Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1097: A Galactic Embrace | ESO's Very Large Telescope

Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1097: A Galactic Embrace | ESO's Very Large Telescope

Two galaxies, about 50 million light-years away, are locked in a galactic embrace—literally. The Seyfert galaxy NGC 1097, in the constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is seen in this image taken with the Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). A comparatively tiny elliptical companion galaxy, NGC 1097A, is also visible in the top left. There is evidence that NGC 1097 and NGC 1097A have been interacting in the recent past.

Although NGC 1097 seems to be wrapping its companion in its spiral arms, this is no gentle motherly giant. The larger galaxy also has four faint jets—too extended and faint to be seen in this image—that emerge from its center, forming an X-shaped pattern. These are the longest visible-wavelength jets of any known galaxy. The jets are thought to be the remnants of a dwarf galaxy that was disrupted and cannibalized by the much larger NGC 1097 up to a few billion years ago.

These unusual jets are not the galaxy’s only intriguing feature. As previously mentioned, NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy, meaning that it contains a supermassive black hole in its center. However, the core of NGC 1097 is relatively faint, suggesting that the central black hole is not currently swallowing large quantities of gas and stars. Instead, the most striking feature of the galaxy’s center is the ring of bright knots surrounding the nucleus. These knots are thought to be large bubbles of glowing hydrogen gas about 750–2500 light-years across, ionized by the intense ultraviolet light of young stars, and they indicate that the ring is a site of vigorous star formation.

With this distinctive central star-forming ring, and the addition of numerous bluish clusters of hot, young stars dotted through its spiral arms, NGC 1097 makes a stunning visual object.

The data were originally taken in 2004 with the VIMOS instrument on the VLT, and additional color information from an image taken by amateur astronomer Robert Gendler has been superimposed. The VLT data were taken through three visible-light filters: R (at a wavelength of 652 nanometres, and shown here in red), V (a wavelength of 540 nanometres, shown in green), and B (456 nanometres, shown in blue). The image covers a region of approximately 7.7 x 6.6 arcminutes on the sky.

Credit: ESO/R. Gendler
Release Date: July 11, 2011

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC1097 #Caldwell67 #SpiralGalaxies #BlackHoles #AGNs #SeyfertGalaxies #NGC1097A #NGC1097B #InteractingGalaxies #FornaxConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #VIMOS #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1097 in Fornax | Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1097 in Fornax | Hubble Space Telescope

This face-on galaxy, lying 45 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is particularly attractive for astronomers. NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very center of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our Sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in.

The distinctive ring around the black hole is bursting with new star formation due to an inflow of material toward the central bar of the galaxy. These star-forming regions are glowing brightly thanks to emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen. The ring is around 5,000 light-years across, although the spiral arms of the galaxy extend tens of thousands of light-years beyond it.

NGC 1097 is also interesting for supernova hunters. The galaxy experienced three supernovae (the violent deaths of high-mass stars) in the 11-year span between 1992 and 2003. This is definitely a galaxy worth checking on a regular basis.

However, what it is fascinating about NGC 1097 is that it is not wandering alone through space. It has two small galaxy companions that dance “the dance of stars and the dance of space” like the gracious dancer of the famous poem The Dancer by Khalil Gibran.

The satellite galaxies are NGC 1097A, an elliptical galaxy orbiting 42,000 light-years from the center of NGC 1097 and a small dwarf galaxy named NGC 1097B. Both galaxies are located out beyond the frames of this image and they cannot be seen. Astronomers have indications that NGC 1097 and NGC 1097A have interacted in the past.

This picture was taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys using visual and infrared filters.

Image Description: This is a NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image of the bright star-forming ring that surrounds the heart of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097. In this image, the larger-scale structure of the galaxy is barely visible. Its comparatively dim spiral arms, surrounding its heart in a loose embrace, reach out beyond the edges of this frame.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Acknowledgement: E. Sturdivant
Release Date: Dec. 24, 2012

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC1097 #Caldwell67 #SpiralGalaxies #BlackHoles #AGNs #SeyfertGalaxies #NGC1097A #NGC1097B #InteractingGalaxies #FornaxConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China's Space Solar Power Project: A Dynamic Power Transmission Breakthrough

China's Space Solar Power Project: A Dynamic Power Transmission Breakthrough

Researchers leading China's project to create a space solar power station have successfully completed the ground verification for wireless transmissions to several moving targets at once.

The Zhuri project, which means "sun chasing" in Mandarin, will be a photovoltaic panel located in outer space, where there are no day-to-night cycles, or atmospheric interferences.

Zhuri will collect energy from the Sun and send to ground-based or space-based equipment like drones, satellites or spacecraft.

The most recent achievement includes shifting from one-to-one fixed transmissions to a one-to-many dynamic transmissions for multiple fast-moving targets.

Outdoor tests showed the system could deliver 1,180 watts of output power at a distance of 100 meters, with DC-to-DC transmission efficiency rising to over 20 percent and beam collection efficiency hitting 88 percent.

The Sun Chasing project was first launched in 2022 and is being led by researchers and scientists from Xidian University in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 41 seconds
Release Date: June 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #SpaceSolarPower #Satellites #SolarPower #Photovoltaics #SolarEnergy #PowerGeneration #WirelessPowerTransmission #Earth #China #中国 #ZhuriProject #XidianUniversity #西安电子科技大学 #Shaanxi #陕西 #SpaceTechnology #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Earth Views: Shenzhou Astronauts on Spacewalk | China Space Station

Planet Earth Views: Shenzhou Astronauts on Spacewalk | China Space Station

While the Shenzhou-21 crew conducted their second extravehicular activity (EVA) at China's Tiangong space station on March 16, 2026, at 19:35 Beijing Time, these Earth views were captured by an external camera. Crew members Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang completed the EVA in collaboration with the space station's robotic arm and ground support teams. The spacewalk lasted approximately 7 hours. The trio completed the installation of a space debris protection device for the space station along with other tasks.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - 2nd spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞)  Flight Engineer - 1st spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - 1st spaceflight

Video Credit: China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds

Capture Date: March 16, 2026
Release Date: March 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhangLu #WuFei #ZhangHongzhang #EVA #Spacewalks #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Orbital Sunset | International Space Station

Earth Orbital Sunset | International Space Station

Expedition 71/72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "Real-time sunset from orbit. They only last about 8 seconds from start to finish, but seeing 16 per day makes up for it! Timelapses through the transition can be challenging as the exposure overwhelms the camera's dynamic range."

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.

Follow Expedition 74:

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

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/D. Pettit

Duration: 17 seconds
Release Date: June 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #OrbitalSunsets #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautVideography #UnitedStates #ESA #France #Europe #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis III Rocket RS-25 Engine Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Rocket RS-25 Engine Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida offloaded the second of four RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engines built by L3 Harris Technologies for the agency's Artemis III mission on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, inside the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). 

The SLS rocket will use four RS-25 engines in the core stage to propel the Orion spacecraft into orbit providing over two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. NASA plans to send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits, to establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

The Artemis III Mission is coming together, piece by piece . . .

Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit. 

On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Image Credit: NASA
Date: June 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIIMission #LunarLanders #HLS #NASASLS #RS25RocketEngines #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #Italy #Italia #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #VAB #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Earth Clouds | International Space Station

Planet Earth Clouds | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir: "Even viewing clouds from the International Space Station is enchanting, an endless variety of shapes, textures, and sizes .  .  . usually quite serene, but sometimes ominous, like these thunderclouds over the Pacific Northwest this week."

Follow Expedition 74:

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

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

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/JSC/Jessica Meir

Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #PacificOcean #PacificNorthwest #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Newly-released NASA Artemis II Crew Photos with Planet Earth

Newly-released NASA Artemis II Crew Photos with Planet Earth

NASA astronaut Christina Koch pictured inside the Orion spacecraft with the crescent Earth pictured through the window behind her. This picture was captured after the Artemis II crew completed their lunar flyby and were on their way back to Earth. 

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman smiles aboard the Orion spacecraft with a crescent Earth visible through the window behind him on the eighth day of the Artemis II mission.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover pictured inside the Orion spacecraft with the crescent Earth pictured through the window behind him. This picture was captured after the Artemis II crew completed their lunar flyby and were on their way back to Earth. 

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen pictured inside the Orion spacecraft with the crescent Earth pictured through the window behind him. This picture was captured after the Artemis II crew completed their lunar flyby and were on their way back to Earth.

During the Artemis II crew’s journey back home to Earth, NASA’s Orion spacecraft appears alongside a sliver of Earth, both illuminated against the blackness of space. Pictured from one of the cameras mounted on Orion’s solar array wings, this image shows the orbital maneuvering system engine, five of eight auxiliary thrusters, and a pod of four reaction control system thrusters on the spacecraft’s service module.

View of Earth out of the Orion spacecraft’s side hatch window taken by a member of the Artemis II crew at the end of Flight Day 5, the night before lunar flyby.

Earth captured from the Artemis II crew showing white swirling clouds above the blue Pacific Ocean, with reflected sunlight visible in the upper right and the lower left obscured in darkness behind the terminator. This image was captured a few hours before the crew returned to Earth.

This black and white image of Earth was captured by the optical navigation sensor on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft on the first day of the Artemis II mission, as the four astronauts inside were traveling farther than any humans have ventured in more than 50 years.

NASA's Artemis II Mission took Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.

The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its journey around the Moon.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis Program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

The crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Credit: NASA
Image Dates: April 3-10, 2026

Release Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

The Extremely Large Telescope's Fourth Mirror Levitates | ESO

The Extremely Large Telescope's Fourth Mirror Levitates | ESO

With its 39-meter (128-foot) primary mirror, the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile will deliver incredibly sharp images of the Universe. However, this requires correcting the blur caused by atmospheric turbulence. Enter the M4, the fourth mirror in the ELT's optical path. This extremely thin levitating mirror will deform up to 1,000 times per second, counteracting turbulence in real time and yielding crisp images of astronomical objects.

The dome of this soon-to-be telescope, planned to be fully completed in 2027, protects the telescope and its sensitive components from the extreme desert environment, and from the Sun during daytime. At night, its two massive sliding doors will open to allow the telescope to observe the night sky, while still protecting it from the wind.

Inside the dome, the construction of the main structure of what will be the world's largest optical and near-infrared telescope is very advanced. With the first light planned for the end of the decade, the ELT and its groundbreaking 39-meter main mirror will tackle major challenges in astronomy and, ultimately, help us understand our place in the Universe.

Learn more about the ELT: https://elt.eso.org

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Credit: ESO
Directing & Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Bárbara Ferreira
Footage and photos: ESO, A. Tsaousis, L. Calçada, M.Wallner, V. Gonzalez, ACe Consortium, AdOptica.
Acknowledgements: AdOptica (Microgate, ADS International)
Duration: 1 minute
Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #AstronomicalObservatories #ExtremelyLargeTelescope #ELT #Construction #Nebulae #Stars #Exoplanets #Galaxies #Universe #BiggestEyeOnTheSky #Technology #Engineering #CerroArmazones #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59 Aircraft Flies at Mach 1.4 & 55,000 Feet for First Time

NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59 Aircraft Flies at Mach 1.4 & 55,000 Feet for First Time

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft reached its target speed and altitude for future community overflights for the first time on Friday, June 5, 2026. The milestone marked the first time the aircraft flew at Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet, the same conditions it will fly when NASA gathers community response data to its quiet sonic thump.

The X-59 aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.”

Data gathered during X-59 research flights will be shared with the U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.

The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

Learn more about NASA's Quesst mission: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/

Keep up with the latest about X-59: 
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/

Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Release Date: June 25, 2026

#NASA #Aerospace #SupersonicFlight #SupersonicAircraft #X59 #Sonicbooms #QuietAviation #Aviation #QuesstMission #CommercialAviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #AerospaceResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #Edwards #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship Single Engine Static Fire Test | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship Single Engine Static Fire Test | Starbase Texas

A "full duration" single-engine static fire test of Starship ahead of the 13th flight test.

The 12th flight test of SpaceX's Starship lifted off May 22, 2026, from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. Learn about the flight test results and watch a replay of the launch webcast here: 
https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12

This was the first flight of the "next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine." 

Read more about the key upgrades designed to enhance performance and unlock Starship's full capabilities here: https://www.spacex.com/updates/starship-v3

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 18 seconds
Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #StaticFireEngineTest #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Globular Star Cluster NGC 6723 in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Globular Star Cluster NGC 6723 in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

This Hubble Space Telescope picture is of an ancient inhabitant of our galaxy. This sparkling scene is of a globular cluster: a collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars, all tightly bound together under the influence of gravity. Astronomers know of more than 150 globular clusters in our galaxy, though there may be others yet to be discovered, hidden from view by dust or densely packed fields of stars.

This particular globular cluster is NGC 6723, sometimes called the Chandelier Cluster. Much like its namesake, this cluster sparkles with countless lights—but each ‘lightbulb’ in this chandelier is an individual star 27,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer).

Globular clusters like NGC 6723 contain examples of the oldest stars in our galaxy. The ages of these clusters often exceed 10 billion years old, and can be nearly as old as the Universe itself. Globular clusters are thought to be among the first structures to have formed in our galaxy, coalescing potentially billions of years before the thin disk of stars where our Sun orbits. The details of how globular clusters formed, however, are not yet certain. In NGC 6723, researchers found evidence of two closely-spaced periods of star formation, the second occurring within 634 million years of the first. This is a "blink of an eye" for a star cluster that is more than 10 billion years old.

Astronomers initially thought that all stars in a globular cluster formed at the same time in a single flourish of star formation. This would mean that all stars in a globular cluster would be the same age and be made of the same mixture of chemical elements. Now, thanks to observations from telescopes like Hubble, researchers know that these seemingly simple stellar populations have more complex histories than originally thought.

Hubble first observed NGC 6723 as part of an ambitious survey dedicated to demystifying the properties of globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy. In this observing program (#10775, PI: Sarajedini), researchers used Hubble to study 65 globular clusters in our galaxy in visible and near-infrared light. These data allowed researchers to study everything from the ages of globular clusters to the process of massive stars sinking towards the center of a star cluster and of lower-mass stars drifting toward cluster outskirts. This survey has been scientifically valuable and has supported several hundred published research papers.

In a later observing program (#13297, PI: Piotto), researchers set their sights again on many of these same clusters, including NGC 6723. This time, they used Hubble’s unique sensitivity to ultraviolet light to detect the subtle variations in chemical composition between the stars of globular clusters and determine the age spread among the clusters’ stars. 

Thanks to these findings, astronomers are on the path to understanding how and when globular clusters formed—and Hubble observations of celestial chandeliers like NGC 6723 are lighting the way.

Image Description: A globular cluster. It is made up of many thousands of bright stars, tightly-packed in the center and more spread out at the corners, but filling the entire view. The stars are colored either orange or bright blue with the blue stars mainly concentrated in the center. Orange stars are located mainly around the edge, and also vary in size from small dots to glowing stars with four points, based on their position in the foreground or background of the cluster.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, G. Piotto

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6723 #GlobularStarClusters #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6723 in Sagittarius: A Starry Chandelier | Hubble

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6723 in Sagittarius: A Starry Chandelier | Hubble

This Hubble Space Telescope picture is of an ancient inhabitant of our galaxy. This sparkling scene is of a globular cluster: a collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars, all tightly bound together under the influence of gravity. Astronomers know of more than 150 globular clusters in our galaxy, though there may be others yet to be discovered, hidden from view by dust or densely packed fields of stars.

This particular globular cluster is NGC 6723, sometimes called the Chandelier Cluster. Much like its namesake, this cluster sparkles with countless lights—but each ‘lightbulb’ in this chandelier is an individual star 27,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer).

Globular clusters like NGC 6723 contain examples of the oldest stars in our galaxy. The ages of these clusters often exceed 10 billion years old, and can be nearly as old as the Universe itself. Globular clusters are thought to be among the first structures to have formed in our galaxy, coalescing potentially billions of years before the thin disk of stars where our Sun orbits. The details of how globular clusters formed, however, are not yet certain. In NGC 6723, researchers found evidence of two closely-spaced periods of star formation, the second occurring within 634 million years of the first. This is a "blink of an eye" for a star cluster that is more than 10 billion years old.

Astronomers initially thought that all stars in a globular cluster formed at the same time in a single flourish of star formation. This would mean that all stars in a globular cluster would be the same age and be made of the same mixture of chemical elements. Now, thanks to observations from telescopes like Hubble, researchers know that these seemingly simple stellar populations have more complex histories than originally thought.

Hubble first observed NGC 6723 as part of an ambitious survey dedicated to demystifying the properties of globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy. In this observing program (#10775, PI: Sarajedini), researchers used Hubble to study 65 globular clusters in our galaxy in visible and near-infrared light. These data allowed researchers to study everything from the ages of globular clusters to the process of massive stars sinking towards the center of a star cluster and of lower-mass stars drifting toward cluster outskirts. This survey has been scientifically valuable and has supported several hundred published research papers.

In a later observing program (#13297, PI: Piotto), researchers set their sights again on many of these same clusters, including NGC 6723. This time, they used Hubble’s unique sensitivity to ultraviolet light to detect the subtle variations in chemical composition between the stars of globular clusters and determine the age spread among the clusters’ stars. 

Thanks to these findings, astronomers are on the path to understanding how and when globular clusters formed—and Hubble observations of celestial chandeliers like NGC 6723 are lighting the way.

Image Description: A globular cluster. It is made up of many thousands of bright stars, tightly-packed in the center and more spread out at the corners, but filling the entire view. The stars are colored either orange or bright blue with the blue stars mainly concentrated in the center. Orange stars are located mainly around the edge, and also vary in size from small dots to glowing stars with four points, based on their position in the foreground or background of the cluster.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, G. Piotto
Release Date: June 26, 2026

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6723 #GlobularStarClusters #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China Long March 7 Rocket Launch of Communication Satellite in Hainan

China Long March 7 Rocket Launch of Communication Satellite in Hainan

🚀🛰️China has sent another communication technology test satellite into orbit. A modified Long March 7 rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan province at 10:10am Beijing Time on June 23, 2026, delivering the Communication Technology Test Satellite 26A (TJSW-26A) into its designated geostationary orbit.

A geostationary orbit is a specific type of orbit where a satellite orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the equator. In this orbit, the satellite's orbital period matches the Earth's rotation period of about 23 hours and 56 minutes, allowing it to appear stationary relative to an observer on the ground.

China on Tuesday sent a new communication technology test satellite into the preset orbit via a modified version of the Long March-7 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, marking the 653rd mission carried out by the Long March carrier rocket series. 

This satellite will be mainly used for services such as satellite communications, broadcasting and television, and data transmission, as well as for conducting related technology test verifications.

The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology-developed satellite, like the rest of the TJSW fleet deployed in recent years, is set to demonstrate multi-band, high-throughput communications technologies for radio, television, and data transmission.

Image Credit: China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)

Date: June 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CommunicationSatellites #SAST #TJSW26A #通信技术试验卫星二十六号A星 #Earth #China #中国 #LongMarch7Rocket #LongMarch7AY20 #WenchangSLS #Hainan #STEM #Education

China Long March 7 Rocket Launch of Communication Satellite in Hainan

China Long March 7 Rocket Launch of Communication Satellite in Hainan

🚀🛰️China has sent another communication technology test satellite into orbit. A modified Long March 7 rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan province at 10:10am Beijing Time on June 23, 2026, delivering the Communication Technology Test Satellite 26A (TJSW-26A) into its designated geostationary orbit.

A geostationary orbit is a specific type of orbit where a satellite orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the equator. In this orbit, the satellite's orbital period matches the Earth's rotation period of about 23 hours and 56 minutes, allowing it to appear stationary relative to an observer on the ground.

The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology-developed satellite, like the rest of the TJSW fleet deployed in recent years, is set to demonstrate multi-band, high-throughput communications technologies for radio, television, and data transmission.

Video Credit: China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)

Duration: 29 seconds
Date: June 23, 2026

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Perseverance Rover Detected | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Perseverance Rover Detected | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

An aerial view of a reddish surface shows the tops of ridges on the planet Mars. A very faint green speck can be seen just left of center of the image. Rover tracks can be seen tracing the surface. A yellow circle indicates the location of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.

NASA’s Perseverance rover appears as a green speck on the Martian surface on June 13, 2026, a day before the robotic explorer marked a distance milestone, having traveled a full marathon (26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometers) on the Red Planet. Perseverance reached that distance after five years and four months of driving—on the 1,890th Martian day, or sol, of its mission; the previous record holder, NASA’s Opportunity rover, took 11 years and two months to reach the same milestone.

This image was taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The rover’s tracks can be seen tracing the surface. The rover is in an area west of Jezero Crater that the science team is calling “Arbot.”

Managed for NASA by Caltech, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages operations of the Perseverance rover and MRO on behalf of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built MRO and supports its operations. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado.

Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

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

Launch: July 30, 2020

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

To learn more about these missions, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mars/

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Image Date: June 13, 2026

Release Date: June 24, 2026

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