Wide-field view: Elliptical Galaxy Messier 105 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

Wide-field view: Elliptical Galaxy Messier 105 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

M105 is an elliptical galaxy 32 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It is the largest elliptical in the Messier catalog that is not a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. M105 does, however, belong to the M96 (or Leo I) Group. This includes neighbors M95 and M96 as well as several other fainter galaxies. M105 is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group. 

It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy—known as Messier 105—show that the stars near the galaxy’s center are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns. This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the center to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus.

Like most elliptical galaxies it appears rather featureless and inactive. However, Hubble observations surprised astronomers by revealing young stars and star clusters in M105, indicating that star formation is still taking place in what was thought to be a “dead” galaxy no longer capable of giving birth to new stars. Other Hubble observations measured the speeds of stars moving around the center of the galaxy. This demonstrated that a supermassive black hole resides at M105’s core.

Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10,000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbor, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384.

Charles Messier’s colleague Pierre Méchain discovered M105 in 1781 just a few days after locating M95 and M96. Yet M105 was not originally included in Messier’s catalog. It was added in 1947 after astronomer Helen S. Hogg found a letter written by Méchain describing the galaxy.

Best observed in the month of April, M105 has an apparent magnitude of 10.2 and can be spotted with a small telescope. Large telescopes will uncover two fainter galaxies (NGC 3384 and NGC 3389) close to the bright elliptical.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Sarazin et al.

Release Date: Jan. 7, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Messier105 #M105 #EllipticalGalaxies #AGNs #BlackHoles #LeoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Close-up: Elliptical Galaxy Messier 105 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Elliptical Galaxy Messier 105 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

M105 is an elliptical galaxy 32 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It is the largest elliptical in the Messier catalog that is not a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. M105 does, however, belong to the M96 (or Leo I) Group. This includes neighbors M95 and M96 as well as several other fainter galaxies. M105 is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group. 

It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy—known as Messier 105—show that the stars near the galaxy’s center are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns. This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the center to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus.

This Hubble image of M105 was taken in near-infrared and visible light. Like most elliptical galaxies it appears rather featureless and inactive. However, Hubble observations surprised astronomers by revealing young stars and star clusters in M105, indicating that star formation is still taking place in what was thought to be a “dead” galaxy no longer capable of giving birth to new stars. Other Hubble observations measured the speeds of stars moving around the center of the galaxy. This demonstrated that a supermassive black hole resides at M105’s core.

Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10,000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbor, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384.

Charles Messier’s colleague Pierre Méchain discovered M105 in 1781 just a few days after locating M95 and M96. Yet M105 was not originally included in Messier’s catalog. It was added in 1947 after astronomer Helen S. Hogg found a letter written by Méchain describing the galaxy.

Best observed in the month of April, M105 has an apparent magnitude of 10.2 and can be spotted with a small telescope. Large telescopes will uncover two fainter galaxies (NGC 3384 and NGC 3389) close to the bright elliptical.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and C. Sarazin (University of Virginia)

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Messier105 #M105 #EllipticalGalaxies #AGNs #BlackHoles #LeoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

SpaceX Falcon 9 Makes 600th First Stage Landing

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Makes 600th First Stage Landing

SpaceX: "That’s 496 landings on our droneships and 104 on our landing zones."

"First Orbital Class Rocket Capable of Reflight"
Falcon 9 is a partially "reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access." Falcon 9's first stage incorporates nine Merlin engines.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage does not typically land or get recovered. Unlike the first-stage booster that lands vertically for reuse, the second stage is designed to be expended after delivering the payload. It either burns up upon atmospheric re-entry or completes a controlled re-entry over the ocean to minimize space debris.

Learn more about SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9

Download the Falcon User's Guide: 
https://sxcontent9668.azureedge.us/cms-assets/assets/falcon-users-guide-2025-05-09.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 23 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #Orbit #LEO #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Falcon9Rockets #ReusableRockets #FirstRocketStageLandings #Starlink #StarlinkSatellites #CommunicationSatellites #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Spaceflight #SpaceTechnology #Aerospace #Engineering #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Recovery Operations: New Photos

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Recovery Operations: New Photos

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch, following splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California.

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch, following splashdown

Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch

Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

From left to right, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, are extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

From left to right, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, are extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

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. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, 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. 

Artemis II splashed down at 8:07 p.m. April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce. The crew now will begin their postflight reconditioning, medical and human performance evaluations, and lunar science debriefs.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

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

Credit: NASA/Kevin Davis
Date: April 10, 2026

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

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 20, 2026. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths—the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt—of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration.

Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast.

Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. 

NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

Video Credits: NASA//Evan Deroche/Michael DeMocker/Sam Lott/Brandon Hancock
Duration: 1 minute, 32 seconds
Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 20, 2026. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths—the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt—of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration.

Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast.

Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. 

NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

Image Credits: NASA/Evan Deroche/Michael DeMocker/Sam Lott/Brandon Hancock
Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Slideshow: NASA Astronaut Candidate Christina Hammock Koch Back in 2013

Slideshow: NASA Astronaut Candidate Christina Hammock Koch Back in 2013

NASA astronaut candidate Christina Koch (maiden name Hammock) in 2013: "I really strongly believe in both the practical aspects of the research being conducted as well as the larger picture of the human spaceflight program bringing us forward as a human race and uniting us in exploring the universe." 

In 2012, Christina joined the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), first as a field engineer at the Global Monitoring Division Baseline Observatory in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiaġvik), and then as station chief of the American Samoa Observatory. 

Christina Hammock Koch [pronounced “Cook”] was later selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2013. Prior to her historic Artemis II Moon Mission, she served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

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/

How to Become a NASA Astronaut:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/become-an-astronaut/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 48 seconds
Release Date: June 19, 2013

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ElectricalEngineers #WomenInSTEM #Leadership #AstronautCandidates #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #NOAA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Commander Reid Wiseman Crew Update | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Commander Reid Wiseman Crew Update | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026, concluding the Artemis II mission. Our Artemis II crew accomplished many milestones on their nearly 10-day mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and capturing unprecedented views of the far side of the Moon.

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/

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

Video Credit: NASA/JSC, R. Wiseman
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 20, 2026

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

Explore The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

Explore The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

“Fly” through the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s view of the Trifid Nebula. The video “floats” over the ridges of gas and dust and moves up toward Herbig-Haro 399 at the top of a brown cloud that resembles a head with horns. The thinner, irregular line pointing left formed from the ejections of an actively forming star. To its left is a small, faint pillar. Much of this pillar’s gas and dust has been blown away, but the densest material at the top persists.

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.

Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, Leah Hustak (STScI), Christian Nieves (STScI). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI). Contributors: Subaru Telescope, R. Gendler. Acknowledgement: G. Bacon (STScI), J. Muzerolle (STScI), F. Summers (STScI)
Duration: 45 seconds
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualizations #HD #Video

“Cosmic Sea Slug” Appears in Hubble’s 36th Birthday Image (1990-2026)

“Cosmic Sea Slug” Appears in Hubble’s 36th Birthday Image (1990-2026)

NASA is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with a stunning new look at the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years away. Powerful ultraviolet light from massive stars has carved out this glowing bubble, triggering new waves of star birth.

First imaged in 1997, Hubble revisits this scene nearly 30 years later with sharper vision. The image reveals a structure nicknamed the “Cosmic Sea Slug,” including a jet from Herbig-Haro 399, showing how young stars actively shape their surroundings.

Bright stars, dark dust, and glowing gas tell the story of stars forming and evolving. Over time, the nebula will fade, leaving only stars behind. For 36 years, Hubble has transformed how we see the universe, and it’s not done yet.

Sit back and relax as Hubble Senior Project Scientist, Dr. Jennifer Wiseman takes us on a tour of this beautiful image.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Script: Claire Blome (STSci)
Narrator: Dr. Jennifer Wiseman

Duration: 5 minutes
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #JenniferWiseman #Astrophysicist #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wider View of Trifid Nebula: Vera Rubin Observatory Image with Hubble Close-up

Wider View of Trifid Nebula: Vera Rubin Observatory Image with Hubble Close-up

At left is a complete view of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20 or M20) captured by the U.S. National Science Foundation-Department of Energy (NSF-DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. A white box in the lower-left portion of the pink region shows the area the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope targeted, and Hubble’s new image is featured at right.

Rubin’s field of view is approximately 56 light-years across, while Hubble’s is about four light-years across.

The color assignments in the images vary based on the filters in the telescopes’ cameras. Rubin takes broadband images that capture the full visible spectrum to show natural colors in red, green, and blue. For this image, Hubble captured narrowband images of specific chemical elements. Sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen were mapped to red, green, and blue, respectively, to make this composite image.

Image Description: A ground-based photo of the full Trifid Nebula is shown on the left half with an inset image from the Hubble Space Telescope at right. At left, an irregular mostly opaque circle takes up the majority of the view. The circle has a bright pink interior crossed with a few dark, jagged dust lanes. A significant region around that appears blue. The edges have shades of orange and brown with the star-filled black background of space peeking through. Hubble’s close-up is outlined just below center to the left. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Close-up: The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.

Over millions of years, the gas and dust that make up this nebula (also known as Messier 20 or M20) will disappear and only stars will remain.

Image Description: A tightly cropped Hubble view of a vast star-forming region known as the Trifid Nebula. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns. The left horn points left and is wavy. The right horn is triangular and points up. The brown dust continues, flowing down, as if along a back, and up toward the top right. A prominent line, about the same length as the left horn, appears below the middle of the body, and changes from orange to red. A small, separate semi-transparent pillar is left of the head. A few slightly larger, blue foreground stars with four diffraction spikes appear in the bottom half.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.

Over millions of years, the gas and dust that make up this nebula (also known as Messier 20 or M20) will disappear and only stars will remain.

Image Description: A tightly cropped Hubble view of a vast star-forming region known as the Trifid Nebula. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns. The left horn points left and is wavy. The right horn is triangular and points up. The brown dust continues, flowing down, as if along a back, and up toward the top right. A prominent line, about the same length as the left horn, appears below the middle of the body, and changes from orange to red. A small, separate semi-transparent pillar is left of the head. A few slightly larger, blue foreground stars with four diffraction spikes appear in the bottom half.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Rollout Preview | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Rollout Preview | Michoud Assembly Facility

The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage for NASA's Artemis III Mission will be rolling out to the Pegasus barge tomorrow, April 20, 2026, as it is prepared for shipping from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida. This core stage, along with its twin solid rocket boosters, will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust at launch. 

Watch to learn facts about this powerful piece of rocket hardware . . .

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission in 2027!

The Artemis III Mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon. NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Duration: 1 minute, 49 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Crew Video: Earthset from Orion Spacecraft | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

New Crew Video: Earthset from Orion Spacecraft | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Artemis II commander and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman: "Only one chance in this lifetime . . . Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos. I couldn’t resist a cell phone video of Earthset. You can hear the shutter on the Nikon as Christina Koch is hammering away on 3-shot brackets and capturing those exceptional Earthset photos through the 400mm lens. Victor Glover was in window 3 watching with Jeremy Hansen next to him. I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view . . . this is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye. Enjoy."

The Artemis II Mission wrapped up a historic seven-hour lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, marking humanity’s first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and capturing images of the lunar far side. During their nearly 10-day mission, 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. 

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century.

Artemis II splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce.

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/

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

Video Credit: NASA/JSC/R. Wiseman

Duration: 45 seconds
Date: April 6, 2026

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

Earth Clouds at Sunset: Orbital View | International Space Station

Earth Clouds at Sunset: Orbital View | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot: "Did you know that we see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day from the Station? They only last a few minutes, but the colors are of an incredible intensity! I photographed this impressive cloud all in volumes at sunset—my gaze was drawn to its magnificent shades of orange . . . Nature is decidedly a talented artist."

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

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

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

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

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

Image Credit: ESA/S. Adenot

Release Date: April 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Sun #Earth #Sunsets #Atmosphere #Clouds #ISS #Astronauts #SophieAdenot #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #France #CNES #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch in 2013 Years before Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch in 2013 Years before Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA astronaut candidate Christina Koch (maiden name Hammock) in 2013: "I really strongly believe in both the practical aspects of the research being conducted as well as the larger picture of the human spaceflight program bringing us forward as a human race and uniting us in exploring the universe." 

In 2012, Christina joined the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), first as a field engineer at the Global Monitoring Division Baseline Observatory in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiaġvik), and later as station chief of the American Samoa Observatory. Christina Hammock Koch [pronunciation: “Cook”] was later selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2013. Prior to her historic Artemis II Moon Mission, she served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

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/

How to Become a NASA Astronaut:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/become-an-astronaut/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 53 seconds
Release Date: June 19, 2013

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ElectricalEngineers #WomenInSTEM #Leadership #AstronautCandidates #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #NOAA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aurora Australis over New Zealand in 'Technicolor'

Aurora Australis over New Zealand in 'Technicolor'

Astrophotographer Ian Griffin: "From my paddock near Middlemarch, the southern sky delivered something rather special on April 18. At dusk a clean green auroral arc lifted along the horizon, bright and well defined. Within minutes it grew into tall curtains, pink and crimson rays climbing steadily upward, shifting and reforming in that familiar, restless way. It was a fine aurora australis in its own right . . . By mid evening the whole scene had settled into three distinct layers. A bright green lower arc, active pink and violet curtains above, and a quieter red glow sitting over the top. Through it all the southern stars held steady. Even for this part of the world, it was an unusually rich display. Not just beautiful, but physically interesting."

Technicolor is a family of color motion picture processes. Technicolor's three-color process became known and celebrated for its highly saturated color, and was initially most commonly used for filming musicals, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939).

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

Image Credit: Ian Griffin
Ian's website: https://www.instagram.com/portobellopictures/
Location: Middlemarch, Otago, New Zealand
Image Date: April 18, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #SouthernStars #Astrophotography #IanGriffin #Astrophotographer #Middlemarch #Otago #SouthIsland #NewZealand #Technicolor #FilmProcessing #History #STEM #Education

Aurora over Moab

Aurora over Moab

Astrophotographer Marybeth Kiczenski: "Well, after years of visiting Moab, it finally happened! Got to catch Aurora from the surreal landscapes of Arches National Park! While none of this was naked eye visible, it was quote beautiful from the camera. Years of monitoring space weather data definitely pulls off when train got chase these fleeting moments at these lower latitudes! This image was taken around 11:45PM on the 17th. Also took a longer exposure foreground and blended that to get more detail from he shadows."

Arches National Park

https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm

Arches National Park is a national park of the United States in eastern Utah. The park is adjacent to the Colorado River, 4 mi (6 km) north of Moab, Utah. The park contains more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the well-known Delicate Arch, with the highest density of natural arches in the world. It also contains a variety of other unique geological resources and formations. The national park lies above an underground evaporite layer or salt bed. This is the main cause of the formation of the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area.

Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, and Nevada to the west.

Image Credit: Marybeth Kiczenski
Location: Moab, Utah, United States
Marybeth's website: https://shelbydiamondstar.com
Date: April 17, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #SolarWind #Planet #Earth #Magnetosphere #GeomagneticStorms #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Astrophotography #MarybethKiczenski #Astrophotographers #ArchesNationalPark #NPS #Moab #Utah #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Auroras over Iceland

Auroras over Iceland

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/

Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America.

Image Credit: Jónína Óskarsdóttir
Location: Fáskrúðsfjörður, Iceland

Image Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Lens: Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM. ISO 2500 and 5,2s exposure

Jónína's website: 

https://www.facebook.com/IcelandicQueenOfAuroraBorealis
Date: April 19, 2026 

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #SolarWind #Planet #Earth #Magnetosphere #GeomagneticStorms #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Astrophotography #JónínaÓskarsdóttir #Astrophotographers #Fáskrúðsfjörður #Iceland #Ísland #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs: View from Austria (Starlink satellites removed)

Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs: View from Austria (Starlink satellites removed)

Astrophotographer Michael Jaeger: "If you want to show the comet in all its glory, you have to remove the Starlink satellites. We generally do this and won’t mention it again in the future, since there are up to a dozen streaks in almost every image. This is the last image taken before perihelion, captured in Austria using an 8-inch RASA telescope and a color CMOS camera (10 exposures of 2 minutes each)."

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

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

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

Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

Image Credit: Michael Jaeger, Gerald Rhemann

Location: Astronomisches Zentrum Martinsberg  (AZM), Martinsberg, Austria

Text Credit: Spaceweather[dot]com

Date: April 18, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Satellites #Starlink #Science #Comets #CometC2025R3Panstarrs #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #MichaelJaeger #GeraldRhemann #Astrophotographers #Austria #Österreich #STEM #Education

Blue Origin New Glenn NG-3 Reusable Rocket: First Reused First Stage Landing

Blue Origin New Glenn NG-3 Reusable Rocket: First Reused First Stage Landing

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifted off at around 7:25 a.m. Eastern Time (1125 GMT) from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on April 19, 2026. Following separation, the first stage autonomously landed on Jacklyn, a landing platform located several hundred miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the first successfull landing of a reused New Glenn first stage.

This Blue Origin launch mission was ⁠key to demonstrating that New Glenn, a 29-story heavy-lift rocket, has a reliable booster ​reuse capability that can compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket's booster, ​dubbed "Never Tell Me the Odds," previously flew on the NG-2 mission in November 2025 and was recovered, setting up this week's milestone attempt.

Meanwhile, the two BE-3U engines ignited and propelled New Glenn’s second stage into space. The fairing separated and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite deployed to low Earth orbit. After completing its mission, the New Glenn rocket's second stage was "safed and disposed via controlled ocean reentry". This is "compliant with the U.S. Government’s Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices."

Learn more about the New Glenn rocket here:

https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 25 seconds

Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewGlennRocket #NewGlenn #ReusableRockets #ASTSpaceMobile #BlueBird7Satellite #CommunicationsSatellites #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Blue Origin New Glenn Reusable Rocket NG-3 Launch of Communications Satellite

Blue Origin New Glenn Reusable Rocket NG-3 Launch of Communications Satellite

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifted off at around 7:25 a.m. Eastern Time (1125 GMT) from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on April 19, 2026. Following separation, the first stage autonomously landed on Jacklyn, a landing platform located several hundred miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the first successfull landing of a reused New Glenn first stage. Meanwhile, the two BE-3U engines ignited and propelled New Glenn’s second stage into space. The fairing separated and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite deployed to low Earth orbit. After completing its mission, the New Glenn rocket's second stage was "safed and disposed via controlled ocean reentry". This is "compliant with the U.S. Government’s Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices."

This Blue Origin mission was ⁠key to demonstrating that New Glenn, a 29-story heavy-lift rocket, has a reliable booster ​reuse capability that can compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The rocket's booster, ​dubbed "Never Tell Me the Odds," previously flew on the NG-2 mission in November 2025 and was recovered, setting up this week's milestone attempt.

Learn more about the New Glenn rocket here:

https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 25 seconds

Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewGlennRocket #NewGlenn #ReusableRockets #ASTSpaceMobile #BlueBird7Satellite #CommunicationsSatellites #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Northern Lights over Norway, Sweden & Russia | International Space Station

Northern Lights over Norway, Sweden & Russia | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir: "Inspired by our scheduled International Space Station link up with the Crown Princess of Sweden, I set my camera lens on my mother’s home country (I have dual citizenship with Sweden!). With the inclination of the ISS orbit, we never pass directly over Scandinavia, but I was lucky enough to catch some aurora dancing in that neighborhood, just a few days before our call. Heja Sverige!"

"The timelapse shows city night lights, but settings optimized for aurora, air glow, stars."

:06 Norway appears at right edge of screen

:10 Sweden appears at right edge of screen

:19 Sweden in center of screen

:28 Moscow appears on right of screen

:37 Moscow in center of screen

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/

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: NASA/JSC, J. Meir

Duration: 45 seconds

Date: March 13, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #Sweden #Sverige #ISS #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautVideography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Control—Luca Fossati | Johnson Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Control—Luca Fossati | Johnson Space Center

"Four crew members. One spacecraft. One global team".

From Mission Control’s Orion Mission Evaluation Room inside NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, international experts, like the European Space Agency’s Luca Fossati, supported the European Service Module—the powerhouse that supplied Orion with propulsion, power, air, and water—throughout the Artemis II mission.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Producers: Rad Sinyak, Erika Peters
Editor: Nicole Rose
Release Date: April 16, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ESM #SLS #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #JSC #MissionControl #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 74 Earth Aurora Collection | International Space Station

Expedition 74 Earth Aurora Collection | International Space Station

The aurora australis arcs across the Indian Ocean south of Perth, Australia, in this photograph taken at approximately 2:19 a.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above Earth.

The aurora australis crowns Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph taken at approximately 3:13 a.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above the Indian Ocean east of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. In the foreground, the Canadarm2 robotic arm extends from a power and data grapple fixture attached to the Harmony module.

This view from a window aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shows the aurora australis glowing above Earth’s atmosphere as the International Space Station soared 270 miles over the Indian Ocean, just southwest of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

You can see part of each of the Scandinavian countries–Sweden is in the center of the image (looks like clouds over Southern Sweden, so lights look a bit blurry there), the air glow of the atmosphere at night, and the aurora (and the edge of an ISS solar array).

You can see parts of Norway and Sweden (again a bit blurry in Southern Sweden due to clouds). The large bright spot in lower right area of image is Stockholm.

Expedition 74 emblem

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/

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

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

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

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

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

Image Credits: NASA/JSC, J. Meir

Dates: March 11-April 4, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #AuroraAustralis #ISS #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education