Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Chile's Atacama Desert

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Chile's Atacama Desert

Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky: "Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is ablaze! I can hardly believe the spectacle we're witnessing, and it's only improving 🤯 I captured this image on January 18 during twilight at the ESO Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The comet sets later each night, offering exceptional imaging opportunities. Visually, its tail stretches an impressive 10-12 degrees. Therefore, I adjusted the focal length down to 85 mm to capture the full extent."

C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion.

Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

Image Credit: Yuri Beletsky
Yuri's website: 

https://www.instagram.com/yuribeletsky/
Image Date: Jan. 18, 2025 

Location: European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, Chile, South America

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #Comet #CometC2024G3ATLAS #C2024G3 #Twilight #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #YuriBeletsky #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #STEM #Education

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Paranal Observatory in Chile

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Paranal Observatory in Chile

Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky: "Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) - A View from an Observatory 😃 I took this image at the ESO Paranal Observatory on January 19th. The comet is setting in the twilight next to one of the auxiliary telescopes (AT). This time, I used a 70mm lens to capture the whole scene. I hope you enjoy the view! 👍"

Twilight = "The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere."

C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion. The comet is visible in the southern hemisphere before and after perihelion. 

Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

Image Credit: Yuri Beletsky
Yuri's website: 

https://www.instagram.com/yuribeletsky/
Image Date: Jan. 19, 2025 

Location: European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, Chile, South America

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #Comet #CometC2024G3ATLAS #C2024G3 #Twilight #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #YuriBeletsky #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #STEM #Education

Tropical Cyclone Sean Lashes Western Australia | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

Tropical Cyclone Sean Lashes Western Australia | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

A downward-looking image shows swirling bands of white clouds around the eye of a tropical cyclone over blue ocean water. The cloud bands partially cover the coastal areas of Western Australia.

A downward-looking image shows swirling bands of white clouds around the eye of a tropical cyclone over blue ocean water. The cloud bands partially cover the coastal areas of Western Australia (labeled/annotated version)

On January 17, 2025, a tropical low formed over the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. By January 19, the storm had strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Sean—the second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image at about 10 a.m. local time (02:00 Universal Time) on January 20, 2025. Later that afternoon, the cyclone had reached its peak strength as a Category 4 storm.

The storm’s center stayed offshore as it tracked southwest over the Indian Ocean. Though Sean never made landfall, it battered the Pilbara coast with strong winds and rain. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that Karratha received 274.4 millimeters (10.8 inches) in a 24-hour period, breaking the city’s single-day rain record.

The storm flooded roads and homes, damaged power infrastructure, and prompted the closure of several ports. However, the storm also brought relief from hot and humid conditions, according to news reports. Looking ahead, the abundant water could aid cattle station managers, allowing them to return their animals to grazing.

Australia’s tropical cyclone season runs from November through April, though storms can occur outside these months. According to the BoM, the 2024–2025 seasonal forecast called for an average number of tropical cyclones, although more of them are expected to be stronger than usual due to warm sea surface temperatures.

The second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season brought high winds and heavy rain to the Pilbara Coast.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison/MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview
Article Credit: Kathryn Hansen
Image Date: Jan. 20, 2025
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellite #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #ClimateHeating #ClimateChange #TropicalCyclones #IndianOcean #TropicalCycloneSean #WesternAustralia #Australia #TerraSatellite #MODIS #EarthObservingSystem #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #Environment #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Can You Spot Suni? Williams & Hague on Spacewalk | International Space Station

Can You Spot Suni? Williams & Hague on Spacewalk | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams (center) is dwarfed near the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft as she replaces a planar reflector, advanced navigational hardware visiting vehicles use when approaching the International Space Station. Dragon is docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port which rests in between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules. 267 miles below is the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams (center) is dwarfed near the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft as she replaces a planar reflector, advanced navigational hardware visiting vehicles use when approaching the International Space Station. Dragon is docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port which rests in between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules. 263 miles below is the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Brazil.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured during a six-hour spacewalk for science and maintenance on the International Space Station. At upper right, is the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague is pictured during a six-hour spacewalk for science and maintenance on the International Space Station.

The NICER X-ray telescope is reflected on NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague's spacesuit helmet visor in this high-flying "space-selfie." Also, visible in Hague's visor is the camera he is pointing toward himself to take this photograph. During the six-hour spacewalk, Hague patched light leaks on some of NICER's 56 X-ray concentrators that block ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light while allowing X-rays to pass through to the mirrors underneath enabling the observation of neutron stars.

 The official portrait of the International Space Station's Expedition 72 crew. At the top (from left) are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronaut and space station Commander Suni Williams, and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. In the middle row are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Don Pettit. In the bottom row are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Nick Hague.

The official insignia of the Expedition 72 crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station for long duration space research missions in 2024 and 2025. The simple patch design highlights the configuration of the orbital laboratory with its six roll-out solar arrays augmenting the station's power generation system.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Nick Hague concluded their spacewalk at 2:01 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 16, 2025. It was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams, and it was the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Williams and Hague completed their primary objectives, including removing and replacing a rate gyro assembly, installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) x-ray telescope, and replacing a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters. The pair also checked access areas and connector tools that astronauts will use for future Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer maintenance.

Learn more about the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) x-ray telescope:
https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/nicer/

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA Flight Engineers: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/Bill Stafford, Robert Markowitz
Image Date: Jan. 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #NICERXrayTelescope #Spacewalk #EVA #EVA273 #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #NickHague #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: Jan. 17-22, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Jan. 25-26, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1398

MSL - sol 4434

MSL - sol 4434

MSL - sol 4434

Mars 2020 - sol 1399

MSL - sol 4432

MSL - sol 4432

MSL - sol 4432

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Jan. 25-Jan. 26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: Year 2024 in Review

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: Year 2024 in Review

"Let’s take a look back at the biggest stories from 2024. Throughout the year, Marshall Space Flight Center showcased its ability to innovate and inspire for the benefit of all humanity. Marshall continues to lead the way in space exploration, making technological advancements and establishing partnerships that push the boundaries of what’s possible."

Learn more about NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center:

https://www.nasa.gov/marshall/about-marshall-space-flight-center/

Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 41 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2025

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Earth #ISS #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #SLSRocket #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #EuropaClipper #Science #Engineering #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAMarshall #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet G3 ATLAS versus Starlink over Argentina

Comet G3 ATLAS versus Starlink over Argentina

Astrophotographer Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau: "On Monday, January 20th, I captured this image of comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS on the horizon, its nucleus now disintegrated after venturing too close to the Sun at perihelion. Yet, it left behind a spectacular tail, a luminous reminder of its fleeting visit. The scene is enriched by elements deeply rooted in our region: an old, weathered windmill missing some of its blades, serving as a perch for a "Carancho" (Caracara plancus - Southern Caracara), a characteristic bird of the central Argentine plains. To the left, as a nod to modern times, the streaks of a Starlink satellite train cross the sky, adding an unexpected contrast between nature and technology. This image bridges the ephemeral and the eternal, a reminder that even though the comet will soon disappear, its story will continue to shine. The photo was taken with a Canon R6 Mark II camera and a Sigma 105mm f/1.4 lens mounted on a fixed tripod without tracking."

C/2024 G3 ATLAS is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion. The comet is visible in the southern hemisphere before and after perihelion. It can only be observed in the daytime sky around perihelion in the northern hemisphere.

Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

Starlink is a satellite Internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of the United States-based aerospace firm SpaceX, providing coverage to over 100 countries and territories.

Image Credit: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
Eduardo's website: https://www.eduardoschaberger.ar
Capture Location: Rafaela, Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina
Image Date: Jan. 20, 2025

#NASA #FoN #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #Comet #CometC2024G3ATLAS #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #EduardoSchabergerPoupeau #Rafaela #Argentina #SouthAmerica #STEM #Education

Astronaut Nick Hague Takes High-Flying "Space-Selfie" | International Space Station

Astronaut Nick Hague Takes High-Flying "Space-Selfie" | International Space Station

The NICER X-ray telescope is reflected on NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague's spacesuit helmet visor in this high-flying "space-selfie." Also, visible in Hague's visor is the camera he is pointing toward himself to take this photograph. During a six-hour spacewalk, Hague patched several light leaks on NICER's 56 X-ray concentrators that block ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light while allowing X-rays to pass through to the mirrors underneath enabling the observation of neutron stars.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Nick Hague concluded their spacewalk at 2:01 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 16, 2025. It was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams, and it was the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Williams and Hague completed their primary objectives, including removing and replacing a rate gyro assembly, installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) x-ray telescope, and replacing a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters. The pair also checked access areas and connector tools that astronauts will use for future Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer maintenance.

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA Flight Engineers: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/Nick Hague
Image Date: Jan. 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #NICERXrayTelescope #Spacewalk #EVA #EVA273 #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #NickHague #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-19 Crew Extends Spring Festival Wishes | China Space Station

Shenzhou-19 Crew Extends Spring Festival Wishes | China Space Station

As the Spring Festival approaches, China's Shenzhou-19 crew extended New Year wishes from space as they celebrated the completion of their mission's second series of extravehicular activities (EVAs).

The astronauts completed their second series of EVAs at 01:12 (Beijing Time) early Tuesday morning, January 21, 2025, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Over the course of 8.5 hours, astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze worked closely together, with the support of the space station's robotic arm and a ground team, to complete multiple tasks, including the installation of protection devices against space debris, and an extravehicular inspection.

According to the agency, the astronauts have completed nearly half of their space mission, with a series of in-orbit scientific experiments and technological tests still to come.

In just a few days, the Shenzhou-19 crew will celebrate the Spring Festival amid their busy work aboard the space station.

Astronaut Cai Xuzhe began by thanking Shuguang (meaning "Dawn" in Mandarin), a cross-system, cross-departmental EVA support team, as well as all ground personnel. He also extended his New Year wishes to the entire nation from China's Tiangong space station.

"Every spacewalk is a new challenge. As long as we open the hatch, step out, and set to work, we will discover new horizons and achieve success. Now early in the morning, I want to express my gratitude to Shuguang and all the ground support teams. Thank you for your hard work. On behalf of the Shenzhou-19 crew, I also want to wish everyone a happy New Year and prosperity. May all your dreams come true," Cai said.

"With the Spring Festival approaching, I wish everyone and your families smooth sailing and good luck, and our country prosperity in the new year. Let's chase our dreams in the starry space and move forward together," Song said.

"Completing our mission in this festive season feels like a double celebration. I wish everyone the fulfillment of their dreams in the coming year and the start of a new journey as we continue to explore the universe," Wang remarked.

"Thank you, Shenzhou-19 crew, for your blessings, and we deeply appreciate your dedication. I also want to send my congratulations: Together, let's welcome a prosperous era, and hand in hand, we'll make our dreams come true. With you aboard the space station, the future is full of promise," Shuguang responded with gratitude and encouragement.

The Spring Festival, marking the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunion.

This year, the festival falls on Jan 29.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:

Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)

Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)

Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 21, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #SpringFestival2025 #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #Spacewalk #EVA #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Photos of Eaton Fire Close to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Photos of Eaton Fire Close to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Flight Projects Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

California firefighting aircraft dropping red colored chemical flame retardants on the Eaton Fire close to The Flight Projects Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

Fire trucks at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

California firefighting helicopter water 'bomber' preparing to fill-up its tank from a well-placed temporary emergency water storage container

January 11, 2025 airborne view of Altadena and Pasadena, California, taken by an instrument on board a NASA aircraft. Charred vegetation shows up as brown in northern parts of Altadena. Burned landscape of the San Gabriel mountains appears orange and surrounding vegetation is green close to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) located in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1936 by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by NASA and administered and managed by Caltech. Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Flight Projects Center is a six-story, 195,000-square-foot facility that expands the campus. It provides a state-of-the-art workspace for JPL teams. At a cost of 70 million dollars, this is a LEED Gold certified building. It was established for NASA in 2009. Interior spaces were designed to be flexible so JPL teams can assemble as required for a variety of scenarios. The building houses missions during their key design and development phases. It enables engineers and scientists from many countries to collaborate more closely during critical mission phases.

Learn more about the Flight Projects Center

at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/jpl-building-321-gold-tagged.pdf

The Eaton Fire ignited in the hills of Eaton Canyon, near Altadena, on the evening of January 7, 2025. By 10:30 a.m. the next day, the fire had quickly grown to cover more than 10,000 acres (40 square kilometers), according to Cal Fire. Around the time of the aerial image on January 11, 2025, provided here, the Eaton Fire had expanded to 14,117 acres (57 square kilometers), and the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported it was about 15 percent contained.

NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System has been activated to support agencies responding to the fires, including the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Response activities are centered on two primary requests from the local emergency managers: damage assessment information on built infrastructure, and impacts of air quality and human health risks. 

Image Credits: JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin/Emily Cassidy
Release Dates: Jan. 16 & 21, 2025

#NASA #Earth #AirborneScience #AVIRIS3 #WildFires #EatonFire #EnvironmentalDisaster #PublicHealth #PublicSafety #JPL #FlightProjectsCenter #Caltech #Pasadena #Altadena #Arcadia #SierraMadre #LosAngeles #California #UnitedStates #Weather #ClimateChange #Infographics #STEM #Education

Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Launch: Flight NG-1 Recap

Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Launch: Flight NG-1 Recap

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off at 2:03 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 16, 2025. It safely reached its intended orbit during today's NG-1 mission, accomplishing its primary objective.

About New Glenn

New Glenn stands more than 320 feet (98 meters) high and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on Jacklyn, a sea-based platform located several hundred miles downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch.   

The vehicle is powered by seven of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled, oxygen-rich staged combustion engine ever flown. LNG is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels, and the seven BE-4s generate over 3.8 million lbf of thrust. The vehicle’s second stage is powered by two BE-3Us, liquid oxygen (LOX)/liquid hydrogen (LH2) engines designed to together yield over 320,000 lbf of vacuum thrust.   

In addition to the BE-4 and BE-3U, Blue Origin manufactures BE-7 engines for our Blue Moon lunar landers and New Shepard’s BE-3PM engine. 

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

Video Credit: Blue Origin
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Jan. 15, 2025

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewGlenn #NewGlennRocket #NG1 #FirstLaunch #CommercialSpace #ArtemisProgram #BlueMoonLanders #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #LC36 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #STEM #Education #HD #Video

3D Structure of Molecular Clouds in our Galaxy's Center | NASA Chandra

3D Structure of Molecular Clouds in our Galaxy's Center | NASA Chandra

This image represents a study using decades of data to learn about the 3D structure of molecular clouds in the center of the Milky Way. The panorama in this graphic contains radio data from the Submillimeter Array (green), and infrared from the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Telescope (red), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (blue). The inset shows the X-ray data from a molecular cloud from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Billowy clouds, in shades of mostly red and blue, stretch across the middle of the image—wider than they are tall. Toward the right side of the image is a tiny, bright ball of light. This ball of light is Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the core of our galaxy.

Distance Estimate: About 26,000 light-years

Researchers have created the first 3D maps of molecular clouds, where stars form, in one of the most extreme environments in our Galaxy. They have studied previous flaring events from our Galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is an extreme environment where gas temperatures, densities, and turbulence are about ten times higher than the rest of the Galaxy. In this central region inflowing gas can sometimes find its way into the supermassive black hole at the very center. When Sgr A* feeds on this material it emits X-ray flares that propagate outwards in all directions. These flares interact with molecular clouds—gas clouds where stars form—in our Galaxy’s Center through the process of fluorescence. As the X-ray light travels, it illuminates slices of the molecular clouds over time, like an Xray scan.

The team developed a new X-ray tomography method to make 3D maps of two Galactic Center molecular clouds dubbed the “Stone” and the “Sticks” clouds. These maps are the first ever renderings of Galactic Center molecular clouds in three spatial dimensions. They used Chandra data spanning two decades to create their 3D models of the Stone and Sticks molecular clouds. While astronomers typically only see two spatial dimensions of objects in space, the X-ray tomography method allows us to measure the third dimension of the cloud because the X-rays illuminate individual slices of the cloud over time.

The researchers also used data from the Submillimeter Array and Herschel Space Observatory to compare the structures seen in the X-ray echoes to those seen in other wavelengths. Because X-ray data is not collected continuously, there are some structures seen in submillimeter wavelengths that are not seen in X-rays. However, these “missing” structures allowed the researchers to constrain the duration of the X-ray flare event illuminating the Stone Cloud. They determined that the X-ray flare couldn’t have been much longer than four to five months.

These results were presented by Danya Alboslani (University of Connecticut) at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting in National Harbor, MD. A paper describing these results is available: 
https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.07717

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is an 8-element radio interferometer located near the summit of Maunakea in Hawaii. Operating at frequencies from 180 GHz to 420 GHz, the 6 meter diameter dishes may be arranged into configurations with baselines as long as 509 meters, producing a synthesized beam of sub-arcsecond width. The Submillimeter Array is a joint project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Academia Sinica.

Submillimeter Array (SMA)
https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/sma/

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/mission

European Space Agency's Herschel Space Telescope:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Herschel_overview

Image Credits: 
X-ray: NASA/CXC/UConn/D. Alboslani et al.; Infrared: NASA/ESA/JPL/CalTech/Herschel; NASA/ESA/JPL/CalTech/Spitzer; Radio: ASIAA/SAO/SMA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
Release Date: Jan. 15, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #BlackHole #SajAstar #SagittariusAstar #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #Xray #SpitzerSpaceTelescope #SubmillimeterArray #MSFC #SAO #CXC #JPL #ESA #UnitedStates #Europe #Infographic #STEM #Education

Listen to The Sun! Transforming Heliophysics Data into Sound | NASA

Listen to The Sun! Transforming Heliophysics Data into Sound | NASA

Explore how data about the Sun from NASA's Parker Solar Probe, Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) and Wind spacecraft has been transformed into sound with NASA’s Coordinated Data Analysis Web (CDAWeb). Observe how audification can benefit heliophysics data analysis and uncover spectral features that the eyes overlook.

Heliophysics (from the prefix "helio", from Attic Greek hḗlios, meaning Sun, and the noun "physics": the science of matter and energy and their interactions) is the physics of the Sun and its connection with the Solar System. NASA defines heliophysics as "(1) the comprehensive new term for the science of the Sun—Solar System Connection, (2) the exploration, discovery, and understanding of Earth's space environment, and (3) the system science that unites all of the linked phenomena in the region of the cosmos influenced by a star like our Sun."

Sponsored by NASA's Heliophysics Digital Resource Library (HDRL) and Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas (HARP) citizen science. 

For more information about data audification, visit:  

NASA’s CDAWeb: https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/audification_readme.html

HARP Citizen Science: https://listen.spacescience.org/

00:12 Parker Solar Probe Encounters a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

ApJ Publication: Near-Sun In Situ and Remote-sensing Observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection and its Effect on the Heliospheric Current Sheet, O.M. Romeo et al., 2023

Data Audification: Robert Alexander

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00:57 Ultra-Low Frequency Waves in Earth's Magnetosphere

 Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences Publication: Listening to the Magnetosphere: How Best to Make ULF Waves Audible, M.O. Archer et al., 2022

Data Sonification: The HARP Citizen Science Project

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01:24 Binaural Audification of MMS Search Coil Magnetometer Data

International Conference on Auditory Display 2024: Auralization of Magnetic Multiscale Satellite Data: Toward Integrated Audification in Space Science

Authors:
Kristina Collins
Robert L. Alexander 
Jaye Verniero 
Robert M. Candey 
Video Production:
Robert L. Alexander 
Kristina Collins 

MMS Visualization: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio 

Visualizer: Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Scientist: Tai Phan (University of California at Berkeley) 

Producer: Joy Ng (USRA)

Writer: Mara Johnson-Groh (Wyle Information Systems) 

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02:40 Parker Solar Probe Crossing the Heliospheric Current Sheet (HCS)

Apj Publication: Parker Solar Probe Observations of Proton Beams Simultaneous with Ion-scale Waves,

J.L. Verniero et al., 2020 

Verniero et al. 2025 in prep 

Data Audification & Visualization: Robert Alexander 

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04:07 Parker Solar Probe Captures a CME Interacting With the HCS

 Publications: 

Near-Sun In Situ and Remote-sensing Observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection and its Effect on the Heliospheric Current Sheet, O.M. Romeo et al., 2023

Parker Solar Probe Observations of Solar Wind Energetic Proton Beams Produced by Magnetic Reconnection in the Near-Sun Heliospheric Current Sheet, T.D. Phan et al., 2022 

Strong Perpendicular Velocity-space Diffusion in Proton Beams Observed by Parker Solar Probe,

J.L. Verniero et al., 2022

Verniero et al. 2025 in prep 

Data Audification: Robert Alexander 

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04:43 Giant Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) Waves at the Boundary Layer of the Mother’s Day CME

GRL Publication: The Giant Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) Waves at the Boundary Layer of the Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) Responsible for the Largest Geomagnetic Storm in 20 Years, Katariina Nykyri, 2024 

Data Audification: Robert Alexander 

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05:12 The Wind Spacecraft Encounters a Proton Cyclotron Wavestorm

ApJ Publication: A Proton-Cyclotron Wave Storm Generated by Unstable Proton Distribution Functions in the Solar Wind, R.T. Wicks, R.L. Alexander et al., 2016

Data Audification & Visualization: Robert Alexander 

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Video production: Robert Alexander 

Transition Audio:

Dawn Chorus Observed by the MMS Satellite Filtered OMNI Solar Wind Plasma Speed Measurements

Audified data from NASA’s CDAWeb

Video Credit: NASA
Duration: 5 minutes, 44 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 21, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarPlasma #SpaceWeather #ParkerSolarProbe #NASAMMS #NASAWindSpacecraft #SolarSystem #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #JHUAPL #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #Animation #Audification #Sonification #Audio #HD #Video

Extreme Supersonic Winds Raging on WASP-127b | ESO

Extreme Supersonic Winds Raging on WASP-127b | ESO

Astronomers have measured supersonic jet winds on WASP-127b, a giant gas planet located about 520 light-years from Earth. It is the fastest jetstream of its kind ever measured in the Universe with speeds up to 9 km per second. The team mapped the weather of WASP-127b using the CRIRES+ instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT).

WASP-127 b orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 0.1647 Jupiters, it takes 4.2 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.0484 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2016.

Science paper: "CRIRES+ transmission spectroscopy of WASP-127b. Detection of the resolved signatures of a supersonic equatorial jet and cool poles in a hot planet":
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2502/eso2502a.pdf

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida
Written by: Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez , Hanna Huysegoms
Footage and photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Angelos Tsaousis, Cristoph Malin, Babak Tafreshi
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova
Release Date: Jan. 21, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Exoplanets #Exoplanet #WASP127b #ExoplanetAtmosphere #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #CRIRES #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

GoPro camera view: Blue Origin's New Glenn Flight NG-1 Rocket Launch

GoPro camera view: Blue Origin's New Glenn Flight NG-1 Rocket Launch

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off at 2:03 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 16, 2025. It safely reached its intended orbit during the NG-1 mission, accomplishing its primary objective.

About New Glenn

New Glenn stands more than 320 feet (98 meters) high and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on Jacklyn, a sea-based platform located several hundred miles downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch.   

The vehicle is powered by seven of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled, oxygen-rich staged combustion engine ever flown. LNG is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels, and the seven BE-4s generate over 3.8 million lbf of thrust. The vehicle’s second stage is powered by two BE-3Us, liquid oxygen (LOX)/liquid hydrogen (LH2) engines designed to together yield over 320,000 lbf of vacuum thrust.   

In addition to the BE-4 and BE-3U, Blue Origin manufactures BE-7 engines for our Blue Moon lunar landers and New Shepard’s BE-3PM engine. 

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

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 23 seconds
Image Date: Jan. 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewGlenn #NewGlennRocket #NG1 #FirstLaunch #CommercialSpace #ArtemisProgram #BlueMoonLanders #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #LC36 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Boogeyman Nebula: LDN 1622 in Orion

The Boogeyman Nebula: LDN 1622 in Orion

The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene. Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint background of glowing hydrogen gas only visible in long telescopic exposures of the region. In contrast, the brighter reflection nebula vdB 62 is more easily seen, just above and right of center. LDN 1622 lies near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, close on the sky to Barnard's Loop, a large cloud surrounding the rich complex of emission nebulae found in the Belt and Sword of Orion. 

With swept-back outlines, the obscuring dust of LDN 1622 is thought to lie at a similar distance, perhaps 1,500 light-years away. At that distance, this 1 degree wide field of view would span about 30 light-years. Young stars do lie hidden within the dark expanse and have been revealed in Spitzer Space telescope infrared images. Still, the foreboding visual appearance of LDN 1622 inspires its popular name, the Boogeyman Nebula.

Image Credit & Copyright: Pete_Xl

Pete's website: 

https://www.astrobin.com/users/pete_xl/

Image Date: Jan. 6, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #LDN1622 #DarkNebula #BogeymanNebula #Stars #StellarNursery #Orion #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #PeteXie #Astrophotographer #STEM #Education