Extratropical Cyclone Whips Past Iceland | NOAA-21 Earth Polar Satellite

Extratropical Cyclone Whips Past Iceland | NOAA-21 Earth Polar Satellite

This powerful low-pressure system formed over the North Atlantic out of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. Hurricane Isaias—the only Atlantic hurricane to date in 2026—made landfall in Florida as a Category 2 storm on October 9, 2026. After delivering a rainy, windy blow to the U.S. Gulf Coast and drenching much of the Eastern Seaboard, the weather system had more in store.

Riding the jet stream east over the North Atlantic, Isaias’s remnants developed into a powerful storm known as an extratropical cyclone. These low-pressure systems often feature asymmetrical, comma-shaped cloud patterns and can strike with hurricane-force winds, rain, and blizzard-like conditions.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-21 satellite captured this image of the extratropical cyclone brushing past Iceland on the afternoon of October 14. During its journey, the system’s air pressure plummeted by more than 50 hectopascals over a 24-hour period, according to reports—approximately double the criteria for explosive cyclogenesis, or bombogenesis. Meteorologists believe the storm may have set a new October low for barometric pressure in Iceland, after correcting for altitude, likely breaking a record that has stood since 1963.

The cyclone lashed Iceland with high winds as it grazed the coast. A gust of 205 kilometers (128 miles) per hour was recorded near Eyjafjallajökull volcano in the country’s south, while a small island just offshore saw sustained winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour. Damaging winds extended into northern parts of the country, where residents also braced for sleet and snow. Farther across the Atlantic, northwestern Scotland received gusts up to 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour on October 14, according to news reports, resulting in cancellations on several ferry routes.

Image Description: Storm clouds in an expanding spiral are centered near southern Iceland. The system extends across the North Atlantic from Greenland to the UK.

NOAA-21, circling the globe 14 times a day, provides a continuous stream of data to improve the accuracy of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 3–7 day forecasts. This includes observations for extreme weather events and monitoring climate change. The satellite launched in November 2022 as JPSS-2 and was renamed NOAA-21 when it reached orbit.

Learn more about NOAA-21:
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/platforms/space-based-platforms/noaa-21

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)

Article Credit: Lindsey Doermann

Image Date: Oct 14, 2026
Release Date: Oct. 21, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #ExtratropicalCyclones #Cyclones #Iceland #NorthAtlantic #AtlanticOcean #NOAA21 #NOAA21VIIRS #JPSS #PolarSatellites #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #NASAGoddard #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 Cargo Dragon Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 Cargo Dragon Arrival | International Space Station

At 10:27 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on October 15, 2026, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft automatically docked to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module, delivering more than 6,300 pounds of food, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 75 crew for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 35 (CRS-35) Mission.

The cargo spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until mid-November when it will depart and return to Earth with time-critical research and materials, splashing down off the coast of California.

This is SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Missions:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

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 Credits: NASA/A. Menon

Date: Oct. 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #SpaceXCargoDragonSpacecraft #CRS35Mission #CRS35 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

We Asked This 8-Year-Old to Draw Space | James Webb Space Telescope

We Asked This 8-Year-Old to Draw Space | James Webb Space Telescope

We asked this 8-year-old to draw the famous “Cosmic Cliffs” hidden within the Carina Nebula.

The region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image. The high-energy radiation from these stars is sculpting the nebula’s wall by slowly eroding it away.

Our artist managed to capture the beauty of this James Webb Space Telescope image, along with her version of the telescope itself, a rocket ship, and even the “traveler” exploring the cosmos!

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/webb

Carina Nebula: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/cosmic-cliffs-in-the-carina-nebula-nircam-image/

Credit:
Producer: Paul Morris
Special thanks to Candy Jar, ASMR, and Donut Dan
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: Oct. 21, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Nebula #CarinaNebula #NGC3324 #Carina #Webb #Science #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescopes #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #Art #Children #STEM #STEAM #Education #HD #Video

Long March 6A Rocket Launch 'Jellyfish' over Northern China

Long March 6A Rocket Launch 'Jellyfish' over Northern China

A space 'jellyfish' happens near sunrise or sunset when the exhaust plume from the rocket becomes brightly illuminated, creating a glowing shape resembling a jellyfish. The combination of a liquid kerosene core and four solid rocket boosters at dusk makes this Long March 6A’s "space jellyfish", visible over northern China, unique. The China Yaogan-50 03 remote sensing satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center from China's northern Shanxi province at 6:15pm China Standard Time on October 23, 2026, aboard a modified Long March-6A Y30 carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The satellite will mainly be used for land survey, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief. The Yaogan-50 series is in low Earth orbit to collect images at a frequent rate, able to image all of China and much of the globe.

The Yaogan-50-03 remote sensing satellite was built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Two previous Yaogan-50 satellites were launched earlier this year, in January and March, into retrograde orbits as well. 

“The Long March 6A launch vehicle is a new-generation medium-lift solid-liquid hybrid launch vehicle led by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Commercial Launch Vehicle Group Co Ltd. It can meet a diverse range of high-density launch requirements, including the deployment of single satellites or multiple satellites arranged in various configurations, such as tandem, parallel, stacked, side-mounted, or rideshare setups.”

Today’s launch was the 28th mission for the Long March 6A, the 30th mission of the Long March 6A series (Long March 6A and 6C), the 280th Long March vehicle from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and the 672nd launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 74th launch from China in 2026.

Video Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Text Credit: CCTV, Jack C.

Duration: 2 minutes

Date: Oct. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #Yaogan5003 #遥感五十号03星 #SAST #China #中国 #Rockets #LongMarch6Rockets #长征六号运载火箭 #LongMarch6ARockets #SpaceJellyfish #CASC #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #TSLC #二十五基地 #Spaceports #Shanxi #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Long March 6A Launches Yaogan-50-03 Remote Sensing Satellite in Shanxi

China Long March 6A Launches Yaogan-50-03 Remote Sensing Satellite in Shanxi

The China Yaogan-50 03 remote sensing satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China's northern Shanxi province at 6:15pm China Standard Time on October 23, 2026, aboard a modified Long March-6A Y30 carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The satellite will mainly be used for land survey, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief. The Yaogan-50 series is in low Earth orbit to collect images at a frequent rate, able to image all of China and much of the globe.

The Yaogan-50-03 remote sensing satellite was built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Two previous Yaogan-50 satellites were launched earlier this year, in January and March, into retrograde orbits as well. 

“The Long March 6A launch vehicle is a new-generation medium-lift solid-liquid hybrid launch vehicle led by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Commercial Launch Vehicle Group Co Ltd. It can meet a diverse range of high-density launch requirements, including the deployment of single satellites or multiple satellites arranged in various configurations, such as tandem, parallel, stacked, side-mounted, or rideshare setups.”

Today’s launch was the 28th mission for the Long March 6A, the 30th mission of the Long March 6A series (Long March 6A and 6C), the 280th Long March vehicle from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and the 672nd launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 74th launch from China in 2026.

Image Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Text Credit: CCTV, Jack C.

Date: Oct. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #Yaogan5003 #遥感五十号03星 #SAST #China #中国 #Rockets #LongMarch6Rockets #长征六号运载火箭 #LongMarch6ARockets #CASC #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #TSLC #二十五基地 #Spaceports #Shanxi #STEM #Education

China Long March 6A Launches Yaogan-50-03 Remote Sensing Satellite in Shanxi

China Long March 6A Launches Yaogan-50-03 Remote Sensing Satellite in Shanxi

The China Yaogan-50 03 remote sensing satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center from China's northern Shanxi province at 6:15pm China Standard Time on October 23, 2026, aboard a modified Long March-6A Y30 carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The satellite will mainly be used for land survey, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief. The Yaogan-50 series is in low Earth orbit to collect images at a frequent rate, able to image all of China and much of the globe.

The Yaogan-50-03 remote sensing satellite was built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Two previous Yaogan-50 satellites were launched earlier this year, in January and March, into retrograde orbits as well. 

“The Long March 6A launch vehicle is a new-generation medium-lift solid-liquid hybrid launch vehicle led by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Commercial Launch Vehicle Group Co Ltd. It can meet a diverse range of high-density launch requirements, including the deployment of single satellites or multiple satellites arranged in various configurations, such as tandem, parallel, stacked, side-mounted, or rideshare setups.”

Today’s launch was the 28th mission for the Long March 6A, the 30th mission of the Long March 6A series (Long March 6A and 6C), the 280th Long March vehicle from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and the 672nd launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 74th launch from China in 2026.

Video Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Text Credit: CCTV, Jack C.

Duration: 21 seconds

Date: Oct. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #Yaogan5003 #遥感五十号03星 #SAST #China #中国 #Rockets #LongMarch6Rockets #长征六号运载火箭 #LongMarch6ARockets #CASC #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #TSLC #二十五基地 #Spaceports #Shanxi #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Supernova Remnant G306.3–0.9 in Centaurus | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Supernova Remnant G306.3–0.9 in Centaurus | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

While performing an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions, NASA's Swift satellite uncovered the previously unknown remains of a shattered star. Designated G306.3-0.9 after the coordinates of its sky position, the object ranks among the youngest-known supernova remnants in our Milky Way galaxy. It is located about 26,000 light years from Earth.

Astronomers have previously cataloged more than 300 supernova remnants in the Galaxy. The new analysis indicates that G306.3-0.9 is likely less than 2,500 years old, making it one of the 20 youngest remnants identified.

This composite of supernova remnant G306.3-0.9 merges Chandra X-ray observations (blue), infrared data acquired by the Spitzer Space Telescope (red and cyan) and radio observations (purple) from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The image is 20 arcminutes across. This corresponds to 150 light-years at the remnant's estimated distance.

Astronomers estimate that a supernova explosion occurs once or twice a century in the Milky Way. The expanding blast wave and hot stellar debris slowly dissipate over hundreds of thousands of years, eventually mixing with and becoming indistinguishable from interstellar gas.

Like fresh evidence at a crime scene, young supernova remnants give astronomers the best opportunity for understanding the nature of the original star and the details of its demise.

Supernova remnants emit energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to gamma rays, and important clues can be found in each energy band. X-ray observations figure prominently in revealing the motion of the expanding debris, its chemical content, and its interaction with the interstellar environment, but supernova remnants fade out in X-ray light after about 10,000 years. Indeed, only half of those known in the Milky Way galaxy have been detected in X-rays at all.

The Swift Galactic Plane Survey project imaged a two-degree-wide strip along the Milky Way's central plane at X-ray and ultraviolet energies at the same time. The Swift survey leverages infrared imaging previously compiled by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and extends it into higher energies. The infrared and X-ray surveys complement each other because light at these energies penetrates dust clouds in the galactic plane, while the ultraviolet survey of the region is the first one ever done.

On Feb. 22, 2011, Swift imaged a survey field near the southern border of the constellation Centaurus. Although nothing unusual appeared in the ultraviolet exposure, the X-ray image revealed an extended, semi-circular source reminiscent of a supernova remnant. A search of archival data revealed counterparts in Spitzer infrared imagery and in radio data from the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope in Australia.

To further investigate the object, the team followed up with an 83-minute exposure using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and additional radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array.

Using an estimated distance of 26,000 light-years for G306.3-0.9, the scientists determined that the explosion's shock wave is racing through space at about 1.5 million mph (2.4 million km/h). The Chandra observations reveal the presence of iron, neon, silicon and sulfur at temperatures exceeding 50 million degrees F (28 million C), a reminder not only of the energies involved but of the role supernovas play in seeding the galaxy with heavy elements produced in the hearts of massive stars.

Credits:
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Michigan/M.Reynolds et al; 
Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Radio: CSIRO/ATNF/ATCA
Release Date: March 15, 2013

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #SupernovaRemnants #SNRG3063009 #CentaurusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #SwiftSpaceObservatory #NASASwift #GammaRayAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #NASAChandra #CXC #XrayAstronomy #NASASpitzer #InfraredAstronomy #NASAGoddard #RadioAstronomy #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Young Supernova Remnant G306.3–0.9 | NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Young Supernova Remnant G306.3–0.9 | NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

This image from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is a wider view that places supernova remnant G306.3–0.9 (lower left corner) in context with star-formation regions in the southern Centaurus constellation. For over two decades, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been one of our most reliable cosmic first responders—racing to catch gamma ray bursts, unmasking black holes in action, and teaming up with missions like NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), and NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to uncover examples of the universe’s most dramatic events.

Distance from Earth: ~26,000 light years 

In this image, data from Swift and Chandra reveal a stunning view of a young supernova remnant—a swirling landscape of glowing gas, dust, and high energy x-ray emission. This composite image helped astronomers study how massive stars live, die, and reshape their surroundings, and it stands as one of many examples of Swift’s role in decoding the high energy universe.

Cornelis A. "Neil" Gehrels (1952–2017) was an American astrophysicist specializing in the field of gamma-ray astronomy. He was Chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) from 1995 until his death, and was best known for his work developing the field from early balloon instruments to space observatories, such as the NASA Swift mission, for which he was the principal investigator. In 2018, NASA announced that Swift had been renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, in his honor.

Even as Swift's mission winds down, its science will not be. Swift will leave behind a treasure trove of data—terabytes of discoveries that astronomers will continue studying for years to come.

Learn more about the Swift Mission:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swift/

Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Michigan/M. Reynolds et al; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Radio: CSIRO/ATNF/ATCA

Image Date: Feb. 22, 2011
Release Date: Oct. 21, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #SupernovaRemnants #SNRG3063009 #CentaurusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #SwiftSpaceObservatory #NASASwift #GammaRayAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #NASAChandra #CXC #XrayAstronomy #NASAGoddard #RadioAstronomy #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Stars 'brewing in a nebulous cauldron': N159 in Dorado | Webb Telescope

Stars 'brewing in a nebulous cauldron': N159 in Dorado | Webb Telescope

This video shares a picture from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope. It shows a turbulent 'cauldron' of star formation, brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, or simply N159, located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. This image spans about 230 light years across. 

N159 is what astronomers call a H II region: an area of space filled with ionized hydrogen gas. In stellar nurseries such as this one, giant molecular clouds of cold hydrogen gas collapse under gravity, forming new stars. Many of these stars are extremely massive and hot, and their powerful ultraviolet radiation ionizes the gas around them. This makes H II regions markers of active star formation, and as the ionized gas radiates light this turns them into the kind of brilliant emission nebula that we see in this image. The fierce stellar winds from these stars sculpt dense ridges and carve open cavities in the gas, which Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures here in great detail.

The roiling brew of star formation in N159 is closed in by thick, smoky orange clouds that also billow across the center of the image. The light orange color signifies light emitted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an important carbon-based molecule. The pools of pale blue gas are clouds of H II gas, ionized by the intense ultraviolet light from massive stars. Dark red filaments cross the center of the image, particularly visible above the blue region on the right side; these are made of cool molecular hydrogen. These filaments are the densest part of the nebula and currently shield new stars from harsh radiation and stellar winds—by zooming in, you can see stars as points of light embedded in these filaments and in the small pillars of orange gas that reach out into the blue bubbles. Eventually, these structures will melt away, leaving their completed stars behind.

The LMC is full of H II regions like N159 conveniently located for us to study, including the larger N79 region and the spectacular Tarantula Nebula. They are not exactly like the star-forming regions within our own galaxy: the LMC’s metallicity—its proportion of the elements, called “metals” by astronomers, that are heavier than hydrogen and helium—is significantly lower than in the Milky Way galaxy. This gives researchers an opportunity to study H II regions in conditions that are more similar to those found in the early Universe, helping us to learn about star formation in that time.

At less than three million years old, N159 is one of the youngest star-forming regions of the LMC, containing thousands of stars at their earliest stages of formation. Since the advent of space telescopes astronomers have closely examined the stellar populations in N159. The brightly glowing spot on the left side of the image is the Papillon Nebula, an exceptionally compact blob of ionized hydrogen that is thought to be linked to the formation of massive stars.

The data used in this new Webb image come from an observing program (#5114) aiming to study and compare stars throughout their stages of evolution in this giant nebula. In the resulting paper, astronomers delved into N159 with greater detail thanks to these new and comprehensive Webb data. They were able to detect extremely dim stars less than a tenth as massive as the Sun, and distinguish larger, hotter, fully evolved stars from the young stellar objects still wrapped up in the thick clouds where they are born. Their results showed that the western region of N159 has more of these young stellar objects in a more concentrated area, showing that it is at an earlier stage of collapsing to form stars. With the whole sequence of star formation taking place at once, N159 is a unique place to see the evolution of a collapsing molecular cloud up close.

Image Description: A nebula made of clouds of gas and dust with stars forming within. In the center and out to the left it is filled with thin, wispy blue gas that forms delicate layers. Around this are thicker orange clouds with dark ridges. Thin red filaments of gas cross the center of the nebula. Glowing bubbles in the gas contain dense, very bright clusters of stars. In the edges, distant stars are visible as bright points on a dark background.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, E. Sabbi, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç

Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #StellarNurseries #HIIRegions #LHA120N159 #N159 #LMC #DoradoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Egypt, Nile Delta & Red Sea | International Space Station

Egypt, Nile Delta & Red Sea | International Space Station

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan and the Sahara to the south, and Libya to the west. 

The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest deltas. From Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east; it covers 240 km (150 mi) of the Mediterranean coastline and is a rich agricultural region. From north to south the delta is about 160 km (100 mi) long. The Delta begins from Cairo.

The Red Sea is a mediterranean sea lying between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. It is an inlet of the Indian Ocean. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north of the Red Sea lies the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez that leads to the Suez Canal. It is underlain by the Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley.

 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/CSA/Joshua Kutryk
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #Africa #Egypt #Cairo #NileDelta #RedSea #Astronauts #JoshuaKutryk #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

دلتا النيل جمهورية مصر العربية 

القاهرة

Journey to Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud | Webb Telescope

Journey to Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud | Webb Telescope

In the final image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent 'cauldron' of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, or simply N159, located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. This image spans about 230 light years across. 

N159 is what astronomers call a H II region: an area of space filled with ionized hydrogen gas. In stellar nurseries such as this one, giant molecular clouds of cold hydrogen gas collapse under gravity, forming new stars. Many of these stars are extremely massive and hot, and their powerful ultraviolet radiation ionizes the gas around them. This makes H II regions markers of active star formation, and as the ionized gas radiates light this turns them into the kind of brilliant emission nebula that we see in this image. The fierce stellar winds from these stars sculpt dense ridges and carve open cavities in the gas, which Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures here in great detail.

The roiling brew of star formation in N159 is closed in by thick, smoky orange clouds that also billow across the center of the image. The light orange color signifies light emitted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an important carbon-based molecule. The pools of pale blue gas are clouds of H II gas, ionized by the intense ultraviolet light from massive stars. Dark red filaments cross the center of the image, particularly visible above the blue region on the right side; these are made of cool molecular hydrogen. These filaments are the densest part of the nebula and currently shield new stars from harsh radiation and stellar winds—by zooming in, you can see stars as points of light embedded in these filaments and in the small pillars of orange gas that reach out into the blue bubbles. Eventually, these structures will melt away, leaving their completed stars behind.

The LMC is full of H II regions like N159 conveniently located for us to study, including the larger N79 region and the spectacular Tarantula Nebula. They are not exactly like the star-forming regions within our own galaxy: the LMC’s metallicity—its proportion of the elements, called “metals” by astronomers, that are heavier than hydrogen and helium—is significantly lower than in the Milky Way galaxy. This gives researchers an opportunity to study H II regions in conditions that are more similar to those found in the early Universe, helping us to learn about star formation in that time.

At less than three million years old, N159 is one of the youngest star-forming regions of the LMC, containing thousands of stars at their earliest stages of formation. Since the advent of space telescopes astronomers have closely examined the stellar populations in N159. The brightly glowing spot on the left side of the image is the Papillon Nebula, an exceptionally compact blob of ionized hydrogen that is thought to be linked to the formation of massive stars.

The data used in this new Webb image come from an observing program (#5114) aiming to study and compare stars throughout their stages of evolution in this giant nebula. In the resulting paper, astronomers delved into N159 with greater detail thanks to these new and comprehensive Webb data. They were able to detect extremely dim stars less than a tenth as massive as the Sun, and distinguish larger, hotter, fully evolved stars from the young stellar objects still wrapped up in the thick clouds where they are born. Their results showed that the western region of N159 has more of these young stellar objects in a more concentrated area, showing that it is at an earlier stage of collapsing to form stars. With the whole sequence of star formation taking place at once, N159 is a unique place to see the evolution of a collapsing molecular cloud up close.

Image Description: A nebula made of clouds of gas and dust with stars forming within. In the center and out to the left it is filled with thin, wispy blue gas that forms delicate layers. Around this are thicker orange clouds with dark ridges. Thin red filaments of gas cross the center of the nebula. Glowing bubbles in the gas contain dense, very bright clusters of stars. In the edges, distant stars are visible as bright points on a dark background.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA, ESO, CTIO, SMASH, N. Bartmann, E. Sabbi, D. Nidever, E. Slawik, N. Risinger, N. T. Rector, D. de Martin, M. Zamani
Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #StellarNurseries #HIIRegions #LHA120N159 #N159 #LMC #DoradoConstellation #Universe #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #ESO #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #NSF #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud | Webb Telescope

Close-up: Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud | Webb Telescope

In this picture from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent 'cauldron' of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, or simply N159, located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. This image spans about 230 light years across. 

N159 is what astronomers call a H II region: an area of space filled with ionized hydrogen gas. In stellar nurseries such as this one, giant molecular clouds of cold hydrogen gas collapse under gravity, forming new stars. Many of these stars are extremely massive and hot, and their powerful ultraviolet radiation ionizes the gas around them. This makes H II regions markers of active star formation, and as the ionized gas radiates light this turns them into the kind of brilliant emission nebula that we see in this image. The fierce stellar winds from these stars sculpt dense ridges and carve open cavities in the gas, which Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures here in great detail.

The roiling brew of star formation in N159 is closed in by thick, smoky orange clouds that also billow across the center of the image. The light orange color signifies light emitted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an important carbon-based molecule. The pools of pale blue gas are clouds of H II gas, ionized by the intense ultraviolet light from massive stars. Dark red filaments cross the center of the image, particularly visible above the blue region on the right side; these are made of cool molecular hydrogen. These filaments are the densest part of the nebula and currently shield new stars from harsh radiation and stellar winds—by zooming in, you can see stars as points of light embedded in these filaments and in the small pillars of orange gas that reach out into the blue bubbles. Eventually, these structures will melt away, leaving their completed stars behind.

The LMC is full of H II regions like N159 conveniently located for us to study, including the larger N79 region and the spectacular Tarantula Nebula. They are not exactly like the star-forming regions within our own galaxy: the LMC’s metallicity—its proportion of the elements, called “metals” by astronomers, that are heavier than hydrogen and helium—is significantly lower than in the Milky Way galaxy. This gives researchers an opportunity to study H II regions in conditions that are more similar to those found in the early Universe, helping us to learn about star formation in that time.

At less than three million years old, N159 is one of the youngest star-forming regions of the LMC, containing thousands of stars at their earliest stages of formation. Since the advent of space telescopes astronomers have closely examined the stellar populations in N159. The brightly glowing spot on the left side of the image is the Papillon Nebula, an exceptionally compact blob of ionized hydrogen that is thought to be linked to the formation of massive stars.

The data used in this new Webb image come from an observing program (#5114) aiming to study and compare stars throughout their stages of evolution in this giant nebula. In the resulting paper, astronomers delved into N159 with greater detail thanks to these new and comprehensive Webb data. They were able to detect extremely dim stars less than a tenth as massive as the Sun, and distinguish larger, hotter, fully evolved stars from the young stellar objects still wrapped up in the thick clouds where they are born. Their results showed that the western region of N159 has more of these young stellar objects in a more concentrated area, showing that it is at an earlier stage of collapsing to form stars. With the whole sequence of star formation taking place at once, N159 is a unique place to see the evolution of a collapsing molecular cloud up close.

Image Description: A nebula made of clouds of gas and dust with stars forming within. In the center and out to the left it is filled with thin, wispy blue gas that forms delicate layers. Around this are thicker orange clouds with dark ridges. Thin red filaments of gas cross the center of the nebula. Glowing bubbles in the gas contain dense, very bright clusters of stars. In the edges, distant stars are visible as bright points on a dark background.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, E. Sabbi, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #StellarNurseries #HIIRegions #LHA120N159 #N159 #LMC #DoradoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Webb Telescope

Star-forming Region N159 in Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Webb Telescope

In this picture from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent 'cauldron' of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, or simply N159, located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. This image spans about 230 light years across. 

N159 is what astronomers call a H II region: an area of space filled with ionized hydrogen gas. In stellar nurseries such as this one, giant molecular clouds of cold hydrogen gas collapse under gravity, forming new stars. Many of these stars are extremely massive and hot, and their powerful ultraviolet radiation ionizes the gas around them. This makes H II regions markers of active star formation, and as the ionized gas radiates light this turns them into the kind of brilliant emission nebula that we see in this image. The fierce stellar winds from these stars sculpt dense ridges and carve open cavities in the gas, which Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures here in great detail.

The roiling brew of star formation in N159 is closed in by thick, smoky orange clouds that also billow across the center of the image. The light orange color signifies light emitted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an important carbon-based molecule. The pools of pale blue gas are clouds of H II gas, ionized by the intense ultraviolet light from massive stars. Dark red filaments cross the center of the image, particularly visible above the blue region on the right side; these are made of cool molecular hydrogen. These filaments are the densest part of the nebula and currently shield new stars from harsh radiation and stellar winds—by zooming in, you can see stars as points of light embedded in these filaments and in the small pillars of orange gas that reach out into the blue bubbles. Eventually, these structures will melt away, leaving their completed stars behind.

The LMC is full of H II regions like N159 conveniently located for us to study, including the larger N79 region and the spectacular Tarantula Nebula. They are not exactly like the star-forming regions within our own galaxy: the LMC’s metallicity—its proportion of the elements, called “metals” by astronomers, that are heavier than hydrogen and helium—is significantly lower than in the Milky Way galaxy. This gives researchers an opportunity to study H II regions in conditions that are more similar to those found in the early Universe, helping us to learn about star formation in that time.

At less than three million years old, N159 is one of the youngest star-forming regions of the LMC, containing thousands of stars at their earliest stages of formation. Since the advent of space telescopes astronomers have closely examined the stellar populations in N159. The brightly glowing spot on the left side of the image is the Papillon Nebula, an exceptionally compact blob of ionized hydrogen that is thought to be linked to the formation of massive stars.

The data used in this new Webb image come from an observing program (#5114) aiming to study and compare stars throughout their stages of evolution in this giant nebula. In the resulting paper, astronomers delved into N159 with greater detail thanks to these new and comprehensive Webb data. They were able to detect extremely dim stars less than a tenth as massive as the Sun, and distinguish larger, hotter, fully evolved stars from the young stellar objects still wrapped up in the thick clouds where they are born. Their results showed that the western region of N159 has more of these young stellar objects in a more concentrated area, showing that it is at an earlier stage of collapsing to form stars. With the whole sequence of star formation taking place at once, N159 is a unique place to see the evolution of a collapsing molecular cloud up close.

Image Description: A nebula made of clouds of gas and dust with stars forming within. In the center and out to the left it is filled with thin, wispy blue gas that forms delicate layers. Around this are thicker orange clouds with dark ridges. Thin red filaments of gas cross the center of the nebula. Glowing bubbles in the gas contain dense, very bright clusters of stars. In the edges, distant stars are visible as bright points on a dark background.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, E. Sabbi, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #StellarNurseries #HIIRegions #LHA120N159 #N159 #LMC #DoradoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education 

Wide-field view: Gamma Cassiopeiae Star System with Nebulae IC 59 & IC 63

Wide-field view: Gamma Cassiopeiae Star System with Nebulae IC 59 & IC 63

The bright bluish star shown here is Gamma Cassiopeiae. It is currently evaporating two nearby clouds of gas—IC 59 and IC 63. The leading edges of these clouds glow strongly in the intense bath of radiation from this hot star. Hints of bluish light behind the front lines of these nebulae show a bit of scattered light. Astronomically speaking, these clouds do not have much more time and will soon be blown away into the interstellar medium.

This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Tom Bash and John Fox/Adam Block
Release Date: June 6, 2014

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #VariableStars #GammaCassiopeiae #Tiansi #Nebulae #Sh2185 #LBN623 #IC59 #IC63 #ReflectionNebulae #EmissionNebulae #CassiopeiaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #KPNO #KittPeakNationalObservatory #Arizona #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

New 'Ghosts' Revealed near Gamma Cassiopeiae Star System

New 'Ghosts' Revealed near Gamma Cassiopeiae Star System

It took a hundred hours of observation and a special oxygen filter for this image to capture three faint nebulas hidden in the Cassiopeia constellation. 

Nebulae IC 59 and IC 63, the original 'Ghosts of Cassiopeia', 'haunt' the region near multi-star system Gamma Cassiopeia. Energetic light from Gamma Cassiopeia causes the hydrogen gas in IC 59 and 63 to glow red. Their dust reflects and scatters blue-ish white starlight. Three newly discovered objects appear as blue phantoms, revealing the presence of ionized oxygen. 

Ionized by what? 

Like at the bow of a speeding boat, Gamma Cassiopeia may be piling up material as the system moves through interstellar gas and dust. The origins of these astronomical apparitions remain a mystery to be solved.

The reflection and emission nebulae IC 59 and IC 63 have a cometary shape with IC 63 being the brighter of the two. The variation in appearance between the two nebulae is a consequence of their physical distance from Gamma Cassiopeia.

Credit & Copyright: Louis Leroux-Géré, Thibault Rouillée, Vincent Martin, Cédric de Decker (Starfront Observatories)

Louis' website: 

https://www.instagram.com/lrx.photo/

Thibault's website:

https://www.instagram.com/tybr

Vincent's website:

https://www.instagram.com/vincent.astro/

Cédric's website: 

https://www.instagram.com/lesphotosdecedric/

Authors & Editors: Keighley Rockcliffe, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti

A service of the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Technological University (MTU)

Date: Oct. 21, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #VariableStars #GammaCassiopeiae #Tiansi #Nebulae #Sh2185 #LBN623 #IC59 #IC63 #ReflectionNebulae #EmissionNebulae #CassiopeiaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotographers #Astrophotography #NASAGoddard #MTU #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Green Aurora 'Ribbon' over Norway

Green Aurora 'Ribbon' over Norway

Astrophotographer Hans Munthe-Kaas: "Beautiful display over Tromsø. Bright with vivid motion."

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/

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden, and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast.

Image Credit: Hans Munthe-Kaas 
Location: Tromsø, Norway
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2026 

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #HansMuntheKaas #Astrophotographers #Tromsø #Norway #Norge #STEM #Education