NASA's X-59 Takes First Flight on Quesst for Quiet Supersonic Flight

NASA's X-59 Takes First Flight on Quesst for Quiet Supersonic Flight

On October 28, 2025, NASA's X-59 successfully completed its first flight! 🎉✈️ 

The X-59 aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.” Follow the X-59 team as they take on the exciting journey of building the X-59 and working toward quiet supersonic flight.

Data gathered during X-59 research flights will be shared with the U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.

The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

Learn more here:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/
https://www.nasa.gov/flightlog

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/LockheedMartin
Duration: 12 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2025

#NASA #Aerospace #SupersonicFlight #SupersonicAircraft #X59 #Sonicboom #QuietAviation #Aviation #QuesstMission #CommercialAviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #AerospaceResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #SkunkWorks #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #Palmdale #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Red Spider Nebula: An Introduction | James Webb Space Telescope

The Red Spider Nebula: An Introduction | James Webb Space Telescope

This new NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope picture features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars. Distance from Earth: 5,000 light years

Planetary nebulae like the Red Spider Nebula form when ordinary stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives. After ballooning into cool red giants, these stars shed their outer layers and cast them into space, exposing their white-hot cores. Ultraviolet light from the central star ionizes the cast-off material, causing it to glow. The planetary nebula phase of a star’s life is as fleeting as it is beautiful, lasting only a few tens of thousands of years.

The central star of the Red Spider Nebula is visible in this image, glowing just brighter than the webs of dusty gas that surround it. The surprising nature of the nebula’s tremendously hot and luminous central star has been revealed by Webb’s NIRCam. In optical-wavelength images, such as from the Hubble Space Telescope, the star appears faint and blue. However, in the NIRCam images, it shows up as red. Thanks to its sensitive near-infrared capabilities, Webb has revealed a shroud of hot dust surrounding the central star. This hot dust likely orbits the central star in a disc structure.

Though only a single star is visible in the Red Spider’s heart, a hidden companion star may lurk there as well. A stellar companion could explain the nebula’s shape, including its characteristic narrow waist and wide outflows. This hourglass shape is seen in other planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly Nebula, that Webb also recently observed.

Webb’s new view of the Red Spider Nebula reveals for the first time the full extent of the nebula’s outstretched lobes, forming the ‘legs’ of the spider. These lobes, shown in blue, are traced by light emitted from H2 molecules, contain two hydrogen atoms bonded together. Stretching over the entirety of NIRCam’s field of view, these lobes are shown to be closed, bubble-like structures that each extend about 3 light-years. Outflowing gas from the center of the nebula has inflated these massive bubbles over thousands of years. 

Gas is also actively jetting out from the nebula’s center, as these new Webb observations show. An elongated purple ‘S’ shape centered on the heart of the nebula follows the light from ionized iron atoms. This feature marks where a fast-moving jet has emerged from near the nebula’s central star and collided with material that was previously cast away by the star, sculpting the rippling structure of the nebula seen today. 

Image Description: A large planetary nebula. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, illuminating the nearby dust. Two large loops extend diagonally away from the center, formed of thin ridges of molecular gas, here colored blue. They stretch out to the corners of the view. A huge number of bright, whitish stars cover the background, also easily visible through the thin dust layers.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Written by: Owen Higgins
Footage and photos: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology), N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Duration: 1 minute, 12 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #RedSpiderNebula #NGC6537 #PlanetaryNebula #Sagittarius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius (labeled version) | James Webb Space Telescope

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius (labeled version) | James Webb Space Telescope

This new annotated (labeled) NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb picture features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars. 

Distance from Earth: ~5,000 light years

Planetary nebulae like the Red Spider Nebula form when ordinary stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives. After ballooning into cool red giants, these stars shed their outer layers and cast them into space, exposing their white-hot cores. Ultraviolet light from the central star ionizes the cast-off material, causing it to glow. The planetary nebula phase of a star’s life is as fleeting as it is beautiful, lasting only a few tens of thousands of years.

The central star of the Red Spider Nebula is visible in this image, glowing just brighter than the webs of dusty gas that surround it. The surprising nature of the nebula’s tremendously hot and luminous central star has been revealed by Webb’s NIRCam. In optical-wavelength images, such as from the Hubble Space Telescope, the star appears faint and blue. However, in the NIRCam images, it shows up as red. Thanks to its sensitive near-infrared capabilities, Webb has revealed a shroud of hot dust surrounding the central star. This hot dust likely orbits the central star in a disc structure.

Though only a single star is visible in the Red Spider’s heart, a hidden companion star may lurk there as well. A stellar companion could explain the nebula’s shape, including its characteristic narrow waist and wide outflows. This hourglass shape is seen in other planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly Nebula, that Webb also recently observed.

Webb’s new view of the Red Spider Nebula reveals for the first time the full extent of the nebula’s outstretched lobes, forming the ‘legs’ of the spider. These lobes, shown in blue, are traced by light emitted from H2 molecules, contain two hydrogen atoms bonded together. Stretching over the entirety of NIRCam’s field of view, these lobes are shown to be closed, bubble-like structures that each extend about 3 light-years. Outflowing gas from the center of the nebula has inflated these massive bubbles over thousands of years. 

Gas is also actively jetting out from the nebula’s center, as these new Webb observations show. An elongated purple ‘S’ shape centered on the heart of the nebula follows the light from ionized iron atoms. This feature marks where a fast-moving jet has emerged from near the nebula’s central star and collided with material that was previously cast away by the star, sculpting the rippling structure of the nebula seen today. 

Image Description: A large planetary nebula. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, illuminating the nearby dust. Two large loops extend diagonally away from the center, formed of thin ridges of molecular gas, here colored blue. They stretch out to the corners of the view. A huge number of bright, whitish stars cover the background, also easily visible through the thin dust layers.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #RedSpiderNebula #NGC6537 #PlanetaryNebula #Sagittarius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Close-up: The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius | James Webb Space Telescope

Close-up: The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius | James Webb Space Telescope

This new NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope picture features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars. Distance from Earth: 5,000 light years

Planetary nebulae like the Red Spider Nebula form when ordinary stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives. After ballooning into cool red giants, these stars shed their outer layers and cast them into space, exposing their white-hot cores. Ultraviolet light from the central star ionizes the cast-off material, causing it to glow. The planetary nebula phase of a star’s life is as fleeting as it is beautiful, lasting only a few tens of thousands of years.

The central star of the Red Spider Nebula is visible in this image, glowing just brighter than the webs of dusty gas that surround it. The surprising nature of the nebula’s tremendously hot and luminous central star has been revealed by Webb’s NIRCam. In optical-wavelength images, such as from the Hubble Space Telescope, the star appears faint and blue. However, in the NIRCam images, it shows up as red. Thanks to its sensitive near-infrared capabilities, Webb has revealed a shroud of hot dust surrounding the central star. This hot dust likely orbits the central star in a disc structure.

Though only a single star is visible in the Red Spider’s heart, a hidden companion star may lurk there as well. A stellar companion could explain the nebula’s shape, including its characteristic narrow waist and wide outflows. This hourglass shape is seen in other planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly Nebula, that Webb also recently observed.

Webb’s new view of the Red Spider Nebula reveals for the first time the full extent of the nebula’s outstretched lobes, forming the ‘legs’ of the spider. These lobes, shown in blue, are traced by light emitted from H2 molecules, contain two hydrogen atoms bonded together. Stretching over the entirety of NIRCam’s field of view, these lobes are shown to be closed, bubble-like structures that each extend about 3 light-years. Outflowing gas from the center of the nebula has inflated these massive bubbles over thousands of years. 

Gas is also actively jetting out from the nebula’s center, as these new Webb observations show. An elongated purple ‘S’ shape centered on the heart of the nebula follows the light from ionized iron atoms. This feature marks where a fast-moving jet has emerged from near the nebula’s central star and collided with material that was previously cast away by the star, sculpting the rippling structure of the nebula seen today. 

Image Description: A large planetary nebula. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, illuminating the nearby dust. Two large loops extend diagonally away from the center, formed of thin ridges of molecular gas, here colored blue. They stretch out to the corners of the view. A huge number of bright, whitish stars cover the background, also easily visible through the thin dust layers.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #RedSpiderNebula #NGC6537 #PlanetaryNebula #Sagittarius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius | James Webb Space Telescope

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius | James Webb Space Telescope

This new NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope picture features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars. Distance from Earth: 5,000 light years

Planetary nebulae like the Red Spider Nebula form when ordinary stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives. After ballooning into cool red giants, these stars shed their outer layers and cast them into space, exposing their white-hot cores. Ultraviolet light from the central star ionizes the cast-off material, causing it to glow. The planetary nebula phase of a star’s life is as fleeting as it is beautiful, lasting only a few tens of thousands of years.

The central star of the Red Spider Nebula is visible in this image, glowing just brighter than the webs of dusty gas that surround it. The surprising nature of the nebula’s tremendously hot and luminous central star has been revealed by Webb’s NIRCam. In optical-wavelength images, such as from the Hubble Space Telescope, the star appears faint and blue. However, in the NIRCam images, it shows up as red. Thanks to its sensitive near-infrared capabilities, Webb has revealed a shroud of hot dust surrounding the central star. This hot dust likely orbits the central star in a disc structure.

Though only a single star is visible in the Red Spider’s heart, a hidden companion star may lurk there as well. A stellar companion could explain the nebula’s shape, including its characteristic narrow waist and wide outflows. This hourglass shape is seen in other planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly Nebula, that Webb also recently observed.

Webb’s new view of the Red Spider Nebula reveals for the first time the full extent of the nebula’s outstretched lobes, forming the ‘legs’ of the spider. These lobes, shown in blue, are traced by light emitted from H2 molecules, contain two hydrogen atoms bonded together. Stretching over the entirety of NIRCam’s field of view, these lobes are shown to be closed, bubble-like structures that each extend about 3 light-years. Outflowing gas from the center of the nebula has inflated these massive bubbles over thousands of years. 

Gas is also actively jetting out from the nebula’s center, as these new Webb observations show. An elongated purple ‘S’ shape centered on the heart of the nebula follows the light from ionized iron atoms. This feature marks where a fast-moving jet has emerged from near the nebula’s central star and collided with material that was previously cast away by the star, sculpting the rippling structure of the nebula seen today. 

Image Description: A large planetary nebula. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, illuminating the nearby dust. Two large loops extend diagonally away from the center, formed of thin ridges of molecular gas, here colored blue. They stretch out to the corners of the view. A huge number of bright, whitish stars cover the background, also easily visible through the thin dust layers.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #RedSpiderNebula #NGC6537 #PlanetaryNebula #Sagittarius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Louisiana, USA

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Louisiana, USA

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, 2025. It passed nearest to the Earth—about half of the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21.

Louisiana is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east.

Image Credit: Mike Broussard

Image Details: "First three sub-images stacked and saved during acquisition last night. Only 4.5 minutes of exposure. ASI2600MC Air, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5, Moon/Skyglow filter."

Mike's website: https://blog.cajunastro.com
Location: Maurice, Louisiana, USA  
Image Date: Oct. 26, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Maurice #Louisiana #UnitedStates #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #MikeBroussard #Astrophotographers #STEM #Education

Hurricane Melissa Approaches Jamaica | NOAA GOES-19 Weather Satellite

Hurricane Melissa Approaches Jamaica | NOAA GOES-19 Weather Satellite

Here is the latest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather forecast summary for The Caribbean: "Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is now moving northwestward. Warnings are issued for The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Catastrophic and life threating winds, flooding, and storm surge expected on Jamaica." 

Visit the U.S. National Hurricane Center for updates: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

A Category 5 hurricane is defined as a tropical cyclone that reaches the highest intensity on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale with sustained winds of 157 mph (252 km/h) or higher. Such hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage, posing significant dangers to people, livestock, and pets due to flying debris. The Saffir-Simpson scale rates hurricanes from 1 to 5 based solely on their maximum sustained wind speed.

Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean. It is the third-largest island in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean, after Cuba and the island of Hispaniola. Jamaica lies about 145 km (78 nmi) south of Cuba, 191 km (103 nmi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and 215 km (116 nmi) southeast of the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territory).

Budget Alert: The White House budget request on May 2, 2025, calls for a 24 percent cut to NOAA's budget. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already terminated over 800 NOAA employees, raising concerns about the frequency of essential forecasting tasks like launching weather balloons. The NOAA science budget is hit even harder. Trump proposes a 74 percent cut to NOAA's Office of Oceanic Research.

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns about severe budget cuts at NOAA:

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

GOES-19 is a weather satellite, the fourth and last of the GOES-R series of satellites. GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.

 

Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Duration: 4 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2025

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Satellites #GOES #GOES19 #GOESEast #Science #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Weather #Oceans #AtlanticOcean #Jamaica #Hurricanes #TropicalCyclones #HurricaneMelissa #Category5Hurricanes #HurricaneSeason #SeaTemperatures #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Environment #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Space Pioneer Tianlong-3 Reusable Rocket Readied for Mass Satellite Launches

China Space Pioneer Tianlong-3 Reusable Rocket Readied for Mass Satellite Launches

Space Pioneer's reusable Tianlong-3 commercial rocket

Space Pioneer's reusable Tianlong-3 commercial rocket

Space Pioneer's reusable Tianlong-3 commercial rocket

Tests of Space Pioneer's multi-satellite separation systems

Tests of Space Pioneer's multi-satellite separation systems

Static fire test of Space Pioneer's TH-12 series engine for its reusable Tianlong-3 commercial rocket

Space Pioneer's reusable Tianlong-3 commercial rocket uses high-strength stainless steel propellant tanks 

In mid-October 2025, China's Space Pioneer commercial aerospace firm secured around $350 million in new funding rounds to support its reusable Tianlong-3 rocket and next-generation launch vehicle and engine development. Space Pioneer also completed separation tests for 36 satellites via its Tianlong-3 (TL-3) carrier rocket in Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu Province this month, marking a key breakthrough in China's commercial aerospace sector, particularly in multi-satellite deployment and heavy-lift capabilities. The test, combined with other new technologies, brings the TL-3's reliability and cost efficiency up to competitive world-class standards. Space Pioneer's TL-3 aims to provide reliable, efficient, and low-cost launch services for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation missions, accelerating the development of China's space infrastructure.

Tianlong-3 is a two-stage kerosene and liquid oxygen-fueled (kerolox) launch vehicle with a reusable first stage made of high-strength stainless steel. The TL-3 carrier rocket, capable of delivering over 20 tons of cargo into LEO, integrates more than 50 key technologies—30 are being applied for the first time. In July 2025, Space Pioneer completed construction of its Tianlong-3 rocket launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in northwestern China.

Unlike traditional multi-satellite separation systems that rely on explosive bolts or pyrotechnic devices that are costly, high-risk, and that can cause strong impacts and contamination of the carrier rocket—this new design uses a shape-memory alloy unlocking mechanism. The test verified the new design's accuracy and reliability, achieving a 90 percent reduction in impact force, a 60 percent reduction in weight, zero emissions and only 30 percent of the traditional system's cost, according to the company. 

Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., Ltd., has achieved an annual production capacity of 30 TL-3 rockets and 500 TH series engines. The company plans to carry out TL-3's maiden flight by the end of 2025 and gradually support more than 60 launches per year, providing critical launch capacity for China's satellite internet infrastructure. 

In 2023, Space Pioneer's Tianlong-2 rocket became China's first commercial liquid-fueled launch vehicle to reach Earth orbit.

China has been ramping up the construction of LEO constellations. On October 17, 2025 China sent 18 satellites into scheduled orbit, constituting the Spacesail Constellation—a commercial Chinese low-orbit satellite network, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). 

Meanwhile, the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, developed by Chinese private space firm LandSpace, successfully completed its fueling rehearsal and static ignition test on October 21, 2025, marking an entry into the critical preparation phase for its maiden flight, and it is also expected to support China's large-scale constellation deployment.

Image Credit: Space Pioneer

Text Credit: GlobalTimes

Image Dates: Oct. 7, 2023-Oct. 27, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #China #中国 #SpacePioneer #天兵科技 #Tianlong3Rockets #TL3Rockets #ReusableRockets #CommercialSpace #SpaceTechnology #FutureChina #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Canary Islands off African Coast

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Canary Islands off African Coast

Astrophotographer Marina Prol Franco: "Last Saturday, we headed up to the higher parts of the island, trying to escape the thermal inversion sitting around 1500 m. We managed to get above the low clouds, but the high ones weren’t as easy to dodge. Still, we caught a few short breaks in the sky and managed to shoot the comet. Not much detail this time, but visibility between the main islands was surprisingly good despite all those clouds."

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, 2025. It passed nearest to the Earth—about half of the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21.

The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. La Palma, also known as La isla bonita and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, Spain.

Image Credit: Marina Prol Franco

Marina's website: https://www.marinaprol.com
Capture Location: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain)
Date: Oct. 25, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #LaPalma #CanaryIslands #Canarias #AtlanticOcean #Africa #Spain #España #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #MarinaProlFranco #Astrophotographers #STEM #Education

Launch Practice Drill for Shenzhou-21 Mission Completed | China Space Station

Launch Practice Drill for Shenzhou-21 Mission Completed | China Space Station

A joint drill for China's upcoming Shenzhou-21 crewed mission was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in northwest China on October 27, 2025, making final-stage preparations for the country's new crewed space launch program. The full-element rehearsal involved all members of the test-and-launch team at the launch center, stipulating the entire process, from pre-launch checks and preparations, ignition and liftoff to spacecraft-rocket separation.

The combination of the Shenzhou-21 spaceship and a Long March-2F Y21 carrier rocket was transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Friday, October 24.

Through multiple pre-launch function checks and tests, engineers confirmed that the combination has been ready for launch.

"The Shenzhou-21 crew has completed all missions in the full-element drill as required. During the drill, the astronauts were in good conditions, followed the procedures correctly, and carried out accurate and sufficient operations. They coordinated with one another tacitly. After this drill, they will engage in pre-mission preparations as planned, undergo medical supervision and care and skill trainings, and complete other tasks," said Li Haitao, a staff member at the Astronauts Center of China (ACC).

As the launch of Shenzhou-21 spacecraft approaches, the Shenzhou-20 crew, in orbit for more than 180 days, are making preparations for the upcoming space station handover with the Shenzhou-21 crew and for their return to the Earth. Meanwhile, the ground team has also carried out drills at the landing site.

The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Earth #LongMarch2FRocket #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21Crew #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityResearch #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #JSLC #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile with LMC, SMC and Milky Way Galaxies

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile with LMC, SMC and Milky Way Galaxies

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile sits beneath a night sky rich with cosmic detail. The Milky Way arcs overhead while the nearby Large and Small Magellanic Cloud galaxies glow nearby. Starting in late 2025, when it begins the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), Rubin will capture skies like these in more detail than ever before.

The Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy is around 163,000 light-years from Earth. The Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy is about 200,000 light-years from Earth.

The Rubin Observatory is packed with new technology. The Simonyi Survey Telescope’s drive system, rigid design, and compact shape give it incredible speed, forming the streaks of light showcased in this image. Thanks to these features, the telescope can be ready for its next image in only five seconds—faster than any other telescope of its size. The LSST Camera, constructed by DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is the world’s largest digital camera. The camera is roughly the size of a small car and weighs almost 6600 lbs (3000 kg). Its size and design allow it to view vast areas of the sky, capturing 45 times the area of the full Moon in the sky with each exposure. Together, the innovative technologies in the Simonyi Survey Telescope and the LSST Camera is expected to make many discoveries.

Other telescopes can detect changes in a star’s brightness, but Rubin is the only one that can simultaneously catch multiple faint, steady pulses of RR Lyrae stars across huge swaths of the sky and also detect them very far away from Earth. Rubin's sensitive camera captures variations so subtle that our eyes can barely detect them when looking at the images. Rubin will collect nearly a thousand measurements for each variable star, ensuring that scientists focused on variable stars can amass huge samples to study. Rubin’s wide view and fast survey speed will give us data on far more of these stars than ever before—even those way out in the outskirts of the Milky Way—giving us a much clearer picture of what our Galaxy looks like. 

Simonyi Survey Telescope

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory/simonyi-survey-telescope/

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory / P.J. Assuncao Lago/NOIRLab
Release Date: Oct. 23, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Cosmos #Universe #Stars #Galaxies #LargeMagellanicCloud #LMC #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #MilkyWayGalaxy #RubinObservatory #LSSTCamera #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Flight Through The Orion Nebula in Infrared Light | Space Telescope Science Institute

Flight Through The Orion Nebula in Infrared Light | Space Telescope Science Institute

This visualization explores the Orion Nebula as seen in infrared-light observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

As the camera flies into the star-forming region, it reveals a glowing gaseous landscape that has been illuminated and carved by the high-energy radiation and strong stellar winds from the massive hot stars in the central cluster. The infrared observations generally show cool temperature gas at a deep layer that shows the full bowl shape of the nebula. In addition, the infrared showcases many faint stars that shine primarily at longer wavelengths.

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Visualization: F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, M. Robberto and M. Gennaro (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC)
Duration: 2 min., 17s

Release Date: Oct. 26, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #OrionNebula #Messier42 #M42 #NGC1976 #Orion #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #InfraredAstronomy #GSFC #STScI  #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #3D #Visualization #HD #Video

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) Dazzles over Arizona

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) Dazzles over Arizona

Astrophotographer Chris Schur: "This is my best shot of the Comet Lemmon A6 so far with the RASA8. While there were no significant knots in the tail on this evening, the gas tail was brilliant and structured. Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon, October 24, starting at 7:00pm MST (2:00UT 10/25)."

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, 2025. It passed nearest to the Earth—about half of the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21.

Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest. 

Image Credit: Chris Schur 

Image Details: 2 panel mosaic with RASA 8 f/2, RGB = 45 mins total, ZWO ASI2600mc

Capture Location: Payson, Arizona
Image Date: Oct. 24, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #ChrisSchur #Astrophotographers #Payson #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 4571 in Coma Berenices: A Star Factory | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 4571 in Coma Berenices: A Star Factory | Hubble

A star-studded spiral galaxy shines in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. This galaxy is called NGC 4571, and it is located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4571 dominates the scene with its feathery spiral structure and sparkling star clusters.

The galaxy’s dusty spiral arms are dotted with brilliant pink nebulae that contain massive young stars. Though the star-forming clouds that are seen here are heated to roughly 10,000 degrees by searing ultraviolet light from the young stars at their cores, stars get their start in much chillier environments. The sites of star birth are giant molecular clouds tens to hundreds of light-years across where the temperature hovers just a few tens of degrees above absolute zero.

The dramatic transformation from freezing gas cloud to fiery young star happens thanks to the immense pull of gravity. This collects gas into dense clumps within a star-forming cloud. As these clumps yield to gravity’s pull and collapse inward, they eventually become hot and dense enough to spark nuclear fusion in their centers and begin to shine. The glowing clouds in this image surround particularly massive stars that are hot enough to ionize the gas of their birthplaces.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen face-on, fills the view. Swirling, patchy and broken spiral arms surround a softly glowing center. The arms are filled with blue, speckled patches showing star clusters, shining pink and red dots where young stars are lighting up gas clouds, and a web of thin, dark red dust lanes. The glow of the galaxy’s arms extends out into the dark background. Individual tiny stars appear throughout.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC4571 #SpiralGalaxies #ComaBerenices #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

This Hubble picture features a galaxy that has been captured multiple times over 20 years. This spiral galaxy is called NGC 3370. It is located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion).

What is it about this galaxy that makes it a popular target for researchers? NGC 3370 is home to two kinds of objects that astronomers prize for their usefulness in determining distances to faraway galaxies: Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae.

Cepheid variable stars change in both size and temperature as they pulsate. As a result, the luminosity of these stars varies over a period of days to months. It does so in a way that reveals something important: the more luminous a Cepheid variable star is, the more slowly it pulsates. By measuring how long a Cepheid variable’s brightness takes to complete one cycle, astronomers can determine how bright the star actually is. Paired with how bright the star appears from Earth, this information gives the distance to the star and its home galaxy.

Type Ia supernovae provide a way to measure distances in a single explosive burst rather than through regular brightness variations. Type Ia supernovae happen when the dead core of a star ignites in a sudden flare of nuclear fusion. These explosions peak at very similar luminosities, and much like for a Cepheid variable star, knowing the intrinsic brightness of a supernova explosion allows for its distance to be measured. Observations of Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae are both critical for precisely measuring how fast our Universe is expanding. 

A previous Hubble image of NGC 3370 was released in 2003. The image released today zooms in on the galaxy, presenting a richly detailed view that incorporates wavelengths of light that were not included in the previous version. NGC 3370 is a member of the NGC 3370 group of galaxies along with other Hubble targets NGC 3447 and NGC 3455.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy occupies most of the image. It is a slightly tilted disc of stars, yellow-white in the centre and blue in the outskirts, showing light from different stars in the galaxy. Its spiral arms curl outwards from the centre, speckled with blue star clusters. Dark reddish threads of dust swirl around the galaxy’s centre. The backdrop is two medium-sized and many small, distant galaxies on a black background.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC3370 #SpiralGalaxies #CepheidVariableStars #TypeIaSupernovae #Leo #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): Close-up View from North Carolina

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): Close-up View from North Carolina

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, 2025. It passed nearest to the Earth—about half of the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21.

North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west. 

Image Credit: Johnny Horne

Image Details: Details: Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon imaged with Meade 14-inch ACF telescope at F/7 10/25/25. ZWO ASI2600MC Duo camera. A stack of twelve 60-second exposures.

Johnny's website: https://www.picturefayetteville.com/Backyard-Universe-Gallery
Release Date: Oct. 25, 2025
Capture Location: Stedman, North Carolina, USA

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #JohnnyHorne #Astrophotographers #Stedman #NorthCarolina #UnitedStates #USA #STEM #Education