Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

The subject of this Hubble picture is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo named NGC 5668. It is relatively near to us at 90 million light-years from Earth and quite accessible for astronomers to study with both space- and ground-based telescopes. It does not initially appear to be a remarkable galaxy. It is around 90,000 light-years across, similar in size and mass to our own Milky Way galaxy, and its nearly face-on orientation shows open spiral arms made of cloudy, irregular patches.

A noticeable difference between the Milky Way galaxy and NGC 5668 is that this galaxy is forming new stars 60% more quickly. It has churning clouds and flows of gas that produce excellent conditions for star formation. Two main drivers of star formation have been identified by astronomers. First, this high-quality Hubble snapshot reveals a bar at the center; it might look more like a slight oval shape than a real bar, but it appears to have impacted the galaxy’s star formation rate, as central bars do in many spiral galaxies. Second, high-velocity clouds of hydrogen gas have been tracked moving vertically between the disc of the galaxy and the spherical, faint halo that surrounds it. These can be produced by strong stellar winds of hot, massive stars, and they contribute gas to new star-forming regions.

The enhanced star formation rate in NGC 5668 comes with a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions. Three have been spotted in this galaxy during 1952, 1954 and 2004. In this image, Hubble was used to examine the surroundings of the Type II SN 2004G, seeking to study the kinds of stars that end their lives as this kind of supernova.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen up close and face-on. It is colored yellow and glowing brightly at the oval-shaped center, showing older and cooler stars. It becomes bluer out to the edge of the disc where the stars are younger and hotter. It has a number of somewhat patchy spiral arms curling around, with sparkling areas where stars form. The black background can just be seen at the corners.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

Release Date: Sept. 9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5668 #SpiralGalaxy #Stars #StarFormation #Supernovae #Virgo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

BBC Star Diary: Spotting Faces in The Moon | Week of September 9-15, 2024

BBC Star Diary: Spotting Faces in The Moon | Week of September 9-15, 2024

The shadows of mountains and craters will create an array of lunar faces this week. Find out when you can see them for yourself, as well as all the latest stargazing highlights, in this week’s Star Diary podcast, from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine. 

Video Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Duration: 18 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 8, 2024 

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Moon #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Constellations #StarClusters #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Skywatching #BBC #UK #Britain #Europe #UnitedStates #Canada #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Shenzhou-18 Crew Perform Medical Experiments | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Perform Medical Experiments | China Space Station

More than halfway through their six-month space mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew members in China's orbiting space station have implemented microbial control and space medicine experiments, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Videos released by the China Manned Space Agency on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, showed that the three Shenzhou-18 astronauts used the Space Basic Experiment Cabinet in the space lab module Mengtian to complete the work, including handling of the fourth-batch experiment samples on microbial control materials and installation of the third-batch experiment samples.

Chinese astronauts have made breakthroughs in technologies on co-culture of commonly used spacecraft materials with microbes in their station's microgravity. This includes helping to find the characteristics of microbial corrosion on spacecraft materials within their microgravity environment. This is expected to improve the health and safety of the China space station's microbial control system.

The Shenzhou-18 astronauts are also using physical-activity intensity recording devices and heart rate recording equipment to implement a space medicine experiment focused on sleep-wake rhythms, heart rate rhythms and other aspects of astronauts during long duration spaceflights. This will provide basic data and theoretical support for re-adaptation of human circadian rhythm systems and the selection of intervention measures.

On April 25, 2024, China launched the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship that sent the three astronauts to the orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 1 minute, 36 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 8, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #MedicalExperiments #MicrobialControl #Microgravity #LifeSciences #Taikonauts #Astronauts #YeGuangfu #LiCong #LiGuangsu #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up View of Black Hole-powered Spiral Galaxy IC 4709 | Hubble

Close-up View of Black Hole-powered Spiral Galaxy IC 4709 | Hubble

 

The Hubble Space Telescope's view here is studded with stars. Many appear particularly large and bright thanks to their nearby locations in our own galaxy. They feature the characteristic diffraction patterns caused by Hubble’s optics. Much further away—around 240 million light-years distant, in fact, in the southern constellation Telescopium—is the spiral galaxy IC 4709. Its swirling disc, filled with stars and dust bands, is beautifully captured, as is the faint halo surrounding it. The compact region at its core might be the most remarkable sight, however, this is an active galactic nucleus (AGN).

If IC 4709’s core were just filled with stars, it would not be nearly so bright. Instead it hosts a gargantuan black hole, 65 million times the mass of our Sun. A disc of gas spirals around and eventually into this black hole, with the gas crashing together and heating up as it spins. It reaches such high temperatures that it emits vast quantities of electromagnetic radiation, from infrared to visible to ultraviolet light and beyond—in this case including X-rays. The AGN in IC 4709 is obscured by a lane of dark dust, just visible at the center of the galaxy in this image. This blocks any optical emission from the nucleus itself. Hubble’s spectacular resolution, however, gives astronomers a detailed view of the interaction between the quite small AGN and its host galaxy. This is essential to understanding supermassive black holes in galaxies much more distant than IC 4709, where resolving such fine details is not possible.

This image incorporates data from two Hubble surveys of nearby AGNs that were identified by the Swift X-ray/UV telescope, as does the image from last week. Swift will collect new data on these galaxies—with an X-ray telescope, it is possible to directly see the X-rays from IC 4709’s AGN breaking through the obscuring dust. The European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope—currently surveying the dark Universe in optical and infrared light—will also image IC 4709 and other local AGNs. The complementary use of space telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum is key to fully researching black holes and their impact on their host galaxies.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy is situated right of center. It has a white, brightly-shining core, a glowing disc that is thick with swirling patterns of dark dust, and a faint halo around the disc. It is on a black background with small, distant galaxies and foreground stars around it. Six stars along the left side appear particularly large and bright, with two opposing sets of spikes surrounding each one.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Koss, A, Barth, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 2, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #IC4709 #Spiral #AGN #BlackHole #Telescopium #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Targets 2028 for Tianwen-3 Mars Sample-return Mission

China Targets 2028 for Tianwen-3 Mars Sample-return Mission

China is gearing up for the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return (MSR) mission, aiming for a launch around 2028. CGTN's Wu Lei spoke with Liu Jizhong, the mission's chief designer. He shared key details about China's ambitious plan to retrieve Martian samples. China was the first country to successfully send an orbiter, lander and rover to Mars on its first attempt (Tianwen-1). China is only the second country after the United States to successfully land and operate spacecraft on Mars. 

Tianwen-1 was an interplanetary mission (2020-2022) of the China National Space Administration (CNSA). China sent a robotic spacecraft to Mars, consisting of 6 spacecraft: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, a lander, a remote camera, and the Zhurong rover. The spacecraft, with a total mass of nearly five tons, was one of the heaviest probes launched to Mars and carried 14 scientific instruments. It was the first in a series of planned missions undertaken by CNSA as part of China's Planetary Exploration program.

Tianwen-1 Mars Mission

Launch Date: July 23, 2020

Orbital Arrival: February 10, 2021 

Zhurong Rover Landing Date: May 14, 2021

Completion Date: June 29, 2022

Note: Tianwen-2 is an asteroid sample-return mission. Launch is set for 2025.

Video Credit: CGTN

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Mars #RedPlanet #Tianwen3 #天问三号 #LiuJizhong #ChiefDesigner #MarsSampleReturn #MSR #Tianwen1 #TW1 #天问 #CNSA #China #中国 #Atmosphere #Geology #Astrobiology #Orbiter #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #DeepSpace #STEM #Education #InternationalCooperation #HD #Video

Fading Orbital Sunset | International Space Station

Fading Orbital Sunset | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Behind the space station, the last sliver of the orbital sunset shines through the service module solar arrays."

Image details: 15mm, T1.8, ISO 6400, 1.6s

Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by ordinary, day-to-day solar radiation. Airglow can be red, green, purple and yellow swaths of light emanating from the Earth's upper atmosphere. In this image, it appears red, green, and yellow.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: Aug. 10-11, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Stars #Sun #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Airglow #Sunset #SolarSystem #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Expedition 72 Soyuz Rocket Rollout in Kazakhstan | International Space Station

Expedition 72 Soyuz Rocket Rollout in Kazakhstan | International Space Station

Expedition 72 backup crewmembers Jonny Kim of NASA, left, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Roscosmos (Russia), right, pose for a photograph as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

The Russian Soyuz rocket is seen after being rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 72 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, plus Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft on September 11, 2024.

Expedition 72 backup crewmembers Jonny Kim of NASA, left, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Roscosmos (Russia) were present at the launch site for the Soyuz rocket rollout.

NASA Astronaut Donald R. Pettit Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/donald-r-pettit/

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/donald-r-pettit/

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Image Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #BaikonurCosmodrome #Kazakhstan #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

How NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft is Kept Super Clean | JPL

How NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft is Kept Super Clean | JPL

A team of specialists in a field known as planetary protection has been working to keep NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft as clean as possible as it is prepared for launch. This effort is crucial, as the spacecraft will make dozens of flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, where an ocean beneath the icy crust may possess the essential ingredients for life. Although the spacecraft will not come into contact with the moon’s surface, planetary protection protocols are in place to safeguard Europa’s environment, as well as the other planets and moons Europa Clipper will fly by.

The practice of planetary protection involves carefully controlling any exposure other solar system bodies have to Earth life. To minimize the possible introduction of microbes from Earth to Europa, numerous samples have been collected from the Europa Clipper throughout its construction. These samples are tested to ensure compliance with planetary protection protocols. 

In this episode, Akemi Hinzer from the Planetary Protection Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory walks through the team’s meticulous process.

Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and to arrive in the Jupiter system in 2030. 

For more information on the mission go to: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/173/europa-clipper-journey-to-an-ocean-world-poster/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 3 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #PlanetaryProtection #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #APL #MSFC #GSFC #JPL #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Watch the Boeing Starliner Flight Test Landing | International Space Station

Watch the Boeing Starliner Flight Test Landing | International Space Station

Starliner landed on Sept. 7, 2024, at 12:01 a.m. ET (Sept. 6 at 10:01 p.m. MT), concluding the flight test with an uncrewed spacecraft. Teams are now preparing to transport Starliner back to Florida, where teams will analyze mission data.

For more info on Starliner, visit: boeing.com/starliner

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2024, readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Video Credit: NASA/Boeing

Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #WhiteSands #NewMexico #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Chamaeleon Cloud: A Nursery for Unruly Young Stars | Hubble

The Chamaeleon Cloud: A Nursery for Unruly Young Stars | Hubble

This striking new image, captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, reveals a star in the process of forming within the Chamaeleon cloud. This young star is throwing off narrow streams of gas from its poles—creating this ethereal object known as HH 909A. These speedy outflows collide with the slower surrounding gas, lighting up the region.

When new stars form, they gather material hungrily from the space around them. A young star will continue to feed its huge appetite until it becomes massive enough to trigger nuclear fusion reactions in its core. This lights the star up brightly.

Before this happens, new stars undergo a phase where they violently throw bursts of material out into space. This material is ejected as narrow jets that streak away into space at breakneck speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second, colliding with nearby gas and dust and lighting up the region. The resulting narrow, patchy regions of faintly glowing nebulosity are known as Herbig-Haro objects. They are very short-lived structures, and can be seen to visibly change and evolve over a matter of years—just the blink of an eye on astronomical timescales.

These structures are very common within star-forming regions like the Orion Nebula, or the Chameleon I molecular cloud—home to the subject of this image. The Chameleon cloud is located in the southern constellation of Chameleon, just over 500 light-years from Earth. Astronomers have found numerous Herbig-Haro objects embedded in this stellar nursery, most of them emanating from stars with masses similar to that of the Sun. A few are thought to be tied to less massive objects such as brown dwarfs. These are "failed" stars that did not hit the critical mass to spark reactions in their centers.

Credit: NASA & ESA

Acknowledgements: Kevin Luhman (Pennsylvania State University), and Judy Schmidt

Release Date: Feb. 3, 2014

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Nebula #Stars #StellarNursery #HerbigHaroObjects #HH909A #ChaI #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

A One-Winged Butterfly: The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

A One-Winged Butterfly: The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

CosmoView Episode 35: This image highlights a large cloud of gas and dust known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula, located in one of the nearest star-forming regions in the Milky Way galaxy. Hidden inside the nebula is a young star emitting streams of fast-moving gas that have carved a tunnel through the surrounding clouds. The star’s light scatters off the tunnel walls, and finally reflects off the surrounding dust and gas of the nebula. The image was taken from Chile by a multi-object spectrograph installed at the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab.

Credit:

Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik, D. De Martin/Kwon O Chul

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #ChaIR #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

Journey to The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | NOIRLab

This video zooms in to the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula, located in the constellation Chamaeleon.

This ethereal image, captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, looks as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. It is, however, a structure known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula. It is located near the center of the even larger Chamaeleon I dark cloud—one of the nearest star-forming regions in our Milky Way galaxy.

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA /E. Slawik, D. De Martin / Kwon O Chul

Acknowledgments: Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #ChaIR #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope

The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope

This ethereal image, captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, looks as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. It is, however, a structure known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula. It is located near the center of the even larger Chamaeleon I dark cloud—one of the nearest star-forming regions in our Milky Way galaxy.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

Learn more about the Gemini South Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA 

Acknowledgments: Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #ChaIR #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiSouthTelescope #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Smoke Fills South American Skies | NOAA/NASA Deep Space Climate Observatory

Smoke Fills South American Skies | NOAA/NASA Deep Space Climate Observatory

Intense fires burning in several South American countries draped large swaths of smoke across the continent throughout August and early September 2024. In Brazil and Bolivia, fire activity reached levels not seen since 2010 as a prolonged drought parched landscapes in both countries. Drought has amplified fire activity across the continent, contributing to exceptionally high carbon emissions in Bolivia and Brazil.

From about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away from Earth, NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) imager on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite captured this view of smoke billowing from the blazes on September 3, 2024.

Smoke from fires in Brazil swept over the country’s capital city in mid-August and early September. For several days, São Paolo’s air was clouded with smog, and air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to AirNow. The smoke grounded flights and forced schools to close in the most populous city in Brazil, according to The Guardian.

The fire season in the southern Amazon, which generally ramps up in August and peaks in September and October, has been intense this year. According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), a component of the European Union’s space program, emissions from fires have been exceptionally high in Bolivia and the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso do Sul.

CAMS estimates near-real-time wildfire emissions using its Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS), which aggregates observations made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. Compared to the previous 21 years, these areas have registered their highest year-to-date total emissions, at 44, 22, and 13 million metric tons of carbon, respectively.

The Pantanal region straddles the Brazil-Bolivia border and is home to one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands. It has been especially hard hit in 2024. Early and intense blazes spread over the wetlands in late May and continued into August. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), there were a record number of fire detections in the biome in June 2024, and fires have continued to burn at high levels since.

Through September 6, blazes tore through more than 10 million hectares of Bolivia, or roughly 9 percent of the country’s total area. Out of the 42 million metric tons of carbon emitted in Bolivia between May and August, 33 million metric tons came from fires in the state of Santa Cruz, according to Mark Parrington, CAMS senior scientist with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

Large parts of South America have seen significant rainfall deficits over the past three months. According to ECMWF, this has led to “exceptional drought” (the highest drought ranking) over much of the central and northern parts of the continent. Brazil’s Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts Center noted on September 5 that shifted rainfall patterns from El Niño, increased temperatures from climate change, and reduced humidity from deforestation have all contributed to the drought.

The Deep Space Climate Observatory is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather, space climate, and Earth observation satellite at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point—four times farther than the orbit of the Moon where the gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth cancel out, providing a stable orbit and a continuous view of Earth. This is NOAA's first operational deep space satellite and became its primary system of warning Earth in the event of solar magnetic storms. 

NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or EPIC, is a million miles from the planet. The camera is attached to NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, satellite. From this distance, EPIC captures a color image of the sunlit side of Earth at least once every two hours. This capability allows researchers to track features as the planet rotates in the instrument’s field of view.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using DSCOVR EPIC data

Article Credit: Emily Cassidy

Image Date: Sept. 3, 2024

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2024

#NASA #NOAA #Science #Space #Satellite #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology  #SouthAmerica #Brazil #Brasil #Bolivia #Wildfires #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #GlobalWarming #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #DeepSpace #DSCOVR #EPIC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s Boeing Flight Test Landing: Uncrewed | International Space Station

NASA’s Boeing Flight Test Landing: Uncrewed | International Space Station

Boeing and NASA teams work around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 Mountain Time (Sept. 7 Eastern Time), at White Sands, New Mexico. This approach allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on the spacecraft. At 6:04 p.m. EDT, on Sept. 6, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2024, readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Image Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #WhiteSands #NewMexico #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Uncrewed Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Departs International Space Station

Uncrewed Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Departs International Space Station

The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station shortly after undocking from the Harmony module on Sept. 6, 2024. [NASA+ Video Frame Grab]

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station's forward-facing port of the Harmony module as the orbiting lab soared 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.

The American flag is pictured inside the window of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjacent to the Starliner.

The Starliner spacecraft on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjacent to the Starliner.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 256 miles above the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China.

At 6:04 p.m. EDT, on Sept. 6, 2024, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station. Starliner is headed for a deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. and a targeted landing at 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2024, readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. 

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: June 15-Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Stars & Aurora | International Space Station

Stars & Aurora | International Space Station

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: Aug. 10-11, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Stars #Planet #Earth #Aurora #SolarSystem #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion, Crew Recovery + Egress Testing

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion, Crew Recovery + Egress Testing

Want the latest update for NASA's Artemis campaign? Learn about how the Orion spacecraft is experiencing vacuum chamber testing, Artemis II astronauts complete an underway recovery test, and the emergency egress baskets undergo drop testing.

For more information about the Orion spacecraft, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/orion-spacecraft/

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #NASAOrion #OrionSpacecraft #LockheedMartin #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Behind the Spacecraft | JPL

Meet engineers contributing to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. They will study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to see if it has conditions suitable to support life. Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California with key spacecraft infrastructure contributions from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

Europa Clipper has nine dedicated science instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and an ice-penetrating radar. These instruments will study Europa’s icy shell, the ocean beneath, and the composition of the gases in the moon’s atmosphere and surface geology, and provide insights into the moon’s potential habitability. The spacecraft also will carry a thermal instrument to pinpoint locations of warmer ice and any possible eruptions of water vapor. Strong evidence shows the ocean beneath Europa’s crust is twice the volume of all the Earth’s oceans combined.

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/173/europa-clipper-journey-to-an-ocean-world-poster/

For more information on this mission, visit: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #APL #MSFC #GSFC #JPL #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Bubble Nebula | Hubble’s Inside the Image

The Bubble Nebula | Hubble’s Inside the Image

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a stunning image of the Bubble Nebula, a glowing cosmic bubble formed by the intense winds of a massive star.

In this video, Dr. Ken Carpenter dives into the mesmerizing details of the Bubble Nebula and discusses how Hubble's observations continue to reveal the intricate beauty and complexity of the universe.

The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is an emission nebula located 8,000 light-years away. It is also referred to as Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11. It is an H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star, SAO 20575 (BD+60°2522).

The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. It was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel. 

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Producer, Director & Editor: James Leigh

Director of Photography: James Ball

Executive Producers: James Leigh & Matthew Duncan

Production & Post: Origin Films 

Video Credits:

Hubble Space Telescope Animation:

ESA/Hubble - M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebula #BubbleNebula #NGC7635 #Sharpless162 #Caldwell11 #StarSAO20575 #Cassiopeia #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: The Road Ahead | Week of Sept. 6, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: The Road Ahead | Week of Sept. 6, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Mission managers have given the first “go” for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to undock from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, and land in New Mexico about six hours later. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. 

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 44 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Astronauts #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Lunar & Deep Space Exploration | International Astronautical Federation

China's Lunar & Deep Space Exploration | International Astronautical Federation

During the ongoing second International Deep Space Exploration Conference held in Huangshan city of China's Anhui Province, CGTN's Wu Lei talked with the executive director of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) on his evaluation of China's lunar and deep space collaboration programs. China is preparing to construct the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) with international partners.

Learn more about China's ILRS plans:

https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/2023/TPs/ILRS_presentation20230529_.pdf

https://lnkd.in/gpuAF3ge

IAF Executive Director: Dr. Christian Feichtinger

International Astronautical Federation

https://www.iafastro.org

IAF Motto: “A space-faring world cooperating for the benefit of humanity.”

Founded in 1951, the International Astronautical Federation is the world’s leading space advocacy body with 513 Members from 77 countries, including all leading space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes and museums worldwide.

The Federation advances knowledge about space, supporting the development and application of space assets by promoting global cooperation.

Video Credit: CGTN

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024

#NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #IRLS #国际月球科研站 #IAF #ChangeProgram #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aurora Borealis & Perseid Meteors over The French Alps

Aurora Borealis & Perseid Meteors over The French Alps

The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. The Alps are one of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east)—Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August. It is considered the best meteor shower of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to view them comfortably.

Learn more:

The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

The Perseid Meteor Shower (NASA):

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/

Image Credit: Clément Brustel

Location: Lac Miroir, Queyras

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Planet #Earth #AlpesFrançaises #FrenchAlps #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Meteors #PerseidMeteors #Perseids #Perseus #Constellation #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #ClémentBrustel #LacMiroir #Queyras #France #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: The Science of Opportunity | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: The Science of Opportunity | International Space Station

As NASA astronaut Don Pettit returns to the International Space Station for the fourth time, he will be bringing with him new ideas . . . ideas for science experiments!

In addition to his duties onboard the space station, Pettit will be conducting what he calls “Science of Opportunity”—bonus science experiments of his own in addition to those he will work on day-to-day. These experiments could include everyday objects found on station, including liquid salt, powdered milk, and even Legos. As Pettit demonstrated in the past with his experiments, this bonus science can lead to peer reviewed scientific papers and new discoveries, proving you never know until you try.  

NASA’s Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia are preparing for their upcoming trip to the orbital outpost. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner are scheduled to launch on Sept. 11, 2024, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a planned six-month mission to the International Space Station.

NASA Astronaut Donald R. Pettit Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/donald-r-pettit/

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/donald-r-pettit/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 7 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #SoyuzMS26Crew #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition72 #InternationalCooperation #HD #Video