More Summer 2025 Expedition 73 Crew Photos | International Space Station

More Summer 2025 Expedition 73 Crew Photos | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Jonny Kim, both NASA astronauts, smile for a portrait during a break in their research duties aboard the International Space Station.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui treats bioprinted liver tissues in a portable glovebag inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. The samples will be placed inside an artificial gravity-generating research device to help researchers understand how microgravity affects the formation of blood vessels in engineered tissues. Result may lead to advanced treatments protecting astronauts on long-duration spaceflights and improve bioprinting techniques for patient therapies on Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Mike Fincke shows off production packs containing research samples for the BioNutrients-3 investigation. The biotechnology study explores ways to produce vitamins and nutrients on spacecraft helping supply adequate nutrition for long-term space missions. Fincke treated yeast, yogurt, and fermented milk samples then stowed them in a research incubator for later analysis.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 73 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Russia holds a headset inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock. Ryzhikov was conducting a hearing examination frequently conducted inside Quest due to the module's quiet environment. Quest is used primarily to service spacesuits and stage spacewalks.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui trims NASA astronaut Mike Fincke's hair aboard the International Space Station. Attached to the electric razor is a vacuum that collects the loose hair safeguarding the station's atmosphere in the microgravity environment.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui smiles for a portrait after trimming NASA astronaut Mike Fincke's hair aboard the International Space Station.

Astronaut Kimiya Yui of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) smiles for a portrait after trimming his own hair aboard the International Space Station. Attached to the electric razor is a vacuum that collects the loose hair safeguarding the station's atmosphere in the microgravity environment.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Zena Cardman treats bioprinted liver tissues in a portable glovebag inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. The samples will be placed inside an artificial gravity-generating research device to help researchers understand how microgravity affects the formation of blood vessels in engineered tissues. Result may lead to advanced treatments protecting astronauts on long-duration spaceflights and improve bioprinting techniques for patient therapies on Earth.

Update: The Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station continues to unpack more than 11,000 pounds of critical spares, food and supplies delivered Sept. 18, 2025, by a Cygnus XL commercial resupply mission. The arrival of the Cygnus XL to the space station was delayed by one day, due to changes in the rendezvous planning resulting from the main spacecraft engine shutting down early on two burns on Sept. 16.

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
Capture Dates: Aug. 31-Sept. 10, 2025

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

Haven-1: "America’s Next Space Station is Fully Welded" | Vast

Haven-1: "America’s Next Space Station is Fully Welded" | Vast

Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station and America’s next space station, is now fully welded and will soon begin testing ahead of integration.

"Now is the time to meet NASA's call to transition its low-Earth orbit presence from the International Space Station (ISS) to a lower-cost commercial option. Vast is preparing to deliver for America and our international partners. We are working on the world's first, most affordable, commercial space station. Haven-1 will be Vast's first step toward a long-term commercial presence in orbit."

"Purpose-built for scientific research, in-space manufacturing, and extended human habitation, Haven-1 will ensure humanity’s continuous presence in space. Backed by a world-class team and built with speed, safety, and efficiency at its core, this marks the next era in human space exploration—not just reaching orbit, but staying there."

Vast Space's Haven-1 aims to be the "world's first commercial space station". "The era of commercial space stations begins with Haven-1, launching next year. Whether you are a sovereign nation, space agency, scientist, company, or private astronaut—the time is now. Join our mission and help pioneer the next giant leap in space exploration."

Learn more: https://www.vastspace.com/haven-1

Video Credit: Vast
Duration: 33 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Vast #VastSpace #Haven1 #CommercialSpaceStations #CommercialSpace #SpaceTechnology #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityResearch #PrivateAstronauts #UnitedStates #SpaceAgencies #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Galaxy Messier 82 in Ursa Major | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Galaxy Messier 82 in Ursa Major | Hubble Space Telescope

What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbor? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), the Cigar Galaxy is considered a nearby galaxy. As this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture shows in great detail, it is home to brilliant stars with light shaded by sculptural clouds, clumps and streaks of dust and gas.

It is no surprise that the Cigar Galaxy is so packed with stars, obscured though they might be by the distinctive clouds pictured here. Forming stars ten times faster than the Milky Way, the Cigar Galaxy is what astronomers call a starburst galaxy. The intense starburst period that grips this galaxy has given rise to super star clusters in the galaxy’s heart. Each of these super star clusters contains hundreds of thousands of stars and is more luminous than a typical star cluster. Researchers used Hubble to home in on these massive clusters and reveal how they form and evolve.

This image features something not seen in previously released Hubble images of the galaxy: data from the High Resolution Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The High Resolution Channel is one of three sub-instruments of ACS, which was installed in 2002. In five years of operation, the High Resolution Channel returned fantastically detailed observations of crowded, starry environments like the centers of starburst galaxies. An electronics fault in 2007, unfortunately, left the High Resolution Channel disabled.

Image Description: A close-in view of the center of galaxy M82. Bright, bluish light radiating from the center is due to stars actively forming there. A thick lane of gas, black in the center and red around the edges, crosses the center and blocks much of the light. Thinner strands and clumps of reddish dust cover much of the rest of the view.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. D. Vacca, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 15, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxies #Messier82 #M82 #CigarGalaxy #StarburstGalaxy #UrsaMajor #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Free Flying Camera Suborbital View | Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35 Flight

Free Flying Camera Suborbital View | Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35 Flight

Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos: "What a view. From our new free flying camera—deployed on yesterday’s New Shepard mission. (The “bubble” is the seam between two 180 degree lenses.)"

🚀 On September 18, 2025, Blue Origin successfully completed its 35th New Shepard flight and 15th payload mission from Launch Site One in West Texas. The flight carried more than 40 payloads from students, NASA, research institutions, and commercial companies, bringing the total number of science payloads flown on New Shepard to more than 200. 

Booster Apogee: 341,489 ft AGL / 345,136 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Apogee: 341,805 ft AGL / 345,452 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Landing Time: 8:10:14 AM CDT / 13:10:14 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 14 seconds

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

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 32 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardNS35Flight #NS35Mission #PayloadMission #NewShepardNS35Booster #NewShepardNS35Capsule #UncrewedFlight #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Laser Beacon to Space: Deep Space Optical Communications | NASA/JPL

A Laser Beacon to Space: Deep Space Optical Communications | NASA/JPL

In these photographs taken on June 2, 2025, the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California, beams its eight-laser beacon to the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) flight laser transceiver aboard NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. At the time, when Psyche was about 143 million miles (230 million kilometers) from Earth.

Managed by JPL, DSOC successfully demonstrated that data encoded in laser photons could be reliably transmitted, received, and then decoded after traveling millions of miles from Earth out to Mars distances. Nearly two years after launching aboard the agency’s Psyche mission in 2023, the demonstration completed its 65th and final “pass” on Sept. 2, 2025, sending a laser signal to Psyche and receiving the return signal from 218 million miles (350 million kilometers) away.

Image Description: A faint beam stretches up and to the left from the open dome of a laboratory into the sky. The building and surrounding trees are mostly in shadow. The sky is a deep blue with multicolored stars visible; the bottom of the sky where it meets the landscape fades from blue to pink.

For more information about the laser communications demo, visit:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/dsoc

NASA's Psyche Mission:

https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Text Credit: Ian J. O’Neill
Release Date: Sept. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #PsycheMission #PsycheSpacecraft #AsteroidMission #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Mars #SolarSystem #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #OpticalCommunications #LaserCommunications #LaserTechnology #BroadbandCommunications #Spacecraft #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #Wrightwood #California #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Cygnus XL CRS-23 Cargo Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

Cygnus XL CRS-23 Cargo Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft, carrying over 11,000 pounds of new science and supplies for the Expedition 73 crew, is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm following its capture. Both spacecraft were orbiting 257 miles above Tanzania.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured moments before its capture with the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm extends from a grapple fixture on the International Space Station as it soared into an orbital sunrise 260 miles above the Philippine Sea.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft approaches the International Space Station during orbital nighttime as both spacecraft were orbiting 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft approaches the International Space Station as both spacecraft were orbiting 261 miles above Mongolia.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft, carrying over 11,000 pounds of new science and supplies for the Expedition 73 crew, is pictured before and after its capture by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm on September 18, 2025. Both spacecraft were orbiting 257 miles above Namibia. Cygnus XL is Northrop Grumman's expanded version of its previous Cygnus cargo craft increasing its payload capacity and pressurized cargo volume.

This mission is the first flight of the Cygnus XL, the larger, more cargo-capable version of the company’s solar-powered spacecraft. Northrop Grumman has named the spacecraft the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut that  perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.

More than 15 payloads sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory are aboard. These projects could help improve medicine production, make the orbit around Earth safer, and enhance technology used in television, computer, and smartphone screens. The research aboard Cygnus aims 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

Press Release:
https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/iss-national-lab-advances-research-in-space-with-dozens-of-experiments-on-next-cargo-mission/

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #NorthropGrumman #CygnusCargoSpacecraft #CommercialResupplyServices #CRS23 #Canadarm2 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Russia #Roscosmos #Japan #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35 Flight: Science & Commercial Payload Mission

Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35 Flight: Science & Commercial Payload Mission

Liftoff of New Shepard NS-35 Flight

Descent of New Shepard Booster

New Shepard Booster lands on the pad after a successful mission to space.

The RSS H.G. Wells Crew Capsule descends to the West Texas desert during Mission NS-35.

Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35 Booster & Capsule Pre-flight

NS-35 Mission Patch

Congratulations on your 35th New Shepard Flight, Team Blue!

🚀 On September 18, 2025, Blue Origin successfully completed its 35th New Shepard flight and 15th payload mission from Launch Site One in West Texas. The flight carried more than 40 payloads from students, NASA, research institutions, and commercial companies, bringing the total number of science payloads flown on New Shepard to more than 200. 

Booster Apogee: 341,489 ft AGL / 345,136 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Apogee: 341,805 ft AGL / 345,452 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Landing Time: 8:10:14 AM CDT / 13:10:14 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 14 seconds

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

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardNS35Flight #NS35Mission #PayloadMission #NewShepardNS35Booster #NewShepardNS35Capsule #UncrewedFlight #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education

Blue Origin NS-35 Flight: The Payload Mission from Liftoff to Landing

Blue Origin NS-35 Flight: The Payload Mission from Liftoff to Landing

🚀 On September 18, 2025, Blue Origin successfully completed its 35th New Shepard flight and 15th payload mission from Launch Site One in West Texas. The flight carried more than 40 payloads from students, NASA, research institutions, and commercial companies, bringing the total number of science payloads flown on New Shepard to more than 200. 

Booster Apogee: 341,489 ft AGL / 345,136 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Apogee: 341,805 ft AGL / 345,452 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Capsule Landing Time: 8:10:14 AM CDT / 13:10:14 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 14 seconds

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

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 1 minute, 24 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardNS35Flight #NS35Mission #PayloadMission #UncrewedFlight #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Saturn's Aurorae | Hubble’s Inside the Image

Planet Saturn's Aurorae | Hubble’s Inside the Image

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured breathtaking ultraviolet images of Saturn’s aurorae, vibrant displays of light created by charged particles interacting with the planet’s magnetic field.

In this video, astrophysicist Dr. Padi Boyd dives into the mesmerizing details of Saturn's aurorae and explains how Hubble's unique ultraviolet view sheds light on the dynamics of the planet's atmosphere and magnetic environment.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
Producer, Director & Editor: James Leigh
Director of Photography: James Ball
Executive Producers: James Leigh & Matthew Duncan
Production & Post: Origin Films 
Video Credits:
Hubble Space Telescope Animation:
ESA/Hubble - M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen
Animation of Sun Passing Behind Saturn: 
ESA/Hubble - M. Kornmesser & L. Calçada
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 19, 2025

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Aurorae #UltravioletAstronomy #MagneticFields #Sun #SolarSystem #HubbleSpaceTelescope #Astrophysics #Scientists #ESA #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Reflection Nebula NGC 6914 in Cygnus

Reflection Nebula NGC 6914 in Cygnus

A study in contrasts, this colorful cosmic skyscape features stars, dust, and glowing gas in the vicinity of NGC 6914. The interstellar complex of nebulae lies around 6,000 light-years away, toward the high-flying northern constellation Cygnus and the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Obscuring interstellar dust clouds appear in silhouette while reddish hydrogen emission nebulae, along with the dusty blue reflection nebulae, fill the cosmic canvas. Ultraviolet radiation from the massive, hot, young stars of the extensive Cygnus OB2 association ionize the region's atomic hydrogen gas, producing the characteristic red glow as protons and electrons recombine. Embedded Cygnus OB2 stars also provide the blue starlight strongly reflected by the dust clouds. The over one degree wide telescopic field of view spans about 100 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 6914.

Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease
Tommy's website: https://www.instagram.com/colorado_astro/
Release Date: Sept. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Nebulae #NGC6914 #StellarNurseries #CygnusOB2Stars #Cygnus #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #TommyLease #Astrophotographers #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Building the Backbone for Communications at Mars | Rocket Lab

Building the Backbone for Communications at Mars | Rocket Lab

"Before the first astronauts set foot on Mars, we need a reliable way to keep them connected. Rocket Lab’s Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) is designed to deliver persistent, high-bandwidth communications between Earth and Mars, supporting rovers, landers, and future human explores with the data links they need to explore safely and autonomously."

"This animation brings MTO to life, showing how it will relay science, operations and human communications across millions of miles, creating the infrastructure future explorers will depend on."

More info: https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/mars-comms-orbiter/

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 1 minute, 9 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Mars #RedPlanet #CommunicationSatellites #MTO #Telecommunications #InterplanetaryCommunications #RocketLab #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #CommercialSpace #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

NASA's Artemis II Crewed Moon Mission: From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels

NASA's Artemis II Crewed Moon Mission: From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels

NASA engineers used cutting-edge supercomputers and wind tunnel testing to improve the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the Moon. Supercomputers and wind tunnels converge at NASA's Ames Research Center—explore how this state-of-the-art capability delivers smarter, more cost-effective science.

“This new technique lets us see wind tunnel data in much finer detail than ever before. With that extra clarity, engineers can create more accurate models of how vehicles respond to stress, helping design stronger, safer, and more efficient structures,” said Thomas Steva, lead engineer, SLS sub-division in the Aerodynamics Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Video Description: This supercomputer simulation peers down at a close-up of the SLS rocket during ascent. The force of friction is represented in greens, yellows, and blues. A six-foot-long strake flanking the booster’s forward connection points on the SLS intertank smooths vibrations induced by airflow, represented by purples, yellows, and reds. The white streams represent a contour plot of density magnitude, highlighting the change of density in the air.

The Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the Moon and return them safely back home.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than April 2026.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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

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

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

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

Credit: NASA/NAS/Gerrit-Daniel Stich, Michael Barad, Timothy Sandstrom, Derek Dalle

Duration: 18 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

 

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CoreStage #WindTunnels #Supercomputers #Airflow #Visualizations #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMarshall #MSFC #NASAAmes #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: Sept 16-18, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Sept 16-18, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1628

MSL - sol 4661

MSL - sol 4661

Mars 2020 - sol 1626

MSL - sol 4663

MSL - sol 4663

MSL - sol 4662

MSL - sol 4662

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: Sept. 16-18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN): View from Chile

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN): View from Chile

A new visitor from the outer Solar System, comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) also known as SWAN25B was only discovered late last week, on September 11, 2025. This was just a day before the comet reached perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. First spotted by Vladimir Bezugly in images from the SWAN instrument on the sun-staring SOHO spacecraft, the comet was surprisingly bright but understandably difficult to see against the Sun's glare. Still close to the Sun on the sky, the greenish coma and tail of C/2025 R2 (SWAN) are captured in this telescopic snapshot from September 17. 

Spica, alpha star of the constellation Virgo, shines just beyond the upper left edge of the frame while the comet is about 6.5 light-minutes from planet Earth. Near the western horizon after sunset and slightly easier to see in binoculars from the southern hemisphere, this comet SWAN will pass near Zubenelgenubi, alpha star of Libra, on October 2. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is scheduled to make its closest approach to our fair planet around October 20.

Image Credit & Copyright: Team Ciel Austral

Capture Location: l'Observatoire El Sauce in Chile

Website: https://www.cielaustral.com
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #C2025R2SWAN #CometSWAN25B #Comets #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #TeamCielAustral #Astrophotographers #Chile #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

NASA's Chandra Finds Black Hole with Tremendous Growth (Budget Alert)

NASA's Chandra Finds Black Hole with Tremendous Growth (Budget Alert)

Astronomers have discovered a black hole that is growing at one of the fastest rates ever recorded. This discovery from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory may help explain how black holes can reach enormous masses relatively quickly after the Big Bang.

The black hole weighs about a billion times the mass of the Sun and is located about 12.8 billion light-years from Earth, meaning that astronomers are seeing it only 920 million years after the universe began. It is producing more X-rays than any other black hole seen in the first billion years of the universe.

The black hole is powering what scientists call a quasar, an extremely bright object that outshines entire galaxies. The power source of this glowing monster is large amounts of matter funneling around and entering the black hole.

While the same team discovered it two years ago, it took observations from Chandra in 2023 to discover what sets this quasar, RACS J0320-35, apart. The X-ray data reveal that this black hole appears to be growing at a rate that exceeds the normal limit for these objects.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is being canceled in NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request, along with 18 other active science missions. NASA's science budget is being reduced by nearly 50%. NASA's total budget will become the lowest since 1961, after accounting for inflation.

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns about severe budget cuts at NASA:

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PDF): https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/

When matter is pulled toward a black hole, it is heated and produces X-rays and optical light. This radiation creates pressure by pushing out on the matter. This counteracts the force of gravity pulling the matter in toward the black hole. When the amount of matter becomes large enough, the pressure from the radiation overpowers the force of gravity, giving a limit on how quickly matter can typically fall towards a black hole, called the Eddington rate.

Scientists think that black holes growing more slowly than the Eddington rate need to be born with masses of about 10,000 Suns or more so they can reach a billion solar masses within a billion years after the Big Bang—like they have observed in RACS J0320-35. A black hole with such a high birth mass could directly result from an exotic process: the collapse of a huge cloud of dense gas containing unusually low amounts of elements heavier than helium, conditions that may be extremely rare.

If RACS J0320-35 is indeed growing at a high rate—estimated at 2.4 times the Eddington limit—and has done so for a sustained amount of time, its black hole could have started out in a more conventional way, with a mass less than a hundred Suns, caused by the implosion of a massive star.

By knowing the mass of the black hole and working out how quickly it is growing, the researchers were able to work backwards to estimate how massive it could have been at birth. With this calculation, astronomers can test ideas about how black holes are born.

This result has implications for how the Universe’s first generation of black holes formed. This remains one of the biggest questions in astrophysics.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 3 minutes, 24 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #BlackHoles #Quasars #RACSJ032035 #EddingtonLimit #Fornax #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #SpaceTelescopes #XrayAstronomy #MSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Advances Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint Technology (uPSP) System

NASA Advances Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint Technology (uPSP) System

"NASA combines world class wind tunnels with supercomputing. The revolutionary unsteady pressure sensitive paint (uPSP) system is transforming aerosciences research—the fundamental field underlying all flight technology. This advanced technology system is transforming how we study airflow in wind tunnels, capturing high-resolution, real-time data on turbulent airflow and unsteady flow separation—critical for understanding how air moves over aircraft and spacecraft. NASA's Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities Portfolio Office (AETC) oversaw the development of this capability, with the expertise of the NASA Ames Unitary uPSP team. The uPSP system delivers results 10,000 times faster and 1,000 times more detailed than previous methods, providing research engineers with near-instantaneous feedback that was previously impossible to achieve. By converting wind tunnel data into high-speed, ultra-detailed visualizations, NASA is revolutionizing how we test, design, and perfect the next generation of flight technology for the nation."

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 2 minutes, 44 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Aeroscience #uPSP #WindTunnels #Airflow #Aircraft #Spacecraft #Aerospace #Supercomputing #Visualizations #Technology #PaintTechnology #FlightTechnology #Engineering #NASAAmes #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video