Comet C/2023 & Orbital Sunrise | International Space Station

Comet C/2023 & Orbital Sunrise | International Space Station

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is a comet from the solar system's Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory east of Nanjing, China, on January 9, 2023, and independently found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. C/2023 A3 passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million miles) on September 27, 2024.

The Oort cloud is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years).

This brief video from low-Earth orbit was captured by experienced NASA astronaut and former Expedition 71/72 flight engineer, Don Pettit. NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, 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/D. Pettit

Duration: 17 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 21, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science# Sun #Comets #C2023A3 #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Japan #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition71 #Expedition72 #Expedition74 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Moon+Reflection+Zodiacal Light at Orbital Sunrise | International Space Station

The Moon+Reflection+Zodiacal Light at Orbital Sunrise | International Space Station

What a beautiful Christmas from Earth orbit!

It is rare to capture four such visual elements all at once!

Expedition 74 Flight Engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui: "It's a view full of beautiful collaborations and performances . . . the Moon and its reflection & zodiacal light."

What's that strangely diffused white light? 

Dust orbiting the 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 researched, a leading hypothesis holds that zodiacal dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and that it slowly spirals into the Sun.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experience 15 to 16 sunrises and sunsets each day due to its rapid orbit around the Earth. This occurs approximately every 45 minutes, allowing them to witness this phenomenon multiple times throughout the day.

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, 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: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/K. Yui
Release Date: Dec. 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #ZodicalLight #OrbitalSunrise #Moon #Moonlight #AstronautPhotography #Astronauts #KimiyaYui #Japan #日本 #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Swan Nebula: A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases | Hubble Space Telescope

The Swan Nebula: A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases | Hubble Space Telescope

Merry Christmas! This year, NASA has a cosmic swan 🦢 for you.

This nebula, Messier 17 (also nicknamed the Swan or Omega Nebula), was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. This painting-like image shows vast clouds of gas and dust illuminated by the intense radiation from young stars. The entire nebula covers about 40 light-years in total. It is a popular target for amateur astronomers. They can obtain good quality images using small telescopes.

Like the fury of a raging sea, this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows a bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur gas in the extremely massive and luminous molecular nebula Messier 17. This Hubble photograph captures a small region within Messier 17 (M17), a hotbed of star formation. M17, also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula, is located about 5500 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation. The colors in the image represent a variety of gases. Red represents sulphur; green, hydrogen; and blue, oxygen.

The wave-like patterns of gas have been sculpted and illuminated by a torrent of ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars that lie outside the picture to the upper left. The glow of these patterns highlights the 3D structure of the gases. The ultraviolet radiation is carving and heating the surfaces of cold hydrogen gas clouds. The warmed surfaces glow orange and red in this image. The intense heat and pressure cause material to stream away from the surface, creating the glowing veil of even hotter green-colored gas that masks background structures. The pressure on the tips of the waves may trigger new star formation within them. The image, roughly three light-years across, was taken on May 29-30, 1999, with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. 

Credit: European Space Agency, NASA, and J. Hester (Arizona State University)
Release Date: April 24, 2003

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #SwanNebula #Messier17 #M17 #EmissionNebula #HIIRegion #Sagittarius #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe  #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Get Your Free NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Personalized Boarding Pass!

Get Your Free NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Personalized Boarding Pass!

Sample NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Virtual Boarding Pass

The official Artemis II mission crew emblem. The Artemis II test flight begins when a mighty team launches the first crew of the Artemis generation. This patch designates the mission as “AII,” signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign, but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all. Framed in Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise photo, the scene of the Earth and the Moon represents the dual nature of human spaceflight, both equally compelling: The Moon represents our exploration destination, focused on discovery of the unknown. The Earth represents home, focused on the perspective we gain when we look back at our shared planet and learn what it is to be uniquely human. The orbit around Earth highlights the ongoing exploration missions that have enabled Artemis to set sights on a long-term presence on the Moon and soon, Mars.

This is a unique and easy gift. It’s free and available instantly! We will add the supplied name to a flash drive that will fly around the Moon as a virtual crewmember on NASA's upcoming Artemis II Moon Mission! You can save and print the boarding pass. Signup requires only a few moments by visiting this NASA webpage: 
https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/

Four astronauts will fly around the Moon and back on Artemis II, the first crewed flight under NASA's Artemis campaign. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be the first humans aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems as the crew ventures into the harsh environment of space. This flight is another step toward crewed missions to the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.

Submitted names will be included on a secure digital (SD) card that will fly inside the Orion spacecraft when the Artemis II mission launches in early 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/

Image Credits: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Release Date: Dec. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Christmas2025 #HappyHolidays2025 #GiftIdeas #Moon #ArtemisProgram #VirtualBoardingPass #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis I Moon Tree's Second Christmas🎄| Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Tree's Second Christmas🎄| Marshall Space Flight Center

Our ‘Moon Tree’ seedling that flew around the Moon on the NASA Artemis I mission in 2022 is celebrating its second holiday season at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. 

They really do grow up fast!

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars, for the benefit of all. 

Read more about NASA's Moon Trees:

https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-stem-artemis-moon-trees/

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/

Learn about NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center:

https://www.nasa.gov/marshall/

Image Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Release Date: Dec. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Christmas2025 #HappyHolidays2025 #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #NASAMarshall #Huntsville #Alabama #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Winter Solstice Aurora: View from Finland

Winter Solstice Aurora: View from Finland

Astrophotographer Sebastian Sainio: "The elevated solar wind put on a good show December 21st to 22nd. I took a self-portrait of myself standing on a quiet road admiring the auroras at around 1am local time."

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, occurring around December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.

What is the Winter Solstice?
The winter solstice, also known as the hibernal solstice, occurs when one of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This astronomical event results in the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year for the hemisphere experiencing winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice typically falls on December 21 or 22.

Image Credit: Sebastian Sainio 
Location: Raippaluoto, Finland

Sebastian's website: 

https://www.instagram.com/sebastiansainio/
Date: Dec. 22, 2025 

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #WinterSolstice #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #SebastianSainio #Raippaluoto #Finland #Suomi #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education

Vera C. Rubin Observatory 2025 Holiday Wishes!

Vera C. Rubin Observatory 2025 Holiday Wishes!

Happy Holidays from the United States National Science Foundation and Department of Energy (NSF-DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile!

Tarjeta de fiestas 2025 del Observatorio Rubin

¡Felices fiestas del Observatorio Rubin!

The Rubin Observatory is packed with new technology. The Simonyi Survey Telescope’s drive system, rigid design, and compact shape give it incredible speed, forming the streaks of light showcased in this image. Thanks to these features, the telescope can be ready for its next image in only five seconds—faster than any other telescope of its size. The LSST Camera, constructed by DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is the world’s largest digital camera. The camera is roughly the size of a small car and weighs almost 6600 lbs (3000 kg). Its size and design allow it to view vast areas of the sky, capturing 45 times the area of the full Moon in the sky with each exposure. Together, the innovative technologies in the Simonyi Survey Telescope and the LSST Camera is expected to make many discoveries.

Rubin's sensitive camera captures variations so subtle that our eyes can barely detect them when looking at the images. Rubin’s wide view and fast survey speed will give us data on far more of these stars than ever before—even those way out in the outskirts of the Milky Way—giving us a much clearer picture of what our Galaxy looks like. 

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located on the summit of Cerro Pachón in the Coquimbo Region, Chile, at an elevation of 2,700 meters above sea level.

Simonyi Survey Telescope

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory/simonyi-survey-telescope/

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

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

Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA
Release Date: Dec. 19, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Christmas2025 #HappyHolidays2025 #Stars #Nebulae #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #RubinObservatory #LSSTCamera #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Mysterious Little Red Dots of the Early Universe | James Webb Space Telescope

Mysterious Little Red Dots of the Early Universe | James Webb Space Telescope

What are these little red dots (LRDs)? No one knows. Discovered only last year, hundreds of LRDs have now been found by the James Webb Space Telescope in the early universe. Although extremely faint, LRDs are now frequently identified in deep observations made for other purposes. A wide-ranging debate is raging about what LRDs may be and what importance they may have. Possible origin hypotheses include accreting supermassive black holes inside clouds of gas and dust, bursts of star formation in young dust-reddened galaxies, and dark matter powered gas clouds. The highlighted images show six nearly featureless LRDs listed under the JWST program that found them, and z, a distance indicator called cosmological redshift. Additionally, searches are underway in our nearby universe to try to find whatever previous LRDs might have become today.

A panel of six images shows a red dot in the center of each image. The instrument that took the image is listed on each image, along with a z number that is the cosmological redshift.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST; Dale Kocevski (Colby College)
Release Date: Dec. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #EarlyUniverse #LittleRedDots #LRD #Constellations #Cosmology #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #MIRI #NIRCam #UnfoldTheUniverse #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #CSA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Merry Christmas to Planet Earth! | International Space Station

Merry Christmas to Planet Earth! | International Space Station

Expedition 74 Flight Engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui: "Hello, everyone! While staying up late, I filmed a time-lapse of the journey from the African continent to Europe. Please enjoy it together with the collaboration between 'Kibo,' adorned in Christmas colors, and HTV-X-kun. It kinda feels like a video present from HTV-X Santa lol."

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, 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.

Video Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/K. Yui
Duration: 32 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 9, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #AstronautVideography #Astronauts #KimiyaYui #Japan #日本 #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Merry Christmas from NASA's Kennedy Space Center!

Merry Christmas from NASA's Kennedy Space Center!

NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit on the 19th level of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building with NASA's integrated Moon rocket behind him at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit in the transfer aisle with an Artemis banner behind him inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 

Here you can see NASA engineer Guy Naylor posing for photographs wearing a custom Santa Claus suit at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars, for the benefit of all. 

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/

Image Credit: NASA/Adeline Morgan

Image Date: Dec. 11, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Christmas2025 #SantaClaus #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #VAB #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Europa Clipper's Journey to Explore Jupiter's Moon

NASA Europa Clipper's Journey to Explore Jupiter's Moon

🛰️NASA's Europa Clipper, supported by Aerospace experts and validated through Aerospace testbeds, has embarked on a groundbreaking journey to explore Jupiter's moon Europa to investigate its icy shell, hidden ocean and potential for life. The spacecraft will enter the Jovian system in 2030 and conduct roughly 50 close flybys of Europa.

Learn how Aerospace's contributions are supporting the mission's voyage: https://lnkd.in/erwhDDMJ

Europa Clipper’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.

Find more information about Europa Clipper here:

https://europa.nasa.gov/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/

Video Credit: The Aerospace Corporation
Duration: 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 23, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #ScienceInstruments #Magnetometer #Mars #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #OceanWorlds #Geology #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Radiation #Habitability #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Saguaros and The Milky Way Galaxy: View from Arizona

Saguaros and The Milky Way Galaxy: View from Arizona

The Milky Way galaxy arcs above two saguaro cactuses in this image captured near Tucson, Arizona.

The saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea that can grow to be over 12 meters (40 feet) tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains and Imperial County areas of California. Saguaro typically grow at elevations ranging from sea level to 4,500', although they may be found at up to 5,000'. The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona. Its scientific name is given in honor of Andrew Carnegie. In 1933, Saguaro National Park, near Tucson, Arizona, was designated to help protect this species and its habitat.

Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Release Date: Dec. 17, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Saguaro #Stars #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #Arizona #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Widening Our Gaze | NASA Goddard

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Widening Our Gaze | NASA Goddard

The NASA Astrophysics fleet of spacecraft has an impressive range of capabilities. What is the next step in exploring the cosmos? The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s upcoming flagship mission, will take Hubble’s resolution and widen its infrared view to more than 100 times the coverage in every single image. Roman is a survey telescope that can peer through the Milky Way’s obscuring dust, and see faint, distant galaxies. Roman’s rigid design allows it to scan large regions of sky very quickly. Hubble would take 1,000 years to observe what Roman can see in one. Roman’s 18 4k x 4k detectors create 300-megapixel images covering an area of sky slightly larger than the full Moon. Roman will also look at the same regions of space repeatedly over time, allowing astronomers to see changes and observe temporary events like supernovae. Roman’s surveys of deep space and the center of our Milky Way galaxy will find thousands of new exoplanets, survey millions of galaxies, help us understand dark matter and dark energy, and learn more about the evolution of the universe. 

Learn more about Roman and the discoveries it will enable: https://www.stsci.edu/roman

Learn more about Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: 
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Opening Webb visualization credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI); Acknowledgment: VISTA, DSS, Akira Fujii
Producer & Editor: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Videographers: Sophia Roberts (eMITS),  Scott Wiessinger (eMITS), Rob Andreoli (eMITS), John D. Philyaw (eMITS)
Science Writer: Ashley Balzer(eMITS)
Duration: 1 minute, 32 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Large Circumstellar Disc IRAS 23077+6707 in Cepheus | Hubble

Large Circumstellar Disc IRAS 23077+6707 in Cepheus | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disc ever observed around a young star. It spans nearly 640 billion kilometers, roughly 40 times the diameter of our Solar System. Tilted nearly edge-on as seen from Earth, the dark, dusty disk resembles a hamburger. Hubble reveals it to be unusually chaotic with bright wisps of material extending far above and below the disk—more than seen in any similar circumstellar disk. Cataloged as IRAS 23077+6707, the system is located approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. The discovery marks a new milestone for Hubble and offers fresh insight into planet formation in extreme environments across the galaxy.

Image Description: Near the center is an object that resembles an edge-on view of a hamburger. There is a diagonal dark strip (the meat patty) of dust, running from 1 o’clock to 7 o’clock, that obscures a central star. Curving away from either side of the dark strip are glowing white clouds (the buns) where dust is reflecting starlight. Bright blue finger-like wisps of material extend far above and below the dark center plane. A few dozen stars, several with four diffraction spikes, are scattered on the black background of space.

Learn more: 
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-reveals-largest-found-chaotic-birthplace-of-planets/

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, K. Monsch (CfA) Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

Release Date: Dec. 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #ProtoplanetaryDisks #IRAS230776707 #Exoplanets #Planets #Cepheus #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Large Protoplanetary Disk Nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito” | Hubble Space Telescope

Large Protoplanetary Disk Nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito” | Hubble Space Telescope

Located roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth, this protoplanetary disk, nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito,” spans nearly 400 billion miles, 40 times the diameter of the solar system to the outer edge of the Kuiper belt of cometary bodies.

Nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito,” the disk’s playful name comes from its discoverers, one from Transylvania and another from Uruguay, where the national dish is a sandwich called a chivito.

Thanks to Hubble, we now can see this disk’s surprising scale and detail. Dracula’s Chivito is not just the largest protoplanetary disk ever imaged, it is also a window into how planets are born and how systems like ours began.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-reveals-largest-found-chaotic-birthplace-of-planets/

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #ProtoplanetaryDisks #IRAS230776707 #Exoplanets #Planets #Cepheus #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Mission | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Mission | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission | From left: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir in extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France in extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia in Crew Dragon spacecraft spacesuit

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia in Crew Dragon spacecraft spacesuit

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway in extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit

Official mission insignia for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission

Introducing NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia. They are due to launch no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026.

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, 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

Image Dates: Jan. 11, 2023-Dec. 1, 2025

Release Date: Dec. 22, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education