First 3D Observations of an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: WASP-121 b | ESO

First 3D Observations of an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: WASP-121 b | ESO

Astronomers have revealed for the first time the 3D structure of an exoplanet’s atmosphere. Tylos (or WASP-121b) is a gaseous, giant exoplanet located some 900 light-years away. Astronomers were able to differentiate three different layers in its atmosphere, where winds carry elements like hydrogen, sodium, iron at extreme speeds, creating weather patterns never seen before. This was possible by combining all four telescope units of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile.

This planet’s atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works — not just on Earth, but on all planets. It feels like something out of science fiction,” says Julia Victoria Seidel, a researcher at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile and lead author of the study, published today in Nature:

https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2504/eso2504a.pdf

This is the first time astronomers have been able to study the atmosphere of a planet outside our Solar System in such depth and detail.

“What we found was surprising: a jet stream rotates material around the planet’s equator, while a separate flow at lower levels of the atmosphere moves gas from the hot side to the cooler side. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet,” says Seidel, who is also a researcher at the Lagrange Laboratory, part of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, in France. The observed jet stream spans half of the planet, gaining speed and violently churning the atmosphere high up in the sky as it crosses the hot side of Tylos. “Even the strongest hurricanes in the Solar System seem calm in comparison,” she adds.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Script: A. Izquierdo Lopez, S. Bromilow
Footage and photos: ESO, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, D. Gasparri, C. Malin
Editing: A. Tsaousis

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 18, 2025

#NASA #FoN #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Atmospheres #3DStructure #WASP121b #Tylos #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Blue Ghost Mission in Lunar Orbit | Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Mission in Lunar Orbit | Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace Feb. 18, 2025 Update: "Our GhostRiders completed another lunar orbit maneuver with a 3 minute, 18 second burn early this morning. This maneuver moved the lander from a high elliptical orbit to a much lower elliptical orbit around the Moon. Shortly after the burn, Blue Ghost captured incredible footage of the Moon's far side, about 120 km above the surface."

"In this orbit, the team will experience planned rolling comms blackouts as Blue Ghost goes around the far side of the Moon. When on the near side, the team will continue to downlink data and finalize the plan for our next maneuver that will get Blue Ghost even closer to the lunar surface and keep us right on track for landing on March 2."

Firefly Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 3:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2, 2025, to land the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon. This is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. Blue Ghost is seeking to land in Mare Crisium to deliver ten NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon. They will perform numerous science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon and provide insights into how space weather impacts the planet. Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that filled an ancient asteroid impact.

Learn more: https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/

NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on contracts for end-to-end lunar delivery services, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon.

Learn more about NASA's CLPS Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services 

Video Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Duration: 50 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #ArtemisProgram #Moon #LunarLanders #FireflyAerospace #BlueGhostLunarLander #BlueGhostMission1 #BGM1 #UnitedStates #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Lunar Spacesuits & Rovers Receive Official Names: Animation

China's Lunar Spacesuits & Rovers Receive Official Names: Animation

China's spacesuit for upcoming lunar missions has been named "WangYu" (Gazing at the Universe), and the rover is called "TanSuo" (Exploration). Chinese astronauts (taikonauts) aim to land on the Moon by 2030.👨‍🚀👩‍🚀 

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, unveiled the names of the Moon-landing spacesuit and crewed lunar rover for the country's crewed lunar exploration missions. The Moon-landing spacesuit is named "Wangyu", meaning "gazing into the cosmos", and it echoes the name of the country's extravehicular spacesuit, "Feitian." It means "flying into space".

"'Feitian' has realized the Chinese people's dream of flying into space, and 'Wangyu' means efforts to look into deep space and the universe and explore the unknown. China's crewed space program has embarked on a new journey of landing on the Moon and heading into deep space," said Zhang Wanxin, the director of the spacesuit engineering office at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.

"Wangyu" also showcases China's adherence to the peaceful use of space and contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The crewed lunar rover is called "Tansuo", meaning "to explore the unknown". The agency said that the name reflects the lunar rover's mission and practical value in aiding the Chinese people to uncover the mysteries of the Moon, and that it is highly consistent with China's yearning to explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build itself into a space power.

"'Tansuo' not only means that we are going to the Moon, exploring new areas and seeing unknown places in the universe, but also showcases our further exploration of science and technology. 'Long as the way is, I will keep on searching high and low.' I think this is an important opportunity for us to explore the vast universe and build China into a space power," said Zhang Chongfeng, deputy chief designer of the crewed spacecraft for China's Crewed Space Program.

"During the early stages of development, we have mastered key technologies such as the manufacture of lightweight and smaller-sized Moon-landing spacesuits, as well as comprehensive protection against complex environments. We have now fully entered the prototype development stage, and are currently conducting comprehensive performance and function assessments and verifications of the prototype products. In the future, we will turn the attention of the people across the country into our driving force for work, and fully promote the development of the Moon-landing suits," said Zhang Wanxin.

"The (crewed lunar rover) prototype we made has completed experiments in a simulated lunar surface test site and has also carried out a large amount of experimental work in a field test site. Currently, the crewed lunar rover has entered the prototype stage and is undergoing detailed design and subsequent engineering tests," said Zhang Chongfeng.

China has been steadily pressing ahead the development and construction of equipment for its crewed lunar landing mission progressing as planned. The key technical research and in-depth demonstration in the early stage have been completed, and the prototypes of the equipment are now in their initial development phases.

China aims to achieve crewed lunar landing by 2030 to carry out scientific exploration and technical experiments, make breakthroughs in and master critical technologies, such as crewed Earth-Moon round trips, short-term stays on the lunar surface, and human-robot collaborative exploration. The mission will encompass a range of tasks, including landing, roving, sampling, research and returning to Earth, with an aim to form an independent capability of crewed lunar exploration.

By utilizing pre-crewed flight tests and crewed lunar missions, China plans to conduct large-scale space science experiments targeting three key areas, including lunar science, lunar-based science, and resource exploration and utilization.

Production and ground tests of prototypes of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the crewed spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue, the spacesuit to be worn by astronauts, and the lunar rover are underway as planned.

Ground facilities and equipment for the production and tests have been completed and are operational, and the construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in China's Hainan island province is proceeding as planned.

Video Credit: China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
Duration: 27 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 11, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #LunarMissions #CrewModules #Mengzhou #LandingSpacecraft #MoonLanders #LunarLanders #Lanyue #MoonRovers #Tansuo #Taikonauts #Astronauts #LunarEVASpacesuits #Wangyu #HumanSpaceflight #CMSA #国家航天局 #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS over Chilean Skies

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS over Chilean Skies

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is captured here in all its beauty by Cesar Briceño, Director of the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR), a part of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Comets form from a nucleus of dust, water, and gas in the farthest-known regions of our Solar System.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) may be one of the brightest comets to pass by Earth in 2025.

Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's Planetary Defense Office. ATLAS was developed and is operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

Learn more:
https://fallingstar.com
https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense-overview/

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/C. Briceno
Release Date: Feb. 12, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #Comet #CometC2024G3ATLAS #C2024G3 #OortCloud #SolarSystem #MilkWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #CTIO #SOAR #GeminiSouth #VeraRubinObservatory #CerroTololo #Chile #PlanetaryDefense #JPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Williams, Hague & Wilmore Spacewalks—EVAs 273-274 | International Space Station

Williams, Hague & Wilmore Spacewalks—EVAs 273-274 | International Space Station

NASA astronauts Suni Williams & Nick Hague on spacewalk (EVA#273)

NASA astronauts Suni Williams & Nick Hague on spacewalk (EVA#273)

NASA astronaut Nick Hague on spacewalk (EVA#273)

NASA astronaut Nick Hague on spacewalk (EVA#273)

International Space Station commander & NASA astronaut Suni Williams on spacewalk (EVA#274)

International Space Station commander & NASA astronaut Suni Williams on spacewalk (EVA#274)

NASA astronauts Suni Williams & Butch Wilmore prepare for a spacewalk (EVA#274) assisted by NASA astronauts Nick Hague & Don Pettit

NASA astronauts Suni Williams & Butch Wilmore prepare for a spacewalk (EVA#274) assisted by NASA astronaut Nick Hague

In January 2025, two spacewalks or extravehicular activities were successfully conducted. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Nick Hague concluded a spacewalk (EVA#273) on Thursday, January 16, 2025. It was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams, and it was the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore concluded their spacewalk on Thursday, January 30, 2025. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore, and it was the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Williams surpassed former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. Williams now has 62 hours, 6 minutes of total spacewalk time, fourth on NASA’s all-time list.

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA Flight Engineers: 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 Credits: NASA/JSC/Roscosmos cosmonaut Alex Gorbunov of Russia
Capture Dates: Jan. 16 & 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Spacewalks #EVA #EVA273 #EVA274 #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #NickHague #ButchWilmore #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

Lovely Lichtenberg B Moon Crater | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Lovely Lichtenberg B Moon Crater | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Overhead view of Lichtenberg B—a beautifully preserved simple impact crater, located northwest of Aristarchus Plateau in Oceanus Procellarum on the western edge of the Moon's near side.

An oblique camera view from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of Lichtenberg B crater (31.854°N, 292.284°E). This image is approximately 22 km wide. North is to the bottom right of the image.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) view of Lichtenberg B crater.

This year, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) celebrates its 15th anniversary orbiting the Moon. This mission has given scientists the largest volume of data ever collected by a planetary science mission at NASA. LRO provided these images of Lichtenberg B—a beautifully preserved young impact crater. Rock outcrops in the upper portion of the crater wall are due to the successive thin lava flows that filled Oceanus Procellarum more than 3 billion years ago. The crater is approximately 5 km in diameter, north is up, Sun is from the south-southwest.

 

The rim of this crater is circular and sharp-edged, with negligible wear. On the inner sides the loose material has slid to the base, forming a ring of scree (small loose stones) about the interior floor. The crater rim and interior floor exhibit a relatively high albedo (light reflections). This usually indicates a younger crater that has not been darkened by space weathering.

The lack of atmosphere on the Moon can have its benefits. For example, without an atmosphere, there are few processes to degrade landforms. On Earth, rain and wind are major causes of erosion, but on the Moon, those causes are absent. Erosion on the Moon is due to impacts that cause shaking and can demolish other craters during formation and to gravity pulling material downslope. In the case of Lichtenberg B, gravity has not yet rendered the crater smooth and subdued, and there are few impacts nearby, much less any that could have affected the morphology of the crater, as Lichtenberg B appears younger than its neighbors. On the downside, the lack of atmosphere means that space weathering is more efficient on the Moon, and fresh, highly reflective crater ejecta darkens over time. However, since Lichtenberg B's ejecta deposit is still bright, it is quite young.

Crisp morphology and a highly reflective ejecta deposit make Lichtenberg B stand out from many nearby impact craters. This exquisitely preserved crater is located to the northwest of Aristarchus Plateau in Oceanus Procellarum, a vast mare unit littered with impact craters and wrinkle ridges. The ejecta deposit is particularly interesting because it displays a wrinkled texture with structures that resemble dunes. How do these structures form? What makes Lichtenberg B's ejecta deposit different from other craters that lack these dune-like structures? It turns out that Lichtenberg B is not alone. Scientists have observed these same features at Linné Crater and are in the process of determining how they formed.

Learn more about NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/

Image Credits: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Release Dates: Sept. 24, 2013-Sept. 2. 2014

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ApolloProgram #ArtemisProgram #Moon #Geology #LichtenbergB #OceanusProcellarum #LunarNearSide #LRO #LunarOrbiter #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #Engineering #ASU #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education 

The NGC 3640 Galaxy Group: Wide-field view | ESO

The NGC 3640 Galaxy Group: Wide-field view | ESO

The Very Large Survey Telescope (VST) has captured here an entire zoo of galaxies, filling the empty void of space. At the center of this varied and colorful collection, is elliptical galaxy NGC 3640, situated just above its smaller galactic neighbor NGC 3641. Astronomers are especially interested in the way these two interact with each other, studying their joint history through their populations of ancient clusters of stars.

Distance: 88 million light-years

Throughout their extremely long lifetime, galaxies change. As they soar through space, they may steal gas and stars from other galaxies, or even engulf and merge with them. After these events, galaxies can become distorted, as exemplified by the misshaped NGC 3640 and the diffuse light around it. The galaxy is then left with ‘scars’ that hint at a violent past. Astronomers can use these to know its past and present history.

To trace the history behind this galaxy and its smaller companion, a team of astronomers at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics used the VST to analyze their globular clusters, spherical and compact aggregations of stars bound by gravity. These usually contain examples of the first stars created within a galaxy and can therefore act as fossil markers, revealing the galaxy’s history, even after merging events.

The results confirm that NGC 3640 has engulfed other galaxies before, an ominous sign for the smaller galaxy now in its path, NGC 3641. Yet, this small galactic underdog shows a distinct lack of distortions in its shape or the globular clusters within. This suggests that their interaction, while fast, is not happening close enough for NGC 3640 to pose a threat. NGC 3641 might be safe . . . for now.

Credit: ESO/INAF/M. Mirabile et al./R. Ragusa et al.
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2024

#NASA #FoN #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #GalacticGroup #NGC3640 #EllipticalGalaxy #NGC3641 #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3640: Not too close encounters of the galactic kind | ESO

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3640: Not too close encounters of the galactic kind | ESO

This picture shows NGC 3640, an unusual elliptical galaxy 88 million light-years away. The image, taken with the VLT Survey Telescope hosted at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory, reveals a menagerie of galaxies of all shapes and sizes, ranging from slight blue smudges to the fried-egg shape of NGC 3640. However, amidst this colorful cosmic neighborhood, one thing stands out—'this egg has a double yolk': a smaller galaxy that might be too close for its comfort.

Throughout their extremely long lifetime, galaxies change. As they soar through space, they may steal gas and stars from other galaxies, or even engulf and merge with them. After these events, galaxies can become distorted, as exemplified by the misshaped NGC 3640 and the diffuse light around it. The galaxy is then left with ‘scars’ that hint at a violent past. Astronomers can use these to know its past and present history.

To trace the history behind this galaxy and its smaller companion, a team of astronomers at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics used the VST to analyze their globular clusters, spherical and compact aggregations of stars bound by gravity. These usually contain some of the first stars created within a galaxy and can therefore act as fossil markers, revealing the galaxy’s history, even after merging events.

The results confirm that NGC 3640 has engulfed other galaxies before, an ominous sign for the smaller galaxy now in its path, NGC 3641. Yet, this small galactic underdog shows a distinct lack of distortions in its shape or the globular clusters within. This suggests that their interaction, while fast, is not happening close enough for NGC 3640 to pose a threat. NGC 3641 might be safe . . . for now.

Credit: ESO/INAF/M. Mirabile et al./R. Ragusa et al.
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2024

#NASA #FoN #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #NGC3640 #EllipticalGalaxy #NGC3641 #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Galaxy UGC 5460 in Ursa Major: Supernovae & Luminous Blue Variables? | Hubble

Galaxy UGC 5460 in Ursa Major: Supernovae & Luminous Blue Variables? | Hubble

The sparkling spiral galaxy gracing this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture is UGC 5460. It sits about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image combines four different wavelengths of light to reveal UGC 5460’s central bar of stars, winding spiral arms and bright blue star clusters. Also captured in the upper left-hand corner of this image is a far closer object: a star just 577 light-years away in our own galaxy.

UGC 5460 has hosted two recent supernovae named SN 2011ht and SN 2015as. It is because of these two stellar explosions that Hubble targeted this galaxy, collecting data for three observing programs that aim to study kinds of supernovae. 

SN 2015as was what is known as a core-collapse supernova: a cataclysmic explosion that happens when the core of a star far more massive than the Sun runs out of fuel and collapses under its own gravity, initiating a rebound of material outside the core. Hubble observations of SN 2015as will help researchers understand what happens when the expanding shockwave of a supernova collides with the gas that surrounds the exploded star.

SN 2011ht might have been a core-collapse supernova as well, but it could also be an impostor called a luminous blue variable. Luminous blue variables are rare stars that experience eruptions so large that they can mimic supernovae. Crucially, luminous blue variables emerge from these eruptions unscathed, while stars that go supernova do not. Hubble will search for a stellar survivor at SN 2011ht’s location, and the explosion’s identity may be revealed at last.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen close to face-on. The center of its disc is a bright, pale yellowish oval shape. Spiral arms extend from either side of the oval through the disc on irregular paths. They are marked throughout by bright bluish-white patches of stars. Distant background galaxies appear as small orangish blobs around the spiral galaxy. In the top-left corner a nearby star shines brightly, spikes radiating from it.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Jacobson-Galán, A. Filippenko, J. Mauerhan
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC5460 #SpiralGalaxy #Supernovae #SN2011ht #SN2015as #LuminousBlueVariable #LBV #UrsaMajor #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Planet Jupiter Flyby: Perijove 11 | NASA Juno Mission

Planet Jupiter Flyby: Perijove 11 | NASA Juno Mission

Here comes planet Jupiter. NASA's robotic spacecraft Juno is continuing on its highly elongated orbits around our Solar System's largest planet. This video is from perijove 11 in early 2018, the eleventh time Juno passed near Jupiter since it arrived in mid-2016. This time-lapse, color-enhanced video covers about four hours and morphs between 36 JunoCam images. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view—from about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops—the spacecraft captures the great planet in tremendous detail. Juno passes light zones and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous swirling circular storms, many of which are larger than hurricanes on Earth. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, then displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To get desired science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

Each perijove passes near a new part of Jupiter's cloud tops. A perijove indicates the point in the Juno spacecraft's orbit when it comes closest to planet Jupiter's center. If we measure by volume, approximately 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program. This is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Learn more about NASA's Juno mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu

Video Credit & License: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS
Processing: Gerald Eichstadt
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Feb. 23, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Jupiter #Atmosphere #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #Perijove11 #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD #Timelapse #HD #Video

Planet Mars: Iridescent Clouds at Twilight | NASA's Curiosity Rover

Planet Mars: Iridescent Clouds at Twilight | NASA's Curiosity Rover

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these drifting noctilucent, or twilight, clouds on Jan. 17, 2025, the 4,426th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s mission. This looping clip has been sped up about 480 times. The white plumes falling out of the clouds are carbon dioxide ice that would evaporate closer to the Martian surface.

Studying the colors in iridescent clouds tells scientists something about particle size within the clouds and how they grow over time. These clouds were captured as part of a seasonal imaging campaign to study noctilucent, or “night-shining” clouds. While the Martian clouds may look like the kind seen in Earth’s skies, they include frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice. Sometimes these clouds even create a rainbow of colors, producing iridescent, or “mother-of-pearl” clouds. Too faint to be seen in daylight, they are only visible when the clouds are especially high and evening has fallen.

Martian clouds are made of either water ice or, at higher altitudes and lower temperatures, carbon dioxide ice. Mars’ atmosphere is more than 95% carbon dioxide. The latter are the only kind of clouds observed at Mars producing iridescence, and they can be seen near the top of the new images at an altitude of around 37 to 50 miles (60 to 80 kilometers). They are also visible as white plumes falling through the atmosphere, traveling as low as 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface before evaporating because of rising temperatures. 

Dawn of Twilight Clouds

Twilight clouds were first seen on Mars by NASA’s Pathfinder mission in 1997; Curiosity did not spot them until 2019, when it acquired its first-ever images of iridescence in the clouds. This is the fourth Mars year the rover has observed the phenomenon that occurs during early fall in the southern hemisphere.

Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, led a paper summarizing Curiosity’s first two seasons of twilight cloud observations. It was published late last year in Geophysical Research Letters. “I’ll always remember the first time I saw those iridescent clouds and was sure at first it was some color artifact,” he said. “Now it’s become so predictable that we can plan our shots in advance; the clouds show up at exactly the same time of year.”

Each sighting is an opportunity to learn more about the particle size and growth rate in Martian clouds. This, in turn, provides more information about the planet’s atmosphere.

Cloud Mystery

One major mystery is why twilight clouds made of carbon dioxide ice have not been spotted in other locations on Mars. Curiosity, which landed in 2012, is on Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, just south of the Martian equator. Pathfinder landed in Ares Vallis, north of the equator. NASA’s Perseverance rover, located in the northern hemisphere’s Jezero Crater, has not seen any carbon dioxide ice twilight clouds since its 2021 landing. Lemmon and others suspect that certain regions of Mars may be predisposed to forming them.

A possible source of the clouds could be gravity waves, he said, that can cool the atmosphere: “Carbon dioxide was not expected to be condensing into ice here, so something is cooling it to the point that it could happen. But Martian gravity waves are not fully understood and we’re not entirely sure what is causing twilight clouds to form in one place but not another.”

For more about Curiosity, visit: 

science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity

Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Duration: 16 seconds

Release Dates: Feb. 11-12, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Atmosphere #Clouds #NoctilucentClouds #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Hyperlapse #SD #Video

Planet Mars: Iridescent Clouds after Sunset | NASA's Curiosity Rover

Planet Mars: Iridescent Clouds after Sunset | NASA's Curiosity Rover

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this feather-shaped iridescent cloud just after sunset on Jan. 27, 2023.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these drifting noctilucent, or twilight, clouds on Jan. 17, 2025, the 4,426th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s mission.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these feather-shaped and wispy iridescent clouds just after sunset on January 2023 and January 2025. Studying the colors in iridescent clouds tells scientists something about particle size within the clouds and how they grow over time. These clouds were captured as part of a seasonal imaging campaign to study noctilucent, or “night-shining” clouds. While the Martian clouds may look like the kind seen in Earth’s skies, they include frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice. Sometimes these clouds even create a rainbow of colors, producing iridescent, or “mother-of-pearl” clouds. Too faint to be seen in daylight, they are only visible when the clouds are especially high and evening has fallen.

Martian clouds are made of either water ice or, at higher altitudes and lower temperatures, carbon dioxide ice. Mars’ atmosphere is more than 95% carbon dioxide. The latter are the only kind of clouds observed at Mars producing iridescence, and they can be seen near the top of the new images at an altitude of around 37 to 50 miles (60 to 80 kilometers). They are also visible as white plumes falling through the atmosphere, traveling as low as 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface before evaporating because of rising temperatures. 

Dawn of Twilight Clouds

Twilight clouds were first seen on Mars by NASA’s Pathfinder mission in 1997; Curiosity did not spot them until 2019, when it acquired its first-ever images of iridescence in the clouds. This is the fourth Mars year the rover has observed the phenomenon that occurs during early fall in the southern hemisphere.

Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, led a paper summarizing Curiosity’s first two seasons of twilight cloud observations, which published late last year in Geophysical Research Letters. “I’ll always remember the first time I saw those iridescent clouds and was sure at first it was some color artifact,” he said. “Now it’s become so predictable that we can plan our shots in advance; the clouds show up at exactly the same time of year.”

Each sighting is an opportunity to learn more about the particle size and growth rate in Martian clouds. That, in turn, provides more information about the planet’s atmosphere.

Cloud Mystery

One major mystery is why twilight clouds made of carbon dioxide ice have not been spotted in other locations on Mars. Curiosity, which landed in 2012, is on Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, just south of the Martian equator. Pathfinder landed in Ares Vallis, north of the equator. NASA’s Perseverance rover, located in the northern hemisphere’s Jezero Crater, has not seen any carbon dioxide ice twilight clouds since its 2021 landing. Lemmon and others suspect that certain regions of Mars may be predisposed to forming them.

A possible source of the clouds could be gravity waves, he said, that can cool the atmosphere: “Carbon dioxide was not expected to be condensing into ice here, so something is cooling it to the point that it could happen. But Martian gravity waves are not fully understood and we’re not entirely sure what is causing twilight clouds to form in one place but not another.”

For more about Curiosity, visit: 

science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity

Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Release Dates: Feb. 11-12, 2025

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Shenzhou-19 Crew Reaches Mission Midpoint | China Space Station

Shenzhou-19 Crew Reaches Mission Midpoint | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-19 crew has reached the halfway point of their space mission with substantial progress made in station maintenance, in-orbit training, and crucial scientific experiments.

Last week, crew members Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze used their own bodies to carry out tests and collect data for a study on how long-term spaceflight can impact human muscles, particularly for typical movement patterns. Researchers on the ground will analyze data collected at various stages of the mission.

Similarly, the crew has completed tests designed to study how certain medications move through the body during spaceflight. The experimental data obtained will be used to study the changes in fine motor control and cognitive mechanisms under microgravity conditions, as well as to provide guidance for in-orbit medication.

Meanwhile, experiments in fields like materials science and combustion science are proceeding as planned. The crew has completed tasks including cleaning samples from non-container experimental chambers, performing maintenance on axis mechanisms and electrodes, and venting waste gas from the lab's combustion cabinet.

Crew members have also been providing data that will help ensure the smooth operation of future missions, filling out questionnaires and recording videos to provide feedback on the station's habitability and the practicality of its facilities.

They have also conducted a range of measurements on the station's internal environment, including personal noise exposure levels, acoustic environment monitoring, gas detection, and wind speed measurements.

To ensure their health throughout the mission, the crew has completed various medical check-ups, such as dynamic heart rate and blood pressure monitoring, body mass measurements, and hearing tests.

The Shenzhou-19 spaceflight the Tiangong space station launched on October 30, 2024 for a six-month mission, prior to the end of the previous mission, Shenzhou 18.

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: 1 minute, 45 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 16, 2025

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"Orion's Finger" in Nearby Giant Nebula Messier 42

"Orion's Finger" in Nearby Giant Nebula Messier 42

Astrophotographer StrongmanMike2002: "Over many years now, when viewing wider field shots of M42, my eye has often been drawn to this finger shaped bit of nebula. A regular thought over the years has been. I've never seen a close up shot of this cool little globule, I should shoot it one day . . . so, finally, ta daaah!"

Globules are dense dust clouds generally associated with large hydrogen-emitting star-formation regions that give off the glowing light of hydrogen gas.

A pareidolia is an optical illusion that makes us see a familiar pattern, where there is none. 

Pareidolia: Dictionaries describe this term as a human tendency to see recognizable shapes in objects or data that are otherwise not familiar to us.

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula in the Milky Way situated south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion, and is known as the middle "star" in the "sword" of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of 4.0. It is 1,344 ± 20 light-years (412.1 ± 6.1 pc) away and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. Observations of the nebula have revealed approximately 700 stars in various stages of formation within it. M42 is estimated to be 25 light-years across. It has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun. 

Image Credit: StrongmanMike2002

Capture Location: Eagleview Observatory, Australia
Capture Date: Feb. 10, 2025
Release Date: Feb. 15, 2025

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First Moon Shots: Blue Ghost Mission | Firefly Aerospace

First Moon Shots of Blue Ghost Mission | Firefly Aerospace

While in lunar orbit, the Blue Ghost lander captured its first close-up images of the Moon. With a suite of NASA science and technology on board, Firefly Aerospace is currently targeting no earlier than 3:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2, 2025, to land the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon.

The Blue Ghost lander is completing its 45-day journey to the Moon. Blue Ghost is seeking to land in Mare Crisium to deliver ten NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon. They will perform numerous science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon and provide insights into how space weather impacts the planet. Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that filled an ancient asteroid impact.    

Learn more: https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/

Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2025

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Commercial Capabilities with Lunar Communication Relays | NASA Artemis

Commercial Capabilities with Lunar Communication Relays | NASA Artemis

NASA is partnering with the aerospace industry to develop lunar relays. Establishing a network of communication relay satellites in lunar orbit will enable continuous and reliable communication between Earth and lunar missions, even in locations where the Earth is not directly visible from the Moon. This effort is being done through the Near Space Network’s Services Request for Proposal (RFP). 

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: David Ryan
Writers: Katherine Schauer and Kendall Murphy
Duration: 1 minute, 43 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 12, 2025

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