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Evolution of Planet Saturn's Ring Tilt (2018-2024) | Hubble Space Telescope
This is a series of Hubble Space Telescope images of the planet Saturn taken between 2018 and 2024. The sequence shows how the tilt of the magnificent ring system changes relative to the view from Earth, as Saturn orbits the Sun. Approximately every 15 years the relatively paper-thin rings (about one mile thick) can be seen edge-on. In 2018, they were near their maximum tilt toward Earth. These images were taken under a Hubble program called Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL).
Credits:
Science: NASA, European Space Agency, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael H. Wong (University of California)
Video: Joseph DePasquale/Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
SpaceX Super Heavy Booster Static Fire: Preparing for Starship Flight Test#7
On December 9, 2024, SpaceX performed a static test fire of the Super Heavy rocket that will be used for Starship's 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.
"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 Super Heavy Booster Static Fire: Preparing for Starship Flight Test#7
On December 9, 2024, SpaceX performed a static test fire of the Super Heavy rocket that will be used for Starship's 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.
"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."
The Tarantula Nebula in Dorado: Close-up view | Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble has taken this close-up shot of part of the Tarantula Nebula. This star-forming region of ionized hydrogen gas is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy which neighbors the Milky Way. It is home to many extreme conditions including supernova remnants and the heaviest star ever found. The Tarantula Nebula is the most luminous nebula of its type in the local Universe.
At only 161,000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Local Group, the galaxies nearest our Milky Way. It is home to the hottest, most massive stars known.
More than 800,000 stars and protostars are embedded in this gigantic stellar nursery. In addition to the stars, the nebula contains several supernova remnants, indicators that the most massive stars of the cluster already exploded. The nebula is indedd one of the largest and most active star formation regions in the Local Group. Its high activity can be explained due to its position on the leading edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, where ram pressure stripping occurs and the interstellar medium in the nebula is compressed. In addition it is probably also fed by gas that was stripped off from the Small Magellanic Cloud.
In 1987, the Tarantula Nebula became the center of attention within the astronomical community when a supernova exploded. It was the closest supernova to Earth since 1604.
A Short Flight through The Tarantula Nebula in Dorado | Hubble
This video shows a short flight through the Tarantula Nebula, a star formation region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a companion of the Milky Way. At only 161,000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Local Group, the galaxies nearest our Milky Way. It is home to the hottest, most massive stars known.
More than 800,000 stars and protostars are embedded in this gigantic stellar nursery. In addition to the stars, the nebula contains several supernova remnants, indicators that the most massive stars of the cluster already exploded. The nebula is indedd one of the largest and most active star formation regions in the Local Group. Its high activity can be explained due to its position on the leading edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, where ram pressure stripping occurs and the interstellar medium in the nebula is compressed. In addition it is probably also fed by gas that was stripped off from the Small Magellanic Cloud.
In 1987, the Tarantula Nebula became the center of attention within the astronomical community when a supernova exploded. It was the closest supernova to Earth since 1604.
Credit: Theofanis N. Matsopoulos/ESA Duration: 20 seconds Release Date: July 17, 2014
Close-up Look at The Tarantula Nebula in Dorado | Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble has taken a close-up shot of part of the Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus. This star-forming region of ionized hydrogen gas is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy which neighbors the Milky Way. It is home to many extreme conditions including supernova remnants and the heaviest star ever found. The Tarantula Nebula is the most luminous nebula of its type in the local Universe.
At only 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Local Group, the galaxies nearest our Milky Way. It is home to the hottest, most massive stars known.
Credit: NASA, European Space Agency Duration: 41 seconds Release Date: March 15, 2011
Close Encounter with The Tarantula Nebula: 30 Doradus | Hubble Space Telescope
Turning its 2.4-meter eye to the Tarantula Nebula, the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope captured this close-up of the outskirts of the main cloud of the Nebula. The bright wispy structures are the signature of an environment rich in ionized hydrogen gas, called H II by astronomers. In reality these appear red, but the choice of filters and colors of this image, including exposures in visible and infrared light, make the gas appear green.
These regions contain recently formed stars that emit powerful ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the gas around them. These clouds are ephemeral as eventually the stellar winds from the newborn stars and the ionization process will blow away the clouds, leaving stellar clusters like the Pleiades.
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our neighboring galaxies, and situated at a distance of 161,000 light-years light-years away from Earth, the Tarantula Nebula is the brightest known nebula in the Local Group of galaxies. It is also the largest (around 650 light-years across) and most active star-forming region known in our group of galaxies, containing numerous clouds of dust and gas and two bright star clusters.
The cluster at the Tarantula Nebula’s center is relatively young and very bright. While it is outside the field of view of this image, the energy from it is responsible for most of the brightness of the nebula, including the part we see here. The nebula is in fact so luminous that if it were located within 1,000 light-years from Earth, it would cast shadows on our planet.
The Tarantula Nebula was host to the closest supernova ever detected since the invention of the telescope, supernova 1987A. It was visible to the naked eye.
The image was produced by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, and has a field of view of approximately 3.3 by 3.3 arcminutes.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt Release Date: Aug. 6, 2012
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) Release Date: Dec. 9, 2024
Geminids Meteor Shower Peaks (December 9-15, 2024) | BBC Star Diary
The Geminids is one of the most prolific meteor showers, but this year the Moon could get in the way. Find out how to make the most of the shower despite the Moon, as well as all the latest stargazing highlights, in the latest episode of the Star Diary podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
China Successfully Launches New SpaceSail Satellite Internet Constellation
China sent a new group of satellites into space on Thursday, December 5, 2024, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province. Launched at 12:41 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket, the satellite group, the third batch that will constitute the Spacesail Constellation, entered its preset orbits successfully.
Spacesail is a low Earth orbit megaconstellation with full frequency bands and a multi-layer and multi-orbit design that will provide low-latency Internet services worldwide. Its commercial network construction was officially launched on Aug. 6, 2024.
The newly launched satellite group includes 18 satellites, according to details released online by the Chinese commercial satellite constellation developer Shanghai SpaceSail Technologies Co., Ltd.
The total number of in-orbit Spacesail Constellation satellites has now reached 54, further enhancing the continuous communication capabilities of the constellation, the company added. The goal is to have over 15,000 satellites by the project's end. The effort is financially supported by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Growth of the Spacesail Constellation network is accelerating. The Spacesail Constellation will start its satellite Internet service globally in 2025, supporting sectors, such as transportation, new energy, smart cities, smart agriculture, emergency disaster relief and the "low-altitude" economy, according to the company.
This launch marks the 550th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
Sentinel-1C Earth Satellite: Vega-C Rocket Launch Highlights | ESA
The third European Space Agency Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, Sentinel-1C, has launched aboard a Vega-C rocket, Flight VV25, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on December 5, 2024, at 22:20 CET (18:20 local time).
Sentinel-1C extends the legacy of its predecessors, delivering high-resolution radar imagery to monitor Earth’s changing environment, supporting a diverse range of applications and advance scientific research. Additionally, Sentinel-1C introduces new capabilities for detecting and monitoring maritime traffic.
The launch also marks Vega-C’s ‘return to flight’, a key step in restoring Europe’s independent access to space. Vega-C is the evolution of the Vega family of rockets and delivers increased performance, greater payload volume, and improved competitiveness.
Intergalactic Alignment: Disc Galaxy IC 2810 in Leo | Hubble
IC 2810 is a disc galaxy viewed nearly edge-on. It is slightly disturbed by gravitational interaction with a smaller, dusty companion (located to the bottom of the image). The larger galaxy shows blue knots of star formation. Although the pair has no overlapping region at present, it is possible that the two will eventually collide in the future. IC 2810 is located in the constellation of Leo, the Lion, about 450 million light-years away.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations.
Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
Credits: NASA, European Space Agency, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville / NRAO / Stony Brook University)
Astronaut Suni Williams & Astrobee Robotic Teammate | International Space Station
In this image, Astrobee, a robot that looks like a small black cube with two blue tentacle-like arms on top can be seen. Behind it, NASA astronaut Suni Williams stretches her arms out to match Astrobee's arms.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams can be seen checking out the Astrobee robotic free-flyer in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory module. Astrobee is outfitted with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads to demonstrate satellite capture techniques. Development of this robotic technology may increase the life span of satellites and enable the removal of space debris.
Astrobee robots help astronauts reduce time they spend on routine duties, leaving them to focus more on the things that only humans can do. Working autonomously or via remote control by astronauts, flight controllers or researchers on the ground, the robots are designed to complete tasks such as taking inventory, documenting experiments conducted by astronauts with their built-in cameras or working together to move cargo throughout the station. In addition, the system serves as a research platform that can be outfitted and programmed to carry out experiments in microgravity—helping us to learn more about how robotics can benefit astronauts in space.
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.
Shenzhou-19 Crew Update: Research & Maintenance Tasks | China Space Station
China's Shenzhou-19 crew members have completed a range of tasks during their over-one-month stay aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station, including scientific research and experiments and space station maintenance work.
The crew members—Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze—were sent into 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.
During research on the biological effects and molecular mechanisms of fruit flies under a weak magnetic field in space, the crew completed operations, including clearing petri dishes for the fruit flies and replacing the gas purification components in the life science experimental facility.
For a research project on how stem cells undergo three-dimensional growth and tissue generation in microgravity, the crew completed the collection and storage of cell experiment samples, laying a solid foundation for future applications of stem cell three-dimensional tissues and for conducting space drug screening using these tissues.
Meanwhile, ongoing research is being conducted on the impact of phase separation of biological entities on lipid metabolism in microgravity.
The crew members have also conducted several other tasks, including replacing the burner inside the combustion science experimental cabinet, setting and restoring the states of vacuum extraction and exhaust emission, as well as replacing samples in the fluid physics experimental cabinet.
In the field of space medicine experiments, the crew members employed a visual function measurement instrument, an eye tracker, and visual gravity representation testing software to conduct research on the representation and dynamic processing mechanisms of gravity in visual motion.
This research delves into the influence of gravity environments on the sensitivity of human visual biological motion perception and how weightlessness changes these perceptual sensitivities. It aims to provide a scientific basis for human exploration in deep space and adaptation to diverse gravity environments in the future.
To ensure a long-term stable operation of the space station, the crew members have completed the installation of forward and aft hatch protection devices against space debris. Through physical shielding, these devices effectively mitigate the adverse effects caused by impacts from small space debris on the hatches.
Additionally, the astronauts have also completed tasks such as cleaning, inspecting maintenance in each module, and sorting supplies on the space station and the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft.
"Living in The Twilight Zone" | International Space Station
NASA Astronaut & Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit: "The International Space Station now is aligned with Earth’s day-night shadow thus we see neither full day nor full night. This is the best time to photograph clouds under low angle lighting."
The terminator is the line that separates night and day on Earth.
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.
Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) Release Date: Dec. 8, 2024
Cerro Tololo registra un tesoro cósmico de estrellas nacientes y supernovas exclusivo de los cielos del Sur
Cosmoview Episodio 90: A 12 millones de años luz se encuentra la joya galáctica Messier 83, conocida también como la Galaxia del Molinillo Austral. Sus brazos espirales muestran una elevada tasa de formación estelar y además ya se han registrado seis supernovas observadas. Esta detallada imagen se obtuvo en Chile con la Cámara de Energía Oscura del Departamento de Energía de los Estados Unidos, que se encuentra montada en el Telescopio de cuatro metros Víctor M. Blanco, en Cerro Tololo, un Programa de NOIRLab de NSF.
Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab, D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab) & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) Duration: 1 minute, 39 seconds Release Date: Dec. 6, 2024
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