Stellar Pre-Winter Seasonal Offerings | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Stellar Pre-Winter Seasonal Offerings | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

For many, nothing evokes fall more than fallen leaves. In this view of NGC 6334, glowing pockets of dust and gas in the nebula resemble leaves that have been picked up by a wind gust. This region is actually home to strong winds blowing from the young stars that have formed there. This image contains X-ray data from Chandra (blue, green, and yellow) that shows the effects of these winds, which have been combined with infrared data from the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope (red, brown), which shows the dust and gas that fuels the growing stars.

Credit:  X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Infrared: NASA/JPL/CalTech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt

Born after a violent explosion of a star, this cosmic gourd is the supernova remnant G272.2-03.2. X-ray observations (orange and magenta) from Chandra provide evidence that G272 is the result of a Type Ia supernova explosion, where a white dwarf star pulls material from a companion star until it triggers a thermonuclear explosion and obliterates the star. The inside of the “pumpkin” is superheated gas that is filling the space cleared out by the explosion as it moves outward.

Credit:  X-ray: NASA/CXC/SA0; Optical: NOIRLab/DECaPS2; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

Multiple telescopes teamed up to capture an image that looks like a cozy sweater with fuzzy arms. X-rays from Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton (purple), optical light data from Hubble and the Very Large Telescope in Chile (orange, red, and violet), and an optical image from astrophotographers Bob Fera and Steve Mandel (deep blue) combine to reveal R Aquarii. Nestled within the cozy ‘body’ of R Aquarii is a pair of stars where a white dwarf is pulling material from a much larger red giant companion. When enough material accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, it triggers an outburst that sends a jet out into space. Over time, these jets twist and loop around each other weaving the structure seen today.

Credit:  X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; ESA/XMM-Newton; Optical HST: NASA/ESA/STScI; Optical Ground: Deep Space Remote observatories/B. Fera and S. Mandel; ESO/VLT; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

A cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket that traditionally carries fruits and vegetables. There is nothing edible in this pair of galactic cornucopias but there are a bounty of stars, dust, and other ingredients than make up these two spiral galaxies, known as NGC 2207 (right) and IC 2163 (left), that we see face-on. This view of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 takes a James Webb infrared image (white, gray, and red) and adds the X-ray view from Chandra (blue). Together, it is quite an eye-catching result.

Credit:  X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

Four images that one can imagine connections to fall have been released by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The images are the star-forming region NGC 6334, supernova remnant G272.2-0.3, interacting spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163, as well as R Aquarii. Each image contains X-rays from Chandra that have been combined with data from other telescopes that detect different types of light. Pareidolia is the phenomenon that allows people to see familiar patterns or shapes in data. Before fall gives way to winter in the northern hemisphere, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has several images that celebrate autumn and its many delights to share. In spirit of the season, this collection gathers Chandra data with those from its telescopic family including NASA’s James Webb, Hubble, and Spitzer Space Telescopes, plus others in space and on the ground.

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/

Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Release Date: Nov. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebulae #NGC6334 #Stars #RAquarii #SupernovaRemnants #G2722032 #Galaxies #NGC2207 #IC2163 #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #SpaceTelescopes #XrayAstronomy #MSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A First: All Docking Ports Used for Eight Spacecraft | International Space Station

A First: All Docking Ports Used for Eight Spacecraft | International Space Station

International Space Station Configuration on Dec. 1, 2025

For the first time in International Space Station history, all eight docking ports aboard the orbital outpost are occupied following the reinstallation of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft to the Earth-facing port of the station’s Unity module. The eight spacecraft attached to the complex are: two SpaceX Dragons, Cygnus XL, JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1, two Roscosmos Soyuz crew spacecraft, and two Progress cargo ships.

This milestone follows the reattachment of the Cygnus XL spacecraft, supporting the Northrop Grumman-23 commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It was removed last week by the robotics officer at the agency’s Mission Control Center in Houston using the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. The Cygnus XL movement was coordinated between NASA, Northrop Grumman, and Roscosmos to provide appropriate clearance for the arriving crewed Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, 2025.

Cygnus will remain attached to the orbiting laboratory until no earlier than March 2026, when it is scheduled to safely depart and dispose of up to 11,000 pounds of trash and unneeded cargo when it harmlessly burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Three new residents are living aboard the space station following the arrival of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev will stay in space until July 2026, conducting advanced space research benefiting humans living on and off Earth.

On Dec. 8, the orbital outpost will return to seven members and become the Expedition 74 crew when NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky enter the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, undock from the Prichal module, and parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan. Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky are nearing the end of an eight-month space science mission that began on April 8, 2025.

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, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Chris Williams

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #JSC #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Expedition73 #Expedition74 #Infographics #STEM #Education

China Unveils Next-gen Space Situational Awareness Constellation for Space Debris

China Unveils Next-gen Space Situational Awareness Constellation for Space Debris

High above Earth, an estimated 140 million tiny debris fragments, a portion as small as 1 to 10 millimeters, race through orbit at several kilometers per second. And larger pieces, those over 10 centimeters, now number more than 50,000.

With tens of thousands of satellites going up, space is becoming crowded. 

Unlike ground-based radars or telescopes, this space-based constellation or EYESAT is not limited by geography or weather. Once they reach 156 satellites, they will be capable of monitoring the entire orbital environment, including orbits above remote regions like the South Pole. When fully deployed, EYESAT is expected to become one of the world's largest space-based debris-tracking systems. EYESAT will detect, track, identify and catalog on-orbit satellites, while also monitoring space debris. The data services for space traffic management from EYESAT will help safeguard near-Earth space and improve long-term sustainability.

EYESAT satellites are scheduled for launch beginning in the first half of 2026.

Credit: SMG
Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #SpaceDebris #Earth #China #中国 #EYESAT #SpaceTrafficManagement #Spaceflight #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Stellar Pre-Winter Seasonal Offerings | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Stellar Pre-Winter Seasonal Offerings | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Before fall gives way to winter in the northern hemisphere, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has several images that celebrate autumn and its many delights to share. In spirit of the season, this collection gathers Chandra data with those from its telescopic family including NASA’s James Webb, Hubble, and Spitzer Space Telescopes, plus others in space and on the ground.

Here is a sample of the seasonal offerings that space has in store:

For many, nothing evokes fall more than fallen leaves. In this view of NGC 6334, glowing pockets of dust and gas in the nebula resemble leaves that have been picked up by a wind gust. This region is indeed home to strong winds blowing from the young stars that have formed there. This image contains X-ray data from Chandra (blue, green, and yellow) that shows the effects of these winds, which have been combined with infrared data from the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope (red, brown), which shows the dust and gas that fuels the growing stars.

Born after a violent explosion of a star, this cosmic gourd is the supernova remnant G272.2-03.2. X-ray observations from Chandra provide evidence that G272 is the result of a Type Ia supernova explosion, where a white dwarf star pulls material from a companion star until it triggers a thermonuclear explosion and obliterates the star. The inside of the “pumpkin” is superheated gas that is filling the space cleared out by the explosion as it moves outward.

A cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket that traditionally carries fruits and vegetables. There is nothing edible in this pair of galactic cornucopias but there are a bounty of stars, dust, and other ingredients that make up these two spiral galaxies, known as NGC 2207 and IC 2163, that we see face-on. This view of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 takes a James Webb infrared image and adds the X-ray view from Chandra. Together, it is quite an eye-catching result.

Multiple telescopes teamed up to capture an image that looks like a cozy sweater with fuzzy arms. X-rays from Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton, optical light data from Hubble and the Very Large Telescope in Chile, and an optical [PE1] image from an astrophotographer combine to reveal R Aquarii. Nestled within the cozy ‘body’ of R Aquarii is a pair of stars where a white dwarf is pulling material from a much larger red giant companion. When enough material accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, it triggers an outburst that sends a jet out into space. Over time, these jets twist and loop around each other weaving the structure seen today.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 3 minutes, 23 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebulae #NGC6334 #Stars #RAquarii #SupernovaRemnants #G2722032 #Galaxies #NGC2207 #IC2163 #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #SpaceTelescopes #XrayAstronomy #MSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for December 2025: Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

What's Up for December 2025: Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in December 2025:

The 3I/ATLAS comet makes its closest approach to Earth, the Geminid meteor shower sparkles across the sky, and the Moon and Jupiter get close for a conjunction. 

0:00 Intro

0:13 3I/ATLAS

1:24 Geminid meteor shower

1:57 Moon + Jupiter conjunction

2:31 December Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #InterstellarComets #Comet3IATLAS #Planets #Jupiter #Earth #MeteorShowers #Geminids #Moon #Stars #SolarSystem #Nebulae #Galaxies #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

United Launch Alliance (ULA) Rocket Factory Tour in Alabama

United Launch Alliance (ULA) Rocket Factory Tour in Alabama

The Vulcan rocket's journey to space begins in Decatur, Alabama, USA, at the United Launch Alliance’s 2.2 million square foot rocket factory. Long before the path to orbit, the missions start on the factory floor.

United Launch Alliance, LLC (ULA) is an American launch service provider formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The company designs, assembles, sells and launches rockets. The company uses rocket engines, solid rocket boosters, and other components supplied by other companies.

ULA Website: https://www.ulalaunch.com

ULA Vulcan Rocket: 

https://www.ulalaunch.com/rockets/vulcan-centaur

Video Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Duration: 3 minutes, 43 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #CommercialSpace #UnitedLaunchAlliance #VulcanRocket #ULA #LockheedMartin #Boeing #RocketFactories #Decatur #Alabama #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Tails of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: View from Texas

The Tails of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: View from Texas

How typical is our Solar System? 

Studying 3I/ATLAS, a comet just passing through, is providing clues. Confirmed previous interstellar visitors include an asteroid, a comet, a meteor, and a gas wind dominated by hydrogen and helium. Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical one. For example, Comet 3I/ATLAS has a broadly similar chemical composition and ejected dust. The featured image was captured last week from Texas and shows a green coma, a wandering blue-tinted ion tail likely deflected by our Sun's wind, and a slight anti-tail, all typical cometary attributes. The comet, visible with a telescope, passed its closest to the Sun in late October and will pass its closest to the Earth in mid-December. Afterwards, it will return to interstellar space and never return.

Image Description: A starfield is shown around a comet. The green coma of the comet is on the lower left. A meandering blue-tinted tail goes off to the upper right. A slight anti-tail is seen from the coma toward the lower left.

Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter
Julien De Winter's website: https://www.instagram.com/dwj85
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #InterstellarObjects #InterplanetaryBodies #InterstellarComet3I #Comets #Coma #CometaryTails #Planets #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #VictorSabet #JulienDeWinter #Astrophotographers #STEM #Education

Starburst Spiral Galaxy NGC 1792 in Columba | European Southern Observatory

Starburst Spiral Galaxy NGC 1792 in Columba | European Southern Observatory

Color composite image of the starburst spiral galaxy NGC 1792 obtained with the FORS1 and FORS2 multi-mode instruments (at the Very Large Telescope MELIPAL and YEPUN, respectively). It is located over 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Columba (the Dove).

The optical appearance of NGC 1792 is quite chaotic, due to the patchy distribution of dust throughout the disc of this galaxy. It is very rich in neutral hydrogen gas—fuel for the formation of new stars—and is indeed rapidly forming such stars. The galaxy is characterized by unusually luminous far-infrared radiation; this is due to dust heated by young stars. Note the numerous background galaxies in this sky field. North is up and East is to the left.

Learn more about the Very Large Telescope (VLT):
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/P. Barthel
Release Date: Dec. 19, 2003 

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1792 #SpiralGalaxies #StarburstGalaxies #Columba #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #FORS2 #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1792 in Columba: A Storm of New Stars | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1792 in Columba: A Storm of New Stars | Hubble

The subject of this Hubble picture is a stormy and highly active spiral galaxy named NGC 1792. Located over 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Columba (the Dove), the bright glow of the galaxy’s center is offset by the sparkling and feathery spiral arms swirling around it.

NGC 1792 is just as fascinating to astronomers as its chaotic look might imply. Classified as a starburst galaxy, it is a powerhouse of star formation with spiral arms rich in star-forming regions. In fact, it is surprisingly luminous for its mass. The galaxy is close to a larger neighbor, NGC 1808, and the strong gravitational interaction between the two is believed to be what has stirred up the reserves of gas in this galaxy. The result is a torrent of star formation, concentrated on the side where gravity has a stronger effect. It is a perfect target for astronomers seeking to understand the complex interactions between gas, star clusters and supernovae in galaxies.

Hubble provided an image of this galaxy in 2020. This image includes additional data collected throughout 2025, providing a deeper view of the tumultuous astrophysical activity taking place in the galaxy. Blossoming red lights in the arms mark out so-called H-alpha emission from dense clouds of hydrogen molecules. Stars form within these clouds and shine powerfully with ultraviolet radiation. They ionize the gas around them, causing the gas to emit a very particular red wavelength of light—a tell-tale sign of new stars.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen partly from the side, with a messy, turbulent appearance. Its disc is made of multiple patchy arms that contain numerous sparkling blue and glowing red regions—star clusters and star-forming nebulae. Thick clumps of dark reddish dust swirl through the disc. The glow of the disc extends out into the dark background, where both distant and nearby stars can be seen.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, F. Belfiore, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1792 #SpiralGalaxies #StarburstGalaxies #Columba #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-21 Astronauts Conduct Science Experiments & Drills | China Space Station

Shenzhou-21 Astronauts Conduct Science Experiments & Drills | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-21 crew members aboard China's Tiangong Space Station carried out multiple science experiments and their first full-system emergency response drills, among other tasks, in orbit over the past week.

The three astronauts—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang—have been in orbit for a month as of Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Using laptops aboard the space station, the astronauts conducted microgravity experiments on intuitive physical behavior, collecting relevant behavioral data to explore the impact of long-term spaceflight on human's intuitive physical representations and the mechanisms of their recovery.

They used space Raman spectrometer to analyze metabolic components in urine samples. The collected information will be used for further refinement and improvement of the relevant characteristic metabolite indicator system and evaluation criteria.

Additionally, the crew completed the installation of new software for space medical experiments. In microgravity physics science, the crew completed scheduled tasks including replacing the high-speed image storage unit in the two-phase system experiment cabinet and disassembling and assembling experimental modules.

Additionally, per experimental schedule, they cleaned and replaced samples within the containerless cabinet's experimental chamber, cleaned window cover lenses and conducted other relevant mission tasks.

The crew also conducted their first full-system emergency pressure response drills in orbit as planned. This simulated the full emergency response process for an internal depressurization scenario, reinforcing and enhancing the crew's emergency handling capabilities and ground-space coordination.

In equipment inspection and maintenance, the crew performed patrols of the cryogenic storage units and the minus 80-degree space refrigerator, checked pressures in the environmental control gas cylinder, and conducted maintenance on the regenerative life support system equipment.

In station management, the crew organized supplies and cleaned the cabin, keeping their orbiting home tidy. In addition, they underwent multiple medical examinations, including non-invasive cardiac function tests, providing data for ground teams to closely monitor their health in orbit.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - 2nd spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞)  Flight Engineer - 1st spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - 1st spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhangLu #WuFei #ZhangHongzhang #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A 'Double Helix' Lunar Eclipse with Zodical Light & The Milky Way over China

A 'Double Helix' Lunar Eclipse with Zodical Light & The Milky Way over China

This image was timed to capture a total lunar eclipse—but it came with quite a twist. First, the eclipse: the fully Earth-shadowed Moon is visible as an orange orb near the top. The eclipsed Moon's orange color is caused by a slight amount of red light scattered first by Earth's atmosphere, adding a color like a setting Sun. Now, the twist: one of the apparent double helix bands is the Milky Way, the central disk of our home galaxy. The second band is zodiacal light, sunlight scattered by dust within our Solar System. The reason they cross is because the plane where dust orbits our Sun is tilted relative to the plane where stars orbit our Galaxy. This well-known tilt is shown dramatically in the featured wide-angle Mercator-projected picture, spanning from horizon to horizon, captured in early September from Mingantu Observing Station in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Zodiacal light is produced by starlight reflecting off of dust orbiting our Sun. At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar System appears prominently just after sunset—or just before sunrise—and is called zodiacal light. Although the origin of this dust is still being investgated, a leading hypothesis holds that zodiacal dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and that it slowly spirals inwards toward the Sun.

Image Description: A wide angle image of the night sky is punctuated by a radio telescope on the lower left. Two bands of light run through the sky—the Milky Way and zodiacal light. The bands intertwine like a double helix. Near the top is an orange orb that is a totally eclipsed moon.

Learn more about China's Mingantu Observing Station (MOS) for radio astronomy:
https://english.nao.cas.cn/Research2015/Research_Divisions2015/solar/202012/t20201217_256816.html

Image Credit & Copyright: Chunlin Liu
Release Date: Nov. 3, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Sun #ZodiacalLight #Planets #Earth #Moon #LunarEclipse #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #ChunlinLiu #Astrophotographers #MingantuObservingStation #InnerMongolia #内蒙古自治区 #China #中国 #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

NASA's ESCAPADE Mission to Mars: Spacecraft Commissioning with Rocket Lab

NASA's ESCAPADE Mission to Mars: Spacecraft Commissioning with Rocket Lab

"Our operators have spent recent days stabilizing spacecraft attitudes, deploying solar arrays, checking guidance and navigation systems, and powering up all flight computers and antennas on Blue and Gold as they begin their journey to Mars for NASA's ESCAPADE mission." 

"Take a look at what goes on behind the scenes in mission control."

The twin spacecraft for NASA's ESCAPADE Mars Mission were manufactured by Rocket Lab:

https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/escapade/

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket launched NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) twin-spacecraft into its designated orbit on November 13, 2025, from Cape Canaveral.

The NASA Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) Mars Mission will study the planet's unique hybrid magnetosphere. ESCAPADE will investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape. It will take ESCAPADE about 11 months to arrive at Mars after leaving Earth orbit.

ESCAPADE is led by the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory. It is responsible for mission management, systems engineering, science leadership, navigation, operations, the electron and ion electrostatic analyzers, plus science data processing and archiving.

Key partners are Rocket Lab USA (spacecraft), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (magnetometers), Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (Langmuir probes), Advanced Space LLC (mission design), and Blue Origin (launch).

Learn more about the two identical spacecraft designed, built, integrated, and tested by Rocket Lab for the University of California Berkeley’s Space Science Laboratory and NASA's Mars Mission:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/escapade
https://escapade.ssl.berkeley.edu

🚀Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket:

https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 1 minute, 51 seconds
Release Date: Nov 26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Sun #SpaceWeather #Planets #Mars #Magnetosphere #MartianAtmosphere #ESCAPADEMission #ESCAPADESpacecraft #RocketLab #PeterBeck #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #GSFC #SSL #UCBerkeley #BlueOrigin #NewGlenn #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Journey to Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

This video zooms from an image of constellation of Cetus (the Sea Monster) into a closeup of the galaxy NGC 1073, imaged by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is thought to have a similar barred spiral shape, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 can help astronomers learn more about our celestial home.

Distance: 55 million light years from Earth

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Digitized Sky Survey 2, Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Duration: 56 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2012

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1073 #SpiralGalaxies #SB #Cetus #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073. It is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is thought to be a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies, such as NGC 1073, can help astronomers learn more about our celestial home.

Distance: 55 million light years from Earth

Credit: NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2012

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1073 #SpiralGalaxies #SB #Cetus #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) and The Milky Way over China

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) and The Milky Way over China

What did Comet Lemmon look like when it was at its best? One example is pictured here, featuring three celestial spectacles all at different distances. The closest spectacle is the snowcapped Meili Mountains, part of the Himalayas in China's southwestern Yunnan province. The middle marvel is Comet Lemmon near its picturesque best earlier this month, showing not only a white dust tail trailing off to the right but its blue solar wind-distorted ion tail trailing off to the left. Far in the distance on the left is the magnificent central plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, featuring dark dust, red nebula, and including billions of Sun-like stars. 

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is already fading as it heads back into the outer Solar System, while the Himalayan mountains will gradually erode over the next billion years. The Milky Way Galaxy, though, will live on, forming new mountains and comets, for many billions of years into the future. Comet Lemmon passed nearest to the Earth—about half the Earth-Sun distance—on October 21, 2025.

The Himalayas, or Himalaya, is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has examples of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 peaks exceeding elevations of 7,200 m (23,600 ft) above sea level lie in the Himalayas. The Himalayas abut on or cross territories of six countries: Nepal, India, China, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Yunnan is an inland province in southwestern China. The province borders the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, autonomous regions of Guangxi and Tibet, as well as Southeast Asian countries Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, and Laos.

Image Credit & Copyright: Lin Zixuan (Tsinghua University)
Release Date: Nov. 25, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #LinZixuan #Astrophotographers #MeiliMountains #梅里雪山 #Yunnan #云南 #China #中国 #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Globular Star Cluster Messier 15 in Pegasus (Deep field image)

Globular Star Cluster Messier 15 in Pegasus (Deep field image)

Stars, like bees, swarm around the center of bright globular cluster Messier 15 (M15) or NGC 7078. The central ball of over 100,000 stars is a relic from the early years of our Galaxy, and continues to orbit the Milky Way's center. M15, one of about 150 globular clusters remaining, is noted for being easily visible with only binoculars, having at its center one of the densest concentrations of stars known, and containing a high abundance of variable stars and pulsars. 

This image of M15 was taken by combining very long exposures—122 hours in all—and so brings up faint wisps of gas and dust in front of the giant ball of stars. M15 lies about 35,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Winged Horse (Pegasus).

Image Credit & Copyright: Alvaro Ibanez Perez

Alvaro Ibanez Perez's website: 

https://aipastroimaging.com/sobre-mi/
Release Date: Nov. 26, 2025

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