Cosmic Community of Abell 1489 in Coma Berenices | Gemini North Telescope

Cosmic Community of Abell 1489 in Coma Berenices | Gemini North Telescope

Punctuating the deep black of this image are hundreds of blobs of light, each one an entire galaxy in our Universe. Many of the yellowish points are members of the galaxy cluster Abell 1489, imaged here using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab.

Galaxy clusters are immense neighborhoods of galaxies gravitationally bound together. These massive formations serve as tools for astronomers to understand the Universe’s dark matter distribution, structure, and overall evolution. Astronomers classify galaxy clusters in several ways and have compiled multiple catalogs of clusters. This particular cluster has been labeled using the Abell classification scheme. Within this scheme, clusters are mainly sorted by their richness—the number of galaxies they contain—and their distance from us. Abell 1489 was categorized with a richness of Group 4. This means it has between 200 and 299 galaxies and makes it one of the richer clusters in the Abell catalog.

Abell 1489 appears fainter in most telescopes than other galaxy clusters, indicating that the structure is immensely distant from Earth. Yet images like this demonstrate the sensitivity of instruments like GMOS to resolve this cluster’s distant light and reveal its richness. This abundance is of particular importance for future study: the mass of all these galaxies together makes this cluster behave as a ‘magnifying glass’ to view light sources that are even farther away. These effects of gravitational lensing are visible as arcs of light, such as in the upper middle section of this image. The Gemini telescopes are among the few telescopes that can show lensing in such clarity.

Learn more about the Gemini North Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-north/

Credits:
International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Acknowledgments: PI: Adi Zitrin (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
Release Date: April 30, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell1489 #ComaBerenices #Constellation #DarkMatter #GravitationalLensing #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiNorthTelescope #GMOS #Optical #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #Maunakea #Hawaii #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: May 1-2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: May 1-2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4525

MSL - sol 4527

MSL - sol 4525

Mars 2020 - sol 1492

MSL - sol 4527

MSL - sol 4526

MSL - sol 4527

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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 4+ 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: May 1-2, 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

Installing the Giant Doors of The Extremely Large Telescope | ESO

Installing the Giant Doors of The Extremely Large Telescope | ESO

Our Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) needs extremely large doors. We are currently installing the giant sliding doors that will protect the ELT from the elements during the day, and open up at night to observe the Universe. The ELT dome has now reached its highest point—80 m. We celebrated this symbolic milestone in a ceremony, known as "tijerales" in Chile, raising the European Southern Observatory and Chilean flags atop the dome.

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is truly a massive building. The ELT is almost as tall as London's Big Ben clock tower and larger than Rome's Colosseum. The construction materials used for the ELT include: 10,000 tons of steel, 30 million bolts or 500 km of cables. Even compared to other large telescopes, the ELT is a one-of-a-kind.

The ELT can be seen including its dome, central structure, and base of the M1 mirror. The ELT stands at Cerro Armazones in Chile's Atacama Desert and will be one of the main flagships of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the next two decades. 

Altitude: 3,046 meters

Planned year of technical first light: 2027

Learn more about ESO’s ELT at:

https://elt.eso.org

In 2006, approval was given for the construction of the largest optical telescope on Earth—the ELT.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis 
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Bárbara Ferreira
Footage and photos: ESO, Luis Calçada, Angelos Tsaousis, Jose Porte, Max Nadjar

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: May 2, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #ExtremelyLargeTelescope #ELT #Construction #Nebulae #Stars #Exoplanets #Galaxies #Universe #BiggestEyeOnTheSky #Technology #Engineering #CerroArmazones #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

NASA Astronauts McClain & Ayers on Spacewalk | International Space Station

NASA Astronauts McClain & Ayers on Spacewalk | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Anne McClain is pictured near one of the International Space Station's main solar arrays during a spacewalk to upgrade the orbital outpost's power generation system and relocate a communications antenna.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain points a camera towards herself and takes a "space-selfie" during a spacewalk to upgrade the orbital outpost's power generation system and relocate a communications antenna. Reflected in her helmet's visor is fellow spacewalker and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers.

Astronaut Nichole Ayers is pictured during a spacewalk working to upgrade the orbital outpost's power generation system and relocate a communications antenna.

This photograph from NASA spacewalker Nichole Ayers looks to the forward portion of the International Space Station and highlights the Kibo laboratory module with the Japanese robotic arm, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port, and the partially obscured SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft docked to Harmony's forward port. The International Space Station was orbiting 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean east of the Hawaiian island chain.

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded their spacewalk at 2:49 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2025. The total time was 5 hours and 44 minutes. It was the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers, and the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. 

McClain and Ayers completed their primary objectives, including relocating a space station communications antenna and the initial mounting bracket installation steps for an IROSA that will arrive on a future SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. Additionally, the astronaut pair completed a pair of get ahead tasks, including installing a jumper cable to provide power from the P6 truss to the International Space Station’s Russian segment and another to remove bolts from a micrometeoroid cover.

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 

Capture Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #Spacewalk #Spacewalk93 #EVA #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

United Nations Supports China's International Partnerships for Space Exploration

United Nations Supports China's International Partnerships for Space Exploration

Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), commends China's open attitude demonstrated through its Chang'e-6 Moon Mission in 2024. She emphasizes that such international cooperation is fundamental to advancing global space exploration.

China's Chang'e-6 Moon Mission carried scientific payloads from France, Italy, Sweden, and Pakistan, including the French radon gas detector (CNES), the European Space Agency/Swedish ion analyzer, and the Italian Space Agency's laser corner reflector (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana).

The Chang'e-6 probe was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024. It touched down on the far side of the Moon on June 2. During its two-day stay, Chang'e-6 used a scoop and drill, collecting nearly 2 kilograms of lunar material. On June 25, its returner brought back the samples and made a landing in north China.

Chang'e-6 successfully deployed Pakistan's ICUBE-Q satellite, releasing it into lunar orbit on May 8, 2024. The 15.4-pound (7 kilogram) small satellite captured images of the Moon and Sun and collected magnetic field data.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #Geology #FarSide #SouthPole #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #CLEP #InternationalCooperation #UnitedNations #UNOOSA #France #CNES #Italy #Italia #ASI #Sweden #Pakistan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Orion Moon Spacecraft: Handover to NASA | Lockheed Martin

NASA Artemis II Orion Moon Spacecraft: Handover to NASA | Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin: "We have completed assembly and testing of NASA's Orion spacecraft for Artemis II and have officially transferred possession to the NASA Ground Systems team!"

"Take a look back at the development of the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts back to the Moon."

The Artemis II test flight will be sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than April 2026.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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

Learn more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Duration: 1 minute

Capture Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #LockheedMartin #CrewedMission #Astronauts #AstronautTraining #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: ICPS Integration - Stacking | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: ICPS Integration - Stacking | Kennedy Space Center

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program begin integrating the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle stage adapter on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four-story propulsion system, built by Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA), is powered by an RL10 engine that will enable the Orion spacecraft to build up enough speed for the push toward the Moon during the Artemis II crewed test flight.

The Artemis II test flight will be sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than April 2026.

Learn more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson
Capture Date: April 30, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #ICPS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Astronauts #CrewedMission #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KSC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Faces of Technology - Meet Lindsay Kaldon | NASA's Glenn Research Center

Artemis Moon Program: Meet Lindsay Kaldon | NASA's Glenn Research Center

Meet Lindsay Kaldon, Fission Surface Power, Project Manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Lindsay and her team are working on a safe, efficient system to power Artemis habitats and rovers on the Moon. 

To learn more about NASA's Fission Surface Power program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/space-technology-mission-directorate/tdm/fission-surface-power/

Video Credit: NASA Space Technology
Duration: 1 minute, 53 seconds
Release Date: April 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #Moon #MoonHabitats #PowerSystems #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #NuclearEngineering #ElectricalEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAGlenn #Cleveland #Ohio #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Biomass Earth Satellite Launch | European Space Agency

Biomass Earth Satellite Launch | European Space Agency

The European Space Agency’s new Biomass satellite was launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on April 29, 2025, at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).

In orbit, this mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the radar signal can slice through the entire forest layer to measure the ‘biomass’, meaning the woody trunks, branches and stems. This is where trees store most of their carbon.

Vega-C is the next evolution of the Vega family of rockets and delivers increased performance and greater payload volume.

Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja
Release Date: April 29, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Satellites #Planet #Earth #Arianespace #VegaCRocket #BiomassSatellite #RadarSatellites #SyntheticApertureRadar #SAR #PBand #ElectromagneticSpectrum #Atmosphere #Climate #ClimateChange #Environment #CNES #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #Europe #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: "Power Moves" | Week of May 2, 2025

NASA's Space to Ground: "Power Moves" | Week of May 2, 2025

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what is happening aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded their spacewalk at 2:49 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2025. The total time was 5 hours and 44 minutes. It was the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers, and the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. 

McClain and Ayers completed their primary objectives, including relocating a space station communications antenna and the initial mounting bracket installation steps for an IROSA that will arrive on a future SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. Additionally, the astronaut pair completed a pair of get ahead tasks, including installing a jumper cable to provide power from the P6 truss to the International Space Station’s Russian segment and another to remove bolts from a micrometeoroid cover.

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: May 2, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #Spacewalk #Spacewalk93 #EVA #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mysterious X-ray Signal in Dying Star Points to Destroyed Planet | NASA Chandra

Mysterious X-ray Signal in Dying Star Points to Destroyed Planet | NASA Chandra

Astronomers have discovered a likely explanation for a fracture in a huge cosmic “bone” in the Milky Way galaxy, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio telescopes.

The bone appears to have been struck by a fast-moving, rapidly spinning neutron star, also known as a pulsar. Neutron stars are the densest known stars and form from the collapse and explosion of massive stars. They often receive a powerful kick from these explosions, sending them away from the explosion’s location at high speeds.

Enormous structures that resemble bones or snakes are found near the center of the Galaxy. These elongated formations are seen in radio waves and are threaded by magnetic fields running parallel to them. The radio waves are caused by energized particles spiraling along the magnetic fields.

This image shows one of these cosmic “bones” called G359.13 for short in X-rays from Chandra and radio data from the MeerKAT radio array in South Africa. Another name for G359.13 is the Snake. At about 230 light-years long, G359.13 is one of the longest and brightest of these structures in the Milky Way. To put this into context, there are over 800 stars within that distance from Earth. G359.13 is located about 26,000 light-years from Earth, near the center of the Milky Way

Astronomers examined this image closely and found what appears to be a break, or fracture, in the otherwise continuous length of G359.13. The combined X-ray and radio data provides clues to the cause of this fracture.

The researchers recently discovered an X-ray and radio source at the location of the fracture, using the data from Chandra and MeerKAT and the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array. They think a pulsar likely caused the fracture by smashing into G359.13 when it struck the cosmic bone at a speed between one million and two million miles per hour. This collision distorted the magnetic field in the bone, causing the radio signal to also become warped.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Credits: 

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ./F. Yusef-Zadeh et al

Radio: NRF/SARAO/MeerKat; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NeutronStar #Pulsar #G35913 #Exoplanets #Planets #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophysics #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #XrayAstronomy #RadioAstronomy #NRF #SARAO #MeerKat #CXC #SAO #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Caminata espacial 93 de EE.UU.: Paso a paso

NASA Caminata espacial 93 de EE.UU.: Paso a paso

Esta animación, narrada por la directora de vuelo de la NASA Diana Trujillo, muestra los pasos principales de la caminata espacial (o actividad extravehicular) del 1 de mayo de 2025.

Aprende más sobre la ciencia a bordo de la estación espacial: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/ciencia-en-la-estacion/

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Producción: NASA
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #Spacewalk #Spacewalk93 #EVA #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

What's Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

What's Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in May 2025?

Find a pair of planets in the sky in the evenings and mornings, have a look for the Eta Aquarid meteors, and join the watch for the brief and brilliant appearance of a "new star"—an anticipated nova explosion in the Corona Borealis constellation.

0:00 Intro

0:12 May planet viewing

1:03 Eta Aquarid meteor shower

1:48 Waiting for a nova

3:49 May Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Meteors #EtaAquaridMeteors #MeteorShowers #Moon #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Supernovae #CoronaBorealis #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #JPL #California #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Shenzhou-19 Space Experiment Samples Delivered to Chinese Scientists

Shenzhou-19 Space Experiment Samples Delivered to Chinese Scientists

Samples from experiments in space, which returned to Earth on Wednesday with the crew of China's Shenzhou-19 space mission, have been transferred to scientists in Beijing for further research.

Shenzhou-19 astronauts brought back 22 types of experiment samples of space materials that are in four categories. These samples will be transported to Beijing together with the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft.

They include tungsten high entropy alloy, high-strength steel, lunar soil reinforcement material, and gel composite lubricating material.

The Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that the studies of these experiment samples will promote the production and application of key materials including those for the next-generation aero-engine turbine blades and nano-electronic components.

"We have been using some characteristics of the space environment. For instance, multiple alloys can be well mixed together in space, which ensures high quality and purity with few defects. In this way, we can produce in space some urgently needed materials which are difficult to prepare on Earth. In addition, if we go further to the Moon and Mars in the future, can we use resources on them to produce materials we need? So the ongoing experiments onboard the space station will provide some solutions to us," said Zhang Wei, a researcher with the center.

Some of the space material samples had undergone in-orbit exposure experiments, which can reveal the mechanisms that caused damage to the samples' microstructures, their performance degradation, as well as functional failure in space.

According to relevant statistics, over 70 percent of the malfunctions of spacecraft were directly or indirectly caused by the space environment.

"Through research on these samples which had undergone exposures to the space environment outside of the space station, we will promote space applications of high-performance and durable lunar soil reinforcement materials, some large and foldable structural materials like flexible solar wings, and some high-performance and long-life lubricating materials. These will provide very important technical support for our deep space explorations and human space activities," said Ma Ping, a senior designer with the center.

The Shenzhou-19 mission generated over 102 samples of 13 types, which have been returned to Earth for in-depth analyses by scientists. These studies are expected to produce scientific outcomes in fundamental research, new materials, space radiation effects and hypomagnetic biological mechanisms.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 28 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #ExperimentSamples #CAS #China #中国 #Shenzhou19Spacecraft #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #ChenDong #ChenZhongrui #WangJie #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Shape of Taurus in Three Dimensions | Space Telescope Science Institute

The Shape of Taurus in Three Dimensions | Space Telescope Science Institute

This visualization reveals the stars of the Taurus constellation in three dimensions. Watch as the familiar pattern on the sky distorts into a whole new perspective.

The sequence begins by panning up to a view of Taurus in our night sky, accompanied by the constellation Orion to its left. Two of the nearest open clusters can be found in the region with the Hyades cluster at the center of Taurus and the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) to the right of it. The brightest star in this constellation is Aldebaran, a red giant. 

As the camera starts its journey through interstellar space around Taurus, what used to represent a bull from Earth slowly takes on a completely different shape. Aldebaran, previously appearing to be close to the Hyades cluster, now reveals its actual position is much closer to Earth. The stars change their brightness markedly as they pass nearer or farther from the camera. The onscreen graphic depicts the direction, distance, and speed of the camera motion.

As the view reaches the opposite side of Taurus, the bright star Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in Orion, swoops through. The camera continues its journey and passes behind the Taurus Molecular Cloud, one of the closest star-forming regions at a distance of around 430 light years. At a similar distance, the Pleiades then reappears, providing a close look at the famous star cluster.

This visualization features over 11 million stars down to a magnitude of 13.5 across the sky. The positions, colors, and luminosities are based on the Gaia and Hipparcos star catalogs, complemented by the HYG Database, which includes data from the Yale and Gliese catalogs. Interstellar dust is visualized using the Edenhofer map out to a distance of 1.25 kiloparsecs (~4,000 light years) from the Sun. The rest of the Milky Way plane is recreated using simulated spiral galaxy data for stars and dust from the Horizon GalMer database.

Credits:
Visualization: Christian Nieves, Frank Summers (STScI)
Motion Graphics: Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Data: 
Gaia DR3 – ESA/Gaia/DPAC 
Hipparcos Catalog – ESA
HYG-Database (v4.1) – Astronexus CC BY-SA 4.0 
Edenhofer et al (2023). A Parsec-Scale Galactic 3D Dust Map out to 1.25 kpc from the Sun -- Dataset for the 1.25 kpc 3D Dust Map and the 2 kpc 3D Dust Map (v1.0.2) [Data set]. Zenodo. 
Horizon GalMer Database – Chilingarian I. V., Di Matteo P., Combes F., Melchior A.-L., Semelin B., 2010, A&A, 518, A61

Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: May 1, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #TaurusConstellation #Taurus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualization #3D #HD #Video

US Spacewalk 93 Animation: McClain & Ayers | International Space Station

US Spacewalk 93 Animation: McClain & Ayers | International Space Station

An animation of U.S. spacewalk 93 taking place today, Thursday, May, 1, 2025. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers began a spacewalk at approximately 9:05 a.m. EDT to install a mounting bracket to prepare for the future installation of an additional set of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays, also called IROSA. The arrays will boost power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. The arrays will be installed on a future spacewalk following their arrival on a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission later this year. This animation was narrated by NASA flight director Diana Trujillo.

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #Spacewalk #Spacewalk93 #EVA #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video