China's Commercial Space Sector on the Rise

China's Commercial Space Sector on the Rise

China has unveiled its strategic roadmap for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). The blueprint highlights the country's commitment to modernization, high-quality production, green technology and improving people's well-being. In this episode of the special series, "2026–2030: The Journey Ahead," we look at the boost China's commercial space sector is receiving.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 5 minutes, 43 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #Earth #China #中国 #CNSA #CASSpace #GalacticEnergy #Rockets #ReusableRockets #RocketLaunches #LaunchVehicles #LiquidFuelRockets #SolidFuelRockets #HeavyLiftRockets #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

2026 Michael Collins Trophy Awarded to NASA's Boeing Starliner Test Flight Crew

2026 Michael Collins Trophy Awarded to NASA's Boeing Starliner Test Flight Crew

The winners of the National Air and Space Museum’s 2026 Michael Collins Trophy for current achievement is the Boeing Starliner Flight Test crew.

Astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore’s extensive spaceflight experience prepared them to not just adapt but excel with personal strength, grace, and competence when their eight-day mission turned into one that lasted more than nine months.

Astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams NASA Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/williams-sl.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-suni-williams-retires/

Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore NASA Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/wilmore-be.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-barry-butch-wilmore-retires/

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Press Release

https://www.airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/national-air-and-space-museums-2026-michael-collins-trophy-awarded-farouk

NASA Releases Report on Starliner Crewed Flight Test Investigation
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-releases-report-on-starliner-crewed-flight-test-investigation/

In 2014, NASA awarded a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to Boeing to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station with its Starliner spacecraft. Certification of Boeing’s Starliner remains important to NASA’s goal of sustained human presence in low Earth orbit and dissimilar redundancy is essential to supporting the agency’s goals and international obligations.

Through the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA is working with business partners to build rockets and spacecraft. The Commercial Crew Program has made it possible for astronauts to launch to space from the United States once again.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, dedicated to human flight and space exploration.

Video Credit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Duration: 5 minutes
Release Date: March 28, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CrewFlightTests #CommercialSpace #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #ButchWilmore #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #CommercialCrewProgram #NASAJohnson #JSC #NASM #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Sky around Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in Tucana | Hubble

The Sky around Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in Tucana | Hubble

This image was captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), a highly efficient wide-field camera covering the optical and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. While this lovely image contains hundreds of distant stars and galaxies, one vital thing is missing—the object Hubble was actually studying at the time!

This is not because the target has disappeared. The ACS actually uses two detectors: the first captures the object being studied—in this case an open star cluster known as NGC 299—while the other detector images the patch of space just ‘beneath’ it. This is what can be seen here.

Distance from Earth: 200,000 light years

Technically, this picture is merely a sidekick of the actual object of interest—but space is bursting with activity, and this field of bright celestial bodies offers plenty of interest on its own. It may initially seem to show just stars, but a closer look reveals many of these tiny objects to be galaxies. The spiral galaxies have arms curving out from a bright center. The fuzzier, less clearly shaped galaxies might be ellipticals. Some of these galaxies contain millions and millions of stars, but are so distant that all of their starry residents are contained within just a small pinprick of light that appears to be the same size as a single star!

The bright blue dots are very hot stars, sometimes distorted into crosses by the struts supporting Hubble’s secondary mirror. The redder dots are cooler stars, possibly in the red giant phase when a dying star cools and expands.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC299 #DwarfGalaxies #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #TucanaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in The Small Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in The Small Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

It may be famous for hosting spectacular sights, such as the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy and 47 Tucanae, the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, but the southern constellation of Tucana (The Toucan) also possesses a variety of unsung cosmic beauties.

One such beauty is NGC 299, an open star cluster located within the Small Magellanic Cloud just under 200,000 light-years away. Open clusters such as this are collections of stars weakly bound by the shackles of gravity. They form from the same massive molecular cloud of gas and dust. Due to this, all the stars have the same age and composition, but vary in their mass because they formed at unique positions within the cloud. 

The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way.

Distance from Earth: 200,000 light years

This unique property not only ensures a spectacular sight when viewed through a sophisticated instrument attached to a telescope, such as Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, but gives astronomers a cosmic laboratory to study the formation and evolution of stars—a process that is thought to depend strongly on a star's mass.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Oct. 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC299 #DwarfGalaxies #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #TucanaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora Borealis over Finland

Aurora Borealis over Finland

Astrophotographer Ansel Siegenthaler: "Active aurora flickering in the atmosphere at impressively quick intervals. Often overhead and multidirectional."

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia.

Image Credit: Ansel Siegenthaler
Location: Rauma, Finland
Ansel's website: https://www.stormsendphoto.com
Release Date: March 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #AnselSiegenthaler #Astrophotographers #Rauma #Finland #Suomi #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: How Europe will Power the Journey | ESA

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: How Europe will Power the Journey | ESA

Artemis II will send astronauts around the Moon and safely home. At the core of the mission is the European Service Module (ESM) providing propulsion, power and life support for their journey into deep space.

"For the first time in over 50 years, humans are going back to the Moon. This time, Europe is part of that journey. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA's Artemis program and will bring four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and safely back to Earth. What carries them on this voyage is the Orion spacecraft, powered by our European Service Module (ESM)."

"The ESM is built by 20 companies across Europe, led by prime contractor Airbus. The module will provide all the air and water needed by the crew throughout their journey, and power and propel their spacecraft through deep space and back home."

NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026. 

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 4 minutes, 20 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ESM #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Moonbound! | NASA Artemis II Mission | Kennedy Space Center

Moonbound! | NASA Artemis II Mission | Kennedy Space Center

As early as April 1, 2026, four astronauts will be launched on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth!

📺 Watch briefings, events, and 24/7 mission coverage on NASA's YouTube channel. The launch, lunar flyby, and splashdown coverage will be available on NASA+ and Amazon Prime.

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, March 27, 2026. NASA continues to target as soon as Wednesday, April 1, for launch within a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

While work continues to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock/Keegan Barber/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: “Rise” 'Zero' Gravity Indicator

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: “Rise” 'Zero' Gravity Indicator

“Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, as the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 Mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space. "Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 Mission. The Apollo 8 Mission, launched on December 21, 1968, was a historic event that marked the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon.

Learn more about NASA's Apollo 8 Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-8/

The design was selected from more than 2,600 submissions from over 50 countries, including K-12 students, that were part of a Moon Mascot contest. During the selection process, the crew narrowed a list of 25 finalists to five top designs, including:

“Big Steps of Little Octopus,” Anzhelika Iudakova, Finland

“Corey the Explorer,” Daniela Colina, Peru

“Creation Mythos,” Johanna Beck, McPherson, Kansas

“Lepus the Moon Rabbit,” Oakville Trafalgar School, Canada

“Rise,” Lucas Ye, Mountain View, California

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, March 27, 2026. NASA continues to target as soon as Wednesday, April 1, for launch within a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

While work continues to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #ZeroGravityIndicator #Apollo8 #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

Artemis II Moon Mission 'Zero' Gravity Indicator Revealed | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II Moon Mission 'Zero' Gravity Indicator Revealed | Kennedy Space Center

Introducing the Moon mascot for the Artemis II Mission! 

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, March 27. NASA continues to target as soon as Wednesday, April 1, for launch within a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

During remarks at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman announced “Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, as the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 Mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space.

The zero gravity indicator for the Moonbound crew was selected from thousands of submissions from over 50 countries and is named “Rise.” The design was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 Mission. The Apollo 8 Mission, launched on December 21, 1968, was a historic event that marked the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon.

Learn more about NASA's Apollo 8 Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-8/

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credits: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute, 36 seconds
Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Apollo8 #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

The Sky around Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

The Sky around Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

This wide-field view also features a vibrant scene of distant background galaxies and foreground stars. Several stars appear with characteristic diffraction spikes. However, much of the field is dominated by the more diffuse, orange-red smudges of far more distant galaxies.

A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this new European Space Agency Hubble picture. IC 486 lies right on the edge of the constellation Gemini (the Twins), around 380 million light-years from Earth. Classified as a barred spiral galaxy, it features a bright central bar-shaped structure where its spiral arms unfurl, wrapping around the core in a smooth, almost ring-like pattern.

Hubble’s keen eye reveals subtle variations in color across the galaxy. The pale, luminous center is dominated by older stars, while faint bluish regions in the surrounding disc trace pockets of more recent star formation. Wisps of dust thread through the galaxy’s structure, gently obscuring light and tracing regions of increased molecular gas where new stars are likely to form.

At the galaxy’s center a noticeable white glow outshines the starlight around it. This is light given off by IC 486’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole more than 100 million times the mass of the Sun. Every sufficiently large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center, but these black holes can be particularly ravenous, marshalling vast amounts of gas and dust into swirling accretion discs that they feed. The intense heat generated by the orbiting disc of material generates intense radiation up to and including X-rays. These can outshine the entire rest of the galaxy. In such cases, the galaxy is known as an active galaxy, with an AGN at its center. 

Image Description: The face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 dominates the right side of this image. The wide-field view is dominated against a black background of space by many distant galaxies that appear as orange-red dots throughout the scene. A few foreground stars are also visible.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC486 #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #ActiveGalaxies #AGNs #GeminiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wide-field view: Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

Wide-field view: Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

This wide-field view also features a vibrant scene of distant background galaxies and foreground stars. Several stars appear with characteristic diffraction spikes. However, much of the field is dominated by the more diffuse, orange-red smudges of far more distant galaxies.

A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this new European Space Agency Hubble picture. IC 486 lies right on the edge of the constellation Gemini (the Twins), around 380 million light-years from Earth. Classified as a barred spiral galaxy, it features a bright central bar-shaped structure where its spiral arms unfurl, wrapping around the core in a smooth, almost ring-like pattern.

Hubble’s keen eye reveals subtle variations in color across the galaxy. The pale, luminous center is dominated by older stars, while faint bluish regions in the surrounding disc trace pockets of more recent star formation. Wisps of dust thread through the galaxy’s structure, gently obscuring light and tracing regions of increased molecular gas where new stars are likely to form.

At the galaxy’s center a noticeable white glow outshines the starlight around it. This is light given off by IC 486’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole more than 100 million times the mass of the Sun. Every sufficiently large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center, but these black holes can be particularly ravenous, marshalling vast amounts of gas and dust into swirling accretion discs that they feed. The intense heat generated by the orbiting disc of material generates intense radiation up to and including X-rays. These can outshine the entire rest of the galaxy. In such cases, the galaxy is known as an active galaxy, with an AGN at its center. 

Image Description: The face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 dominates the right side of this image. The wide-field view is dominated against a black background of space by many distant galaxies that appear as orange-red dots throughout the scene. A few foreground stars are also visible.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC486 #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #ActiveGalaxies #AGNs #GeminiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Close-up: Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescop

Close-up: Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this new European Space Agency Hubble picture. IC 486 lies right on the edge of the constellation Gemini (the Twins), around 380 million light-years from Earth. Classified as a barred spiral galaxy, it features a bright central bar-shaped structure where its spiral arms unfurl, wrapping around the core in a smooth, almost ring-like pattern.

Hubble’s keen eye reveals subtle variations in color across the galaxy. The pale, luminous center is dominated by older stars, while faint bluish regions in the surrounding disc trace pockets of more recent star formation. Wisps of dust thread through the galaxy’s structure, gently obscuring light and tracing regions of increased molecular gas where new stars are likely to form.

At the galaxy’s center a noticeable white glow outshines the starlight around it. This is light given off by IC 486’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole more than 100 million times the mass of the Sun. Every sufficiently large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center, but these black holes can be particularly ravenous, marshalling vast amounts of gas and dust into swirling accretion discs that they feed. The intense heat generated by the orbiting disc of material generates intense radiation up to and including X-rays. These can outshine the entire rest of the galaxy. In such cases, the galaxy is known as an active galaxy, with an AGN at its center. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)  
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC486 #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #ActiveGalaxies #AGNs #GeminiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

Distant Galaxy IC 486 in Gemini | Hubble Space Telescope

A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this new European Space Agency Hubble picture. IC 486 lies right on the edge of the constellation Gemini (the Twins), around 380 million light-years from Earth. Classified as a barred spiral galaxy, it features a bright central bar-shaped structure where its spiral arms unfurl, wrapping around the core in a smooth, almost ring-like pattern.

Hubble’s keen eye reveals subtle variations in color across the galaxy. The pale, luminous center is dominated by older stars, while faint bluish regions in the surrounding disc trace pockets of more recent star formation. Wisps of dust thread through the galaxy’s structure, gently obscuring light and tracing regions of increased molecular gas where new stars are likely to form.

At the galaxy’s center a noticeable white glow outshines the starlight around it. This is light given off by IC 486’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole more than 100 million times the mass of the Sun. Every sufficiently large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center, but these black holes can be particularly ravenous, marshalling vast amounts of gas and dust into swirling accretion discs that they feed. The intense heat generated by the orbiting disc of material generates intense radiation up to and including X-rays. These can outshine the entire rest of the galaxy. In such cases, the galaxy is known as an active galaxy, with an AGN at its center. 

Image Description: A face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy IC 486, showing a bright, elongated central bar and softly curving, ring-like spiral arms with subtle blue star-forming regions and dark dust lanes, set against a black background dotted with distant galaxies and a few foreground stars.

Beyond IC 486 itself, the image is peppered with distant background galaxies and foreground stars. Stars appear with characteristic diffraction spikes, while more diffuse, reddish smudges are far more distant galaxies scattered across the cosmos.

The data used to make this image comes from two separate observing programs, #17310 (PI: M. J. Koss) and #15444 (PI: A. J. Barth), with similar aims to survey nearby active galaxies like IC 486 and record detailed, high-quality images of their central black holes and the stars near the core of the galaxy. By combining Hubble’s sharp imaging with large comprehensive samples, these programs are enabling detailed comparisons of how stars, gas, dust, and black holes interact in galaxy centers.

A key goal of this work is to understand how galaxies grow by linking their large-scale structures, such as bars and spiral arms, to activity in their nuclei. To achieve this, the research teams are leveraging both expert classifications and citizen science through Galaxy Zoo with datasets that will ultimately be released to the public. In parallel, the same images are being used to test how well large language models and other machine learning techniques can reproduce or extend human classifications, offering a new way to scale galaxy morphology studies to the largest surveys that are currently being performed with the Euclid telescope.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #IC486 #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #ActiveGalaxies #AGNs #GeminiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora Australis and The Southern Milky Way: View from New Zealand

Aurora Australis and The Southern Milky Way: View from New Zealand

Astrophotographer Meiying Lee: "On March 21, 2026, I stood beneath the pristine skies of Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. The clarity of the atmosphere revealed the Milky Way in remarkable detail with its dust lanes and stellar structures vividly defined. The southern sky featured the prominent Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud, while Canopus—the second brightest star in the night sky—stood high overhead, a rare sight for observers from the Northern Hemisphere. The greatest delight of the night was the reappearance of the Aurora Australis. Though faint to the naked eye, long-exposure photography revealed its rich and delicate colors—greens, reds, and even subtle purples—flowing gracefully across the horizon. In the foreground, the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd stands quietly, witnessing this extraordinary convergence of celestial wonders."

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.

Image Credit: Meiying Lee

Meiying's website: https://www.facebook.com/meiying.lee.98/
Location: Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Date: March 21, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #LMC #SMC #Stars #Canopus #Astrophotography #MeiyingLee #Astrophotographer #LakeTekapo #SouthIsland #NewZealand #STEM #Education 

Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs: View from Austria

Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs: View from Austria

Astrophotographers Michael Jaeger & Gerald Rhemann: "One week after the full Moon in April, Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs is expected to become visible to the naked eye. On March 23, it reached a magnitude of 7.8 for the first time, and its brightness has increased significantly in recent weeks. It will not reach its perihelion—nor its closest approach to Earth—for another month."

Discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey in September 2025, the comet is diving toward its closest approach to the sun (0.50 AU) on April 19, 2026, bringing it well inside the orbit of Venus. If current trends continue, the comet could brighten to magnitude +2, easily seen and photographed in the pre-dawn sky.

The comet's brightness will receive a further boost between April 24-25 when it passes almost directly between Earth and the Sun. The process is called "forward scattering." Sunlight passing through the comet's dusty atmosphere could be amplified 100-fold or more.

We will not be able to see the April 24 surge from Earth. The comet will be too close to the Sun. However, coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) will have a great view of what could briefly become a truly magnificent object.

Image Credit: Michael Jaeger, Gerald Rhemann

Image Details: 11"RASA and a color CMOS camera
Location: Weißenkirchen, Austria

Text Credit: Spaceweather[dot]com
Image Date: March 23, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025R3Panstarrs #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #MichaelJaeger #GeraldRhemann #Astrophotographers #Weißenkirchen #Austria #Europe #STEM #Education

Introducing MoonFall | NASA’s Lunar Drone Mission | Artemis Program

Introducing MoonFall | NASA’s Lunar Drone Mission | Artemis Program

NASA’s MoonFall Mission will blaze a path for future Artemis missions by sending four highly mobile drones to survey the lunar surface around the Moon’s South Pole ahead of astronauts’ arrival there. 

MoonFall is built on the legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The drones will be launched together and released during descent to the surface. They will land and operate independently over the course of a lunar day (14 Earth days) and will be able to explore hard-to-reach areas, including permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), surveying terrain with high-definition optical cameras and other potential instruments. 

Each vehicle will be capable of several propulsive flights, covering up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) total.

Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-unveils-initiatives-to-achieve-americas-national-space-policy/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisProgram #Moon #LunarLanders #MobileDrones #MoonFallMission #SouthPole #PSRs #WaterResources #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #Visualization #HD #Video