A Helpful 'Cosmic Ghost' Brings Stellar Birth, Not Death | NASA Chandra

A Helpful 'Cosmic Ghost' Brings Stellar Birth, Not Death | NASA Chandra

An eerie structure resembling a ghostly figure has been captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope.

The phantom-like structure is part of the Carina Nebula. It is located about 7,500 light years from Earth within the Milky Way galaxy. The Carina Nebula is a vast star-forming region and contains examples of the most massive stars in our Galaxy, including the famous Eta Carinae system that astronomers suspect could soon explode as a supernova.

In this latest embodiment of this region, X-rays detected by Chandra—that reveal young stars in the nebula—have been combined with Webb’s infrared data. The glowing cosmic apparition is an isolated cloud of gas and dust that has a dense dark head with a sweeping tail. Because of their resemblance to comets, astronomers sometimes refer to these objects as cometary globules despite having no connection to the traveling bodies. The ghost’s shape may come from the cloud being eroded by powerful radiation from some of the region’s massive stars—including Eta Carinae—that are outside the field of view in this image.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 1 minute, 36 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Nebulae #CarinaNebula #StellarNurseries #CarinaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #CXC #NASAWebb #JWST #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship: Static Test Fire Pre-flight 15 | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship: Static Test Fire Pre-flight 15 | Starbase Texas

"Ship 42 static fires complete. The Starship preparing for Flight 15 performed a full duration, six-engine static fire, and fired a single Raptor engine to simulate a deorbit burn."

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

Video Credit: SpaceX

Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds

Date: Oct. 28, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #PreFlightTest15 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #LunarExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Milky Way & Southeast Asia's Multicolored Lights | International Space Station

The Milky Way & Southeast Asia's Multicolored Lights | International Space Station

Expedition 71/72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "One of my favorite Milky Way photos from ISS with the multicolored lights of Southeast Asia streaking across the exposure from orbital velocity, while distant stars remain fixed by my star tracker. The long exposure intensifies the atmospheric airglow into a thick red band!"

Airglow is a faint emission of light caused by chemical reactions and interactions between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and gases in our planet's atmosphere. Unlike aurora, caused by solar wind particles interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, airglow is ever present.

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 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Pyotr Dubrov 
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Anna Kikina, Sergey Teteryatnikov

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Flight Engineer: Joshua Kutryk

NASA Flight Engineers: Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney 

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/D. Pettit
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Planets #Earth #SoutheastAsia #Atmospheres #Airglow #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Noctilucent Clouds over Sweden | Earth Science

Noctilucent Clouds over Sweden | Earth Science

Sometimes it is night on the ground but day in the air. As the Earth rotates to eclipse the Sun, sunset rises up from the ground. Therefore, at sunset on the ground, sunlight still shines on clouds above. Under usual circumstances, a pretty sunset might be visible, but unusual noctilucent clouds float so high up they can be seen well after dark. Normally too dim to be seen, they may become visible just after sunset during the summer when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon. Noctilucent clouds are the highest clouds and are known more technically as polar mesospheric clouds. 

Featured here as they appeared in early August 2026, a network of blue noctilucent clouds was captured in the distant sky above a field of green grass near Linköping, Sweden, with trees in stark silhouette across the horizon. Much about noctilucent clouds has been discovered only in the past two decades, and how they form and evolve remains a topic of active research.

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs), or night shining clouds are tenuous cloud-like phenomena in the upper atmosphere. They consist of ice crystals and from the ground are only visible during astronomical twilight. Noctilucent roughly means "night shining" in Latin. They are most often observed during the summer months from latitudes between ±50° and ±70°. Too faint to be seen in daylight, they are visible only when the observer and the lower layers of the atmosphere are in Earth's shadow while these very high clouds are still in sunlight. Recent studies suggest that increased atmospheric methane emissions produce additional water vapor through chemical reactions once the methane molecules reach the mesosphere—creating, or reinforcing existing, noctilucent clouds.

Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east.

Credit & Copyright V. Höfer, D. Večerník & B. Večerníková
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Technological University (MTU)

Image Date: Aug. 2026
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Sun #Planets #Earth #Weather #Meteorology #Atmosphere #WaterVapor #Clouds #IceCrystals #NoctilucentClouds #PolarMesosphericClouds #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #CitizenScience #Linköping #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education #APoD

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Solar Eclipse: 54 Minutes of Totality

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Solar Eclipse: 54 Minutes of Totality

Hear from a heliophysicist, a lunar scientist, and the Artemis II crew about the remarkable 54 minutes of totality the crew experienced while flying around the Moon.

What else did the Artemis II crew see around our celestial neighbor?

Their photographs, observations, drawings, and annotations created a unique scientific record that is now available for you to explore: https://go.nasa.gov/Artemis2LunarScience

In early April 2026, the Artemis II crew became the first to travel beyond the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled farther in space than humans have ever before.

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

Video Credit: NASA Science
Duration: 3 minutes, 20 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2026

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

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Lift | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Lift | Kennedy Space Center

In these images, a crane moves the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete its short stack configuration. The 212-foot rocket stage was lifted from the transfer aisle using a one-of-a-kind lifting beam designed to lift the stage and will be joined vertically with the completed solid rocket booster motor segments in its short stack configuration.

Progress continues at Kennedy Space Center, where teams have completed the integration of the final solid rocket booster motor segments onto the mobile launcher for the “short stack” configuration that will be used during a tanking test. Teams also completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage.

Teams now will install the systems tunnel that runs the length of the core stage and is used to route pyrotechnic cabling, a system of wiring that allows the single-use, quick disconnect for controlled movements during liftoff, on the massive stage. In the coming weeks, the stage will be integrated with the solid rocket boosters, completing the rocket’s “short stack” configuration.

NASA will roll the short stack SLS rocket from the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test in the coming months, where the Artemis launch team will practice procedures and timelines for loading propellant. While at the pad, the Artemis III crew, NASA astronauts Randy Bresnick, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, also will conduct a launch day rehearsal and emergency exit walkdown. This will include suiting up in astronaut crew quarters, driving to the launch pad, ascending the mobile launcher, and then walking through the exit route they would take in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch countdown.

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/Cory S. Huston
Dates: Oct. 22-25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIIMission #LunarLanders #HLS #NASASLS #BoosterSegments #SLSCoreStage #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ESA #Italy #Italia #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #LunarExploration #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Dwarf Planet Candidate ED138 & "Five Solar System Dwarf Planets" | NOIRLab

Dwarf Planet Candidate ED138 & "Five Solar System Dwarf Planets" | NOIRLab

An animation of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4-July 11, 2026. The rendering begins on May 8, 2026. The time then elapses at a rate of one Earth-year per 30 seconds. The model also shows the orbits of the five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU): Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.

ED138 was found by Rubin Operations team member and in-Kind contributor Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian). He contributes to improving Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. Its distance from the Sun places it beyond the orbit of Pluto, and initial analysis indicates that it may be among the largest and brightest bodies scientists have discovered in this region of the Solar System.

Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Video Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor

Orbit data provided by the IAU Minor Planet Center (MPCorb catalog), funded by NASA PDCO and the Tamkin Foundation

Star map: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #DwarfPlanets #2026ED138 #ED138 #Cosmos #Universe #LSSTCam #SimonyiSurveyTelescope #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #CfA #DSS2 #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to Dwarf Planet Candidate 2026 ED138 | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Journey to Dwarf Planet Candidate 2026 ED138 | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

This video shows the location of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). It was discovered in observational data from the National Science Foundation (NSF)–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4–July 11, 2026.

ED138 was found by Rubin Operations team member and in-Kind contributor Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian). He contributes to improving Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. Its distance from the Sun places it beyond the orbit of Pluto, and initial analysis indicates that it may be among the largest and brightest bodies scientists have discovered in this region of the Solar System.

Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor
All-sky photo of the night sky: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik/M. Zamani
Star map and constellations: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC. Constellation figures based on those developed for the IAU by Alan MacRobert of Sky and Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott and Rick Fienberg).
Digitized Sky Survey: Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), STScI/AURA, Palomar/Caltech, and UKSTU/AAO
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #DwarfPlanets #2026ED138 #ED138 #Cosmos #Universe #LSSTCam #SimonyiSurveyTelescope #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #CfA #DSS2 #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Animation: Dwarf Planet Candidate in Our Solar System | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Animation: Dwarf Planet Candidate in Our Solar System | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

An animated model of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4–July 11, 2026. The rendering begins on May 8, 2026. The time then elapses at a rate of one Earth-year per 30 seconds.

ED138 was found by Rubin Operations team member and in-Kind contributor Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian). He contributes to improving Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. Its distance from the Sun places it beyond the orbit of Pluto, and initial analysis indicates that it may be among the largest and brightest bodies scientists have discovered in this region of the Solar System.

Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor
Orbit data provided by the IAU Minor Planet Center (MPCorb catalog), funded by NASA PDCO and the Tamkin Foundation
Star map: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC
Duration: 50 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #DwarfPlanets #2026ED138 #ED138 #Cosmos #Universe #LSSTCam #SimonyiSurveyTelescope #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #CfA #UnitedStates #Animation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Dwarf Planet Candidate Found in Our Solar System | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

New Dwarf Planet Candidate Found in Our Solar System | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

A mosaic of images captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory of the newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from Rubin spanning March 4–July 11, 2026. It was found by Rubin Operations team member and in-Kind contributor Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), who contributes to improving Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. Its distance from the Sun places it beyond the orbit of Pluto, and initial analysis indicates that it may be among the largest and brightest bodies scientists have discovered in this region of the Solar System.

A view of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning 4 March–11 July 2026. The candidate is shown here at its location on 8 May 2026.

A view of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4–July 11, 2026. The candidate is shown here at its location on 8 May 2026. The model also shows the orbits of the five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU): Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.

This image shows the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138), as observed by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This image is a composite of multiple images captured by Rubin between 4 March and 11 July 2026 at intervals indicated by the teal circles. ED138 is visible at the center of each circle.

This unlabeled image from the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory shows the area of sky where the newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138) was found. This image is a composite of multiple images captured by Rubin between March 4 and July 11, 2026.

This image shows a portion of the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138), as observed by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This image is a composite of multiple images captured by Rubin between May 1-31, 2026 and at intervals indicated by the teal circles. ED138 is visible at the center of each circle.

A top-down view of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4–July 11, 2026. The candidate is shown here at its location on 8 May 2026.

A model of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 (ED138). ED138 was discovered in observational data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spanning March 4–July 11, 2026. The candidate is shown here at its location on May 8, 2026. The model also shows the orbits of the five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU): Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.

In the outer reaches of our Solar System, beyond the orbit of Pluto, NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has spotted 2026 ED138—a large, bright trans-Neptunian object that scientists have identified as a dwarf planet candidate. The observations were announced today by the International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center (MPC). If confirmed, ED138 would be among the largest dwarf planets ever discovered in this region of the Solar System.

With observations taken during the run up to the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has discovered a new dwarf planet candidate in our Solar System. The candidate, given the provisional designation 2026 ED138 (ED138), was found by Rubin Operations team member and in-Kind contributor Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian [CfA]). He contributes to improving Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. The candidate’s distance from the Sun places it beyond the orbit of dwarf planet Pluto. Initial analysis indicates that it may be among the largest and brightest bodies scientists have discovered in this region of the Solar System.

Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Image Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Image Processing: M. Jurić (UW), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #DwarfPlanets #2026ED138 #ED138 #Cosmos #Universe #LSSTCam #SimonyiSurveyTelescope #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #CfA #UnitedStates #Art #Illustration #Infographics #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Pre-lift | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Pre-lift | Kennedy Space Center

In these images, NASA's Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage can be seen in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. The 212-foot rocket stage was successfully lifted from High Bay 2 using a one-of-a kind lifting beam designed to lift the stage and will be joined vertically with the completed solid rocket booster motor segments in its short stack configuration.

Progress continues at Kennedy Space Center, where teams have completed the integration of the final solid rocket booster motor segments onto the mobile launcher for the “short stack” configuration that will be used during a tanking test. Teams also completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage.

Teams now will install the systems tunnel that runs the length of the core stage and is used to route pyrotechnic cabling, a system of wiring that allows the single-use, quick disconnect for controlled movements during liftoff, on the massive stage. In the coming weeks, the stage will be integrated with the solid rocket boosters, completing the rocket’s “short stack” configuration.

NASA will roll the short stack SLS rocket from the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test in the coming months, where the Artemis launch team will practice procedures and timelines for loading propellant. While at the pad, the Artemis III crew, NASA astronauts Randy Bresnick, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, also will conduct a launch day rehearsal and emergency exit walkdown. This will include suiting up in astronaut crew quarters, driving to the launch pad, ascending the mobile launcher, and then walking through the exit route they would take in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch countdown.

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/Cory S. Huston
Date: Oct. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIIMission #LunarLanders #HLS #NASASLS #BoosterSegments #SLSCoreStage #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #RandyBresnik #FrankRubio #AndreDouglas #LucaParmitano #Italy #Italia #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #LunarExploration #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Astronomers find unique disc of debris around dead star | ESO

 Astronomers find unique disc of debris around dead star | ESO

Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found a unique disc of debris around the white dwarf J1328−1450—the dead core of a star similar to our Sun. The star is surrounded not by one but two discs of gas that are likely maintained by planetesimals that survived the star’s death. As these planetesimals orbit the star, they interact with dust grains around the star, releasing gas that ends up arranged in two discs. This video summarizes the discovery.

Learn more about ESO's Very Large Telescope https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/

Credits: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis, Martin Wallner
Editing: Esteban Pinto Lagos, Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Ella Flynn, Magdalena Vukojevic
Footage and photos: ESO, Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Benisty et al. Juan Beltran, Lars Lindberg Christensen, ESA/Hubble, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
Fact-checking: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova
Duration: 1 minute, 21 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #WhiteDwarfStars #WhiteDwarfJ13281450 #CircumstellarMaterial #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Shenzhou-23 Continues Orbital Material Exposure Experiments | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Continues Orbital Material Exposure Experiments | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-23 crew aboard China's Tiangong Space Station has recently completed the fifth transfer of material exposure experimental apparatus to the station's exterior, advancing a series of experiments that have yielded multiple world firsts.

The three astronauts—Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying—were sent into space aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on May 24, with one of them scheduled to spend a full year in orbit.

During their ongoing mission, the crew has made the world's first in-orbit observation of the full life cycle of individual nematodes in space, including changes in the roundworms' organs and molecular markers. The returned samples will be used to develop new anti-radiation drugs.

The crew has also conducted the world's first space exposure experiment on a high-performance stainless magnesium alloy, verifying its reliability and stability for potential space applications, such as lightweight satellite electronic-control and heat-dissipation components.

In another world first, the crew carried out an extravehicular exposure and bearing tribology experiment on liquid-containing gel lubricants, paving the way for the design and development of new long-life space lubricating materials that may be used in lunar rover motion mechanisms.

The crew has also conducted the world's first tribological experiment in a vacuum environment on oil-based superlubricating materials with near-zero wear, laying a foundation for future applications of lubricating materials with near-zero friction.

Moreover, exposure experiments on shape-memory polymers and their composites outside the space station has helped China screen preferred substrate materials for deployable structures and locking and release structures.

These results are expected to support the country's major space programs, including space station development, crewed lunar landing and planetary exploration.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 55 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #MaterialExposureExperiments #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

'Perfect' Spiral Galaxy NGC 6384 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

'Perfect' Spiral Galaxy NGC 6384 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has produced this finely detailed image of the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6384. This galaxy lies in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer), not far from the center of the Milky Way on the sky. The positioning of NGC 6384 means that we have to peer at it past many dazzling foreground Milky Way stars that are scattered across this image.

Distance from Earth: ~77 million light-years 

In 1971, one member of NGC 6384 stood out against these bright foreground stars when one of its stars exploded as a supernova. This was a Type Ia supernova. They occur when a compact star that has ceased fusion in its core, called a white dwarf, increases its mass beyond a critical limit by gobbling up matter from a companion star. A runaway nuclear explosion then makes the star suddenly as bright as a whole galaxy.

While many stars have already come to the ends of their lives in NGC 6384, in the center, star formation is being fueled by the galaxy’s bar structure; astronomers think such galactic bars funnel gas inwards, where it accumulates to form new stars.

This picture was created from images take with the Wide Field Channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. An image taken through a blue filter (F435W, colored blue) was combined with an image taken through a near-infrared filter (F814W, colored red). The total exposure times were 1050 s through each filter and the field of view is about 3 x 1.5 arcminutes.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Feb. 21, 2011

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Wide-field view: The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy in Aquarius | Digitized Sky Survey 2

Wide-field view: The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy in Aquarius | Digitized Sky Survey 2

This visible light wide-field image of the region around NGC 7252 was created from photographs taken through red and blue filters and forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The galaxy appears close to the center. The field of view is approximately three degrees across.

The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) through its Guide Star Survey group.

Credit: ESO and Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2010

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Journey to The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy | NGC 7252 in Aquarius | ESO

Journey to The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy | NGC 7252 in Aquarius | ESO

In this zoom sequence we start with a very wide-field view of the constellation of Aquarius, far from the Milky Way and lacking bright objects. At the start north is to the right and the brightest star is Fomalhaut. As we zoom in we see a tiny fuzzy ball appear with curious appendages. This is a collision between two galaxies, a strange object known as NGC 7252, or Arp 226, and with the odd nickname "Atoms-for-Peace". The final very deep and detailed view is a new image taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Distance from Earth: 220 million light years

In December 1953, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech advocating the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes. This “Atoms for Peace” speech was significant for the scientific community, as it brought nuclear research into the public domain. NGC 7252 has a superficial resemblance to an atomic nucleus surrounded by the loops of electronic orbits. Thus, it was dubbed the Atoms for Peace galaxy in honor of this. These loops are well visible in this wide field image.

This nickname is quite ironic, as the galaxy’s past was anything but peaceful. Its peculiar appearance is the result of a collision between two galaxies that took place about a billion years ago. This ripped both galaxies apart. The loop-like outer structures, likely made up of dust and stars flung outwards by the crash, but recalling orbiting electrons in an atom, are partly responsible for the galaxy’s nickname.

Learn about MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope: https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/A. Fujii

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2010

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