Ultra Deep Field: Looking into Space, 12+ Billion Years Back in Time | Hubble

Ultra Deep Field: Looking into Space, 12+ Billion Years Back in Time | Hubble

This six-minute visual exploration of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field showcases the characteristics and contents of this landmark observation, as well as its four-dimensional nature across both space and time. In particular, galaxies are seen to more than 12 billion light-years away/12 billion years ago, allowing astronomers to trace the development of galaxies across cosmic time.

A deep field is a long exposure on a small field of view to observe the faintest objects possible. The Ultra Deep Field (UDF) represents the deepest visible light observation of the universe. Containing about 10,000 sources, the UDF provides a statistical sample of galaxies across the universe.

In this sequence, the three-dimensional model of the UDF data set uses NASA and other images and source catalogs. More than 5000 galaxies with cross-matched image cutout and distance measure are placed in their correct relative position throughout the long thin pyramid of the observation. To keep the fly-throughs succinct, the depth of the pyramid is shortened by a factor of a few hundred.

The visualization encompasses a suite of UDF science points in a single camera shot journey. Zooms, fades, fly-throughs, and overlay graphics visually express and highlight aspects such as the field of view, long exposure time, variety of galaxies, and extent across the observable universe. The critical idea that "looking farther out into space is also looking farther back in time" leads to examples, drawn directly from the data, of galaxy structure changing and growing over time.

The Ultra Deep Field and other deep field studies help astronomers study the distribution, characteristics, and development of galaxies across space and time.

This visualization is a product of the AstroViz Program of NASA's Universe of Learning.

Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute
Visualization: Frank Summers, Alyssa Pagan, Leah Hustak, Greg Bacon, Zolt Levay, Lisa Frattare (STScI)
Data: Anton Koekemoer, Bahram Mobasher, and HUDF Team
Duration: 6 minutes
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #HubbleUltraDeepField #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #SpaceTelescopes #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #AstroViz #Visualizations #3D #HD #Video

A Pink Speckle in the Southern Sky over The Paranal Observatory in Chile | ESO

A Pink Speckle in the Southern Sky over The Paranal Observatory in Chile | ESO

This image shows the band of light from the Milky Way galaxy seemingly pouring into a telescope, right below the center of the image. Within the Milky Way right above the telescope, the Carina Nebula is visible as a pink spot. It marks the very center and focus of the image. Additionally, one of the Magellanic Clouds is visible in the left side of the picture right above the horizon.

This picture showcases the mesmerizing dark sky above the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The sky in the southern hemisphere is home to unique jewels like the Magellanic Clouds and one particularly special eye-catcher in this image—the Carina Nebula, a massive star-forming region visible here as a big pink spot right above one of the four Auxiliary Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). 

This sight was a unique one for the French photographer Julien Looten, who captured the image. “It was an unforgettable moment,“ he said about finally seeing the Carina Nebula with his own eyes, as such a view is not possible from the northern hemisphere. However, Paranal’s location in the southern hemisphere and its uniquely dark skies make it possible to capture this breathtaking view. 

This nebula is home to Eta Carinae, a pair of massive short-lived stars that are shedding off large amounts of material. The structure of this cloud has been studied in detail with the VLT Interferometer, by linking together three Auxiliary Telescopes like the one in this image to create a huge “virtual” telescope.

Credit: J. Looten/ESO
Release Date: October 20, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #LargeMagellanicCloud #DwarfGalaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Nebulae #CarinaNebula #Carina #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #AuxiliaryTelescopes #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Astrophotography #Europe #STEM #Education

Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Giant Eye on The Southern Sky | NOIRLab

Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Giant Eye on The Southern Sky | NOIRLab

High on the summit of Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes, NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory stands like a watchtower, scanning the cosmos with a gaze wide enough to capture the entire sky of the southern hemisphere in a three-night sweep. Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE/SC). Rubin is a joint Program of NSF NOIRLab and DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory that jointly operate Rubin.

Rubin will detect up to 10 million changes in the sky every night during its decade-long survey. Supernovae are an example of the most dynamic of these changes. They are often found by chance, although scientists have been looking for new ways to anticipate them. Previously, humans simply had to be supernova spotters, one of the most famous visually observed 42 supernovae over their lifetime. Spotting supernovae has become even easier in the last three decades through automation. Today, Rubin optimizes this automation with its 3200-megapixel LSST Camera and data processing software trained to catch even the faintest cosmic flicker. In the next decade, Rubin is expected to capture about ten million supernovae. What once took a lifetime of quiet observation can now be done every night, thousands of times over. From memory to machine, the mission remains the same: never miss a light in the dark.

Rubin Observatory is seen here beneath the southern sky. The Milky Way arcs overhead, and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) can be seen on the left. Petr Horálek, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Credit: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)
Release Date: Oct. 15, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Cosmos #Universe #Galaxies #LargeMagellanicCloud  #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Supernovae #RubinObservatory #LSSTCamera #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Iceland

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Iceland

Astrophotographer Wioleta Gorecka: "These photos were taken . . . 18.10.2025 in Iceland (Krysuvik near Reykjavik). My goal was the comet - Lemmon C/2025 A6. I usually like to tell short stories through photos. This time it was a fisher(wo)man's attempt to catch a comet. I think it turned out well . . ."

Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America.

Image Credit: Wioleta Gorecka 
Wioleta's Website: https://instagram.com/wiola.gorecka
Image details: ikon Z6II, tamron 150-600mm (for the pictures 600mm), tracker SWSA. Sky: 40x 30 sec, iso 1600, f6.3. Foreground: 1/6 sec., f6.3, ISO 1600
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2025 

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #WioletaGorecka #Astrophotographers #Iceland #Ísland #STEM #Education

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Pre-flight Static Fire Test

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Pre-flight Static Fire Test

Preparation for the maiden flight of China's reusable rocket Zhuque-3 has entered a critical phase after the completion of joint fueling drills and static ignition tests from October 18 to 20, 2025. The successful tests also laid the groundwork for the rocket's official launch and first-stage recovery later this year.

With a diameter of 4.5 meters and a total length of around 66 meters, the Zhuque-3 rocket can carry up to 18 satellites per launch, making it an ideal choice for launching satellites for large-scale constellation networks.

Equipped with landing legs and grid fins for controlled descent, the rocket is designed to vertically recover its most expensive component—the first stage, accounting for 70 percent of the rocket's total cost.

As its first stage is designed to be reused at least 20 times, the rocket has the potential to reduce launch costs by 80 to 90 percent compared with single-use rockets.

Powered by a parallel cluster of nine liquid oxygen-methane engines, the first-stage can achieve meter-level landing precision, as five of the engines are capable of gimballing.

In addition, these engines produce a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.

Beijing-based LandSpace is a leading Chinese private space company. With its Zhuque-2 rocket, LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket to Earth orbit in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The successful Zhuque-3 development marks a significant stride in the pursuit of low-cost, high-frequency, and large-capacity space launches for China's private space industry.

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 Landspace.

Credit: Landspace
Duration: 29 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #LEO #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque3Rocket #Zhuque3 #ReusableRockets #LaunchVehicles #MethaneLiquidOxygen #Methalox #JSLC  #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #酒泉卫星发射中心 #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Readied for First Flight

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Readied for First Flight

Preparation for the maiden flight of China's reusable rocket Zhuque-3 has entered a critical phase after the completion of joint fueling drills and static ignition tests from October 18 to 20, 2025. The successful tests also laid the groundwork for the rocket's official launch and first-stage recovery later this year.

With a diameter of 4.5 meters and a total length of around 66 meters, the Zhuque-3 rocket can carry up to 18 satellites per launch, making it an ideal choice for launching satellites for large-scale constellation networks.

Equipped with landing legs and grid fins for controlled descent, the rocket is designed to vertically recover its most expensive component—the first stage, accounting for 70 percent of the rocket's total cost.

As its first stage is designed to be reused at least 20 times, the rocket has the potential to reduce launch costs by 80 to 90 percent compared with single-use rockets.

Powered by a parallel cluster of nine liquid oxygen-methane engines, the first-stage can achieve meter-level landing precision, as five of the engines are capable of gimballing.

In addition, these engines produce a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.

Beijing-based LandSpace is a leading Chinese private space company. With its Zhuque-2 rocket, LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket to Earth orbit in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The successful Zhuque-3 development marks a significant stride in the pursuit of low-cost, high-frequency, and large-capacity space launches for China's private space industry.

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 Landspace.

Credit: Landspace
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #LEO #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque3Rocket #Zhuque3 #ReusableRockets #LaunchVehicles #MethaneLiquidOxygen #Methalox #JSLC  #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #酒泉卫星发射中心 #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Prepares for First Flight

China Landspace Reusable Zhuque-3 Commercial Rocket Prepares for First Flight

Preparation for the maiden flight of China's reusable rocket Zhuque-3 has entered a critical phase after the completion of joint fueling drills and static ignition tests from October 18 to 20, 2025. The successful tests also laid the groundwork for the rocket's official launch and first-stage recovery later this year.

With a diameter of 4.5 meters and a total length of around 66 meters, the Zhuque-3 rocket can carry up to 18 satellites per launch, making it an ideal choice for launching satellites for large-scale constellation networks.

Equipped with landing legs and grid fins for controlled descent, the rocket is designed to vertically recover its most expensive component—the first stage, accounting for 70 percent of the rocket's total cost.

As its first stage is designed to be reused at least 20 times, the rocket has the potential to reduce launch costs by 80 to 90 percent compared with single-use rockets.

Powered by a parallel cluster of nine liquid oxygen-methane engines, the first-stage can achieve meter-level landing precision, as five of the engines are capable of gimballing.

In addition, these engines produce a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.

Beijing-based LandSpace is a leading Chinese private space company. With its Zhuque-2 rocket, LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket to Earth orbit in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The successful Zhuque-3 development marks a significant stride in the pursuit of low-cost, high-frequency, and large-capacity space launches for China's private space industry.

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 Landspace.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 38 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #LEO #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque3Rocket #Zhuque3 #ReusableRockets #LaunchVehicles #MethaneLiquidOxygen #Methalox #JSLC  #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #酒泉卫星发射中心 #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Italy

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): View from Italy

Astrophotographer Alessandro Carrozzi: "Visible low on the northwestern horizon just after sunset, Comet Lemmon appears quite bright, easily observable with a simple pair of binoculars. In the image, in addition to the long ion tail, a beautiful dust tail is now also evident. The long exposure results in a slightly limited level of fine detail, but still allows for a clear appreciation of the comet’s overall structure."

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, but first it will pass its nearest to the Earth—at about half the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21. 

Image Credit: Alessandro Carrozzi
Image Data: Nikon 400mm f/2.8 telephoto lens, ZWO ASI 2600MC Duo camera, ZWO AM5N mount
60 x 60 s at f/4 (total integration time: 1 hour)
Image Date: Oct. 18th 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #AlessandroCarrozzi #Astrophotographers #Italy #Italia #STEM #Education

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch: Pakistan's Remote Sensing Satellite

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch: Pakistan's Remote Sensing Satellite

The CAS Space Lijian-1 Y8 rocket, carrying three satellites, blasted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Zone in Northwest China at 11:33am Beijing Time (BJT) on Oct. 19, 2025. Pakistan remote-sensing satellite (PRSS-2), plus AIRSAT 03 & 04 satellites were successfully deployed into their planned orbits. This marks the 9th successful flight of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

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 launch firms, like CAS Space.

Video Credit: CAS Space

Duration: 1 min.
Release Date: Oct. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #Pakistan #PRSS2 #EarthObservation #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Lijian1Y8Rocket #Lijian1Y8 #LaunchVehicle #SolidFuelRocket #CommercialSpace #CAS #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Commissions World’s First Mid-Infrared Solar Magnetic-Field Telescope

China Commissions World’s First Mid-Infrared Solar Magnetic-Field Telescope

China has officially commissioned the world's first solar magnetic-field telescope operating in the mid-infrared wavelength, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced October 17, 2025.

The telescope fills the gap in the world in mid-infrared solar magnetic field observations, and is expected to provide important support for the monitoring and forecasting of disastrous space weather caused by solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

The telescope, known as the Accurate Infrared Magnetic Field Measurements of the Sun or AIMS, is located in the Lenghu township in northwest China's Qinghai Province, at an average altitude of about 4,000 meters.

Since its development began in 2015, the project has made several key technological breakthroughs. The research team has achieved the direct measurement method of the solar magnetic field through observations in the 12.3-micron mid-infrared wavelength, improving the magnetic field measurement accuracy to exceed the 10 Gauss level, addressing a bottleneck issue in the century-long history of solar magnetic-field measurement.

The telescope adopts an off-axis optical system design, with its infrared spectroscopy and imaging terminals, including core components such as detector chips and vacuum cooling systems, all developed domestically, further enhancing China's independent innovation capability in astronomical instruments.

"The same magnetic field intensity has a stronger response in the mid-infrared waveband. Therefore, we can take advantage of this characteristic to enhance the precision of magnetic field measurements," said Deng Yuanyong, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories, in an interview with China Central Television.

During the debugging and trial period after the AIMS telescope was completed in 2023, researchers achieved routine observations of solar spectra and imaging in the mid-infrared wavelength, obtaining data on multiple solar flares in the wavelength. The results provide crucial data support for studying the mechanisms of material and energy transfer and investigating the accumulation and release of magnetic energy during intense solar eruptions.

"The magnetic field is extremely important for us to understand many key scientific issues in solar physics. Flares and coronal mass ejections are both disastrous space weather conditions dominated by magnetic field interactions, which have an impact on national economy and high-tech technologies on Earth. Therefore, this telescope can promote the monitoring and forecasting of disastrous space weather," said Deng.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Stars #Sun #SolarSystem #SpaceWeather #Earth #SolarMagneticFieldTelescope #InfraredAstronomy #Heliophysics #Lenghu #冷湖 #Qinghai #青海 #China #中国 #NAOC #CAS #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to AG Carinae: A Luminous Blue Variable Star | STScI

Journey to AG Carinae: A Luminous Blue Variable Star | STScI

This visualization starts with a wide-field view of the Carina constellation and zooms down to the Hubble Space Telescope view of the massive star, AG Carinae. One of the brightest stars in our galaxy, AG Carinae undergoes eruptions that have ejected a small nebula of gas and dust.

The sequence then transitions from the 2D Hubble image to a 3D model that shows the structure of the surrounding nebula. The 3D model is based on Hubble images and spectroscopic data of the nebula's motion. The emission from ionized gas glows red, while the dust reflects the light of the star and appears bluish-white.

AG Carinae (AG Car) is a star in the constellation of Carina. It is classified as a luminous blue variable (LBV). The great distance (20,000 light-years) and intervening dust mean that the star is not usually visible to the naked eye; its apparent brightness varies erratically between magnitude 5.7 and 9.0.

Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Visualization: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak, Frank Summers, Alyssa Pagan, Joseph DePasquale and Greg Bacon (STScI)

Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Hubble #Stars #AGCarinae #AGCar #Carina #Constellations #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #SpaceTelescopes #FrankSummers #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualizations #3D #HD #Video

Aurora & Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) over Scotland

Aurora & Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) over Scotland

Astrophotographer Alan C. Tough: "Earlier this evening, I set up a star tracker with a DSLR and 150mm lens in my back garden in order to photograph Comet Lemmon. When I saw the huge auroral arc, I left the tracker to its own devices and went into the field next to the house with another DSLR and 14 mm lens to capture the erupting aurora."

Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, but first it will pass its nearest to the Earth—at about half the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21. 

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. To the south-east Scotland has its only land border that is 96 miles (154 km) long and shared with England. The country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and south, the North Sea to the north-east and east, and the Irish Sea to the west.

Image Credit: Alan C. Tough 
Alan's website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7776810@N07/
Capture Location: Elgin, Moray, Scotland, UK
Image Date: Oct. 18, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #AlanCTough #OurNighSkyUS #Astrophotographers #Scotland #UK #STEM #Education

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) & The Eagle Nebula: View from Chile

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) & The Eagle Nebula: View from Chile

Astrophotgrapher Daniele Gasparri: "From the Southern Hemisphere, Comet Lemmon is (still) out of sight, but another, almost forgotten comet is currently crossing the Milky Way. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is even visible to the naked eye under the pristine skies of the Atacama Desert, and I captured it while it was (apparently) passing through one of the most iconic and spectacular regions of the sky—the Eagle Nebula. This image was taken with a 130 mm Newtonian reflector, averaging 40 exposures of 120 seconds each, aligned both on the comet and the stars. It was also an amazing sight through the eyepiece with its characteristic green coma drifting across one of the most observed nebulae in the sky."

Image Credit: Daniele Gasparri
Daniele's website: https://www.danielegasparri.com
Capture Location: Atacama region of Chile
Image Date: Oct. 17, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #C2025R2SWAN #CometSWAN25B #Comets #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #EagleNebula #Messier16 #M16 #Serpens #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #DanieleGasparri #Astrophotographers #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

This Hubble picture features a galaxy that has been captured multiple times over 20 years. This spiral galaxy is called NGC 3370. It is located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion).

What is it about this galaxy that makes it a popular target for researchers? NGC 3370 is home to two kinds of objects that astronomers prize for their usefulness in determining distances to faraway galaxies: Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae.

Cepheid variable stars change in both size and temperature as they pulsate. As a result, the luminosity of these stars varies over a period of days to months. It does so in a way that reveals something important: the more luminous a Cepheid variable star is, the more slowly it pulsates. By measuring how long a Cepheid variable’s brightness takes to complete one cycle, astronomers can determine how bright the star actually is. Paired with how bright the star appears from Earth, this information gives the distance to the star and its home galaxy.

Type Ia supernovae provide a way to measure distances in a single explosive burst rather than through regular brightness variations. Type Ia supernovae happen when the dead core of a star ignites in a sudden flare of nuclear fusion. These explosions peak at very similar luminosities, and much like for a Cepheid variable star, knowing the intrinsic brightness of a supernova explosion allows for its distance to be measured. Observations of Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae are both critical for precisely measuring how fast our Universe is expanding. 

A previous Hubble image of NGC 3370 was released in 2003. The image released today zooms in on the galaxy, presenting a richly detailed view that incorporates wavelengths of light that were not included in the previous version. NGC 3370 is a member of the NGC 3370 group of galaxies along with other Hubble targets NGC 3447 and NGC 3455.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy occupies most of the image. It is a slightly tilted disc of stars, yellow-white in the centre and blue in the outskirts, showing light from different stars in the galaxy. Its spiral arms curl outwards from the centre, speckled with blue star clusters. Dark reddish threads of dust swirl around the galaxy’s centre. The backdrop is two medium-sized and many small, distant galaxies on a black background.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC3370 #SpiralGalaxies #CepheidVariableStars #TypeIaSupernovae #Leo #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

China's Orienspace: Commercial Rocket Launch by Ship—Behind The Scenes

China's Orienspace: Commercial Rocket Launch by Ship—Behind The Scenes

Orienspace, a private Chinese rocket manufacturer, successfully launched the 30-meter-tall Gravity 1 Y2 commercial carrier rocket with four solid-rocket boosters (SRBs) on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at 10:20 a.m. Beijing Time (BJT) from its launch ship off the coast of Haiyang in east China's Shandong Province. This marked the second flight of the world's largest and most powerful commercial solid-propellant rocket that produces 600 tonnes of thrust at liftoff. The Gravity 1 Y2 rocket delivered three satellites into their planned Earth orbits. The payloads were an optical remote-sensing satellite and two experimental satellites.

This was the 20th offshore launch at the Oriental Aerospace Port. Prior to this, Yantai had already hosted 19 offshore rocket launch missions, sending a total of 130 satellites into space.

This mission was the second flight of the Gravity 1 after its debut launch from the same site in January 2024.

Xu Guoguang, chief designer and project manager of Gravity 1, said the second flight aimed to further verify the rocket's reliability and capability, its pre-launch preparations and the launch sequence, as well as to demonstrate its ability to handle multiple flight trajectories. The Gravity 1 rocket model features three core stages and four boosters, all powered by solid-propellant engine and equipped with flexible swinging nozzles.

With a liftoff weight of 405 metric tons and a thrust of 600 tons, the rocket can carry a spacecraft weighing up to 6.5 tons to a low-Earth orbit, or 4.2 tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers, according to Orienspace—founded in 2020 by a group of veteran researchers from State-owned space enterprises.

Gravity 1 is the most powerful commercial rocket currently in China.

Its liftoff weight and thrust surpass those of the European Space Agency's Vega-C, previously the world's most powerful solid-propellant rocket.

In addition, Gravity 1 is the first and currently the only private rocket in China that has side boosters and the largest fairing, or nose cone—the top structure on a rocket that contains satellites or other payloads.

The use of solid fuel is "convenient and safe." It allows for the process of rocket assembly, testing and launch to be completed within a 5 kilometer radius, significantly reducing production time and cost.

Offshore launches offer additional advantages in terms of safety and frequency with potential for weekly launch missions using a single vessel, according to OrienSpace.

The Gravity-1 rocket structure is designed for rapid mass production. Its core and boosters have the same diameter, simplifying the manufacturing process and significantly improving manufacturing efficiency, while cutting production costs.

OrienSpace said it aimed to achieve liquid rocket recyclability and reusability within 1-2 years, increasing its carrying capacity to 15-20 tonnes and further driving down costs.

Credit: Orienspace

Duration: 2 minutes, 37 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 15, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #OrienSpace #东方空间 #SeaLaunch #Haiyang #ShandongProvince #RocketLaunch #Gravity1Y2 #引力1号 #SolidFuelRocket #CommercialSpace #ChinaSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #AerospaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nightflight over Japan | International Space Station

Nightflight over Japan | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui: "Here is a timelapse video of Japan . . . (around 4 a.m.) when many of you were likely still asleep."

"There were many places covered with thin clouds, but the city lights shining through the clouds are bright enough that you might be able to identify the area where you live."

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south.

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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: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/Kimiya Yui

Duration: 31 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2025

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