away. On a good clear night, from a dark site well away from the lights of modern civilization, this glowing cloud of gas and dust can be seen with the naked eye as a fuzzy patch surrounding the star Theta Orionis in the Hunter's Sword, below Orion's belt. It is probably the most spectacular of all the objects cataloged by Charles Messier and now called by their `M' numbers. M42 had been known since the beginnings of recorded astronomy as a star, but it is so outstanding that it was first noted as an extended nebula in 1610, only a year after Galileo's first use of the telescope. Detailed descriptions started appearing later in the seventeenth century, and it has been a popular target for anyone with a telescope ever since.

M42 is our closest example of an HII region, being composed mainly of ionized hydrogen. Deep photographs, such as this one, show that it is nearly a degree across, larger than the full Moon (although the Moon is so bright that it looks much larger). The energy to keep the nebula glowing comes from the very hot young stars in a formation called the Trapezium, embedded in the brightest part of the nebula and not visible in this photograph.

Stars are still being born in a dense cloud behind the nebula, but they are hidden from our view by a concentration of dust. This reduces their light to only a million-millionth of its original intensity. Fortunately, astronomers have developed special cameras and other detectors that are sensitive to infra-red radiation, more popularly known as heat. These can penetrate the dust and reveal this stellar nursery to us.

Although M42 is mostly hydrogen, in both neutral and ionized states, with a fair quantity of dust, it does contain significant amounts of other elements, especially oxygen. The green glow of doubly-ionized oxygen is strongest near the intense ultraviolet starlight at the middle of the nebula. To the north-east (the upper left in this picture) is a feature called the Dark Bay. It is a thick cloud of neutral gas that has not yet been ionized.

So many details are visible in even a small telescope that M42 will more than repay the observer that makes it a frequent target, and who will find that it is hard to make a realistic sketch that can capture all of the finer features. This nebula is so impressive in astronomy, it is represented by multiple catalog numbers. M43/NGC1982 is the separated portion to the north-east (top left), surrounding an irregular variable star. Although Messier stopped at only two, other parts of the nebula in this region have received further New General Catalogue (NGC) numbers.

Image Credit: Bill Schoening, KPNO 4m telescope; original Ektachrome color transparency

Image Date: October 1, 1973

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #Nebula #M42 #M43 #NGC1976 #NGC1982 #OrionNebula #StellarNursery #Orion #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #KPNO #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Saturday, November 02, 2024

Download Free NASA Graphic Novels: Latest Features Europa Clipper Mission

Download Free NASA Graphic Novels: Newest Features Europa Clipper Mission

A new edition of Issue#4 of Astrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe has been released to include the NASA Europa Clipper mission

This wallpaper image, featuring NASA's Europa Clipper Mission, uses artwork from Issue#4 of the astrobiology graphic history series, Astrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe. The image of Jupiter in the background is adapted from imagery taken by NASA's Juno Mission.

Download free NASA astrobiology graphic novels here in PDF & ePub format in English, Spanish (Español), South Korean (대한민국/한글):

https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/resources/graphic-histories/

To celebrate the successful launch of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, the agency’s Astrobiology Program has released a new edition of Issue #4—Missions to the Outer Solar System—of its graphic history series Astrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe.

Issue #4 tells the story of the outer solar system, from beyond the asteroid belt to the outer reaches of the Sun's magnetic influence. Gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn are not habitable, but many of their moons raise questions about life’s potential far, far away from the warmth of the Sun.

One such body is Jupiter’s moon Europa. It contains an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy surface. The Europa Clipper mission is designed to help scientists understand whether this ocean holds key ingredients that could support habitable environments for life as we know it. The spacecraft launched on Oct. 14, 2024, and will arrive at Jupiter in 2030.

Additional content in the fourth edition of Issue #4 also includes European Space Agency (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) Mission. It will arrive in the Jovian system in 2031 and collect data on many of Jupiter’s moons, including Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, and Io. This will complement Europa Clipper’s investigation.

Read more about how astrobiologists study the potential for life on worlds like Europa and the exciting data that Europa Clipper will gather by visiting NASA’s Astrobiology website and downloading the new edition.

Digital wallpaper for phones, desktops, or meeting backgrounds that feature the new Europa Clipper artwork from Issue #4 are also available:

https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/resources/backgrounds/

'Dreaming of Europa' Posters and Wallpaper (phone and desktop)

Full-size downloads: https://go.nasa.gov/3ZIDxgu

Find more information about Europa Clipper and Europa here:

https://europa.nasa.gov/

For more information on NASA’s Astrobiology program, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/astrobiology

Image Credits: NASA Astrobiology/Aaron Gronstal/Exotic Marble, 2019, NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Prateek Sarpal/©CCNCSA

Article Credit: Karen Fox/Molly Wasser

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Astrobiology #GraphicNovels #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #OceanWorlds #Biosignatures #Habitability #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #NASAAmes #SETI #SwRI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #Wallpapers #Posters #Art #STEM #Education

'Space Art': Astronaut Don Pettit's Water Ice Wafers | International Space Station

'Space Art': Astronaut Don Pettit's Water Ice Wafers | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut, Artist & Flight Engineer Don Pettit at work

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: "Science, or should I say Nature, has a way of presenting surprising beauty if one is willing to look."

"Science and Art, or Art and Science; related subjects where it really doesn’t matter which comes first. So I have access to a freezer kept at -95 degrees centigrade (-140 F). What would you do with such a freezer in space?"

"I decided to grow thin wafers of water ice for no more reason than I’m in space and I can. Plus, I wanted to see how the freezing front behaves in 0g (without gravitational buoyancy, how does the freezing front push the tiny bubbles around). Here is one frame from a whole series. I photographed the ice . . . between crossed polarizers where I used a white (blank) laptop display as the illuminator/polarizer in conjunction with an analyzer (polarizing filter) I strategically packed in my bag of personal effects."

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: Suni Williams

Roscosmos (Russia): Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov

NASA: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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

Release Date: Oct. 26, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Astronauts #DonPettit #MicrogravityExperiments #WaterIceWafers #WaterIceScience #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #Florida #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #Art #Nature #STEM #Education

MACE Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau in Ladakh

MACE Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau in Ladakh

India's first Dark Sky Reserve is in Hanle. Hanle is a small village in the north of India in the union territory of Ladakh. At an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet, it is a cold desert in a rain shadow area and conditions are harsh. Temperatures drop below -25° Celsius and winds gust up to 50km per hour.

Domestically-developed by India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) is "Asia's largest and the world's highest gamma-ray telescope. This groundbreaking achievement places India at the forefront of global astrophysics. By capturing high-energy cosmic phenomena, MACE opens new frontiers in our understanding of the universe."

Although the Earth’s atmosphere prevents gamma rays from reaching the surface, their interactions with the atmosphere create ultra-high energy particles. These particles travel faster than the speed of light in air and as a result they emit a flash of eerie blue Cherenkov radiation—similar to a sonic boom created by an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound.

Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black holes. On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions, lightning, and the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay.

As a part of the Platinum Jubilee year of DAE, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, DAE & Chairman, AEC, inaugurated the MACE Observatory on October 4, 2024, at Hanle, Ladakh.

Image Details:

Camera = Sony A7s3

Lens = Sony 20mm F1.8G

Tracker = iOptron Skyguider Pro

Sky Exposure = 240secs, F4, iso 800

Ground Exposure = 20 secs, F2, iso 6400

Software = LR & PS

Learn more about MACE: https://dae.gov.in/dae-inaugurates-mace-asias-largest-and-worlds-highest-imaging-cherenkov-observatory-at-hanle-ladakh/

Image Credit: Vikas Chander

Vikas' website: https://www.vikaschander.com

Release Date: Dec. 25, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Asia #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #Hanle #Ladakh #DAE #CherenkovObservatory #CherenkovRadiation #CosmicRays #GammaRays #GammaRayBursts #GRB #Stars #Pulsars #Supernovae #BlackHoles #Cosmos #Universe #Physics #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Astrophotographer #VikasChander #STEM #Education

MACE – A Pioneering Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau

MACE – A Pioneering Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau

As a part of the Platinum Jubilee year of DAE, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, DAE & Chairman, AEC, inaugurated the MACE Observatory on October 4, 2024, at Hanle, Ladakh.

Learn more about MACE: https://dae.gov.in/dae-inaugurates-mace-asias-largest-and-worlds-highest-imaging-cherenkov-observatory-at-hanle-ladakh/

Video Credit: India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)

Duration: 7 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 20, 2024

Irregular Galaxy IC 3583 in Virgo | Hubble Space Telescope

Irregular Galaxy IC 3583 in Virgo | Hubble Space Telescope

This delicate blue group of stars—actually an irregular galaxy named IC 3583—sits some 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin).

It may seem to have no discernable structure, but IC 3583 has been found to have a bar of stars running through its center. These structures are common throughout the Universe, and are found within the majority of spiral, many irregular, and in lenticular galaxies. Two of our closest cosmic neighbors, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, are barred, indicating that they may have once been barred spiral galaxies that were disrupted or torn apart by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way.

This might be happening with IC 3583. It is thought to be gravitationally interacting with one of its neighbors, spiral galaxy Messier 90. Together, the duo form a pairing known as Arp 76. It is unclear whether these effects are the cause of IC 3583’s irregular appearance—but whatever the cause, the galaxy makes for a strikingly delicate sight in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image, glimmering in the blackness of space.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Release Date: Nov. 28, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #IC3583 #IrregularGalaxy #InteractingGalaxies #Messier90 #Arp76 #Virgo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Thor’s Helmet: NGC 2359 in Canis Major | PROMPT-1 Telescope

Thor’s Helmet: NGC 2359 in Canis Major | PROMPT-1 Telescope

Thor’s Helmet in Canis Major is about 15,000 light years distant. A large bright star near the helmet’s center has created this interstellar bubble by the force of its “stellar wind”. However, this star, known as a Wolf-Rayet star, may go supernova in the relatively near astronomical future. In the meantime, we can continue to enjoy images of NGC 2359.

This image was created by first assembling a simple RGB from the 2 hours/channel RGB data. The H-alpha data was layered over the red in Photoshop’s lighten mode; the same with the OIII data for the green and blue channels. This allowed us to create an image with RGB stars but enhanced nebula detail from the H-alpha and OIII data. Then a composite (H-alpha+OIII) layer was pasted over the (R+Ha)(G+OIII)(B+OIII) image. The opacity of the composite layer was reduced somewhat to allow the RGB stars to shine through. The star appearance was kept relatively subdued, so as not to detract from the nebula.

PROMPT, an acronym for Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes, was built by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.

Credit: SSRO/PROMPT/CTIO

Release Date: June 8, 2010

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #Nebula #ThorsHelmetNebula #NGC2359 #WolfRayetStar #CanisMajor #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #PROMPT1Telescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

What's Up for November 2024? | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up for November 2024? | Skywatching Tips from NASA

Examples of skywatching highlights in the Northern Hemisphere for November 2024:

This month, catch planetary views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, witness a close pass of the Parker Solar Probe by Venus, and get ready for an occultation of the bright star Spica by the Moon.

0:00 Intro

0:20 November planet highlights

1:38 Venus & Parker Solar Probe's flyby

3:03 Occultation of Spica

4:25 October photo highlights

4:38 November Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #SUn #ParkerSolarProbe #Earth #Moon #Planets #Venus #Mars #Jupiter #Saturn #SolarSystem #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #JPL #Caltech #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Friday, November 01, 2024

The Bubble Nebula & Star Cluster M52 | Burrell Schmidt Telescope

The Bubble Nebula & Star Cluster M52 | Burrell Schmidt Telescope

Open star cluster Messier 52 (NGC 7654) [upper-left] and the Bubble emission nebula (NGC 7635) [lower-right]. This combination of CCD images from the Kitt Peak Burrell Schmidt Telescope extends more than a degree across the sky (twice the diameter of the full moon).

What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind from a star, this tantalizing, head-like apparition is cataloged as NGC 7635, but known simply as the Bubble Nebula. The featured striking view utilizes a long exposure to reveal the intricate details of this cosmic bubble and its environment.

Although it looks delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. Seen here above and right of the Bubble's center, a bright hot star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from the star (that likely has a mass 10 to 20 times that of the Sun) has blasted out the structure of glowing gas against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud.

Learn more about the Burrell Schmidt Telescope in Arizona:

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/burrell-schmidt-telescope/

Credit: N.A.Sharp, REU Program / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA

Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #StarCluster #Messier52 #NGC7654 #Nebulae #Nebula #BubbleNebula #NGC7635 #Star #BD602522 #StellarRadiation #Cassiopeia #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #KPNO #NSF #AURA #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Wide-field View of The Bubble Nebula: NGC 7635 in Cassiopeia | Mayall Telescope

Wide-field View of The Bubble Nebula: NGC 7635 in Cassiopeia | Mayall Telescope

The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) is one of three shells of gas surrounding the massive star BD+602522, the bright star near the center of the bubble. Energetic radiation from the star ionizes the shell, causing it to glow. About six light-years in diameter, the Bubble Nebula is located in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia.

The magenta wisps near the bottom-right of the image are an unexpected bonus—the wisps are the remnants of a supernova that exploded thousands of years ago. This was the first optical image of the supernova remnant. It was discovered at radio wavelengths by the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey in 2005.

The Bubble Nebula lies a mere 11,000 light-years away. This mysterious ball of gas is about half a degree from Messier 52, an open star cluster.

What created this huge space bubble? Although it looks delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. A bright hot star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from the star (that likely has a mass 10 to 20 times that of the Sun) has blasted out the structure of glowing gas against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud.

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after the American observational astronomer of the same name. The telescope saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest in the world at that time.

Learn more about the Mayall Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/kpno/telescopes/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Brad Ehrhorn/Adam Block

Release Date: June 12, 2014

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #BubbleNebula #NGC7635 #Star #BD602522 #StellarRadiation #Cassiopeia #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MayallTelescope #KPNO #NSF #AURA #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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