Sagittarius Star Field in The Milky Way Galaxy | Hubble Space Telescope

Sagittarius Star Field in The Milky Way Galaxy | Hubble Space Telescope

This stunning image, captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), shows part of the sky in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). The region is rendered in exquisite detail—deep red and bright blue stars are scattered across the frame, set against a background of thousands of more distant stars and galaxies. Two features are particularly striking: the colors of the stars, and the dramatic crosses that burst from the centers of the brightest bodies.

While colors in this frame have been enhanced and tweaked during the process of creating the image from the observational data, stars glow in distinct colors. They range in color according to their surface temperature—very hot stars are blue or white, while cooler stars are redder. They may be cooler because they are smaller, or because they are very old and have entered the red giant phase, when an old star expands and cools dramatically as its core collapses.

The crosses are nothing to do with the stars themselves, and, because Hubble orbits above Earth’s atmosphere, nor are they due to any kind of atmospheric disturbance. They are actually known as diffraction spikes, and are caused by the structure of the telescope itself. Like all big modern telescopes, Hubble uses mirrors to capture light and form images. Its secondary mirror is supported by struts, called telescope spiders, arranged in a cross formation. They diffract the incoming light. Diffraction is the slight bending of light as it passes near the edge of an object. Every cross in this image is due to a single set of struts within Hubble. While the spikes are technically an inaccuracy, many astrophotographers choose to emphasize and celebrate them as a beautiful feature of their images.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a joint ESA/NASA project and was launched in 1990 by the Space Shuttle mission STS-31 into a low-Earth orbit 600 km above the ground. During its lifetime Hubble has become one of the most important science projects ever.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Jan. 16, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China's First Female Astronaut Describes Role of Space Industry as Growth Driver

China's First Female Astronaut Describes Role of Space Industry as Growth Driver

China's first female astronaut Liu Yang, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) has called for coordinated efforts to unleash greater innovation in China's space sector. It is emerging as a key engine for high-quality development.

This year's government work report, delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, March 5, 2026, highlighted the numerous achievements made in China's space sector, while the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a blueprint which maps out China's socioeconomic development priorities through to the end of the decade, stressed the importance of fostering emerging pillar industries, such as aviation and aerospace.

Deputies have been convening in Beijing over the past week for the annual session of the 14th NPC that concludes on Thursday. Liu was among those participating in the gathering. Liu made history back in 2012 when she became China's first woman in space during her first mission aboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft.

A decade later, Liu undertook a six-month stint in space as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission. She saw the completion of the basic configuration assembly of China's Tiangong space station.

In an interview on the sidelines of the NPC session, Liu highlighted the important role of the space industry in fostering 'new quality productive forces', a new growth model stressing sci-tech innovation, and driving high-quality development.

While China presses ahead with its ambitious space program, including plans for a crewed Moon mission by 2030, Liu called for greater efforts to promote the sector through advances in industry, technology and talent development. This can bring wider benefits to more fields.

"The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) for national economic and social development identifies the space industry as a strategic emerging industrial cluster and sets out major tasks, such as accelerating China's journey toward a stronger space presence, and advancing crewed lunar exploration and routine deep-space missions. From in-orbit utilization of the Tiangong space station to the development of low-Earth-orbit satellite internet, from the rapid rise of commercial space activities to forward-looking plans for space resource exploration, the space industry is becoming a key engine for fostering new quality productive forces and driving high-quality development," Liu said.

As a crew member, Liu witnessed China's mastery of key technologies for crewed spaceflight and played a vital role in the construction of the country's space station.

She noted how the space industry is a crucial endeavor which brings together the best of the scientific and engineering communities, and said the breakthroughs being made through China's space exploration can also have a positive impact across multiple sectors.

"My experience in orbit has also made me realize that integrating science and technological innovation with industry is key to unlocking development momentum. For the space sector, this means linking the entire chain from laboratories and launch sites to the space station and end applications. Hundreds of scientific experiments conducted aboard the space station, covering fields, such as new materials, life sciences and microgravity physics, have produced results that can not only advance space technologies but also help drive the development of civilian industries. The draft outline supports the participation of private space companies in the industrial chain, forming a structure led by state institutions with private companies contributing additional dynamism. This will further unleash the vitality of innovation in the space sector," she said.

Liu added that talent is the foundation of technological innovation and a cornerstone for long-term development, stressing the importance of strengthening the training of interdisciplinary professionals with expertise in engineering and operational practice.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds
Release Date: March 12, 2026

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Planet Mars Images: March 5-11, 2026 | NASA's Perseverance Rover

Planet Mars Images: March 5-11, 2026 | NASA's Perseverance Rover

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

Mars2020 - sol 1792

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

Mars 2020 - sol 1796

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

Mars 2020 - sol 1797

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Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: March 5-11, 2026

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

China's Space Program Reaching New Heights

China's Space Program Reaching New Heights

China's space program has undergone a significant transformation over the last five years. It will reach even greater heights in the next five. From the China Space Station to deep-space exploration, China is charting an extraordinary course through the cosmos. This episode of CGTN's special series Charting the Future zooms in on the country's space program.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 4 minutes, 38 seconds
Release Date: March 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #ChinaSpaceStation #Moon #ILRS #MengzhouSpacecraft #梦舟 #Lanyuelunarlander #揽月 #CrewSpacecraft #LongMarch10 #长征十号 #ReusableRockets #ChinaMannedSpaceAgency #中华人民共和国 #HumanSpaceflight #LunarMissions #Taikonauts #Astronauts #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy? | NASA Science

What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy? | NASA Science

What is the difference between dark matter and dark energy?

Learn about this and more with “Astro-Investigates,” the video series that explores and explains big astrophysics topics with the help of NASA scientists.

In this episode, you will hear from: 
Dida Markovic - Astrophysicist at NASA JPL
Jason Rhodes - Astrophysicist at NASA JPL
Eric Huff - Astrophysicist at NASA JPL

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Host and Co-Producer: Chelsea Gohd 
Editor/Director/Co-Producer: Keith Miller (Caltech-IPAC) 
Science Visualizations/Co-Producer: Robert Hurt (Caltech-IPAC) 
Duration: 6 minutes
Release Date: March 11, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Astrophysics #Astrophysicists #DarkMatter #DarkEnergy #Stars #Nebulae #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #NASAGoddard #GSFC #Greenbelt #Maryland #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars: Dune Field of Matara Crater | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Planet Mars: Dune Field of Matara Crater | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has spent over twenty years (2006-2026) orbiting the Red Planet, collecting valuable scientific data. Matara Crater is a favorite image owing to the massive and gorgeous sand sheet that dominates the floor. We often image these dunes for the gullies that form on them due to carbon dioxide ice. Matara is located in Noachis Terra and is 48 kilometers (30 mi) in diameter. This crater is notable for its large sand deposit and dune features that are sculpted by the wind.

Noachis Terra is an extensive southern landmass (terra). It lies west of the giant Hellas impact basin, roughly between the latitudes −20° and −80° and longitudes 30° west and 30° east, centered on 45°S 350°E. It is in the Noachis quadrangle.

This is a non-narrated clip with ambient sound. Image is less than 5 km (3 mi) across and the spacecraft altitude was 251 km (156 mi).

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Washington.

For more information on MRO, visit:

science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Duration: 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Release Date: July 4, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Geology #Geoscience #Landscape #Terrain #SandDunes #Gullies #CarbonDioxideIce #MataraCrater #NoachisTerra #SouthernHemisphere #MRO #MarsOrbiter #MarsSpacecraft #HiRISECamera #JPL #Caltech #UA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

How America's New Vera C. Rubin Observatory Maps the Universe Each Night

How America's New Vera C. Rubin Observatory Maps the Universe Each Night

Each night, Rubin produces 10 terabytes of data to map and survey the universe and generates millions of alerts about changing objects to help scientists zoom in with other telescopes, including the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes or ground-based instruments.

The United States Department of Energy-National Science Foundation Vera C. Rubin Observatory is about to change how we explore the universe. In this video, we break down how Rubin runs the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), what its images contain, how the data gets processed, and why this observatory is designed as a discovery engine for the entire science community. You will also see Rubin first-light imagery presented with scientifically accurate scaling and positioning against a real 360° all-sky backdrop.

The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory: 
https://rubinobservatory.org

LSST Camera: 
https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/research/slac-science-explained/lsst-camera

Rubin’s survey is not about single, ultra-detailed snapshots like space telescopes. Instead, Rubin revisits the same regions again and again, building a 10-year time-lapse of the entire southern sky. This allows scientists to detect changes—moving asteroids, exploding stars, variable objects, and subtle shifts that only appear when you compare new images to a reference set of images of the entire southern sky.

Rubin and space telescopes serve complementary roles. Rubin finds what is new and changing, then issues alerts and targets of interest so that deeper, narrower-field observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope can zoom in and study those objects in close detail. Rubin will also create yearly highly detailed catalogs of 20 billion galaxies in our universe, 17 billion stars in the Milky Way, and millions of objects in the solar system.

Rubin is a ground-based observatory located on Cerro Pachón in northern Chile at 2,680 meters elevation. That site combines altitude, dry air, and stable conditions that are ideal for wide-field survey astronomy. Being ground-based is key to Rubin’s speed. The telescope is engineered to take 15-30 seconds exposures every 30-40 seconds. It slews and settles quickly to the next field while tracking precisely to compensate for Earth’s rotation during each exposure. Rubin’s data processing system also detects and removes artifacts such as satellite streaks (by combining multiple images of the same area) so they do not contaminate the final data products.

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a joint initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Rubin is operated jointly by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Credits: Written & Produced by Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Presenter: Phil Marshall, Deputy Director of Operations, Rubin Observatory/SLAC
Duration: 5 minutes, 33 seconds
Release Date: March 11, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #DataProcessing #Stars #Galaxies #SolarSystem #Cosmos #Universe #LSSTCam #SimonyiSurveyTelescope #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #SLAC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy UGC 4879 in Ursa Major: "A Mysterious Hermit" | Hubble

Galaxy UGC 4879 in Ursa Major: "A Mysterious Hermit" | Hubble

The drizzle of stars scattered across this image forms a galaxy known as UGC 4879. It is an irregular dwarf galaxy—as the name suggests, galaxies of this type are a little smaller and messier than their cosmic cousins, lacking the majestic swirl of a spiral or the coherence of an elliptical.

This galaxy is also very isolated. There are about 2.3 million light years between UGC 4879 and its closest neighbor, Leo A. This is about the same distance as that between the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way.

Distance from Earth: ~4 million light years

This galaxy’s isolation means that it has not interacted with any surrounding galaxies, making it an ideal laboratory for studying star formation uncomplicated by interactions with other galaxies. Studies of UGC 4879 have revealed a significant amount of star formation in the first 4-billion-years after the Big Bang, followed by a strange nine-billion-year lull in star formation, ended 1-billion-years ago by a more recent reignition. The reason for this behavior, however, remains mysterious, and the solitary galaxy continues to provide ample study material for astronomers looking to understand the complex mysteries of starbirth throughout the Universe.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a joint ESA/NASA project and was launched in 1990 by the Space Shuttle mission STS-31 into a low-Earth orbit 600 km above the ground. During its lifetime Hubble has become one of the most important science projects ever.

Image Credit: NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)
Release Date: June 6, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #UGC4879 #IrregularGalaxies #DwarfGalaxies #UrsaMajorConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula GGD 27 in Sagittarius (near-infrared) | Gemini South Telescope

Reflection Nebula GGD 27 in Sagittarius (near-infrared) | Gemini South Telescope

Reflection nebula GGD 27 revealing the chaotic and messy environment of a stellar nursery. This near-infrared image was obtained using FLAMINGOS-2, the infrared imager and spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. The infrared view peels back layers of obscuring gas and dust to unshroud the inner workings of star formation—and the chaos that accompanies the beautifully messy process of starbirth. In the direction of the constellation of Sagittarius, some 5,500 light-years away in the southern Milky Way, is a chaotic caldron of stellar birth known as GGD 27. While such stellar nurseries are sprinkled liberally throughout our Milky Way Galaxy, GGD 27 presents an especially compelling snapshot of stellar birth.

At first glance it looks like chaos. However, this seemingly random cloud of gas and dust is home to several nascent stars interacting in complex, but predictable ways. Millions of years from now the prenatal cloud of gas and dust will disperse and a cluster of stars will emerge much like a butterfly from its chrysalis. Until then this beautiful cloud will slowly (by human standards) evolve and allow astronomers to explore the complex process of star birth. The new infrared Gemini image peers deep into GGD 27 where a massive developing star (called a protostar) dominates the central region of the nebula. Identified as GGD 27-ILL this future star already glows several thousand times brighter than our Sun and powers a bipolar outflow where gas streams away at supersonic speeds propelled by intense magnetic fields. Other forming stars in the area complicate the scene while adding to its beauty. 

Technical Details: It is a color composite made using four filters: Y (blue), J (cyan), H (green), and Ks (red). The total integration (exposure time) for all filters is just over one hour. The image is 4.6 x 3.5 arcminutes in size and is rotated 35 degrees clockwise from North is up and East is to the left.

Gemini South Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/AURA
Release Date: Dec. 29, 2016

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #GD27 #ReflectionNebula #Stars #Protostars #GGD27ILL #StellarNurseries #SagittariusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiSouthTelescope #FLAMINGOS2 #InfraredAstronomy #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: March 6-10, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: March 6-10, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1795

Mars 2020 - sol 1796

MSL - sol 4829

MSL - sol 4830

Mars 2020 - sol 1794

Mars 2020 - sol 1794

Mars 2020 - sol 1792

MSL - sol 4829

Become a monthly Friends of NASA supporter on our website: 

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Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education. 

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Celebrating 13+ Years on Mars (2012-2025)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: March 6-10, 2026

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

Delhi and Indian subcontinent at night | International Space Station

Delhi and Indian subcontinent at night | International Space Station

The well‑lit nighttime cityscape of the Indian subcontinent is highlighted by Delhi (center top), the capital territory of India with a metropolitan population of about 33.8 million. The International Space Station was orbiting 264 miles above southwestern China at approximately 11:21 p.m. local time when this photograph was taken. 

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a megacity and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions.

Follow Expedition 74:

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

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, 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.

Credit: NASA/Chris Williams
Image Date: Feb. 28, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #Delhi #NationalCapitalTerritory #NCT #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #ESA #France #Europe #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education

Mars Telecommunications Orbiter | Rocket Lab

Mars Telecommunications Orbiter | Rocket Lab

"Human exploration and science at Mars relies on a robust telecommunications network. Rocket Lab’s Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) will make that possible."

"Proven hardware. Proven team. Proven Mars experience."

Learn more:
https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/mars-telecommunications-orbiter/

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: March 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #MarsTelecommunicationsOrbiter #MTO #CommunicationsSatellites #CommunicationRelays #RocketLab #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #PlanetaryExploration #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Bright Globular Star Cluster Messier 92 in Hercules: All that Glitters | Hubble

Bright Globular Star Cluster Messier 92 in Hercules: All that Glitters | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image shows a glittering bauble named Messier 92. Located in the northern constellation of Hercules, this globular cluster—a ball of stars that orbits a galactic core like a satellite—was first discovered by astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1777.

Messier 92 is one of the brightest globular clusters in the Milky Way, and is visible to the naked eye under good observing conditions. It is very tightly packed with stars, containing around 330,000 stars in total. As is characteristic of globular clusters, the predominant elements within Messier 92 are hydrogen and helium, with only traces of others. It is actually what is known as an Oosterhoff type II (OoII) globular cluster, meaning that it belongs to a group of metal-poor clusters—to astronomers, metals are all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

By exploring the composition of globulars like Messier 92, astronomers can figure out how old these clusters are. As well as being bright, Messier 92 is also old, being one of the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way with an age almost the same as the age of the Universe.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA 

Acknowledgement: Gilles Chapdelaine
Release Date: Dec. 8, 2014

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularClusters #Messier92 #OoII #HerculesConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Sun: View from Canary Islands

The Sun: View from Canary Islands

Astrophotographer Marina Prol Franco: "The Sun & INTA Maspalomas in early March and late September, from my home. I can watch the Sun set right behind the antennas of the Canary Islands Space Center. This time, it lined up with the Earth Observation antenna. I tried to capture the moment with my solar telescope, but with the Sun so low, the atmospheric turbulence, and those clouds 😌it didn’t turn out quite the way I hoped. I’ll keep trying though, because sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination."

The National Institute for Aerospace Technology "Esteban Terradas" 

Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial or INTA

Maspalomas Station is an INTA-operated, ESTRACK radio antenna ground station for communication with spacecraft located at the southern area of Gran Canaria island, on the INTA campus. It is situated on the Montaña Blanca hill and is visible from the coastal resort of Meloneras, close to Maspalomas. It was originally established in the 1960s to support NASA's human spaceflight program.

The European Space Agency's tracking station network—Estrack—is a global system of ground stations providing links between satellites in orbit and the European Space Operations Center (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany. The core Estrack network has six stations in six countries. 

The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. La Palma, also known as La isla bonita and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, Spain.

Image Credit: Marina Prol Franco

Marina's website: https://www.marinaprol.com

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain)

Release Date: March 8, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Satellites #Spacecraft #Estrack #Stars #SolarSystem #Sun #Earth #RadioAntennae #MaspalomasStation #GranCanaria #CanaryIslands #IslasCanarias #AtlanticOcean #Africa #Spain #España #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #MarinaProlFranco #Astrophotographers #STEM #Education

Winter Milky Way Galaxy Farewell

Winter Milky Way Galaxy Farewell

Astrophotographer James Perez-Rogers: "As we say goodbye to the winter end of the Milky Way, I wanted to capture not just Orion, but the surrounding stars and planets. In this image, Jupiter is centered in the top portion of the image. Beneath are an array of constellations including Orion. What can be seen here is approximately an hour of tracked data to reveal the larger dust structures of the Milky Way."

New York, also called New York State, is a state located in the northeastern United States. Bordering New England to its east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

The Ashokan Reservoir is a major New York City water supply reservoir in Ulster County, New York, holding 122.9 billion gallons and supplying about 40% of the city’s daily water needs. The Ashokan Reservoir, located approximately 13 miles west of Kingston, New York, and 73 miles north of New York City, was created by damming the Esopus Creek. It was placed into service in 1915. The Ashokan Reservoir is part of the Catskill Water Supply System.

Image Credit: James Perez-Rogers

Image Details: EXIF: Sony A7Rii Tokina Firin 20mm F2 F2.8 16x 3min tracked exposures for the stars 1x 3min untracked exposure for the foreground Stacked and blended in Photoshop Edits performed in Lightroom

James' website: https://www.jamesperezrogers.com
Location: Ashokan Reservoir, New York, United States
Release Date: March 9, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Planets #Earth #NorthernHemisphere #AshokanReservoir #NewYork #UnitedStates #Astrophotography #AlynWallace #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

China's Plans to Detect Lunar Water, Return Mars Samples | Solar System Exploration

China's Plans to Detect Lunar Water, Return Mars Samples | Solar System Exploration

China is advancing a series of ambitious plans to explore deep space, ranging from hunting for water on the Moon to bringing back samples from Mars with an ultimate goal to probe outer reaches of the solar system, said Chinese experts.

In the field of lunar exploration, China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe, scheduled for launch later this year, will target the Moon's south pole to search for water ice. The mission could make China the first country to detect water ice on the Moon.

"Scientists around the world believe there's water on the Moon, but no one has found any yet. Now China is going to look for it. And we're using many methods, from searching the surface to exploring inside craters," said Ye Peijian, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The Chang'e-7 probe is composed of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, a hopper and a relay satellite.

At the Moon's south pole, there are craters that never see sunlight. Scientists think they hold huge reserves of water ice. However, no spacecraft has ever entered to investigate until the Chang'e-7. With its specially designed hopper, it will be the first to approach and explore a lunar shadow crater.

Researchers at the Harbin Institute of Technology's space laboratory in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province are conducting experiments to support the Chang'e-7 mission of locating water ice.

"We've just created a lunar soil simulant for the Moon's polar region. Next, we will use this set of equipment to convert that soil into water ice. The equipment can create a vacuum environment on the Moon. Secondly, it can cool the lunar mineral material down to minus 240 degrees Celsius. Then, this water molecule excitation device will produce a steady stream of water molecules. When the water molecules come into contact with the cold lunar soil, they will adsorb and deposit to form ice. By using special tools and molds, we can create samples of lunar water ice," said Zhang Weiwei, associate professor at the School of Mechatronics Engineering at the Harbin Institute of Technology.

Apart from lunar missions, China's Tianwen series, the country's planetary exploration program, is also advancing rapidly.

"The Tianwen-2 mission is embarking on a 'star-chasing' journey to collect samples from a near-Earth small body and return them to the Earth. The Tianwen-3 aims to bring back Mars samples to the ground. The Tianwen-4 is our mission to explore Jupiter. I believe this demonstrates our capability and means to expand our horizons from the Earth and cislunar space to interplanetary space and even to the entire solar system and beyond in the future," said Sun Zezhou, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) and a researcher at the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

China's deep-space ambitions extend beyond the Chang'e and Tianwen missions. With plans to explore the Sun, the solar system's frontiers, and Venus, the country is building a deep-space exploration system that covers everything from cislunar space and the moon to Mars, small bodies, and other planets.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 53 seconds
Release Date: March 10, 2026

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