Galaxy UGC 12295: A Galactic Island of Tranquillity | Hubble

Galaxy UGC 12295: A Galactic Island of Tranquillity | Hubble

The tranquil spiral galaxy UGC 12295 basks leisurely in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy lies around 192 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces, and is almost face-on when viewed from Earth, displaying a bright central bar and tightly wound spiral arms.

Image Description: A broad spiral galaxy seen directly face-on. It has two bright spiral arms that extend from a bar, which shines from the very center. Additional fainter arms branch off from these, studded with bright blue patches of star formation. Small, distant galaxies are dotted around it, on a dark background.

Despite appearing as an island of tranquillity in this image, UGC 12295 played host to a catastrophically violent explosion—a supernova— that was first detected in 2015. This supernova prompted two different teams of astronomers to propose Hubble observations of UGC 12295 that would sift through the wreckage of this vast stellar explosion.

Supernovae are the explosive deaths of massive stars, and are responsible for forging many of the elements found here on Earth. The first team of astronomers used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) to examine the detritus left behind by the supernova in order to better understand the evolution of matter in our Universe. 

The second team of astronomers also used WFC3 to explore the aftermath of UGC 12295’s supernova, but their investigation focused on returning to the sites of some of the best-studied nearby supernovae. Hubble’s keen vision can reveal lingering traces of these energetic events, shedding light on the nature of the systems that host supernovae.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko, J. Lyman

Release Date: July 24, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC12295 #Spiral #Supernova #Pisces #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Media Briefing: NASA's Climate Work in Wake of Record High Global Temperatures

Media Briefing: NASA's Climate Work in Wake of Record High Global Temperatures

[Audio Event Replay] NASA leadership, including climate experts, shed light on recent extreme weather events, and discuss how NASA research and data is enabling climate solutions.

Note: NASA chief scientist and senior climate adviser, Dr. Kate Calvin, begins speaking at the 7 minute, 30 second mark.

From wildfires raging across North America, flooding in the Northeast, heatwaves across the Southwest, and a record hot June in 2023, millions of Americans are experiencing the effects of extreme weather, and NASA is tracking it.

Participants include:

- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

- Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and senior climate adviser

- Karen St. Germain, director, NASA’s Earth Science Division

- Gavin Schmidt, director, NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies

- Tom Wagner, associate director for Earth Action

- Huy Tran, aeronautics director, NASA’s Ames Research Center

- Carlos Del Castillo, chief, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

To learn more about NASA’s climate work, visit:

https://climate.nasa.gov

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 50 minutes

Release Date: July 20, 2023

#NASA #Earth #Science #Planet #EarthScience #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Weather #Climate #ClimateChange #CarbonDioxide #CO2 #Methane #GreenHouseGases #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #Environment #HumanHealth #ChiefScientist #KateCalvin #GSFC #NASAAmes #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

Sculpting Landscapes in Orion and De Mairan's Nebulae | Hubble

Sculpting Landscapes in Orion and De Mairan's Nebulae | Hubble

This glowing region of star formation reveals arcs and bubbles formed when stellar winds—streams of charged particles ejected by the Trapezium star cluster—collide with material in the Orion and De Mairan's Nebulae.

Distance: 1,400 light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

Release Date: Jan. 11, 2006

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Nebula #Messier42 #OrionNebula #Messier43 #DeMairansNebula #Trapezium #OrionTrapeziumCluster #HIIRegion #StarFormation #Orion #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Nebula Sh2-239 in Taurus | Schulman Telescope

Nebula Sh2-239 in Taurus | Schulman Telescope

The cosmic brush of star formation composed this alluring mix of dust and dark nebulae. Cataloged as Sh2-239 and LDN 1551, the region lies near the southern end of the Taurus molecular cloud complex some 450 light-years distant. Stretching for nearly 3 light-years, the canvas abounds with signs of embedded young stellar objects driving dynamic outflows into the surrounding medium. Included near the center of the frame, a compact, tell-tale red jet of shocked hydrogen gas is near the position of infrared source IRS5, known to be a system of protostars surrounded by dust disks. Just below it are the broader, brighter wings of HH 102, one of the region's many Herbig-Haro objects, nebulosities associated with newly born stars. Estimates indicate that the star forming LDN 1551 region contains a total amount of material equivalent to about 50 times the mass of the Sun.

Image Details:

Optics: 32-inch Schulman Telescope (RC Optical Systems)

Camera: SBIG STX  16803 CCD Camera 

The 0.81 m (32 in) Schulman Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector built by RC Optical Systems and installed in 2010. It is operated by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and is Arizona's largest dedicated public observatory. The Schulman Telescope was designed from inception for remote control over the Internet by amateur and professional astrophotographers worldwide. It is currently the world's largest telescope dedicated for this purpose.

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Image Date: Nov. 2011

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Nebula #LDN1551 #Sh2239 #EmissionNebula #IRS5 #HH102 #Taurus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Astrophotographer #AdamBlock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Nebula Sh2-239 in Taurus | Mayall Telescope

Nebula Sh2-239 in Taurus | Mayall Telescope

This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Sh2-239 is a distinct reflection nebula in which stars have been forming for quite some time. It contains two clusters of highly embedded very young stars as well as many stars that are more evolved. The many outflows are visible as bright red knots and jets, particularly in the cavity at the center-top of the image. The image was generated with observations in the B (blue), V (green), I (orange) and Hydrogen-Alpha (red) filters. In this image, North is left, East is down.

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after Nicholas U. Mayall. It saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest telescope in the world at that time.

Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Nebulae #Nebula #Sh2239 #EmissionNebula #Taurus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MayallTelescope #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Colorful Night Sky over Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert | ESO

Colorful Night Sky over Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert | ESO

Above Paranal Observatory, the skies regularly display a myriad of colors and astronomical sights, from the plane of the Milky Way shining brightly overhead to the orange-hued speck of Mars (left), the starry constellations of Scorpius and Orion, and the magenta splash of the Carina Nebula (upper middle). Despite the remote location there are also occasional signs of human activity, for example the sequence of lamps seen in the center of the frame. These faint lights illuminate the route from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) where this image was taken.

Due to the highly sensitive camera this photograph also showcases a mysterious phenomenon called airglow. The night sky is ablaze with deep red and eerie green hues, caused by the faint glow of Earth’s atmosphere. Because of airglow, no observatory site on Earth could ever be absolutely, completely dark—although the European Southern Observatory’s do come pretty close.

This image was taken by talented astronomer and photographer Yuri Beletsky,

Credit: Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO

Release Date: Sept. 19, 2016

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #Airglow #Mars #EarthScience #Planet #Stars #Scorpius #Orion #Constellations #CarinaNebula #MilkyWayGalaxy #LMC #SMC #Cosmos #Universe #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

China's Main Rocket Engine for Crewed Moon Missions Completes New Test

China's Main Rocket Engine for Crewed Moon Missions Completes New Test

China on Saturday, July 22, 2023, completed a new trial run of the Long March-10 main rocket engine for its future crewed lunar missions, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

China’s moon missions, which began with the uncrewed lunar-orbiter Chang’e 1 in 2007, are aimed at building a basic lunar research station by 2028. China plans to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

The 130-tonne class liquid oxygen kerosene rocket engine is an upgraded version of the current high-thrust engine being used in a new generation of carrier rockets such as the Long March-5.

The rocket engine will be used for Long March-10 carrier rockets in the country's crewed lunar missions. It will be used in the first-stage core and boosters of Long March-10.

The July 22, 2023, test verified relevant technical requirements for the engine, providing a solid basis for determining the engine's technologies and enhancing its reliability, according to the 6th Research Institute of the CASC, also known as the Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute.

"The results of the engine's test run today have successfully met relevant requirements. The start and shutdown of the engine and its operation smoothness in high- and low-working conditions have been assessed, and the relevant parameters have been obtained," said Zhou Xianqi, a researcher at the Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute.

"In the second half of this year, we will conduct several high-altitude simulation tests to finally determine the relevant performance and parameters of the engine, so as to make our due contributions to China's manned moon landing mission," said Zhou.

The new carrier rocket Long March-10 is mainly developed for the purpose of sending spacecraft and moon lander into the Earth-moon transfer orbit.

The rocket is expected to prepare for its maiden flight in 2027.

Credit: CCTV Video News Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 25 seconds

Release Date: July 23, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #China #中国 #XianCity #Shaanxi #LongMarch10Rocket #RocketEngine #EngineTesting  #CASC #Moon #月亮 #嫦娥 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Gum 29 Nebula in Carina | ESO

The Gum 29 Nebula in Carina | ESO

This image shows the amazing intricacies of the vast stellar nursery Gum 29. At its center lies the cluster of young stars Westerlund 2. One object at the bottom of the cluster is in fact a system of two of most massive stars known to astronomers. The image is based on data obtained with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera attached to the 2.2-meter Max-Planck/ESO telescope through four different filters (B, V, R, and H-alpha).

Distance: 25,000 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Oct. 21, 2008

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #StellarNursery #Gum29 #Gum29Nebula #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MaxPlanckESOTelescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

The Calabash Nebula | Hubble

The Calabash Nebula | Hubble

The Calabash Nebula, pictured here—which has the technical name OH 231.8+04.2—is a spectacular example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. This image taken by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows the star going through a rapid transformation from a red giant to a planetary nebula, during which it blows its outer layers of gas and dust out into the surrounding space. The recently ejected material is spat out in opposite directions with immense speed—the gas shown in yellow is moving close to a million kilometers an hour.

Astronomers rarely capture a star in this phase of its evolution because it occurs within the blink of an eye—in astronomical terms. Over the next thousand years the nebula is expected to evolve into a fully fledged planetary nebula.

The nebula is also known as the Rotten Egg Nebula because it contains a lot of sulphur, an element that, when combined with other elements, smells like a rotten egg—but luckily, it resides over 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Puppis.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

Release Date: Jan. 30, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #CalabashNebula #OH23184422 #Sulphur #RottenEggNebula #Puppis #Constellation #MIlkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Bright Star Clusters Messier 47 & Messier 46: Wide-field view | ESO

Bright Star Clusters Messier 47 & Messier 46: Wide-field view | ESO

This wide-field image shows part of the constellation of Puppis. This region of the sky includes some bright star clusters, chief amongst them Messier 47, in the center, and its contrasting sister cluster Messier 46, near the left-hand edge, which is richer in stars but more distant. This picture was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

Distance: ~1,600 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Releaase Date: Dec. 17, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #M47 #Messier47 #M46 #Messier46 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Zooming in on Star Cluster Messier 47 | ESO

Zooming in on Star Cluster Messier 47 | ESO

This video sequence takes us on a trip to the nearby bright star cluster Messier 47. As we close in, we can also see the contrasting cluster Messier 46, which is richer in stars but more distant. The final close-up view was taken using the Wide Field Imager camera, installed on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Messier 47 is dominated by a sprinkling of brilliant blue stars, but also contains a few contrasting red giant stars.

Distance: ~1,600 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 23, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #M47 #Messier47 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #LasSillaObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up View of Bright Star Cluster Messier 47 in Puppis | ESO

Close-up View of Bright Star Cluster Messier 47 in Puppis | ESO

This close-up video pan sequence gives a detailed look at a spectacular image of the star cluster Messier 47, taken using the Wide Field Imager camera, installed on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. This young open cluster is dominated by a sprinkling of brilliant blue stars but also contains a few contrasting red giant stars.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 23, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #M47 #Messier47 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #LasSillaObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Star Cluster Messier 47 in Puppis | ESO

The Star Cluster Messier 47 in Puppis | ESO

This spectacular image of the star cluster Messier 47 was taken using the Wide Field Imager camera, installed on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. This young open cluster is dominated by a sprinkling of brilliant blue stars but also contains a few contrasting red giant stars.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #M47 #Messier47 #Puppis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #LasSillaObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Star Delta Scorpii & Nebulae Sharpless 2-1 and 2-7 | Steward Observatory

Star Delta Scorpii & Nebulae Sharpless 2-1 and 2-7 | Steward Observatory

The Sharpless catalogs, published in 1953 and 1959, contain about 300 objects. Sharpless 2-1 and 2-7, are the subjects of this photo. Sh 2-1, also known as Sharpless 1, is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Scorpius with Pi Scorpii at its center. Sh2-7 is an emission nebula in the Scorpius constellation. This nebula is around the star Delta Scorpii. It lies next to a large reflection nebula, Sh2-1. Delta Scorpii (top left) is a binary star in the constellation of Scorpius. The primary star is named Dschubba.

Astrophotographer Adam Block: "These clouds of amorphous gas are faint, diffuse and rarely have abrupt changes in structure. The bright star near the top left is Delta Scorpii (the southwestern star in the head of Scorpius) and surrounding it are the red glowing clouds of gas that comprise Sh2-7. Near the bottom of the frame is the smaller and brighter cavity of Sh2-1."

Distance: 440 light years

Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Steward Observatory/University of Arizona

Image Date: April-May 2020

#NASA#Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Star #DeltaScorpii #Dschubba #Nebulae #EmissionNebula #Sh27 #ReflectionNebula #Sh21 #PiScorpii #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #AdamBlock #Astrophotographer #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Intergalactic Wanderer: Globular Star Cluster NGC 2419 | Schulman Telescope

Intergalactic Wanderer: Globular Star Cluster NGC 2419 | Schulman Telescope

NGC 2419 (also known as Caldwell 25) is a globular cluster in the constellation Lynx. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 31, 1788. NGC 2419 is at a distance of about 300,000 light years from our solar system and at the same distance from the Galactic Center.

NGC 2419 bears the nickname "the Intergalactic Wanderer," which was bestowed when it was erroneously thought not to be in orbit around the Milky Way. Its orbit takes it further away from the galactic center than the Magellanic Clouds, but it can (with qualifications) be considered as part of the Milky Way. At this great distance it takes three billion years to make one trip around the galaxy.

Technical Details:

Optics: Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STX16803

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Release Date: Sept. 28, 2011

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularCluster #NGC2419 #Caldwell25 #Lynx #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #AdamBlock #Astrophotographer #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China's Lunar Exploration Milestones in 120 seconds | CGTN

China's Lunar Exploration Milestones in 120 seconds | CGTN

Since its launch in 2004, China's lunar exploration program has made tremendous progress. The Chang'e lunar exploration has seen successful missions in orbiting and landing on the moon as well as in bringing rock samples back to Earth.

Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: July 20, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Earth #Moon #嫦娥 #ChangeMissions #YutuRovers #Change4Mission #Lander #LunarFarSide #LunarSamples #Robotics #CNSA #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video