Views of Hurricane Erin | International Space Station

Views of Hurricane Erin | International Space Station

The International Space Station flew 260 miles over Hurricane Erin at 11:41 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. External cameras on the orbiting laboratory captured views of the hurricane as it traveled northwest through the Caribbean with maximum sustained wind speeds of 105 mph. Hurricane Erin is not expected to make landfall and is projected to move between the U.S. East coast and Bermuda before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: 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.

Video Credit: NASA Video

Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Aug. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #AtlanticOcean #Weather #Meteorology #HurricaneErin #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Circular Arcs of Star Trails | International Space Station

Circular Arcs of Star Trails | International Space Station

This long-exposure photograph, taken over 31 minutes from a window inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, captures circular arcs of star trails. In the foreground is a portion of Kibo’s Exposed Facility, where a variety of payloads and experiments can be mounted for direct exposure to the vacuum of space. The Japanese Experiment Module—Kibo—is Japan’s contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Kibō (meaning 'Hope' in Japanese) is a Japanese science module developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It is the largest single ISS module, and is attached to the Harmony module.

Learn more about Kibō:

https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/kibo/

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: 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
Image Date: July 26, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Stars #StarTrails #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #TimelapsePhotography #Kibo #きぼう#Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

New Moon Discovered Orbiting Planet Uranus | James Webb Space Telescope

New Moon Discovered Orbiting Planet Uranus | James Webb Space Telescope

This timelapse animation shows the newly discovered moon of the planet Uranus, designated S/2025 U1, as well as 13 of the 28 other known moons orbiting the planet. The observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) were taken over the course of about 6 hours on Feb. 2, 2025, under program ID 6379 (principal investigator: M. El Moutamid). 

The animation is comprised of data taken with NIRCam’s wide band F150W2 filter that transmits infrared wavelengths from about 1.0 to 2.4 microns. Due to the drastic differences in brightness levels, the animation is a composite of three separate treatments of the data, allowing the viewer to see details in the planetary atmosphere, the surrounding rings, and the orbiting moons. The small moon Cordelia orbits just inside the outermost ring, but is not visible in these views due to glare from the rings.

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Animation: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Maryame El Moutamid (SwRI), Matthew Hedman (University of Idaho), Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Duration: 17 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 19, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #SolarSystem #Planets #Uranus #Moons #Moon #S2025U1 #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

NASA Artemis III Moon Rocket Processing Begins | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Moon Rocket Processing Begins | Kennedy Space Center

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the engine section of the agency’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. The engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon.

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida integrate NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engine section with its boat-tail inside the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. 

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the engine section of the agency’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the engine section of the agency’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the engine section of the agency’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida integrate NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engine section with its boat-tail inside the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

Teams from Kennedy lift NASA’s integrated Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engine section with its boat-tail inside the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.

Teams from Kennedy lift NASA’s integrated Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engine section with its boat-tail inside the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Shown inside the facility’s High Bay 2 for processing, the engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon. 

Buildup of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis III lunar mission has started at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, even as NASA prepares for the launch of the Artemis II mission, the second Artemis mission in NASA’s efforts to return humans to the Moon and eventually land on Mars.

The Artemis III SLS engine section and boat-tail that protects the engines during launch moved from the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA Kennedy to the mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in late July, just a few feet from where the Artemis II SLS is mostly stacked and undergoing integrated testing and checkouts.

This engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon.

Over the course of about 30 days, the Artemis III astronauts will travel to lunar orbit, where two crew members will descend to the surface and spend approximately a week near the South Pole of the Moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth. Launch is currently scheduled for mid-2027.

Learn more about the Artemis campaign: 
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/
Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)
https://www.nasa.gov/sls
NASA's Artemis III Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/
Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
Image Dates: July 29-Aug. 13, 2025

 

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisIII #SLS #SLSRocket #CoreStage #Boeing #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s Quesst Mission: X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Testing | NASA Armstrong

NASA’s Quesst Mission: X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Testing | NASA Armstrong

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at sunrise before ground tests at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, on July 18, 2025.

NASA test pilot Nils Larson lowers the canopy of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft during ground tests at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, on July 18, 2025.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft taxis across the runway during a low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on July 10, 2025. The test marks the start of taxi tests and the last series of ground tests before first flight.

Here you see the X-59 scaled model inside the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) supersonic wind tunnel during critical tests related to sound predictions.

The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst Mission to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight. The aircraft is scheduled to make its first flight later in 2025. NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has completed taxi tests, marking the first time this one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft has moved under its own power. The aircraft completed its first low-speed taxi test, allowing engineers and flight crews to monitor how it handled moving across the runway under its own power. Taxi tests mark the final major ground test before flight operations begin. 

NASA’s Quesst Mission aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a quieter “thump”. Data gathered during X-59 research flights will be shared with the U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

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

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

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

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

Image Credits: NASA/Carla Thomas, Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garr, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Image Dates: July 10-17, 2025

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

Close-up: Galaxy NGC 4900—A Spiral and a Star in Virgo | Hubble

Close-up: Galaxy NGC 4900—A Spiral and a Star in Virgo | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features a sparkling spiral galaxy paired with a prominent star, both in the constellation Virgo. While the galaxy and the star appear to be close to one another, even overlapping, they are actually a great distance apart. The star, marked with four long diffraction spikes, is in our own galaxy. It is just 7,109 light-years away from Earth. The galaxy, named NGC 4900, lies about 45 million light-years from Earth.

This image combines data from two of Hubble’s instruments: the Advanced Camera for Surveys, installed in 2002 and is still in operation today, and the older Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2—in use from 1993 to 2009. The data used here were taken more than 20 years apart for two different observing programs—a real testament to Hubble’s long scientific lifetime.

Both programs aimed to understand the demise of massive stars. In one, researchers studied the sites of past supernovae, aiming to estimate the masses of the stars that exploded and investigate how supernovae interact with their surroundings. NGC 4900 was selected for study because it hosted a supernova named SN 1999br.

In the other program, researchers laid the groundwork for studying future supernovae by collecting images of more than 150 nearby galaxies. After a supernova is detected in one of these galaxies, researchers can examine these images, searching for a star at the location of the supernova. Identifying a supernova progenitor star in pre-explosion images gives valuable information about how, when and why supernovae occur.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen face-on. Broken spiral arms made of blue patches of stars and thin strands of dark dust swirl around the galaxy’s center, forming a broad, circular disc. An extended circular halo surrounds the disc. The center is a brightly-glowing, stubby bar-shaped area in a pale yellow color. A bright star in our own galaxy, with long cross-shaped diffraction spikes, is visible atop the distant galaxy.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. J. Smartt, C. Kilpatrick

Time: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 10, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC900 #SpiralGalaxy #Virgo #Constellation #Star #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy UGC 11397 in Lyra | Hubble

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy UGC 11397 in Lyra | Hubble

The light that the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope collected to create this picture reached the telescope after a journey of 250 million years. Its source was the spiral galaxy UGC 11397. It resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy. It sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust.

What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive black hole containing 174 million times the mass of the Sun is growing. As a black hole ensnares gas, dust, and even entire stars from its vicinity, this doomed matter heats up and puts on a fantastic cosmic light show. Material trapped by the black hole emits light from gamma rays to radio waves and can brighten and fade without warning. However, in galaxies like UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light.  Despite this, UGC 11397's actively growing black hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission—high-energy light that can pierce the surrounding dust. This led astronomers to classify it as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, a category used for active galaxies whose central regions are hidden from view in visible light by a doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas.

Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass. The Hubble observations will help researchers weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the Universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen at an angle that gives it an oval shape. It has two spiral arms that curl out from the center. They start narrow but broaden out as they wrap around the galaxy before merging into a faint halo. The galaxy’s disc is golden in the center with a bright core, and pale blue outside that. A swirl of dark dust strands and speckled blue star-forming regions follow the arms through the disc.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: June 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC11397 #SpiralGalaxy #SuperMassiveBlackHole #BlackHoles #Type2SeyfertGalaxy #Lyra #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Galaxy Cluster Abell 209 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Galaxy Cluster Abell 209 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

A massive, spacetime-warping cluster of galaxies is the setting of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. The galaxy cluster in question is Abell 209. It is located 2.8 billion light-years away in the constellation Cetus (The Whale).

This Hubble image of Abell 209 shows more than a hundred galaxies, but there is more to this cluster than even Hubble’s discerning eye can see. Abell 209’s galaxies are separated by millions of light-years, and the seemingly empty space between the galaxies is actually filled with hot, diffuse gas that can be spotted only at X-ray wavelengths. An even more elusive occupant of this galaxy cluster is dark matter: a form of matter that does not interact with light. The Universe is understood to be comprised of 5% normal matter, 25% dark matter, and 70% dark energy

Hubble observations like the ones used to create this image can help astronomers answer fundamental questions about our Universe, including mysteries surrounding dark matter and dark energy. These investigations leverage the immense mass of a galaxy cluster. This can bend the fabric of spacetime itself and create warped and magnified images of background galaxies and stars in a process called gravitational lensing.

While this image lacks the dramatic rings that gravitational lensing can sometimes create, Abell 209 still shows subtle signs of lensing at work, in the form of streaky, slightly curved galaxies within the cluster’s golden glow. By measuring the distortion of these galaxies, astronomers can map the distribution of mass within the cluster, illuminating the underlying cloud of dark matter. This information, which Hubble’s fine resolution and sensitive instruments help to provide, is critical for testing theories of how our Universe has evolved.

Image Description: A cluster of distant, mainly elliptical galaxies. They appear as brightly shining points radiating golden light that each take the shape of a smooth, featureless oval. They crowd around one that is extremely large and bright. A few spiral galaxies of comparable size appear too, bluer in color and with unique shapes. Of the other, more small and distant galaxies covering the scene, a few are warped into long lines.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Postman, P. Kelly, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Time: 30 seconds
Release Date: July 7, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell209 #Cetus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Alaska 'Daylight' Aurora and The Andromeda Galaxy

Alaska 'Daylight' Aurora and The Andromeda Galaxy

Astrophotographer John Chumack: "Sometimes the northern lights occur overhead when it is still daylight, but because of the bright blue sky when the Sun is up, we do not see them. However, I was able to capture this charming daylight aurora outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, on March 22, 2025. The Sun had just set, and so the sky was just dark enough to detect it with the human eye."

"Note that the Andromeda Galaxy (our sister galaxy) is visible on the left center edge of the frame. At approximately 2.2 million light years away, it is considered the furthest object the human eye can see without optical aid."

Photo Details: Canon DSLR camera; 16-35mm lens set to 25mm; F2.8; ISO 3200; 8 seconds exposure.

Auroras happen when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field, creating dazzling light shows in the sky. The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, occurs in an upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the ionosphere.

Learn more & track auroras: 
https://www.aurorasaurus.org

How to find and photograph auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/feature/nasas-guide-to-finding-and-photographing-auroras/

Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of the Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. 

Image Credit: John Chumack
Text Credit: John Chumack
John's website: https://www.galacticimages.com
Capture Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Coordinates: 64.8401, -147.7200
Release Date: Aug. 18, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #AndromedaGalaxy #MilkyWayGalaxy #Sun #SolarSystem #SolarWind #Planet #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Magnetosphere #Astrophotography #JohnChumack #Astrophotographer #Fairbanks #Alaska #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #EPoD

Building a New Milky Way Spectator: The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) | ESO

Building a New Milky Way Spectator: The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) | ESO

This picture shows the Milky Way galaxy flowing over the European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). As the light of the Milky Way band appears to pour into the ELT, the enormous cranes around it seem to do the same while they further advance the telescope. Once the assembly is complete, the soon-to-be largest telescope in the world will be breaking down the light above in unparalleled detail. 

The very bright and orange patch in the Milky Way right above the open dome is the core of our galaxy, with its filamentary dark clouds of gas and dust. The stars in the Milky Way center look redder partly because they are older and partly because dust reddens them, similar to how particles in our atmosphere make the Sun look red at sunrise or sunset.

Focusing back down on Earth, the ELT will scrutinize the pristine night sky above the Chilean Atacama Desert with unprecedented precision. It will help us learn more about the close environment of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. It will analyze the atmospheres of exoplanets, answer questions about the births and deaths of stars we yet cannot even begin to ask, and explore how galaxies form and evolve, among many other exciting questions. We eagerly await the mysteries of the cosmos the world’s biggest eye on the sky will unveil. 

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is a massive building. It 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 tonnes of steel, 30 million bolts or 500 km of cables.

The ELT stands at Cerro Armazones in Chile's Atacama Desert. 
Altitude: 3,046 meters
Planned year of technical first light: 2027

Learn more about ESO’s ELT at: https://elt.eso.org

Image Description: This image shows the open metallic dome of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) at the center of the picture taking up the lower half of the frame. At the top, like a river the Milky Way band horizontally pours into the ELT. The construction site of the ELT is surrounded by cranes, while the Milky Way lights up the sky in various colors. One patch of the Milky Way shines the brightest, the center of the galaxy.

Credit: C. Letelier/ESO
Release Date: Aug. 18, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #AstronomicalObservatories #ExtremelyLargeTelescope #ELT #Dome #Mirror #Construction #Nebulae #Stars #Exoplanets #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #BiggestEyeOnTheSky #Technology #Engineering #CerroArmazones #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

A Noteworthy Nearby Spiral Galaxy in Hydra: NGC 2835 | Hubble

A Noteworthy Nearby Spiral Galaxy in Hydra: NGC 2835 | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture offers a closeup of a nearby spiral galaxy. The subject is NGC 2835. It lies 35 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra (The Water Snake). Regions of this galaxy are bright in a wavelength of red light called H-alpha emission. It can be seen along NGC 2835’s spiral arms, where dozens of bright pink nebulae appear like flowers in bloom. Astronomers are interested in H-alpha light because it signals the presence of several types of nebulae that arise during stages of a star’s life. Newborn massive stars create nebulae called H II regions that are particularly brilliant sources of H-alpha light, while dying stars can leave behind supernova remnants or planetary nebulae that can also be identified by their H-alpha emission.

By using Hubble’s sensitive instruments to survey 19 nearby galaxies, researchers aim to identify more than 50,000 nebulae. These observations will help to explain how stars affect their birth neighborhoods through intense starlight and winds.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen face-on. Its center is a bright glowing yellow. The galaxy’s spiral arms contain sparkling blue stars, pink spots of star formation, and dark threads of dust that follow the arms.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST team
Release Date: Aug. 18, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #NGC2835 #SpiralGalaxies #HAlphaEmissions #Hydra #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Asperitas Clouds over New Zealand | Earth Science

Asperitas Clouds over New Zealand | Earth Science

What kind of clouds are these? Although their cause is presently unknown, such unusual atmospheric structures, as menacing as they might seem, do not appear to be harbingers of meteorological doom. Formally recognized as a distinct cloud type only last year, asperitas clouds can be stunning in appearance, unusual in occurrence, and are relatively unstudied. Whereas most low cloud decks are flat bottomed, asperitas clouds appear to have significant vertical structure underneath. Speculation therefore holds that asperitas clouds might be related to lenticular clouds that form near mountains, or mammatus clouds associated with thunderstorms, or perhaps a foehn—a type of dry downward wind that flows off mountains. Clouds from such a wind called the Canterbury arch stream toward the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. The featured image, taken above Hanmer Springs in Canterbury, New Zealand in 2005, shows great detail partly because sunlight illuminates the undulating clouds from the side.

Image Description: Trees and mountains line the bottom of a landscape image with blue sky visible above. The sky is otherwise dominated by a large and unusual cloud that is brown and gold and has many waves and structures. 

Image Credit & Copyright: Witta Priester

Witta's website: http://www.flickr.com/people/wittap/
Release Date: Aug. 17, 2025

#NASA #Science #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Clouds #AsperitasClouds #NewZealand #Photography #CitizenScience #WittaPriester #Photographer #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Piercing the Skies above Paranal | European Southern Observatory

Piercing the Skies above Paranal | European Southern Observatory

A large telescope stands in the center of the image, against a stunning backdrop of thousands of stars above Chile’s Atacama Desert. The Milky Way galaxy appears to flow behind the telescope, a river of purple and blue light just to the dome’s left. The sky itself glows slightly green towards the horizon. From the very center of the telescope, four bright orange laser beams are projected ahead into the night sky.

This picture is a majestic portrait of UT4, one of the four 8-meter telescopes of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Framed against the star-filled sky of the Paranal Observatory, this telescope is much more than a passive observer. From within its dome, it pierces the peaceful night with four laser beams.

These lasers are projected from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF), which UT4 uses to create its own artificial stars in the sky. The lasers create these points of light by exciting sodium atoms in the atmosphere, about 90 km above the ground, causing them to glow. These “stars” then act as guides, and by studying how they are blurred by the atmosphere the telescope learns how to adjust for atmospheric turbulence—the same turbulence that makes every little star twinkle.

The adjustments are made by UT4’s adaptive optics system. This can precisely deform the telescope’s secondary mirror to cancel out atmospheric disturbances measured by the system. Using adaptive optics, a ground-based telescope can take much sharper images than the atmosphere would normally allow—it is almost as good as sending the VLT to space.

Soon, the other three 8-m telescopes of the VLT will be equipped with one laser each. This is part of a series of upgrades of the VLT Interferometer and its GRAVITY+ instrument. This can combine the light of several telescopes to create a huge “virtual” telescope. Another massive eye on the sky, ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), is nearing completion not far from Paranal, and will be equipped with at least 6 lasers, to deliver the sharpest images possible with a ground-based telescope. 

Credit: ESO/A. de Burgos Sierra
Release Date: April 21, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Nebulae #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #UT4 #Telescopes #AdaptiveOptics #LaserGuideStars #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara | MPG/ESO Telescope

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara | MPG/ESO Telescope

The globular cluster NGC 6397, located at a distance of approximately 7,800 light-years in the southern constellation Ara within the Milky Way galaxy. It has undergone a "core collapse" and the central area is very dense. It contains about 400,000 stars and its age (based on evolutionary models) is 13,400 ± 800 million years. 

NGC 6397 (also known as Caldwell 86), resembles a treasure chest of glittering jewels. Here, the stars are jam-packed together. The stellar density is about a million times greater than in our Sun's stellar neighborhood. The stars are only a few light-weeks apart, while the nearest star to our Sun is over four light-years away. NGC 6397 was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752.

This ancient stellar jewelry box glitters with the light from hundreds of thousands of stars. The cluster’s blue stars are near the end of their lives. These stars have used up their hydrogen fuel that makes them shine. Now they are converting helium to energy in their cores. This fuses at a higher temperature and appears blue. The reddish glow is from red giant stars that have consumed their hydrogen fuel and have expanded in size. The myriad small white objects include stars like our Sun.

The photo is a composite of exposures in the B-, V- and I-bands obtained in the frame of the Pilot Stellar Survey with the Wide-Field-Imager (WFI) camera at the 2.2-m ESO/MPG telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory. It was prepared and provided by the ESO Imaging Survey team. The spikes seen at some of the brighter stars are caused by the effect of overexposure (CCD "bleeding").

ESO/MPI telescope:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: Aug. 17, 2004

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Black Hole Concentration in Star Cluster NGC 6397: Artist’s Impression | Hubble

Black Hole Concentration in Star Cluster NGC 6397: Artist’s Impression | Hubble

Scientists were expecting to find an intermediate-mass black hole at the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6397, but instead they found evidence of a concentration of smaller black holes lurking there. Data from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope have led to the first measurement of the extent of a collection of black holes in a core-collapsed globular cluster.

This animation is an artist’s impression created to visualize the concentration of black holes at the center of NGC 6397. In reality, the small black holes here are far too small for the direct observing capacities of any existing or planned future telescope, including Hubble. It is predicted that this core-collapsed globular cluster could be host to more than 20 black holes.

NGC 6397 sits 7,800 light-years away within the Milky Way galaxy, making it one of the closest globular clusters to Earth in the constellation Ara. This ancient stellar jewelry box glitters with the light from hundreds of thousands of stars. The stars are only a few light-weeks apart, while the nearest star to our Sun is over four light-years away. NGC 6397 was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752.

Credit: ESA/Hubble, N. Bartmann

Duration: 24 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 11, 2021

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Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara | Hubble

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara | Hubble

This Hubble Space Telescope view of the core of one of the nearest globular star clusters, called NGC 6397 (also known as Caldwell 86), resembles a treasure chest of glittering jewels. The cluster is located 7,800 light-years away in the constellation Ara within the Milky Way galaxy. Here, the stars are jam-packed together. The stellar density is about a million times greater than in our Sun's stellar neighborhood. The stars are only a few light-weeks apart, while the nearest star to our Sun is over four light-years away. NGC 6397 was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752.

This ancient stellar jewelry box glitters with the light from hundreds of thousands of stars. The cluster’s blue stars are near the end of their lives. These stars have used up their hydrogen fuel that makes them shine. Now they are converting helium to energy in their cores. This fuses at a higher temperature and appears blue. The reddish glow is from red giant stars that have consumed their hydrogen fuel and have expanded in size. The myriad small white objects include stars like our Sun.

Credit: NASA/ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Release Date: Aug. 7, 2003

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #NGC6397 #Caldwell86 #StarClusters #GlobularStarClusters #Ara #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education