Close-up: Merging Galaxy Cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo | Victor Blanco Telescope

Close-up: Merging Galaxy Cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo | Victor Blanco Telescope

Abell 3667—an actively merging galaxy cluster—is featured in this image assembled from over 28 hours of observations with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

Within Abell 3667, two smaller galaxy clusters are actively merging together, evidenced by the glowing bridge (yellow) of stars stretching across the center of this image. This bridge connects the hearts of the two galaxy clusters, known as their brightest cluster galaxies, and forms out of material stripped from the galaxies as they merge to form one massive conglomerate. 

Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in our Universe, consisting of hundreds or thousands of galaxies that have become gravitationally bound together over billions of years. Astrophysicists have long been eager to understand the formation of these imposing structures. The histories of galaxy clusters not only help us understand how the Universe formed, but they also provide constraints on the properties of dark matter—an invisible material that does not emit or reflect light and is found in high concentrations around clusters of galaxies.

One clue astronomers look for to understand the history of a galaxy cluster is intracluster light—the faint glow emitted by stars that have been stripped from their original galaxies by the immense gravity of a forming galaxy cluster. These stars serve as whispering evidence of past galactic interactions, though most existing telescopes and cameras struggle to capture them.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Acknowledgment: PI: Anthony Englert (Brown University)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 5, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell3667 #Pavo #Constellation #DarkMatter #IntraclusterLight #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DECam #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Merging Galaxy Cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo | Victor Blanco Telescope

Merging Galaxy Cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo | Victor Blanco Telescope

Merging galaxy cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo constellation

Labeled view of Abell 3667 galaxy cluster

Abell 3667—an actively merging galaxy cluster—is featured in this image assembled from over 28 hours of observations with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

Within Abell 3667, two smaller galaxy clusters are actively merging together, evidenced by the glowing bridge (yellow) of stars stretching across the center of this image. This bridge connects the hearts of the two galaxy clusters, known as their brightest cluster galaxies, and forms out of material stripped from the galaxies as they merge to form one massive conglomerate. 

Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in our Universe, consisting of hundreds or thousands of galaxies that have become gravitationally bound together over billions of years. Astrophysicists have long been eager to understand the formation of these imposing structures. The histories of galaxy clusters not only help us understand how the Universe formed, but they also provide constraints on the properties of dark matter—an invisible material that does not emit or reflect light and is found in high concentrations around clusters of galaxies.

One clue astronomers look for to understand the history of a galaxy cluster is intracluster light—the faint glow emitted by stars that have been stripped from their original galaxies by the immense gravity of a forming galaxy cluster. These stars serve as whispering evidence of past galactic interactions, though most existing telescopes and cameras struggle to capture them.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Acknowledgment: PI: Anthony Englert (Brown University)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: Aug. 5, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell3667 #Pavo #Constellation #DarkMatter #IntraclusterLight #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DECam #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Farewell & Command Change | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Farewell & Command Change | International Space Station

[Event starts at 2 minute mark] After nearly five months aboard the International Space Station, the four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission—NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov of Russia—are sharing their farewell remarks from space as they prepare to return home, followed by a change of command ceremony aboard the station.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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)

Credit: NASA
Duration: 17 minutes
Release Date: Aug. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Crew10 #Astronauts #NicholeAyers #AnneMcClain #JonnyKim #UnitedStates #TakuyaOnishi #Japan #JAXA #Cosmonauts #KirillPeskov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comparing Webb infrared image with Hubble Ultra Deep Field | NASA/ESA

Comparing Webb infrared image with Hubble Ultra Deep Field | NASA/ESA

This video provides a unique comparison to highlight the visible and infrared observations of one of the most iconic regions of the sky, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. 

When the original Hubble Ultra Deep Field was released by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope in 2004, it was the deepest image of the Universe ever taken. In 2025, Webb’s new view of this field is now one of the deepest views ever obtained of the Universe to date.

By returning to this legacy field first made famous by Hubble, Webb is continuing and expanding the deep field tradition—revealing new details, uncovering previously hidden galaxies, and offering fresh insights into the formation of the first cosmic structures.

The first image shown in this video a new infrared view of this field through the eyes of two of Webb’s instruments. The result is a detailed view that reveals thousands of distant galaxies, some dating back to the earliest periods of cosmic history. The field, known as the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) region, was observed with the shortest-wavelength filter of Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for nearly 41 hours. Combined with data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), this image allows astronomers to explore how galaxies formed and evolved over billions of years.

The second image shown in this video a portion of the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field, or XDF, as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This image, originally released in 2012, was taken of a patch of sky within the original Hubble Ultra Deep Field, released in 2004.

Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team, ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Östlin, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, J. Melinder, the JADES Collaboration, the MIDIS collaboration, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #Galaxies #HubbleUltraDeepField #Fornax #Constellation #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #JWST #NIRCam #MIRI #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: A deep field in Fornax: Thousands of distant galaxies | Webb Telescope

Close-up: A deep field in Fornax: Thousands of distant galaxies | Webb Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope revisits one of the most iconic regions of the sky, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, through the eyes of two of Webb’s instruments. The result is a detailed view that reveals thousands of distant galaxies, a portion dating back to the earliest periods of cosmic history.

The field shown here, known as the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) region, was observed with the three shortest-wavelength filters of Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for nearly 100 hours in total. This included Webb's longest observation of an extragalactic field in one filter so far, producing one of the deepest views ever obtained of the Universe. Combined with data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), this image allows astronomers to explore how galaxies formed and evolved over billions of years.

These deep observations have revealed more than 2500 sources in this tiny patch of sky. Among them are hundreds of extremely red galaxies. These are likely massive, dust-obscured systems or evolved galaxies with mature stars that formed early in the Universe’s history. Thanks to Webb’s sharp resolution, even at mid-infrared wavelengths, researchers can resolve the structures of many of these galaxies and study how their light is distributed, shedding light on their growth and evolution.

In this image, the colors that have been assigned to kinds of infrared light highlight the fine distinctions astronomers can make with this deep data. Orange and red represent the longest mid-infrared wavelengths. The galaxies in these colors have extra features—such as high concentrations of dust, copious star formation, or an active galactic nucleus (AGN) at their center, emitting more of this farther infrared light. Small, greenish-white galaxies are particularly distant with high redshift. This shifts their light spectrum into the peak mid-infrared wavelengths of the data, depicted in white and green. Most of the galaxies in this image lack any such mid-infrared boosting features, leaving them most bright at shorter near-infrared wavelengths, depicted with blue and cyan colors.

By returning to this legacy field first made famous by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, Webb is continuing and expanding the deep field tradition—revealing new details, uncovering previously hidden galaxies, and offering fresh insights into the formation of the first cosmic structures.

Image Description: An area of deep space with thousands of galaxies in a variety of shapes and sizes on a black background. Most are circles or ovals with a few spirals. More distant galaxies are smaller, down to being mere dots, while closer galaxies are larger and a number appear to be glowing. Red and orange galaxies contain more dust or more stellar activity.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Östlin, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, J. Melinder, the JADES Collaboration, the MIDIS collaboration, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #Galaxies #HubbleUltraDeepField #Fornax #Constellation #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #JWST #NIRCam #MIRI #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Revisting a classic deep field in Fornax: Thousands of distant galaxies | Webb Telescope

Revisting a classic deep field in Fornax: Thousands of distant galaxies | Webb Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope revisits one of the most iconic regions of the sky, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, through the eyes of two of Webb’s instruments. The result is a detailed view that reveals thousands of distant galaxies, a portion dating back to the earliest periods of cosmic history.

The field shown here, known as the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) region, was observed with the three shortest-wavelength filters of Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for nearly 100 hours in total. This included Webb's longest observation of an extragalactic field in one filter so far, producing one of the deepest views ever obtained of the Universe. Combined with data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), this image allows astronomers to explore how galaxies formed and evolved over billions of years.

These deep observations have revealed more than 2500 sources in this tiny patch of sky. Among them are hundreds of extremely red galaxies. These are likely massive, dust-obscured systems or evolved galaxies with mature stars that formed early in the Universe’s history. Thanks to Webb’s sharp resolution, even at mid-infrared wavelengths, researchers can resolve the structures of many of these galaxies and study how their light is distributed, shedding light on their growth and evolution.

In this image, the colors that have been assigned to kinds of infrared light highlight the fine distinctions astronomers can make with this deep data. Orange and red represent the longest mid-infrared wavelengths. The galaxies in these colors have extra features—such as high concentrations of dust, copious star formation, or an active galactic nucleus (AGN) at their center, emitting more of this farther infrared light. Small, greenish-white galaxies are particularly distant with high redshift. This shifts their light spectrum into the peak mid-infrared wavelengths of the data, depicted in white and green. Most of the galaxies in this image lack any such mid-infrared boosting features, leaving them most bright at shorter near-infrared wavelengths, depicted with blue and cyan colors.

By returning to this legacy field first made famous by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, Webb is continuing and expanding the deep field tradition—revealing new details, uncovering previously hidden galaxies, and offering fresh insights into the formation of the first cosmic structures.

Image Description: An area of deep space with thousands of galaxies in a variety of shapes and sizes on a black background. Most are circles or ovals with a few spirals. More distant galaxies are smaller, down to being mere dots, while closer galaxies are larger and a number appear to be glowing. Red and orange galaxies contain more dust or more stellar activity.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Östlin, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, J. Melinder, the JADES Collaboration, the MIDIS collaboration, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #Galaxies #HubbleUltraDeepField #Fornax #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #JWST #NIRCam #MIRI #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN) SDSO 1 & Neighboring Andromeda Galaxy

Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN) SDSO 1 & Neighboring Andromeda Galaxy

What are these gigantic blue arcs near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)? 

Discovered in 2022 by amateur astronomers, the faint arcs—dubbed SDSO 1—span nearly the same angular size as M31 itself. At first, their origin was a mystery. Are they actually near the Andromeda Galaxy, or alternatively near to our Sun? Now, over 550 hours of combined exposure and a collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers has revealed strong evidence for their true nature: SDSO 1 is not intergalactic, but a new class of planetary nebula within our galaxy. Dubbed a Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN), SDSO 1 is the first recognized member of a new subclass of faded planetary nebulas, along with seven others also recently identified. Shown in blue are extremely faint oxygen emission from the shock waves, while the surrounding red is a hydrogen-emitting trail that indicates the GPN's age.

Learn more: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ns2x09

Image Description: The Andromeda Galaxy is shown just right of center, while some unusual blue arcs appear to its left.

Credit & Copyright: Deep Sky Collective, Polaris Imaging Group, Patrick Ogle et al. /STScI/AURA
Duration: 1 minute, 36 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #PlanetaryNebula #GhostPlanetaryNebula #GPN #SDSO1 #BlueArcs #AndromedaGalaxy #M31 #Andromeda #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #GSFC #STScI #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD #HD #Video

Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN) SDSO 1 & Neighboring Andromeda Galaxy

Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN) SDSO 1 & Neighboring Andromeda Galaxy

What are these gigantic blue arcs near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)? 

Discovered in 2022 by amateur astronomers, the faint arcs—dubbed SDSO 1—span nearly the same angular size as M31 itself. At first, their origin was a mystery. Are they actually near the Andromeda Galaxy, or alternatively near to our Sun? Now, over 550 hours of combined exposure and a collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers has revealed strong evidence for their true nature: SDSO 1 is not intergalactic, but a new class of planetary nebula within our galaxy. Dubbed a Ghost Planetary Nebula (GPN), SDSO 1 is the first recognized member of a new subclass of faded planetary nebulas, along with seven others also recently identified. Shown in blue are extremely faint oxygen emission from the shock waves, while the surrounding red is a hydrogen-emitting trail that indicates the GPN's age.

Learn more: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ns2x09

Image Description: The Andromeda Galaxy is shown just right of center, while some unusual blue arcs appear to its left.

Image Credit & Copyright: Deep Sky Collective, Polaris Imaging Group, Patrick Ogle et al. /STScI/AURA
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #PlanetaryNebula #GhostPlanetaryNebula #GPN #SDSO1 #BlueArcs #AndromedaGalaxy #M31 #Andromeda #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #GSFC #STScI #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

NASA Artemis II Crew Module Training | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Crew Module Training | Kennedy Space Center

The Artemis II crew (from left to right): Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Reid Wiseman, commander, don their Orion Crew Survival System Suits for a multi-day crew module training beginning Thursday, July 31, 2025, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Behind the crew, wearing clean room apparel, are members of the Artemis II closeout crew. Testing included a suited crew test and crew equipment interface test, performing launch day and simulated orbital activities inside the Orion spacecraft. This series of tests marks the first time the crew entered their spacecraft that will take them around the Moon and back to Earth while wearing their spacesuits. 

The Artemis II crew will be sent on a ten-day Moon journey no earlier than April 2026.

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/Rad Sinyak
Date: July 31, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ArtemisIICrewModule #Astronauts #AstronautTraining #CrewedMission #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Journey of NS-34 | Blue Origin

The Journey of NS-34 | Blue Origin

"At the Kármán line, all walks of life come together."

On August 3, 2025, Blue Origin successfully completed its 14th human spaceflight and the 34th flight for the New Shepard program. The crew included: Arvi Bahal, Gökhan Erdem, Deborah Martorell, Lionel Pitchford, J.D. Russell, and H.E. Justin Sun—the winning bidder for the first New Shepard seat in 2021. Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 75 people into space, including five people who have flown twice."

The Kármán line is a conventional definition of the edge of space; it is widely but not universally accepted. The international record-keeping body Fédération aéronautique internationale (FAI) defines the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above mean sea level. The Kármán line is mainly used for legal and regulatory purposes of differentiating between aircraft and spacecraft.

“It was an honor to see so many nations represented on our flight today,” said Phil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard. “The view of our fragile planet from space has a unifying effect on all who witness it, and I am always eager to see how our astronauts use this experience for the benefit of Earth.”

Learn more about the NS-34 crew:

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-34-mission

Fly to space: https://www.blueorigin.com/new-shepard/fly

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardCrewCapsule #NS34Mission #NS34Crew #ArviBahal #GökhanErdem #DeborahMartorell #LionelPitchford #JDRussell #HEJustinSun #CommercialAstronauts #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Experienced NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Returns | International Space Station

Experienced NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Returns | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke: "ISS Expedition 73 in the house! Just got here yesterday, felt so very familiar, like I never left. Spending time getting reacquainted with my friends and the International Space Station. Very glad to be here."

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. This is his fourth spaceflight. The Pennsylvania native also traveled to space as part of Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2009, and STS-134 in 2011. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996. Upon his arrival to the International Space Station with Crew-11, he became an Expedition 73 flight engineer and began a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory.

For Expedition 9, Fincke served as Science Officer and Flight Engineer during his six-month stay aboard the space station. While there, he performed four spacewalks. For Expedition 18, Fincke served as station commander, where he and his crew prepared the station for future six-person crews. For STS-134, he served as mission specialist and completed three spacewalks. Colonel Fincke has logged more than a year in orbit with nine spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes of spacewalking time. 

Astronaut Mike Fincke NASA Biography: 

https://www.nasa.gov/people/edward-michael-mike-fincke/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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
Date: Aug. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #Astronauts #MikeFincke #NicholeAyers #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #JonnyKim #AnneMcClain #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft approaching the International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers taking photos of NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers: "I got the best wake-up call ever this morning when we found out Crew-11 was going to be a little early! They made it safely to the International Space Station, and it was a beautiful rendezvous (so naturally I had to take a few photos). So happy to have our friends on board! Congrats! Zena, Mike, Kimiya, and Oleg! We are so glad you’re here. 😊"

On Aug. 2, 2025, the Crew-11 quartet joined the seven-member Expedition 73 crew. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia have started their seven-month research mission in low Earth orbit.

Crew-11 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will simulate lunar landings, test strategies to safeguard vision, and advance other human spaceflight studies led by NASA’s Human Research Program. The crew also will study plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses, as well as perform experiments to produce a higher volume of human stem cells and generate on-demand nutrients.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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/N. Ayers/T. Onishi (JAXA)
Date: Aug. 2, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #NicholeAyers #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: July 31-Aug. 2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 31-Aug. 2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1580

Mars 2020 - sol 1578

Mars 2020 - sol 1578

Can you spot the dust devil?—Mars 2020 - sol 1580

MSL - sol 4616

Mars 2020 - sol 1582

MSL - sol 4614

MSL - sol 4616

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 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: July 31-Aug. 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

Massive, Hot Wolf-Rayet Star WR 112 of Sagittarius (Infrared) | Webb Telescope

Massive, Hot Wolf-Rayet Star WR 112 of Sagittarius (Infrared) | Webb Telescope

WR 112 is located in the constellation of Sagittarius—the half-man/half-horse archer. It is a main sequence Wolf-Rayet star, known for extreme luminosity and rapid stellar winds. WR 112 is on the Ecliptic, the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun.

Wolf–Rayet stars, often abbreviated as WR stars, are a rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionized helium and highly ionized nitrogen or carbon. The spectra indicate very high surface enhancement of heavy elements, depletion of hydrogen, and strong stellar winds. The surface temperatures of known Wolf–Rayet stars range from 20,000 K to around 210,000 K, hotter than almost all other kinds of stars.

Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its old astronomical symbol is  (♐︎). Its name is Latin for "archer". Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. It lies between Scorpius and Ophiuchus to the west and Capricornus and Microscopium to the east.

The center of the Milky Way lies in the westernmost part of Sagittarius.

Image Processor Judy Schmidt: "Another in a series of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images of Wolf-Rayet stars that have intricate and fascinating dust shells around them. There's a very strong set of diffraction spikes (the blueish multi-colored rays emanating from the center star) in every filter this time. I tried to make them less distracting by both desaturating and dimming them. I think it looks a bit better like this, but it may also look somewhat unnatural or overprocessed."

Image Credit: Judy Schmidt
Release Date: August 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #Stars #WolfRayetStars #WR112 #Sagittarius #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #JWST #MIRI #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #JudySchmidt #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Tarantula Nebula in nearby Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Hubble

The Tarantula Nebula in nearby Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Hubble

A scene from a star-forming factory shines in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. It captures incredible details in the dusty clouds in a star-forming region called the Tarantula Nebula. What is possibly the most amazing aspect of this detailed image is that this nebula is not even in our galaxy. Instead, it is in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf galaxy that is located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa. 

The Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the dozens of small satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. The Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and within the entire group of nearby galaxies that the Milky Way belongs to.

The Tarantula Nebula is home to the most massive stars known—a portion are roughly 200 times as massive as our Sun. The scene pictured here is located away from the center of the nebula, where there is a super star cluster called R136, but very close to a rare type of star called a Wolf–Rayet star. Wolf–Rayet stars are massive stars that have lost their outer shell of hydrogen and are extremely hot and luminous, powering dense and furious stellar winds.

This nebula is a frequent target for Hubble, whose multiwavelength capabilities are critical for capturing sculptural details in the nebula’s dusty clouds. The data used to create this image come from an observing program called Scylla. It is named for a multi-headed sea monster from the Greek myth of Ulysses. The Scylla program was designed to complement another Hubble observing program called Ultraviolet Legacy library of Young Stars as Essential Standards (ULYSSES). It targets massive young stars in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, while Scylla investigates the structures of gas and dust that surround these stars.

Image Description: A nebula. The top-left is dense with layers of fluffy pink and greenish clouds. Long strands of green clouds stretch out from here; a faint layer of translucent blue dust combines with them to create a three-dimensional scene. A sparse network of dark dust clouds in the foreground adds reddish-black patches atop the nebula. Blue-white and orange stars, from our galaxy and beyond, are spread amongst the clouds.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

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Meteor over West Virginia | NASA

Meteor over West Virginia | NASA

In this 30-second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. 

The Perseids meteor shower peaks in mid-August, and is the most popular meteor shower of the year.

Perseids: Fast Facts

Comet of Origin: 109P/Swift-Tuttle

Radiant Constellation: Perseus

Active: July 17 to Aug. 23, 2025 (Peak night: Aug. 12-13)

Observed Under Dark Skies: About 25 meteors per hour

Meteor Velocity: 37 miles (59 km) per second

The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is active annually from July 3 to August 15, with its peak activity typically occurring around July 30. Currently, the shower is active. The radiant, the point in the sky where the meteors appear to originate, is located in the constellation Capricornus. This shower is visible from the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres. 

The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is considered a bright one and is known for producing up to 5 meteors per hour (ZHR) at its peak. The meteors from this shower strike the atmosphere at an average speed of 23 km/s. The parent body responsible for creating the debris that leads to the Alpha Capricornids shower is the periodic comet 169P/NEAT.

West Virginia is a mountainous state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: Aug. 3, 2025

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