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

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

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

The opening of the sequence pans up to Scorpius in the night sky. The brightest star in the constellation, Antares, is a red supergiant known as the "heart of the Scorpion". The name "Antares" can be translated to "rival of Ares" (i.e., "rival of Mars") due to its resemblance to the red planet in the night sky. The bright stars forming the tail of the scorpion are also referred to as the "fish hook". At the end of the tail, next to the star Fuyue, is the star cluster known as Ptolemy's Cluster (Messier 7). To its lower left the famous asterism known as "the teapot" from the constellation Sagittarius can be found.

As the camera orbits around the constellation, the stars of the scorpion and the dark dust clouds in the disk of our Milky Way Galaxy reveal their true distributions in space. The most distant star of the constellation is Apollyon (Iota-1 Scorpii), a supergiant that is around 2,000 light years away and over 35,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Toward the end of the spin, several star clusters cross the view of the camera. The most populated one is the Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532) from the constellation Carina at around 1,300 light years from the Sun. The Hyades cluster, our nearest open cluster at just 150 light years  in Taurus, makes an appearance at the lower left of the camera view just before the return to the Solar System.

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. Insterstellar dust is visualized using data from the Edenhofer et al map out to a distance of 1.25 kiloparsecs (~4,000 ly) from the Sun and from the Lallement et al data out to 3 kiloparsecs (~9,800 ly). 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. 

Lallement, R., et al. (2022). Updated Gaia-2MASS 3D Maps of Galactic Interstellar Dust. [Data set]. CDS.

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: Sept. 1, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #ScorpiusConstellation #Scorpius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualization #3D #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 7456 in Grus | Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral Galaxy NGC 7456 in Grus | Hubble Space Telescope

While it may appear unassuming at first glance, just another spiral galaxy among thousands in the Universe, the subject of this Hubble Space Telescope picture has plenty to study. NGC 7456 is its name, located over 51 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (the Crane).

In this image we see in fine detail the patchy spiral arms of this galaxy, followed by clumps of dark, obscuring dust. Blossoms of glowing pink are rich reservoirs of gas where new stars are forming, illuminating the clouds around them and causing the gas to emit this tell-tale red light. The Hubble program collecting this data is focused on stellar activity just like this, tracking new stars, clouds of hydrogen and star clusters to learn how the galaxy has evolved through time.

Hubble, with its ability to capture visible, ultraviolet and a portion of infrared light, is not the only observatory focused on NGC 7456. The European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton satellite has imaged X-rays from the galaxy on multiple occasions, discovering a number of so-called ultraluminous X-ray sources. These small, compact objects emit terrifically powerful X-rays, much more than would be expected for their size. Astronomers are still trying to pin down what powers these extreme objects, and NGC 7456 contributes a few more examples.

On top of that, the region around the galaxy’s supermassive black hole is spectacularly bright and energetic, making NGC 7456 an active galaxy. Whether looking at its core or its outskirts, at visible light or X-rays, this galaxy has something interesting to show!

Image Description: A spiral galaxy. It shines brightly at the center, and most of its disc also glows in warm colors. Its two spiral arms wind outwards from the center. They are made up mostly of large patches of bright blue specks. They also contain thin, reddish clouds of dust, and bright pink bubbles of glowing gas, where stars are forming. Distant galaxies can be seen around the galaxy as small orange spots, on a dark background.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker
Release Date: Sept. 1, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #NGC7456 #Grus #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Top of The Cone Nebula Up Close in Monoceros | Hubble

Top of The Cone Nebula Up Close in Monoceros | Hubble

Top section of the giant-sized Cone Nebula

Ground-based image of the Cone Nebula with a regional outline of the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) close-up view. The Anglo-Australian Observatory, now known as the Australian Astronomical Observatory, is a 3.9-meter telescope located at the Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia.

Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this celestial object is actually a pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)—so named because in ground-based images it has a conical shape—this monstrous pillar resides in a turbulent star-forming region. This picture, taken by the newly installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, shows the top part of the Cone. It has a full height equal to 23 million roundtrips to the Moon. The entire pillar is seven light-years long.

Distance: 2,500 light years in the constellation Monoceros

Radiation from hot, young stars has slowly eroded the nebula over millions of years. Ultraviolet light heats the edges of the dark cloud, releasing gas into the relatively empty region of surrounding space. There, additional ultraviolet radiation causes the hydrogen gas to glow. This produces the red halo of light seen around the pillar. A similar process occurs on a much smaller scale to gas surrounding a single star, forming the bow-shaped arc seen near the upper left side of the Cone. This arc, seen previously with the Hubble telescope, is 65 times larger than the diameter of our Solar System. The blue-white light from surrounding stars is reflected by dust. Background stars can be seen peeking through the evaporating tendrils of gas, while the turbulent base is pockmarked with stars reddened by dust.

Over time, only the densest regions of the Cone will be left. However, inside these regions, stars and planets may form. The Cone Nebula resides 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros within our Milky Way galaxy.

Pillars like the Cone nebula are common in large regions of star birth. Astronomers regard these pillars as incubators for developing stars.

Image Credit: NASA, the ACS Science Team (H. Ford, G. Illingworth, M. Clampin, G. Hartig, T. Allen, K. Anderson, F. Bartko, N. Benitez, J. Blakeslee, R. Bouwens, T. Broadhurst, R. Brown, C. Burrows, D. Campbell, E. Cheng, N. Cross, P. Feldman, M. Franx, D. Golimowski, C. Gronwall, R. Kimble, J. Krist, M. Lesser, D. Magee, A. Martel, W.
 J. McCann, G. Meurer, G. Miley, M. Postman, P. Rosati, M. Sirianni, W. Sparks, P. Sullivan, H. Tran, Z. Tsvetanov, R. White, and R. Woodruff) and ESA
Text Credit: NASA, Holland Ford (JHU), the ACS Science Team and European Space Agency
Release Date: April 30, 2002

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #ConeNebula #NGC2264 #HIIRegion #Monoceros #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #AAO #AAT #SidingSpringObservatory #Australia #STEM #Education

Close-up: Five Galaxies in Hydra—The Hickson Compact Group 40 | Hubble

Close-up: Five Galaxies in Hydra—The Hickson Compact Group 40 | Hubble

This is an unusual close-knit collection of five galaxies, called The Hickson Compact Group 40. This menagerie includes three spiral-shaped galaxies, an elliptical galaxy, and a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy. Somehow, these galaxies crossed paths in their evolution to create an exceptionally crowded and eclectic galaxy sampler. Caught in a leisurely gravitational dance, the whole group is so crowded that it could fit within a region of space that is less than twice the dia meter of our Milky Way's stellar disk.

Alhough such cozy galaxy groupings can be found in the heart of huge galaxy clusters, these galaxies are notably isolated in their own small patch of the universe, in the direction of the constellation Hydra.

One possible explanation is that there is a lot of dark matter (an unknown and invisible form of matter) associated with these galaxies. If they come close together, then the dark matter can form a big cloud within which the galaxies are orbiting. As the galaxies plow through the dark matter they feel a resistive force due to its gravitational effects. This slows their motion and makes the galaxies lose energy, so they fall together. Therefore, this snapshot catches the galaxies at a very special moment in their lifetimes. In about 1 billion years they will eventually collide and merge to form a giant elliptical galaxy.

Astronomers have studied this compact galaxy group not only in visible light, but also in radio, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths. Almost all of them have a compact radio source in their cores, which could be evidence for the presence of supermassive black holes. X-ray observations show that the galaxies have been gravitationally interacting due to the presence of a lot of hot gas among the galaxies. Infrared observations reveal clues to the rate of new star formation.

Though over 100 such compact galaxy groups have been cataloged in sky surveys going back several decades, Hickson Compact Group 40 is one of the most densely packed. Observations suggest that such tight groups may have been more abundant in the early universe and provided fuel for powering black holes, known as quasars, whose light from superheated infalling material blazed across space. Studying the details of galaxies in nearby groups like this help astronomers sort out when and where galaxies assembled themselves, and what they are assembled from.

"I remember seeing this on a sky survey and saying, 'wow look at that!'" said Paul Hickson of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. "All that I was using at the time was a big plastic ruler and a magnifying glass while looking over sky survey prints." He re-discovered the group by browsing through a collection of peculiar galaxies first published by Halton Arp in 1966.

Hubble was deployed into orbit around Earth by NASA astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery, on April 25, 1990. The telescope has taken 1.5 million observations of approximately 50,000 celestial targets to date. This treasure trove of knowledge about the universe is stored for public access in the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

Hubble's unique capabilities in observing visible and ultraviolet light are a critical scientific complement to the infrared-light observations of the recently launched Webb Space Telescope, which will begin science observations this summer.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

Video Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

Duration: 36 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #HicksonCompactGroup40 #EllipticalGalaxies #SpiralGalaxies #LenticularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Hydra #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Five Galaxies in Hydra: The Hickson Compact Group 40 | Hubble

Five Galaxies in Hydra: The Hickson Compact Group 40 | Hubble

This is an unusual close-knit collection of five galaxies, called The Hickson Compact Group 40. This menagerie includes three spiral-shaped galaxies, an elliptical galaxy, and a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy. Somehow, these galaxies crossed paths in their evolution to create an exceptionally crowded and eclectic galaxy sampler. Caught in a leisurely gravitational dance, the whole group is so crowded that it could fit within a region of space that is less than twice the dia meter of our Milky Way's stellar disk.

Alhough such cozy galaxy groupings can be found in the heart of huge galaxy clusters, these galaxies are notably isolated in their own small patch of the universe, in the direction of the constellation Hydra.

One possible explanation is that there is a lot of dark matter (an unknown and invisible form of matter) associated with these galaxies. If they come close together, then the dark matter can form a big cloud within which the galaxies are orbiting. As the galaxies plow through the dark matter they feel a resistive force due to its gravitational effects. This slows their motion and makes the galaxies lose energy, so they fall together. Therefore, this snapshot catches the galaxies at a very special moment in their lifetimes. In about 1 billion years they will eventually collide and merge to form a giant elliptical galaxy.

Astronomers have studied this compact galaxy group not only in visible light, but also in radio, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths. Almost all of them have a compact radio source in their cores, which could be evidence for the presence of supermassive black holes. X-ray observations show that the galaxies have been gravitationally interacting due to the presence of a lot of hot gas among the galaxies. Infrared observations reveal clues to the rate of new star formation.

Though over 100 such compact galaxy groups have been cataloged in sky surveys going back several decades, Hickson Compact Group 40 is one of the most densely packed. Observations suggest that such tight groups may have been more abundant in the early universe and provided fuel for powering black holes, known as quasars, whose light from superheated infalling material blazed across space. Studying the details of galaxies in nearby groups like this help astronomers sort out when and where galaxies assembled themselves, and what they are assembled from.

"I remember seeing this on a sky survey and saying, 'wow look at that!'" said Paul Hickson of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. "All that I was using at the time was a big plastic ruler and a magnifying glass while looking over sky survey prints." He re-discovered the group by browsing through a collection of peculiar galaxies first published by Halton Arp in 1966.

Hubble was deployed into orbit around Earth by NASA astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery, on April 25, 1990. The telescope has taken 1.5 million observations of approximately 50,000 celestial targets to date. This treasure trove of knowledge about the universe is stored for public access in the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

Hubble's unique capabilities in observing visible and ultraviolet light are a critical scientific complement to the infrared-light observations of the recently launched Webb Space Telescope, which will begin science observations this summer.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Judy Schmidt
Release Date: April 19, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #HicksonCompactGroup40 #EllipticalGalaxies #SpiralGalaxies #LenticularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Hydra #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #GSFC #STScI #CitizenScience #JudySchmidt #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey to Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444 in Lynx | Hubble

Journey to Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444 in Lynx | Hubble

A spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. It displays an unusual triangular-shaped star-birthing frenzy.

The interacting galaxy duo is collectively called Arp 143. The pair contains the distorted, star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445, at right, along with its less flashy companion, NGC 2444, at left. This frenzied action takes place against the tapestry of distant galaxies. They can be seen through the interacting pair.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst., UWashington)

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Galaxy #NGC2444 #NGC2445 #Arp143 #Lynx #Constellations #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 73 Crew Photos: August 2025 | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Crew Photos: August 2025 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Zena Cardman works inside a portable glovebag aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module. Cardman was installing experiment modules containing liver tissue into an artificial gravity generator for a biotechnology investigation exploring how bioprinted, or engineered, liver tissues containing blood vessels behave in microgravity. Results may improve long term health for astronauts and improve quality of life for patients on Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Mike Fincke is pictured during communications maintenance activities aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 73 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Russia is pictured during electronics maintenance at the beginning of his shift aboard the International Space Station.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky of Russia is pictured with an air sampling device to detect and analyze trace contaminants such as carbon dioxide and ammonia to ensure a safe breathable environment aboard the International Space Station.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov of Russia is pictured with an air sampling device to detect and analyze trace contaminants such as carbon dioxide and ammonia to ensure a safe breathable environment aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 73 Flight Engineers Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman, both NASA astronauts, work together inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module on science maintenance activities.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui checks out a Global Positioning Satellite receiver during maintenance aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

Expedition 73 Flight Engineers (clockwise from top) Zena Cardman, Jonny Kim, and Mike Fincke, all three NASA astronauts, and Kimita Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) gather together inside the Kibo laboratory module prior to a conference with officials on the ground.

Update: Looking ahead to the next cargo resupply mission, NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:49 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, for the launch of the next commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida, delivering science and supplies to the orbital complex.

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.

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
Image Dates: Aug. 19-27, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Stars #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Robots at The Terminator: Dextre & Canadarm2 | International Space Station

Robots at The Terminator: Dextre & Canadarm2 | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui:" . . . Let me introduce you to a photo of the boundary between night and day on Earth as seen from space."

"In addition to the gradient of brightness and the three-dimensional feel of the clouds, the pink colors of the sunrise and sunset create a very fantastical landscape. It feels like I'm sharing this beauty with the people watching the sunrise and sunset from the ground, and it's one of my favorite views."

The 17-meter-long (55+ feet) Canadarm2 robotic arm with the 3.7m (12 feet) high Dextre fine-tuned robotic hand attached is pictured here. Canadarm2 and Dextre are part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Canadarm2 was extensively involved in the assembly of the orbiting laboratory.

Dextre tackles the tough or routine jobs that need to be done in the harsh environment of space. The Station's robotic assistant allows astronauts to spend more time doing scientific experiments instead of performing risky spacewalks. 

Each of Dextre's arms has seven joints that can move up and down, go from side to side, and rotate. This large range of motion means Dextre can actually carry out more complex movements than a human arm. Each hand has a retractable motorized wrench, a camera and lights for close-up viewing, and a retractable connector to provide power, data and video connection. The robot can carefully grip delicate equipment without causing damage. For example, it can successfully manipulate small safety caps, cables and wires with minute precision—all while being controlled from Earth, hundreds of kilometers away. Dextre can can ride on the end of Canadarm2 to move from each worksite or be ferried on the Mobile Base System to work almost anywhere on the ISS. 

The robot is operated by ground control teams at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) headquarters outside Montreal, Quebec, and at NASA.

Discover more about Canadian space robotics:

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/iss/robotics/default.asp

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: Kimiya Yui/JAXA
Release Date: Aug. 31, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Stars #Planets #Earth #Terminator #Canadarm2 #Dextre #Robotics #CSA #Canada #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Close-up: Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444 in Lynx | Hubble

Close-up: Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444 in Lynx | Hubble

A spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. It displays an unusual triangular-shaped star-birthing frenzy.

The interacting galaxy duo is collectively called Arp 143. The pair contains the distorted, star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445, at right, along with its less flashy companion, NGC 2444, at left. This frenzied action takes place against the tapestry of distant galaxies. They can be seen through the interacting pair.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst., UWashington)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Galaxy #NGC2444 #NGC2445 #Arp143 #Lynx #Constellations #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444: Arp 143 | Hubble

Interacting Galaxies NGC 2445 & NGC 2444 in Lynx | Hubble

A spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies has been captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. It displays an unusual triangular-shaped star-birthing frenzy.

The interacting galaxy duo is collectively called Arp 143. The pair contains the distorted, star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445, at right, along with its less flashy companion, NGC 2444, at left. This frenzied action takes place against the tapestry of distant galaxies. They can be seen through the interacting pair.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst., UWashington)
Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Galaxy #NGC2444 #NGC2445 #Arp143 #Lynx #Constellations #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: Aug. 26-29, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

 Planet Mars Images: Aug. 26-29, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1608

Mars 2020 - sol 1608

MSL - sol 4639

MSL - sol 4638

MSL - sol 4641

MSL - sol 4643

MSL - sol 4644

MSL - sol 4644

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 13+ 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: Aug. 26-29, 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

Fast-Spinning Near-Earth Asteroid 2025 OW | NASA's Goldstone Planetary Radar

Fast-Spinning Near-Earth Asteroid 2025 OW | NASA's Goldstone Planetary Radar

This series of 41 radar images obtained by NASA's Deep Space Network Goldstone Solar System Radar on July 28, 2025, shows the near-Earth asteroid 2025 OW as it made its close approach to our planet. The asteroid safely passed at about 400,000 miles (640,000 kilometers), or 1.6 times the distance from Earth to the Moon.

The asteroid was discovered on July 4, 2025, by the NASA-funded Pan-STARRS2 survey telescope on Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii. These Goldstone observations suggest that 2025 OW is about 200 feet (60 meters) wide and has an irregular shape. The observations also indicate that it is rapidly spinning, completing one rotation every 1½ to 3 minutes, making it one of the fastest-spinning near-Earth asteroids that the powerful radar system has observed. The observations resolve surface features down to 12 feet (3.75 meters) wide.

Asteroids can be "spun up" by sunlight being unevenly absorbed and re-emitted across their irregular surfaces. As photons (quantum particles of light) carry a tiny amount of momentum away from the asteroid, a tiny amount of torque is applied and, over time, the asteroid's spin can increase—a phenomenon known as the YORP effect. For 2025 OW to maintain such a fast rotation without breaking apart, it may be a solid object rather than a loosely bound rubble pile like many asteroids.

The Goldstone measurements have allowed scientists to greatly reduce uncertainties in the asteroid's distance from Earth and in its future motion for many decades. This July 28 close approach is the closest asteroid 2025 OW will come to Earth for the foreseeable future.

NASA’s planetary defense mission tracks and studies these near-Earth objects to better understand and protect our planet. 

NASA’s Planetary Defense Mission: 
https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex:
https://www.gdscc.nasa.gov/

Image Credit: Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Capture Date: July 28, 2025
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #PlanetaryDefense #Asteroids #NearEarthAsteroids #Asteroid2025OW #YORPEffect #AsteroidBelt #Comets #NEO #NEA #DeepSpace #SolarSystem #Technology #GoldstonePlanetaryRadar #DSN #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS | NASA SPHEREx Mission

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS | NASA SPHEREx Mission

NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Aug. 7 to Aug. 15, 2025. The SPHEREx team has been analyzing insights from this data, and a research note is available online here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.15469

NASA is cataloguing the journey of comet 3I/ATLAS through the solar system. Since the object comes from outside our solar system, it is just passing through—so we use all the tools at our disposal to observe it before it disappears back into the cosmic dark. A host of NASA missions are coming together to observe this interstellar object, first discovered in summer 2025, before it leaves forever. While the comet poses no threat to Earth, NASA’s space telescopes help support the agency's ongoing mission to find, track, and better understand solar system objects.

The agency’s SPHEREx is one of NASA’s space telescopes observing this comet, together providing more information about its size, physical properties, and chemical makeup. For example, NASA’s Webb and Hubble space telescopes also recently observed the comet. 

Image Description: Against a black background is a red circle, which appears fuzzy and slightly pixelated. At the center is a bright area of yellow, and at the center of that is a bright area of white.

Learn more about the SPHEREx Mission:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/

Credit: NASA/SPHEREx/JPL/Caltech

Release Date: Aug. 25, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SPHEREx #InterstellarObjects #InterplanetaryBodies #InterstellarComets #InterstellarComet3I #Comet3I #SolarSystem #Planets #Cosmos #Universe #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education 

The Omega Nebula: A Maelstrom in Sagittarius

The Omega Nebula: A Maelstrom in Sagittarius

The Swan Nebula, also known as the Omega Nebula, Checkmark Nebula, Lobster Nebula, and the Horseshoe Nebula is cataloged as Messier 17 or M17 or NGC 6618, is a bright HII emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius. This stellar nursery is located about 5,500 light-years away within the Milky Way galaxy.

This a "hybrid Ha/OIII Bi-Color, near true color image."

Image details:

Orion Optics UK AG12 F3.8

Starlightxpress TRIUS PRO-694 Midi Combi PRO Blue Edition incl.CFW & OAG unit

FLI Atlas Focuser

HaOIII RGB = 280min 120 30 30 30min combined exposure 8.2hrs

Astronomik 6nm NB filters

-20C chip temp, flats used but no dark frames.

Focal length 1120mm

Image scale 0.84"/pix

Guide Camera: Starlightxpress Lodestar PRO

Data collected July 18 and 22, 2024, full Moon, good to excellent seeing

Taken from Eagleview Observatory in Australia: pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/eagleview_observatory

Equipment setup: pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/173097781/original

Image Credit: StrongmanMike 
Capture Dates: July 18 & 22, 2024
Release Date: July 24, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #Messier17 #M17 #NGC6618 #OmegaNebula #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #EagleviewObservatory #Astrophotographer #StrongmanMike #Astrophotography #TinderryMountains #NSW #Australia #STEM #Education

A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204 [AI Narration]

A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204 [AI Narration]

The diffuse hydrogen-alpha glow of emission region Sh2-27 fills this cosmic scene. This field of view spans nearly 3 degrees across the nebula-rich constellation Ophiuchus toward the central Milky Way. A dark veil of wispy interstellar dust clouds draped across the foreground is chiefly identified as LDN 234 and LDN 204 from the 1962 Catalog of Dark Nebulae by American astronomer Beverly Lynds. Sh2-27 itself is the large but faint HII region surrounding runaway O-type star Zeta Ophiuchi. Along with the Zeta Oph HII region, LDN 234 and LDN 204 are likely 500 or so light-years away. At that distance, this telescopic frame would be about 25 light-years wide.

An H II region is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized. It is typically in a molecular cloud of partially ionized gas where star formation has recently taken place with a size ranging from one to hundreds of light years, and density from a few to about a million particles per cubic centimeter.

Image Credit & Copyright: Katelyn Beecroft
Katelyn's website: https://app.astrobin.com/u/kates.universe#gallery

Duration: 1 minute, 39 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #HIIRegion #Sh227 #Nebulae #DarkNebulae #LDN234 #LDN204 #Ophiuchus #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #KatelynBeecroft #Astrophotographers #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video #APoD 

A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204

A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204

The diffuse hydrogen-alpha glow of emission region Sh2-27 fills this cosmic scene. This field of view spans nearly 3 degrees across the nebula-rich constellation Ophiuchus toward the central Milky Way. A dark veil of wispy interstellar dust clouds draped across the foreground is chiefly identified as LDN 234 and LDN 204 from the 1962 Catalog of Dark Nebulae by American astronomer Beverly Lynds. Sh2-27 itself is the large but faint HII region surrounding runaway O-type star Zeta Ophiuchi. Along with the Zeta Oph HII region, LDN 234 and LDN 204 are likely 500 or so light-years away. At that distance, this telescopic frame would be about 25 light-years wide.

An H II region is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized. It is typically in a molecular cloud of partially ionized gas where star formation has recently taken place with a size ranging from one to hundreds of light years, and density from a few to about a million particles per cubic centimeter.

Image Credit & Copyright: Katelyn Beecroft
Katelyn's website: https://app.astrobin.com/u/kates.universe#gallery
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #HIIRegion #Sh227 #Nebulae #DarkNebulae #LDN234 #LDN204 #Ophiuchus #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #KatelynBeecroft #Astrophotographers #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD