Dark Matter Web in a Galactic SuperCluster: Abell 901/902 | Hubble

Dark Matter Web in a Galactic SuperCluster: Abell 901/902 | Hubble

This image reveals the distribution of dark matter in the supercluster Abell 901/902, composed of hundreds of galaxies. The image shows the entire supercluster. Astronomers assembled this photo by combining a visible-light image of the supercluster taken with the MPG/European Southern Observatory 2.2-meter telescope in La Silla, Chile, with a dark matter map derived from observations with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

The magenta-tinted clumps represent a map of the dark matter in the cluster. Dark matter is an invisible form of matter that accounts for most of the universe's mass. The image shows that the supercluster galaxies lie within the clumps of dark matter.

Hubble cannot see the dark matter directly. Astronomers inferred its location by analysing the effect of so-called weak gravitational lensing, where light from more than 60,000 galaxies behind Abell 901/902 is distorted by intervening matter within the cluster. Researchers used the observed, subtle distortion of the galaxies' shapes to reconstruct the dark matter distribution in the supercluster.

The image was assembled by combining a visible-light image of the supercluster with a map of the dark matter distribution.

Learn more about dark matter:
https://science.nasa.gov/dark-matter/

The image is part of the Space Telescope Abell 901/902 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES) covers one of the largest patches of sky ever observed by the Hubble telescope. The area surveyed is so wide that it took eighty Hubble images to cover the entire field.

Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys made the observations in June and July 2005 and in January 2006.

Credits:
Hubble images: NASA, ESA, C. Heymans (University of British Columbia, Vancouver), M. Gray (University of Nottingham, U.K.), M. Barden (Innsbruck), and the STAGES collaboration
Ground-based image: ESO, C. Wolf (Oxford University, U.K.), K. Meisenheimer (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg), and the COMBO-17 collaboration
Release Date: Jan. 10, 2008

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #EarlyUniverse #DarkMatter #Superclusters #Abell901 #Abell902 #GalaxyClusters #SextansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #Cosmology #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Night Lights of Armenia and Türkiye | International Space Station

Night Lights of Armenia and Türkiye | International Space Station

Yerevan, Armenia, and its modernized bright LED city lights contrast with the older amber high-pressure sodium lights of Iğdır, Türkiye (left), in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above Earth at approximately 11:12 p.m. local time. 

Villages light up the coastline in this nighttime image of Lake Sevan, one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in the world, sitting at 1,900 meters above sea level in Armenia. Lake Sevan is protected as Sevan National Park for its ecological importance and for providing landlocked Armenia with most of its fish. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above Earth at 11:13 p.m. local time when this photograph was taken.

These images were captured by Expedition 74 flight engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kim Yui.

Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital, largest city and financial center. Lake Sevan is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,234 ft) above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi), making up one-sixth of Armenia's territory.

Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Iğdır is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Iğdır Province and Iğdır District.

Follow Expedition 74:

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

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineers: Mike Fincke, 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
Date: Jan. 3, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Yerevan #LakeSevan #Armenia #Iğdır #Türkiye #Astronauts #KimiyaYui #油井 亀美也 #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education

Sunspot Region AR 4366: A Solar Flare Factory

Sunspot Region AR 4366: A Solar Flare 'Factory'

Astrophotographer Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau: "Today at noon, from Argentina (UT−3), I captured this image of the Sun using my H-alpha telescope, at a moment of intense solar activity. The main feature is sunspot AR 4366, a true solar flare factory, which over the past 24 hours has produced 23 M-class flares and 4 X-class flares, including a powerful X8 event recorded yesterday. The photograph shows the full solar disk, allowing the enormous size of AR 4366 to be seen in its global context. At the time of capture, the region was particularly active, while multiple striking prominences are visible around the solar limb and several filaments can be seen across the disk, highlighting the strong magnetic instability currently affecting our star."

The most active sunspot of Solar Cycle 25 is turning toward Earth.

The light arriving here from the Sun at the H-alpha frequency (656.28 nanometers) comes from a rarified layer of hydrogen gas slightly above the photosphere, the bright surface of the Sun. This hydrogen layer is called the solar chromosphere, and it is invisible without using instruments to filter out brighter, competing bandwidths of light.

Occasionally, dark spots freckle the face of the Sun. These are sunspots, cooler regions on the Sun caused by a concentration of magnetic field lines. Sunspots are the visible component of active regions, areas of intense and complex magnetic fields on the Sun that are the source of solar eruptions. Sunspots can be seen on the Sun’s photosphere, or visible surface of the Sun. The number of sunspots goes up and down as the Sun goes through its natural 11-year cycle. Scientists use sunspots to help them track this cycle.  

Learn more about sunspots: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/sunspots/

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

Image Credit: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau 
Location: Rafaela, Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina
Eduardo's website: https://www.eduardoschaberger.ar
Image Date: Feb. 2, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Stars #SolarSystem #Sun #Sunspots #AR4366 #SolarCycle25 #SolarFlares #CMEs #HAlphaAstronomy #MagneticFields #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Spacecraft #Satellites #ElectricalGrids #Astrophotography #EduardoSchabergerPoupeau #Astrophotographer #Rafaela #ProvinciadeSantaFe #Argentina #STEM #Education

Fireball Passes by Mount Fuji Stratovolcano in Japan | Earth Science

Fireball Passes by Mount Fuji Stratovolcano in Japan | Earth Science

Photographer "Daichi Fujii": "This is a photograph of the fireball that occurred at 9:05:27pm on February 1, 2026, taken from Mt. Fuji. I got a hole-in-one at the Hoei crater. Recently, every month, a bright fireball has been captured seemingly overlapping with Mt. Fuji."

In astronomy, fireballs, also known as bolides, are exceptionally bright meteors that, like all meteors, heat up when they enter Earth's atmosphere at high velocities and leave a trail of glowing material in the sky. Meteors are classified as fireballs when they shine brighter than the planets—an apparent magnitude of –4 or brighter. 

A fireball is a very bright meteor—one at least as bright as Venus and possibly brighter than even a full Moon. Fireballs are rare—if you see one you are likely to remember it for your whole life. Physically, a fireball is a small rock that originated from an asteroid or comet that typically leaves a fading smoke trail of gas and dust as it shoots through the Earth's atmosphere. It is unlikely that any single large ground strike occurred—much of the rock likely vaporized as it broke up into many small pieces.

Learn more about Fireballs:
https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu with a summit elevation of 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft 3 in). It is the tallest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia and seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. The mountain is located about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo and is visible from the Japanese capital on clear days. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, usually covered in snow for about five months of the year, is commonly used as a cultural icon of Japan and is frequently depicted in art and photography, as well as visited by sightseers, hikers and mountain climbers. Mount Fuji last erupted between 1707 and 1708.

Source: Daichi Fujii (@dfuji1 on X)

Duration: 3 seconds
Date: Feb 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Meteors #Fireballs #Bolides #SolarSystem #Cosmos #Universe #MountFuji #富士山 #Honshu #Japan #日本 #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #Photographers #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Planetary Nebula Abell 7 in Lepus

Close-up: Planetary Nebula Abell 7 in Lepus

Very faint planetary nebula Abell 7 is about 1,800 light-years distant. It lies just south of Orion in planet Earth's skies toward the constellation Lepus, The Hare. Posing with scattered Milky Way stars, its generally simple spherical shape about 8 light-years in diameter is revealed in this deep telescopic image. The beautiful and complex shapes seen within the cosmic cloud are visually enhanced by the use of long exposures and narrowband filters that capture emission from hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Otherwise Abell 7 would be much too faint to be appreciated by eye. A planetary nebula represents a very brief final phase in stellar evolution that our own Sun will experience 5 billion years hence, as the nebula's central, once sun-like star shrugs off its outer layers. Abell 7 itself is estimated to be 20,000 years old. But its central star, seen here as a fading white dwarf, is some 10 billion years old.

Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh

Martin's website: https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/
Release Date: Jan. 23, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #PlanetaryNebulae #Abell7 #LepusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #MartinPugh #Astrophotographers #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Sun Sets on NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket | Kennedy Space Center

Sun Sets on NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket | Kennedy Space Center

The sun is seen setting behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher on January 31, 2026. The rocket is currently at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as teams were preparing for a wet dress rehearsal to practice timelines and procedures for the launch of Artemis II.

The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

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

NASA Artemis II Mission page:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Follow NASA updates on the Artemis Program blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Video Credit: NASA/Sam Lott
Duration: 2 minutes, 14 seconds
Date: Jan. 31, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #ULA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planetary Nebula Abell 74 in Vulpecula: Wide-field view | Mayall Telescope

Planetary Nebula Abell 74 in Vulpecula: Wide-field view | Mayall Telescope

This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Abell 74 is an ancient planetary nebula. Because of its age it is a very faint target. Ancient planetary nebulae are often distorted in shape due to interactions with the interstellar medium. Interestingly, Abell 74 is remarkably symmetric despite its age. The image was generated with observations in the Hydrogen alpha (red) and Oxygen [OIII] (blue) filters. In this image, North is left, East is down.

Learn more about the Mayall Telescope: 
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/kpno/telescopes/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope

Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)
Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #PlanetaryNebulae #Abell74 #VulpeculaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #MayallTelescope #KPNO #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

X8-class Solar Flare Detected | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

X8-class Solar Flare Detected | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

This image is an extreme ultraviolet view of the Sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It shows the bright flash of a X8-class solar flare on the Sun’s upper left side. The rest of the surface is mottled with darker and lighter regions, and faint loops of solar material can be seen extending off the Sun’s edges.

The Sun emitted a strong X8-class solar flare on February 1, 2026 at 23:57 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) watches the Sun constantly and captured images of the event.

Giant sunspot 4366 is a solar flare 'factory'. In the past 24 hours, it has produced 23 M-class solar flares and 4 X-class flares. The most intense so far was yesterday's X8-class flare, shown here in this animated Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere. This, in turn, caused a shortwave radio blackout across the South Pacific Ham radio operators in Australia and New Zealand may have experienced loss of signal below 30 MHz for hours after the flare's peak.

Update: The  European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) SOHO and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) coronagraph images confirm that several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emerged from yesterday's collection of flares. None of them appears to be either potent or squarely Earth-directed. Glancing blows expected on February 4-6 could spark G1 (Minor) to G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storms.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare is classified as an X1.9 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. 

NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.

Image Credits: NASA/SDO, NOAA

Text Credits: Spaceweather[dot]com, NOAA
Capture Date: Feb. 1, 2026

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #SpaceWeather #Stars #Sun #SolarFlares #CMEs #Sunspots #Ultraviolet #Plasma #MagneticField #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Spacecraft #Satellites #ElectricalGrids #SDO #SolarSystem #GSFC #UnitedStates #AnimatedGIF #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Florida Moonrise & Sunset | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Florida Moonrise & Sunset | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II Mission emblem

The Moon rises and the sun sets as NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft stand vertical at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Updates for February 2, 2026:

Core Stage Liquid Hydrogen in Topping Mode

NASA teams have completed filling the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with liquid hydrogen and transitioned to topping mode. Topping ensures the tank reaches its full capacity with super-cold liquid hydrogen chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit.

Engineers continue to watch the leak at the interface of the tail service mast umbilical, but the liquid hydrogen concentration in the umbilical remains within acceptable limits.

Teams began chilling down the liquid hydrogen lines for the interim cryogenic propulsion stage of NASA’s SLS rocket. This critical step cools the propellant lines ahead of loading super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, into the SLS’s upper stage tank. 

The chilldown process ensures the hardware is properly conditioned for cryogenic temperatures, reducing thermal shock and safeguarding system integrity. Once complete, teams will transition to fast fill of liquid hydrogen, followed by liquid oxygen operations later in the countdown. 

During the Artemis II mission, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, powered by an RL10 engine, will provide the in-space boost needed to send the Orion spacecraft into high Earth orbit before its translunar injection burn.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) under a collaborative partnership with Boeing, built the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) upper stage of the SLS rocket.

Learn about United Launch Alliance's ICPS:

https://www.ulalaunch.com/interim-cryogenic-propulsion-stage-(icps)

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

NASA Artemis II Mission page:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Follow NASA updates on the Artemis Program blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Date: Jan. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #ULA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

'Mother Nature's' Northern Light Show over Ontario, Canada

'Mother Nature's' Northern Light Show over Ontario, Canada

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

The Colors of the Aurora (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast. To the south, it is bordered by the U.S. states of (from west to east) Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (through Lake Erie), and New York.

Image Credit: Robert Armstrong

Image Details: Taken with Nikon D5500
Location: Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Image Date: Oct. 10, 2024 

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Star #Astrophotography #RobertArmstrong #Astrophotographer #Timmins #Ontario #Canada #NorthAmerica #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula Sh 2-279 in Orion

Reflection Nebula Sh 2-279 in Orion

What part of the Orion is this? 

Just north of the famous Orion Nebula is a picturesque star forming region in Orion's Sword that contains a lot of intricate dust—a portion appears blue because it reflects the light of bright embedded stars. The region's popular name is the Running Man Nebula because, looked at from the right, part of the brown dust appears to be running legs. Cataloged as Sharpless 279, the reflection nebula is not only part of the constellation of Orion, but part of the greater Orion molecular cloud complex. Light from the Running Man's bright stars, including 42 Orionis, the bright star closest to the featured image center, is slowly destroying and reshaping the surrounding dust. This will likely be completely gone in about 10 million years. The nebula spans about 15 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away.

Sh 2-279 (alternatively designated S279 or Sharpless 279) is an HII region and bright nebulae that includes a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is the northernmost part of the asterism known as Orion's Sword, lying 0.6° north of the Orion Nebula.

Orion's Sword is a compact asterism in the constellation Orion. It comprises three stars (42 Orionis, Theta Orionis, and Iota Orionis) and M42, the Orion Nebula, which together are thought to resemble a sword or its scabbard. This group is south of the prominent asterism, Orion's Belt. Fables and old beliefs are in Europe dominated or widely influenced by those of the Greco-Roman narratives. Beyond Europe this grouping is quite widely referenced as a weapon just as the majority of cultures perceived Orion's standout asymmetrical "hourglass" of seven very bright stars as a human.

Image Credit & Copyright: Robert G. Lyons
Robert's website: https://robservatory.ca
Release Date: Feb. 2, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #ReflectionNebulae #Sh2279 #StellarNursery #OrionsSword #OrionConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #RobertGLyons #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #Robervatory #BritishColumbia #Canada #STEM #Education

China's Star Glory: New Liquid Rocket Engine for Commercial Reusabe Rockets

China's Star Glory: New Liquid Rocket Engine for Commercial Reusabe Rockets

Star Glory’s Mianyang base has completed the first Focus-2 engine for the reusable Hyberbola-3 rocket. The 100-ton, 2.8 m methane-oxygen engine uses 3D printing and all-electric controls, is undergoing rigorous testing, and supports a production capacity of 50 engines per year—enabling faster iteration for China’s medium-to-large reusable liquid rockets and advancing low-cost, routine commercial launches.

Video Credit: SMG
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 2, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #LEO #China #中国  #StarGlory #Focus2Engine #Hyberbola3Rocket #ReusableRockets #3DPrinting #AdditiveManufacturing #LaunchVehicles #MethaneLiquidOxygen #Methalox #Mianyang #Sichuan #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Crumbling Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) | Gemini North Telescope

Crumbling Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) | Gemini North Telescope

On November 11 and December 6, 2025, the Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) soared in the skies above Maunakea, Hawai‘i, and Gemini North captured images of it. Gemini North is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS)’s nucleus started breaking apart as early as October 2025. Three of the suspected fragments are clearly visible in the December 6, 2025, image. Each piece makes an exciting show as it fluctuates in brightness, density, and position from night to night. 

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) originated in the Oort cloud and surprisingly survived its closest approach to the Sun in October 2025. However, now that it has experienced the intense heat and gravity of the Sun, it is struggling to hold together, leading to the crumbling that we are witnessing now.

View the trajectory of C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) here: https://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comet/2025K1

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

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Bolin
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Acknowledgments: PI: Bryce Bolin (Eureka Scientific)
Release Date: Jan. 28, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025K1ATLAS #Coma #CometaryTails #OortCloud #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiNorthTelescope #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #STEM #Education

Twin Artemis Moon Program Control Rooms | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Twin Artemis Moon Program Control Rooms | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is home to twin rooms able to support missions and operations in lunar orbit or on the Moon’s surface in real time, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for the agency’s Artemis missions. Take a tour of the Lunar Utilization Control Area (LUCA) and Lander Engineering Support Area (LESA) inside Marshall’s Huntsville Operations Support Center. The LUCA will support Artemis science operations, beginning with Artemis II, while LESA will provide engineering support for landing astronauts on the Moon, beginning with Artemis III.

For more information about NASA Marshall and Artemis, visit https://www.nasa.gov/marshall 

Image Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #ArtemisIII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #LUCA #LESA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Tour of Twin Artemis Control Rooms | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

A Tour of Twin Artemis Control Rooms | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is home to twin rooms able to support missions and operations in lunar orbit or on the Moon’s surface in real time, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for the agency’s Artemis missions. Take a tour of the Lunar Utilization Control Area (LUCA) and Lander Engineering Support Area (LESA) inside Marshall’s Huntsville Operations Support Center. The LUCA will support Artemis science operations, beginning with Artemis II, while LESA will provide engineering support for landing astronauts on the Moon, beginning with Artemis III.

For more information about NASA Marshall and Artemis, visit https://www.nasa.gov/marshall 

Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #ArtemisIII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #SLSRocket #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #LUCA #LESA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's New Space Exploration School to Train Next-Generation Deep Space Talent

China's New Space Exploration School to Train Next-Generation Deep Space Talent

The newly unveiled School of Space Exploration at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences aims to cultivate and pool comprehensive talents in deep-space exploration as part of the country's goal in advancing its strength in aerospace. The school, officially launched on January 27, 2026, has designed an interdisciplinary curriculum for students to have them prepared for the next frontier in space exploration.

The new school builds on three existing platforms for cutting-edge science, key technologies, and strategic applications at the Beijing Huairou National Comprehensive Science City. It will add six facilities designed to expand training and research.

These platforms, spanning intelligent drone patrol flight simulation, end-to-end satellite science training and space-ground collaborative experimentation, are expected to give students an immersive environment that links classroom study with real world challenges.

The School of Space Exploration will cultivate technical specialists for rocket manufacturing and spacecraft engineering, and interdisciplinary experts capable of addressing many aspects of space exploration.

Student competencies will directly interface with breakthroughs in critical challenges—encompassing engineering mastery in satellite fabrication, propulsion systems, and spaceship control alongside deep study of frontier disciplines spanning space sciences, life sciences, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2026  

#NASA #CNSA #CAS #Space #Astronomy #Science #Beijing #北京 #China #中国 #Moon #CLEP #Mars #PlanetaryScience #SolarSystem #Rockets #Propulsion #Spacecraft #Satellites #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #SpaceCommunications #SpaceTechnologies #SpaceExploration #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video