Earth Cloudscapes | International Space Station

Earth Cloudscapes | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui: " . . . to relieve the fatigue after work, I decided to take photos freely, capturing moments that felt 'beautiful' without setting any specific shooting goals. After shooting, my heart felt refreshed, LOL.

Everyone, when you're feeling tired, please imagine a scene like this spreading out before your eyes to soothe your fatigue!"

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: Sept. 2-5, 2025

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

China's Plan to Deflect an Asteroid by 2030

China's Plan to Deflect an Asteroid by 2030

By 2030, China is set to help redefine our planetary defense capabilities—launching a spacecraft to slam into an asteroid and push it off course. The target is a 30-meter rock called 2015 XF261. If successful, the mission will further demonstrate humanity can change the path of cosmic objects. This will give us all a better chance of protecting Earth from such threats in the future.

2015 XF261 is a near-Earth Aten asteroid with an estimated diameter of between 16 m (52 ft) and 69 m (226 ft). Its closest approach to Earth in the 21st century will occur on April 11, 2090, at a nominal distance of 0.00302 au (452,000 km). 2015 XF261 completes one orbit around the Sun every 360 days.

China's 2015 XF261Asteroid Mission
2015 XF261 is the target for an asteroid-deflecting mission planned by China in 2029, launching in 2027. The spacecraft is to be launched on a Long March 3B rocket in 2027, making a flyby of the planet Venus before arriving at the asteroid in early 2029, and colliding with it in April 2029 at an estimated speed of 10 km/s (6.2 mi/s).

China's asteroid mission will serve as an important follow-up to NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission (2021-2022) aimed at investigating and demonstrating a method of asteroid deflection by changing an asteroid’s motion in space through kinetic impact:

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

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Asteroids #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #NearEarthAsteroids #NearEarthObjects #NEO #AtenAsteroids #2015XF261 #China #中国 #CNSA #SpaceExploration #Universe #NASADARTMission #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

All the Water on Planet Earth

All the Water on Planet Earth

How much of planet Earth is made of water? Very little, actually. Although oceans of water cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface, these oceans are shallow compared to the Earth's radius. This illustration shows what would happen if all of the water on or near the surface of the Earth were bunched up into a ball. The radius of this ball would be only about 700 kilometers, less than half the radius of the Earth's Moon, but slightly larger than Saturn's moon Rhea which, like many moons in our outer Solar System, is mostly water ice. The next smallest ball depicts all of Earth's liquid fresh water, while the tiniest ball shows the volume of all of Earth's fresh-water lakes and rivers. How any of this water came to be on the Earth and whether any significant amount is trapped far beneath Earth's surface remain topics of research.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 
https://www.whoi.edu/

Illustration Credit: Jack Cook, Adam Nieman, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 

Data source: Igor Shiklomanov
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2025

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #SolarSystem #Earth #Water #Oceans #Oceanography #Rivers #Lakes #Freshwater #WaterResources #WoodsHoleOceanographicInstitution #WHOI #GSFC #USGS #UnitedStates #Infographics #Illustrations #STEM #Education #APoD

¿Qué pasa en el cielo en septiembre? | NASA en Español | JPL

¿Qué pasa en el cielo en septiembre? | NASA en Español | JPL

¡Atención, exploradores del cielo! Entre el equinoccio de septiembre y planetas brillando en el cielo, este mes se viene cargado de razones para mirar arriba. 

Durante la noche del 21 de septiembre, Saturno estará en su punto más brillante y cercano a nosotros en todo el año. El 22, le damos la bienvenida al otoño en el hemisferio norte y a la primavera en el hemisferio sur. Además, Venus y Júpiter brillan en el cielo del este por la mañana. 

Aprende más sobre nuestro cielo y encuentra más consejos para disfrutarlo en nuestro sitio web ciencia.nasa.gov/ObservacionDelCielo/  

Adaptación al idioma español por el equipo de NASA en español.

Credit: Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro (JPL)  
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Skywatching #Earth #AutumnalEquinox #Moon #Planets #Saturn #Stars #Conjunctions #SolarSystem #Nebulae #Galaxies #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Galactic Energy CERES-1 Y15 Commercial Rocket Satellite Launch

China Galactic Energy CERES-1 Y15 Commercial Rocket Satellite Launch

🚀A CERES-1 Y15 commercial carrier rocket blasted off at 7:39 pm Beijing time on Friday, September 5, 2025, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, sending sending the Kaiyun-1, Yuxing-3 08 and Yunyao-1 27 satellites into a preset orbit, including the Eros Star in-orbit test platform into a planned sun-synchronous orbit.

This is the second Eros Star in-orbit test platform, following the first launch on June 6, 2024. 

The Eros Star is China’s first domestic commercial rocket upper stage in-orbit test platform, independently developed by the Chinese private firm Galactic Energy.

Ceres-1 is a four-stage rocket manufactured and operated by Galactic Energy, the first three stages use solid-propellant rocket motors and the final stage uses a hydrazine propulsion system. It is about 20 m (62 ft) tall and 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) in diameter. It can deliver 400 kg (880 lb) to low Earth orbit or 300 kg (660 lb) to 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.

The first launch of a Ceres-1 took place in 2020.

On September 5, 2023, the sea-launch version of this launch vehicle, designated Ceres-1S, made its debut successfully sending to orbit four Tianqi satellites.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese commercial space launch firms, like Galactic Energy.

Image Credit: Galactic Energy

Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #China #中国 #Kaiyun1 #Yuxing308 #Yunyao127  #GalacticEnergy #CERES1Y15Rocket #谷神星一号 #ErosStar #CommercialSpace #JSLC #STEM #Education

Astronauts Record First 8K Film: Behind the Scenes | China Space Station

Astronauts Record First 8K Film: Behind the Scenes | China Space Station

Watch China's Shenzhou-13 astronauts film in microgravity back in 2021, testing shots for the new 8K Ultra HD film "Blue Planet Outside the Window". Astronauts Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu discuss using specially designed cameras for space to capture Earth's beauty outside their windows. They also revealed details of their long-term stay in space. Released on September 5, 2025, the space documentary "Blue Planet Outside the Window" is now available in cinemas across China in film formats, such as CINITY LED, IMAX & 4DX. Watch our Blue Planet from a unique space perspective!

Produced by China Media Group (CMG) and filmed during the record-breaking 183-day Shenzhou-13 mission, taikonauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu became space cinematographers, capturing life aboard China’s space station in stunning 8K Ultra HD. From breathtaking views of Earth to the quiet warmth of daily life in orbit, the film opens a new cinematic window to the cosmos.

✨ What makes this documentary groundbreaking:

• 🎥 First Chinese space-shot feature—the big screen becomes a true window to space.

• 👩🚀 Taikonaut's lens—Wang Yaping’s narration infuses the film with emotion, philosophy, and human depth.

• 🛰️ Custom tech—8K, 50fps full-frame cameras engineered to endure rocket launches and microgravity.

• 🤝 Fusion of science and art—engineers, filmmakers, and taikonauts working side by side.

• 🕶️ Immersive formats—CINITY 4K 50fps, IMAX, 4DX, and LED mega-screens put you 400 km above Earth.

• 🌍 International acclaim — praised at screenings in Hong Kong and Italy as "a new frontier for Chinese cinema."

• 🌃 Cultural celebration—Wuhan lit up a 25-km stretch of the Yangtze River for four nights, dazzling over 700,000 viewers each evening, to honor the film's release.

Launched on October 16, 2021, the Shenzhou13 crew set a record for China’s longest continuous spaceflight. Now, their story lives on the big screen.

Since 2021, Tiangong has served as a permanently crewed space station. It is operated by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Tiangong has a modular design with modules docked together while in low Earth orbit, between 340 and 450 km (210 and 280 mi) above the surface. It is China's first long-term space station, part of the Tiangong Program and is the core of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program. Tiangong has a pressurized volume of 340 m3 (12,000 cu ft), slightly over one third the size of the International Space Station. The space station provides opportunities for space-based experiments and acts as a platform for building capacity for scientific and technological innovation.

Video Credit: CMSA
Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou13Mission #神舟十三号 #Shenzhou13Crew #Taikonauts #Astronauts #WangYaping #YeGuangfu #ZhaiZhigang #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #CMSA #中国载人航天 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #8KFilm #HD #Video

The Southern Lights & Airglow: Sunset to Sunrise | International Space Station

The Southern Lights & Airglow: Sunset to Sunrise | International Space Station

Earth auroras are assigned names based on the pole where they occur. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

You will also notice green and yellow airglow that occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. Unlike episodic and fleeting auroras, airglow shines constantly throughout Earth’s atmosphere, and the result is a tenuous bubble of light that closely encases our entire planet.

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/NASA Astronaut J. Kim
Duration: 1 minute, 23 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #Aurora #SouthernLights #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mars Images: Aug. 31-Sept 6 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: Aug. 31-Sept 6, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - Sol 1615

Mars 2020 - Sol 1615

Mars 2020 -  Sol 1615

Mars 2020 -  Sol 1615

MSL - sol 4646

MSL - sol 4649

Mars 2020 - sol 1610

Mars 2020 - sol 1610

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. 31-Sept. 6, 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

The Florida Keys, The Bahamas, and Cuba | International Space Station

The Florida Keys, The Bahamas, and Cuba | International Space Station

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country of the Lucayan Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean; north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the U.S. state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Its capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence.

The Republic of Cuba is an island country consisting of the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic), and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. 
Population: 11 million

The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami and extend in an arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. 

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Cuba #Florida #Bahamas #AtlanticOcean #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Planet Venus Sample Return | NASA Space Technology

Planet Venus Sample Return | NASA Space Technology

Can we bring a rock back from Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system? Venus’ thick clouds of sulfuric acid and scorching surface temperatures make it one of the most hostile places in the solar system. So far, no spacecraft has lasted more than a few hours on its surface. And we still do not know what Venusian rocks are made of. However, a bold new idea could change everything.

This mission concept combines innovative uses of existing technology to beat the heat on Venus:

🎈 A balloon platform that creates fuel from the atmosphere 

🛩️ A solar-powered aircraft

🚀 A rocket to launch the sample into orbit

🌍 An Earth-return vehicle that brings the sample home

This could pave the way for the first-ever Venus sample return mission, revealing long-hidden secrets of the planet's geology and reshaping our understanding of Earth's "evil" twin.

NASA 360 takes a look at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) that may one day bring a piece of Venus back to Earth. 

Summary: At 450°C and 93 bars of atmospheric pressure, the surface of Venus is the most hostile environment to explore in the solar system. This project will pioneer a new approach to return a sample from the surface of Venus. The approach will merge an innovative carbon monoxide rocket technology to make propellant from the Venus atmosphere with innovations in high-temperature surface systems and solar aircraft.

To learn more visit: https://go.nasa.gov/3zBxgZt

To watch the in-depth presentation about this topic please visit the 2024 NIAC Symposium Vimeo site: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10973241?video=1008860866#t=9824s

Video Credit: NASA Space Technology/NASA 360
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Venus #Geology #VenusSampleReturn #VSR #Robotics #NIAC #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #NASAGlenn #JPL #Caltech #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Milky Way above Earth's Bright Atmospheric Glow | International Space Station

The Milky Way above Earth's Bright Atmospheric Glow | International Space Station

Our Milky Way galaxy appears above Earth's bright atmospheric glow in this photograph from the International Space Station as it soared 261 miles above southern Iran at approximately 12:54 a.m. local time on August 23, 2025. The camera was configured for low light and long duration settings.

You will also notice green and yellow airglow that occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. Unlike episodic and fleeting auroras, airglow shines constantly throughout Earth’s atmosphere, and the result is a tenuous bubble of light that closely encases our entire planet.

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)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

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

This is Neutron: A New Reusable Medium-lift Rocket | Rocket Lab

This is Neutron: A New Reusable Medium-lift Rocket | Rocket Lab

Meet Neutron, Rocket Lab's new reusable medium-lift rocket that will deliver "a cost-effective, reliable, and responsive launch service" for missions to the International Space Station and low Earth orbit, as well as to explore beyond Earth and on to the Moon and Mars.

Learn more about Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket: https://rocketlabcorp.com/launch/neutron/

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 9 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Planets #Earth #LEO #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #InterplanetaryMissions #Spacecraft #RocketLab #NeutronRockets #MediumLiftRockets #CommercialSpace #PeterBeck #MARS #Spaceport #WallopsIsland #Virginia #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galactic Dance: Interacting Galaxies NGC 5394/5 | Gemini North Observatory

Galactic Dance: Interacting Galaxies NGC 5394/5 | Gemini North Observatory

Image of the interacting galaxy pair NGC 5394/5 in Canes Venatici obtained with the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab's Gemini North 8-meter telescope on Hawai'i's Maunakea using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph in imaging mode. This four-color composite image has a total exposure time of 42 minutes.

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

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab)/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Duration: 10 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 19, 2019

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC5394 #NGC5395 #InteractingGalaxies  #CanesVenatici #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #GeminiInternationalObservatory #GeminiNorthTelescope #OpticalAstronomy #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #Maunakea #Hawaii #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Can We Actually SEE Exoplanets? | ESO Chasing Starlight

Can We Actually See Exoplanets? | ESO Chasing Starlight

Over the last 30 years, we have discovered around 6000 planets orbiting other stars. How do astronomers find these exoplanets? Can we take real images of them?

0:00 - The radial velocity method

2:23 - The transit method

4:41 - Direct imaging

Video Credit: ESO Chasing Starlight
Duration: 7 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #DetectingPlanets #TransitMethod #RadialVelocityMethod #EuropeanSouthernObservatory #Universe #Cosmos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Growing Tail of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS | Gemini South Telescope

Growing Tail of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS | Gemini South Telescope

A deep image of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South at Cerro Pachón in Chile, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab. The image shows the comet’s broad coma—a cloud of gas and dust that forms around the comet’s icy nucleus as it gets closer to the Sun—and a tail spanning about 1/120th of a degree in the sky (where one degree is about the width of a pinky finger on an outstretched arm) and pointing away from the Sun. 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our Solar System.

The exposures tracked the comet as it traveled across the sky, and the final image is composed to freeze the stars in place during the observation. Two small colored trails from unrelated asteroids with motion distinct from that of the comet can also be seen.

These observations of Comet 3I/ATLAS were conducted during a Shadow the Scientists program hosted by NSF NOIRLab. A full recording of the session can be found here.

Gemini South Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: Sept. 4, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #InterstellarObjects #InterplanetaryBodies #InterstellarComet3I #Comets #Coma #CometaryTails #Planets #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiSouthTelescope #GMOS #OpticalAstronomy #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #CerroPachón #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Science on Northrop Grumman's 23rd Cargo Mission | International Space Station

Science on Northrop Grumman's 23rd Cargo Mission | International Space Station

NASA and Northrop Grumman are preparing to launch the company’s next cargo mission to the International Space Station in mid September—sending science aimed at supporting Artemis missions to the Moon, human exploration of Mars and beyond, and improvement of life on Earth.

The research aboard Cygnus seeks to reduce harmful microbes, improve medication production, manage fuel pressure, and refine semiconductor crystals for next-generation technologies.

Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/4m1jktI

Learn about NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Program:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

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.

Credit: NASA
Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #NorthropGrumman #CygnusCargoSpacecraft #CommercialResupplyServices #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Japan #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video