Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS): View from Namibia

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS): View from Namibia

C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet. It passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on April 19, 2026, when it was 0.499 astronomical units (AU) (75 million kilometers) from the Sun. The comet was discovered by PanSTARRS in images obtained on September 8, 2025.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, USA, consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky for moving or variable objects on a continual basis, and also producing accurate astrometry and photometry of already-detected objects. The Pan-STARRS Project is a collaboration between the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Maui High Performance Computing Center and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The NASA Near Earth Object Observation Program is the main funder for the operation of the Pan-STARRS telescopes.

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the northeast, approximating a quadripoint, Zimbabwe lies less than 200 meters (660 feet) away along the Zambezi River near Kazungula, Zambia.

Image Credit: Leo Van Hoyweghen
Image Details:  Picture taken with a remote telescope from Hakos (Namibia); Telescope: Sky Watcher Esprit 120ED Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC
Leo's website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/190414664@N06/
Date: May 6, 2026 

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Comets #CometC2025R3Panstarrs #OortCloud #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #DominiqueDierick #Astrophotographers #Namibia #Belgium #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) and The Orion Nebula: View from Chile

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) and The Orion Nebula: View from Chile

Astrophotographer Alan C. Tough: "Still sporting an impressive ion tail, comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is seen here passing by the Great Nebula in Orion, M42."

C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet. It passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on April 19, 2026, when it was 0.499 AU (75 million km) from the Sun. The comet was discovered by PanSTARRS in images obtained on September 8, 2025.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, USA, consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky for moving or variable objects on a continual basis, and also producing accurate astrometry and photometry of already-detected objects. The Pan-STARRS Project is a collaboration between the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Maui High Performance Computing Center and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The NASA Near Earth Object Observation Program is the main funder for the operation of the Pan-STARRS telescopes.

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. The country shared borders with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south.

Image Credit: Alan C. Tough 

Remote Capture Location: Deep Sky Chile, Rio Hurtado Valley, Chile 

Alan's website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7776810@N07/

Date: May 9, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #OrionNebula #Messier42 #M42 #NGC1976 #Planets #Earth #Comets #CometC2025R3Panstarrs #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #AlanCTough #Astrophotographers #RioHurtadoValley #Chile #STEM #Education

Long March Rocket & Shenzhou-23 Crew Spacecraft Pre-launch | China Space Station

Long March Rocket & Shenzhou-23 Crew Spacecraft Pre-launch | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Mission emblem

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future. The combination of the spacecraft and a Long March-2F carrier rocket has been transferred to the launching area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. After just over an hour of vertical transfer, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft combination has now been positioned on the launch tower.

At present, engineers have ascended the tower and begun conducting preliminary inspections. Subsequent pre-launch functional checks and joint tests will be conducted as scheduled with the launch planned for a suitable time in the coming days.

"After we entered the site on April 19, each system first conducted a status check on the rocket, followed by the simultaneous execution of multiple tasks across all systems with the propulsion system completing the gas testing of the pressurized delivery system's fuel cells and the testing of the pyrotechnic devices, the structural system finishing the docking of the spacecraft and payload brackets, the closure of the fairing, and the docking of the spacecraft-carrier combination with the escape tower; and the propulsion system completing subsystem testing, small-scale and large-scale matching testing, and final system checks. So far, all system parameters meet specifications, and the rocket is operating normally. Next, we will conduct three rounds of electrical testing, primarily involving functional checks of the launch area, circuit inspections for ignition and emergency shutdown, and a full-scale launch rehearsal. Following that, we will perform a full-system gas leak test and fueling," said Xu Zheyao, a rocket designer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003.

Image Credit: CGTN
Date: May 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #CASC #JSLC #LongMarch2FRocket #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #LongDurationMission #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CNSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education

Preparing to Launch Shenzhou-23 Crewed Spacecraft | China Space Station

Preparing to Launch Shenzhou-23 Crewed Spacecraft | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future. The combination of the spacecraft and a Long March-2F carrier rocket has been transferred to the launching area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. After just over an hour of vertical transfer, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft combination has now been positioned on the launch tower.

At present, engineers have ascended the tower and begun conducting preliminary inspections. Subsequent pre-launch functional checks and joint tests will be conducted as scheduled with the launch planned for a suitable time in the coming days.

"After we entered the site on April 19, each system first conducted a status check on the rocket, followed by the simultaneous execution of multiple tasks across all systems with the propulsion system completing the gas testing of the pressurized delivery system's fuel cells and the testing of the pyrotechnic devices, the structural system finishing the docking of the spacecraft and payload brackets, the closure of the fairing, and the docking of the spacecraft-carrier combination with the escape tower; and the propulsion system completing subsystem testing, small-scale and large-scale matching testing, and final system checks. So far, all system parameters meet specifications, and the rocket is operating normally. Next, we will conduct three rounds of electrical testing, primarily involving functional checks of the launch area, circuit inspections for ignition and emergency shutdown, and a full-scale launch rehearsal. Following that, we will perform a full-system gas leak test and fueling," said Xu Zheyao, a rocket designer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Release Date: May 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #CASC #JSLC #LongMarch2FRocket #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #LongDurationMission #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CNSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Orion Spacecraft's Rocket Lab Solar Cells: Powering NASA's Artemis Moon Missions

Orion Spacecraft's Rocket Lab Solar Cells: Powering NASA's Artemis Moon Missions

"15,000 of our high efficiency multi-junction solar cells, powering humanity's return to the lunar surface. Artemis I, Artemis II, and beyond."

Learn more about Rocket Lab: https://rocketlabcorp.com/space-systems/solar/

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 1 minute, 35 seconds
Release Date: May 13, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #RocketLab #SolarCells #OrionSpacecraft #LockheedMartin #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisI #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's CRS-34 Falcon 9 Cargo Dragon Mission Launch | International Space Station

NASA's CRS-34 Falcon 9 Cargo Dragon Mission Launch | International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Pad 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, launched Cargo Dragon’s 34th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Mission to the International Space Station on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 6:05pm Eastern Time. 

Watch a replay of the launch here: http://spacex.com/launches/crs-34

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft is packed with about 6,500 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and lab hardware destined for the Expedition 74 crew. Dragon will arrive at the orbiting outpost at approximately 7 a.m. Sunday, May 17, and will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. Watch NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency (ESA) will be on duty monitoring Dragon.

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

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.

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Date: May 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #CargoDragonSpacecraft #CRS34Mission #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #ESA #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #SpaceLaboratory #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Liftoff: NASA's CRS-34 Falcon 9 Cargo Dragon Mission | International Space Station

Liftoff: NASA's CRS-34 Falcon 9 Cargo Dragon Mission | International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Pad 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, launched Cargo Dragon’s 34th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Mission to the International Space Station on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 6:05pm Eastern Time. 

Watch a replay of the launch here: http://spacex.com/launches/crs-34

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft is packed with about 6,500 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and lab hardware destined for the Expedition 74 crew. Dragon will arrive at the orbiting outpost at approximately 7 a.m. Sunday, May 17, and will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. Watch NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency (ESA) will be on duty monitoring Dragon.

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

Follow Expedition 74:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

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

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

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

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Date: May 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #CargoDragonSpacecraft #CRS34Mission #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #ESA #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #SpaceLaboratory #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Prepares to Grow 'Veggies' | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Prepares to Grow 'Veggies' | International Space Station

From left, Trent Smith, a senior leader of the NASA Kennedy Space Crop Production team, welcomes NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney to the Plant Processing Area inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a tour of the facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Watkins, Delaney, and Kutryk, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov (not pictured), are part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station and will explore the possibility of growing crops outside of the station’s Veggie chamber—one of two enclosed areas currently used to grow crops on the orbiting laboratory.

NASA astronaut Luke Delaney (front), along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Stan Love, Project Scientist Natasha Haveman, and Trent Smith, a senior leader of the NASA Kennedy Space Crop Production team, view microgreens at the Plant Processing Area inside the Space Systems Processing Facility.

This photograph shows microgreens grown at the Plant Processing Area inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 emblem

NASA's Vegetable Production System, known as Veggie, is a space garden residing on the International Space Station. Veggie’s purpose is to help NASA study plant growth in microgravity, while adding fresh food to the astronauts’ diet and enhancing happiness and well-being on the orbiting laboratory. NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station will explore the possibility of growing crops outside of the station’s Veggie chamber—one of two enclosed areas currently used to grow crops on the orbiting laboratory. 

They visited NASA project scientist Natasha Haveman and Trent Smith, a senior leader of the NASA Kennedy Space Crop Production team. They also viewed microgreens at the Plant Processing Area inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew-13 members NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney joined a tour of the facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

NASA Kennedy is home to the agency’s space crop production research efforts, including a team focused on growing crops to feed astronauts at the International Space Station and on other long duration missions to the Moon and Mars.

Learn more about the VEGGIE experiment: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/veggie/

This flight is the 13th crew rotation with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). NASA is advancing the launch date of Crew-13 from November to help increase the frequency of U.S. crew rotation missions to the space station. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and benefit people on Earth.

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/Kim Shiflett
Date: May 12, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceXCrew13 #Astronauts #JessicaWatkins #LukeDelaney #JoshuaKutryk #CanadianSpaceAgency #CSA #Canada #Cosmonauts #SergeyTeteryatnikov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Orion Crew Module Separates from Service Module | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Orion Crew Module Separates from Service Module | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Before reentering Earth’s atmosphere at the end of NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission and prior to landing, the Orion spacecraft’s crew module—carrying the astronauts—separated from the European Service Module (ESM) that provided propulsion and power throughout their journey.

The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its approximate 10-day journey around the Moon carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

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/

Video Credit: NASA/JSC/R. Wiseman

Duration: 10 seconds

Release Date: May 15, 2026

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

How Do Planets Form? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How Do Planets Form? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How do planets form? After a star is born, leftover material forms a spinning disk around it. Within that disk, tiny particles of dust collide and gradually grow into larger and larger objects called planetesimals. These are the building blocks of planets.

Over time, these planetesimals combine to form the worlds we see today, from rocky planets like Earth to giant planets like Jupiter and Neptune.

A NASA scientist explains how planets like Earth came to be.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/how-do-planets-form/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: May 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Planets #Earth #Exoplanets #ProtoplanetaryDisks #Protoplanets #Planetesimals #Jupiter #Neptune #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Astrophysics #Animation #HD #Video

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Y13 Rocket Launch of Five Satellites

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Y13 Rocket Launch of Five Satellites

China on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12:33 p.m. (Beijing Time), launched a Lijian1 Y13 carrier rocket from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, delivering five satellites, including Taijing-3 05A/05B, Tianyi-50, Tianyan-27, and Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D55 into their planned orbits.

The Lijian-1 rocket was developed by CAS Space, a commercial firm established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The rocket serves the small satellite launch market, offering dedicated launches for single customers and rideshare missions.

The mission marked the 13th flight of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket and the 14th launch of the Lijian series. To date, the Lijian series has successfully sent a total of 100 satellites into space with the total mass of payloads placed into orbit exceeding 18 tonnes. 

The Lijian-1, developed by CAS Space, is a solid-fuel carrier rocket featuring rapid-response capabilities. It adopts a universal platform-based design, enabling diversified adaptation between the rocket body and satellite missions, according to the company.  

The Tianyan-27 satellite, also known as Youxi, launched in this mission, is equipped with a space display screen, a space surveillance camera, an infrared camera and an onboard intelligent processing payload.  

It will conduct in-orbit verification of new infrared remote sensing technologies, as well as missions including in-orbit display and selfie-taking, and intelligent data processing.  

CAS Space said it will continue to deepen work in key areas such as modular overall optimization design, rocket recovery and reuse, plus rocket health monitoring and maintenance.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Image Credit: CAS Space
Text Credits: Xinhua, CGTN
Date: May 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y13Rocket #Lijian1Y13 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #Tianyan27Satellite #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Y13 Rocket Launch of Five Satellites

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Y13 Rocket Launch of Five Satellites

China on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12:33 p.m. (Beijing Time), launched a Lijian1 Y13 carrier rocket from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, delivering five satellites, including Taijing-3 05A/05B, Tianyi-50, Tianyan-27, and Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D55 into their planned orbits.

The Lijian-1 rocket was developed by CAS Space, a commercial firm established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The rocket serves the small satellite launch market, offering dedicated launches for single customers and rideshare missions.

The mission marked the 13th flight of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket and the 14th launch of the Lijian series. To date, the Lijian series has successfully sent a total of 100 satellites into space with the total mass of payloads placed into orbit exceeding 18 tonnes. 

The Lijian-1, developed by CAS Space, is a solid-fuel carrier rocket featuring rapid-response capabilities. It adopts a universal platform-based design, enabling diversified adaptation between the rocket body and satellite missions, according to the company.  

The Tianyan-27 satellite, also known as Youxi, launched in this mission, is equipped with a space display screen, a space surveillance camera, an infrared camera and an onboard intelligent processing payload.  

It will conduct in-orbit verification of new infrared remote sensing technologies, as well as missions including in-orbit display and selfie-taking, and intelligent data processing.  

CAS Space said it will continue to deepen work in key areas such as modular overall optimization design, rocket recovery and reuse, plus rocket health monitoring and maintenance.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Video Credit: CAS Space
Text Credits: Xinhua, CGTN
Duration: 37 seconds
Date: May 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y13Rocket #Lijian1Y13 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #Tianyan27Satellite #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy NGC 1365 in Fornax | Webb Telescope & Chandra X-ray Observatory

Galaxy NGC 1365 in Fornax | Webb Telescope & Chandra X-ray Observatory

"A black hole walks into a buffet . . .⚫"

At the heart of galaxy NGC 1365, a supermassive black hole is "basically feasting at an all‑you‑can‑eat buffet" in this image from Chandra and Webb. Located about 60 million light-years from Earth, this gobbling black hole has a mass of roughly 2 million suns and growing.

Image Description: A close up image of spiral galaxy NGC 1365 and the supermassive black hole at its center. Here, the galaxy is shown at a dramatic angle, as if the bright pink core is gazing past our right shoulder. Swirls of pale, grey-blue material, resembling waves in a dark ocean, spiral toward the radiant pink core that hangs at our lower left. Glowing pink circles, and flecks of red, dot the churning spiral galaxy.

Credits: X-ray, Chandra X-ray Observatory: NASA/CXC/SAO

Infrared, Webb Space Telescope: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and J. Major

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC1365 #BlackHoles #FornaxConstellation #NASAChandra #InfraredAstronomy #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Great Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 in Fornax | Victor Blanco Telescope

The Great Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 in Fornax | Victor Blanco Telescope

This image captures the elegant galaxy NGC 1365 in the Fornax Cluster of galaxies. Also known as The Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1365 is a strikingly perfect example of a barred spiral galaxy. This image shows the galaxy’s prominent bar and its graceful spiral arms, with lanes of dust obscuring the extended diffuse glow of stars. The central bar of NGC 1365 influences star formation throughout the entire galaxy and conceals a supermassive black hole hidden behind multitudes of newly formed stars. Astronomers are interested in barred spiral galaxies like NGC 1365 for more than just their elegance—these galaxies provide insights into our home galaxy, the Milky Way, that is also a barred spiral galaxy.

Distance from Earth: 60 million light years

This image was built up using data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), an ambitious project which mapped hundreds of millions of galaxies across the Universe using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). The analysis of data from the Dark Energy Survey is supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the DECam science archive is curated by the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC) at NSF NOIRLab. Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and CSDC are Programs of NOIRLab.

One of the highest-performance, wide-field CCD imagers in the world, the 570-megapixel DECam was designed specifically for the DES and operated by the DOE and NSF between 2013 and 2019. DECam was funded by the DOE and was built and tested at DOE's Fermilab.

Credit: Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), Jen Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)

Release Date: July 7, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC1365 #GreatBarredSpiralGalaxy #BlackHoles #GalaxyClusters #FornaxGalaxyCluster #FornaxConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CTIO #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

New NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Photos

New NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Photos

NASA astronaut Christina Koch smiles at the camera as she holds a pipette and saliva booklet for the Artemis II Immune Biomarkers study. Samples will be analyzed for proteins, enzymes, and other biomarkers that monitor immunity, inflammation, nutritional status, bone health, and radiation effects, to determine how crewmembers adapted to deep spaceflight conditions.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman holds a sample booklet as he prepares to collect a saliva sample aboard the Orion spacecraft. 

NASA astronaut Victor Glover shows off the sample bag for the Immune Biomarkers study aboard the Orion spacecraft. During the Artemis II mission, the crew collected saliva samples for this study. Samples will be analyzed for proteins, enzymes, and other biomarkers that monitor immunity, inflammation, nutritional status, bone health, and radiation effects, to determine how crewmembers adapted to deep spaceflight conditions.

Artemis II emblem

During the nearly 10-day Artemis II Moon Mission, crew members blotted saliva samples on special paper for the Immune Biomarkers study. On Earth, scientists are analyzing those samples, looking at proteins, enzymes, and other biomarkers to understand how the crew adapted to deep space conditions aboard Orion. These biomarkers give insight into crews' immune health, inflammation, nutritional status, bone health, and more. 

The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its journey around the Moon, carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

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.

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. 

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

Image Credit: NASA

Date: April 8, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MPPF #MerrittIsland #Florida #Spaceport #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China Landspace Zhuque-2E Y5 Launch of Constellation Test Satellite

China Landspace Zhuque-2E Y5 Launch of Constellation Test Satellite

The Landspace Zhuque-2E Y5 carrier rocket blasted off at 11:00 am Beijing time on May 14, 2026, from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, delivering a 2.8-ton test payload into a 900 km orbit, paving the way for satellite constellation networking.

What’s New in the ZQ-2E Y5 Rocket?

• Increased propellant capacity & structural optimization

The extended first-stage tanks, combined with full subcooled propellant loading, increased propellant capacity by ~15%. Structural mass is further reduced through partial insulation removal, optimized cable routing fairings, and removeal of first-stage fins, reflecting a system-level design optimization approach.

• Three-ignition second stage with high-orbit disposal

ZQ-2E Y5 pioneers, among China’s commercial missions, a three-ignition second-stage flight profile featuring tank-pressure ignition + high altitude deorbit. This approach ensures ignition reliability while enabling rapid high-altitude deorbit, addressing traditional challenges and supporting space debris mitigation requirements.

• Toward “Smart Launch Vehicles”

The first stage introduces in-flight engine anomaly detection and thrust self-correction, while the second stage debuts a propellant utilization system. These enable autonomous diagnosis and response to off-nominal conditions (e.g., thrust deviation, mixture ratio shifts), significantly improving flight reliability and service capability.

• Rapid launch capability

Leveraging mature mission operations, the campaign achieved a 13-day launch cycle and ~1.5-hour pre-launch fueling timeline, laying the foundation for high-frequency launch operations with both ZQ-2E and ZQ-3.

Beijing-based LandSpace is a leading Chinese private space company. With its Zhuque-2 rocket, LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket to Earth orbit in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone is located near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in nortwestern China that was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese commercial space launch firms, like Landspace.

Credit: Landspace

Date: May 14, 2026

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