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

#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 #HD #Video

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

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #MRO #Astrobiology #Geology #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis III SLS Core Stage Weather Cover Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III SLS Core Stage Weather Cover Arrival | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Pegasus barge carrying a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage, arrives Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s Pegasus barge carrying a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage, arrives Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Teams load a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage on Monday, June 22, 2026, from NASA’s Pegasus barge at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin to transport the hardware to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Teams transport a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage from NASA’s Pegasus barge to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 22, 2026.

A technician oversees the arrival of a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage from NASA’s Pegasus barge to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 22, 2026.

NASA’s Pegasus barge carrying a weather cover for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage, arrived Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cover will protect the stage’s thermal systems while SLS sits atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B in its short stack configuration. 

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 we need to return—this time to stay.

NASA will send four Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Image Credit: NASA/Amber Jean Notvest
Date: June 21, 2025

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

Europe Experiences Exceptional Heatwave | ESA Sentinel-3 Earth Satellite

Europe Experiences Exceptional Heatwave | European Space Agency

An exceptional heatwave is affecting countries across western Europe with cities and regions of France, Spain, and southern Italy experiencing unseasonal temperatures. This image of land surface temperature was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission on Wednesday, June 23, 2026. The data were captured in the late morning, local time.

The colors shown on the image range from purples and deep reds (indicating surface temperatures up to 55ºC, seen in parts of central Spain, western France and northern Africa) to light blues that indicate lower surface temperatures in mountainous regions. Areas covered by cloud are shown in white.

The satellite sensed temperatures on land of 48ºC in Madrid, 44ºC in Rome and 46ºC in Poitier in France and Zaragoza in Spain. The ground temperatures in northern Africa are visibly higher with temperatures on the ground in Tunis reaching 49ºC. Because surfaces, such as rock, sand and asphalt retain the heat, ground temperatures are considerably higher than air temperatures.

Sentinel-3 carries four instruments, including its Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR)—a powerful and highly accurate sensor that measures temperatures over both land and sea. It detects heat stress over land and its data are used in agriculture as well as monitoring urban heat islands and wildfires.

The current European heatwave is caused by an atmospheric pattern of persistent high pressure – a ‘heat dome’—trapped over Europe between low pressure systems on each side. Summer heat in Europe is not normally associated with El Niño and therefore, although satellite data have detected early signs of the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, it is not the driver behind the current temperatures in Europe.

Unlike air temperature, land surface temperature shows how hot the ground itself becomes, often much higher as rock and asphalt absorb heat throughout the day. Sentinel-3 uses thermal sensors to monitor Earth’s land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere, supporting everything from weather response to long-term climate monitoring.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

Learn more: 

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Sentinel-3:
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3

The European Space Agency's Copernicus Earth Observation Program: 
https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/copernicus/

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2026), processed by the European Space Agency (ESA); CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Release Date: June 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CopernicusProgramme #Sentinel3 #Earth #Meteorology #Weather #Europe #Heatwaves #EuropeanUnion #EU #InternationalCooperation #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #STEM #Education

Europe’s Heatwave Viewed from Sentinel-3 Earth Satellite | European Space Agency

Europe’s Heatwave Viewed from Sentinel-3 Earth Satellite | European Space Agency

Europe is facing an intense heatwave with record temperatures and several cities under red alert. On June 23, 2026, France recorded its hottest June day ever. This image was captured the same day by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite that measures land surface temperature from space. Unlike air temperature, land surface temperature shows how hot the ground itself becomes, often much higher as rock and asphalt absorb heat throughout the day. Sentinel-3 uses thermal sensors to monitor Earth’s land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere, supporting everything from weather response to long-term climate monitoring.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Learn more: 

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Sentinel-3
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3

Learn more about the European Space Agency's Copernicus Earth Observation Program: 
https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/copernicus/

Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: June 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CopernicusProgramme #Sentinel3 #Earth #Meteorology #Weather #Europe #Heatwaves #EuropeanUnion #EU #InternationalCooperation #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Newly-released NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Photos

Newly-released NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Photos

NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft at the near side of the Moon before going to sleep on Flight Day 5, the night before lunar flyby. Orion and the Artemis II crew aboard entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:37 a.m. ET on April 6, at the tail end of the fifth day of their mission. 

NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman gazes out the window of the Orion spacecraft upon the start of the sixth day of the mission and a few hours before the lunar flyby.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch (below) and Victor Glover (above) share a window inside the Orion spacecraft during the sixth day of the Artemis II mission. Flight Day 6 was the crew's lunar flyby day, during which they rotated roles taking photos, making annotations, and recording their observations of the lunar surface.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch on Flight Day 2 ahead of the translunar injection burn that ultimately sent the crew in the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch inspects seat hardware inside the Orion spacecraft, while Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen monitors the crew displays.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover 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 astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are captured in a blurry snap on the seventh day of the Artemis II mission. On this day, the crew officially began their journey home after flying around the Moon one day prior. In this photo, Reid Wiseman holds a drink bag equipped with a straw for easy use in microgravity.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen inside the Orion spacecraft on the third day of the Artemis II mission.

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
Release Date: June 24, 2026

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

Emission Nebula in The Milky Way Galaxy's Bulge | Euclid Space Telescope

Emission Nebula in The Milky Way Galaxy's Bulge | Euclid Space Telescope

This is a picture of an emission nebula, known as G000.583-00.870, visible in red. It was captured by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope. This nebula is a cloud formed of ionized gases that were released by massive stars that recently formed in a spiral arm of the Milky Way. The area is zoomed in ten times compared to the full image.

Image Description: A dense field of tiny, closely packed points of light fills the image. The background is mostly dark with countless small white and yellow points spread evenly across it. Near the center, a brighter, irregular reddish area stands out, with several lighter patches clustered together. A few slightly bluish points are scattered across the scene, contrasting with the warmer colors.

The Euclid galactic bulge survey was conducted in early 2025 using Euclid’s optical camera VIS (monochromatic, one color). The colors were added using observations captured in summer 2025 with the Canada-France-Hawai'i Telescope's MegaCam camera (CFHT-Megacam) in Hawai’i. The colors captured by MegaCam are in optical light through three broad-band filters (u, g, and r) overlapping the very broad VIS band over the r-band. The appearance of the most luminous stars in these images varies from those generated from Euclid-only images with additional diffraction spikes and a subtle halo around the very bright stars. This a consequence of combining Euclid VIS data for their sensitivity and sharpness and CFHT-MegaCam for the colors. The distinct optical design of the two telescopes become apparent for brighter objects.

ESA's Euclid Space Telescope:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid

Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CFHT

Image Processing: J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay)
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence

Release Date: June 24, 2026

#NASA #ESA #ESAEuclid #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #G00058300870 #EmissionNebulae #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #SagittariusConstellation #GalacticSurvey #Cosmos #Universe #EuclidSpaceTelescope #EST #SpaceTelescopes #CFHT #CFHTMegacam #Hawaii #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Molecular Cloud LDN 10 in Milky Way Galaxy's Bulge | Euclid Space Telescope

Molecular Cloud LDN 10 in Milky Way Galaxy's Bulge | Euclid Space Telescope

This is a picture of a dense molecular cloud in the foreground, called LDN 10, obscuring light from the Milky Way galaxy's bulge (yellow). These observations were made by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope. The area is zoomed in ten times compared to the full image.

Image Description: A dense field of tiny, closely packed points of light fills the image. Most of the background is bright yellow and gold. A broad, irregular dark band runs diagonally across the center, forming connected black and dark-brown patches. Brighter clusters of pale yellow and white points appear above and below this dark band, with a few slightly bluish points scattered throughout.

The Euclid galactic bulge survey was conducted in early 2025 using Euclid’s optical camera VIS (monochromatic, one color). The colors were added using observations captured in summer 2025 with the Canada-France-Hawai'i Telescope's MegaCam camera (CFHT-Megacam) in Hawai’i. The colors captured by MegaCam are in optical light through three broad-band filters (u, g, and r) overlapping the very broad VIS band over the r-band. The appearance of the most luminous stars in these images varies from those generated from Euclid-only images with additional diffraction spikes and a subtle halo around the very bright stars. This a consequence of combining Euclid VIS data for their sensitivity and sharpness and CFHT-MegaCam for the colors. The distinct optical design of the two telescopes become apparent for brighter objects.

ESA's Euclid Space Telescope:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid

Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CFHT

Image Processing: J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay)
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence

Release Date: June 24, 2026

#NASA #ESA #ESAEuclid #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #LDN10 #MolecularCloud #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #ScorpiusConstellation #GalacticSurvey #Cosmos #Universe #EuclidSpaceTelescope #EST #SpaceTelescopes #CFHT #CFHTMegacam #Hawaii #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education