Mars Images: April 27-May 1, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: April 27-May 1, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4873

MSL - sol 4879

MSL - sol 4881 

MSL - sol 4881 

MSL - sol 4881

Mars 2020 - sol 1847  

Mars 2020 - sol 1844

Mars 2020 - sol 1846

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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

Release Dates: April 27-May 1, 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

New Views of Planet Earth | NASA's PACE Earth Ocean & Atmosphere Satellite

New Views of Planet Earth | NASA's PACE Earth Ocean & Atmosphere Satellite

Artemis II captured stunning views of our home planet, but did you know NASA has an entire fleet of satellites studying Earth? These views come from PACE. It studies Earth’s ocean and atmosphere. The Plankton, Aerosol, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, launched in February 2024—is exploring unique views of our home planet’s ocean, atmosphere, and land surfaces. 

PACE's data is helping us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide. In addition, it is revealing how aerosols might fuel phytoplankton growth in the surface ocean. Novel uses of PACE data will benefit our economy and society. For example, it will help identify the extent and duration of harmful algal blooms. PACE is extending and expanding NASA's long-term observations of our living planet.

To explore and download data from NASA's PACE Mission, visit: https://pace.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Duration: 36 seconds
Release Date: April 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellite #Science #Planets #Earth #Biology #Oceans #Plankton #Land #Plants #Chlorophyll #PACEMission #EarthObservation #EarthScience #RemoteSensing #Weather #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Green and Blue Flashes at Sunset over Norway | Earth Science

Green and Blue Flashes at Sunset over Norway | Earth Science

Astrophotographer Ronny Tertnes: "Tonight's sunset gave us good Greenslashes that were also Blue . . . I haven't seen that very often . . . "

Blue flashes are formed in the same way as green flashes. A mirage magnifies tiny differences in the atmospheric refraction of red, green and blue light. Blue flashes are harder to see than green flashes because blue flashes blend into the surrounding blue sky. When the air is exceptionally clear, however, the blue flash emerges.

This trick of light occurs at sunset and sunrise when light from the Sun travels through the thickest part of Earth’s atmosphere. Acting like a prism, Earth's atmosphere bends, or refracts, the light and separates it into its component wavelengths. Blue and violet light are usually scattered by the atmosphere, while red, orange, and yellow are refracted below the solar disk below the horizon, leaving the green light the most visible during the few seconds that the Sun disappears below the horizon.

Atmospheric layers create altitude-variable refractions that take light from the top of the Sun, dispersing its colors, creating multiple images, and magnifying it in just the right way to make thin slivers appear green (and blue), just before it disappears.

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden, and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast.

Image Credit: Ronny Tertnes

Text Credit: Spaceweather[dot]com
Location: Bergen, Norway
Date: April 26, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Sun #Sunshine #Starshine #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #Sunset #Optics #GreenFlashes #BlueFlashes #Mirages #Astrophotography #RonnyTertnes #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #Bergen #Norway #Norge #STEM #Education

Expedition 75 Crew Portrait | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Crew Portrait | International Space Station

The official portrait of the seven‑member Expedition 75 crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station. From left, are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon; Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina of Russia; NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway; and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot.

Expedition 75 emblem

The official portrait of the seven‑member Expedition 75 crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station. From left, are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon; Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina of Russia; NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway; and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission, targeted to launch Tuesday, July 14, 2026, will carry NASA astronaut Anil Menon and his crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia, to the International Space Station for an eight-month stay as part of Expeditions 74/75. It will be Menon’s first spaceflight.

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.

Image Credit: NASA/JSC/Josh Valcarcel
Release Date: April 28, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

Russia Test Launches New Medium-Class Soyuz-5 Rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome

Russia Test Launches New Medium-Class Soyuz-5 Rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome

A new Russian medium-class launch vehicle Soyuz-5 was launched for the first time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2 pm EDT (18:00 UTC) on Thursday, April 30, 2026, as part of its first flight tests, Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos said.

The Soyuz-5 flight went well on its suborbital test. “The first and second stages of Soyuz 5 performed as planned, and a mockup was launched onto the calculated suborbital trajectory, followed by a reentry into an area in the Pacific Ocean previously closed to shipping and aviation,” according to Roscosmos.

The Soyuz-5 is a replacement for the medium-class Zenit rocket using domestic components for its fuel tanks. The Soyuz-5 uses the same basic type of Russia-built RD-171 engine that flew on its Zenit rocket. Soyuz-5’s performance slots it in-between Russia’s smaller legacy Soyuz-2 rocket and the heavy-lift Angara-A5.

Video Credit: Roscosmos/SMG
Duration: 57 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Rockets #RocketLaunches #Soyuz5 #MediumLiftRockets #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Spaceflight #SuborbitalFlight #BaikonurCosmodrome #Kazakhstan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Arianespace Ariane 6 Rocket Launch of Amazon Leo LE-02 Internet Satellites

Arianespace Ariane 6 Rocket Launch of Amazon Leo LE-02 Internet Satellites

New Photos: On April 30, 2026, at 5:57 AM local time, Arianespace successfully launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites aboard Ariane 64—Ariane 6's four-booster version—from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellites were delivered with precision into low Earth orbit (LEO), at an altitude of approximately 465 km. The mission was completed as planned, lasting a total of 1 hour and 54 minutes from lift-off to the separation of the last satellites.

Designated VA268 by Arianespace and LE-02 by Amazon Leo, this mission was the second of 18 Ariane 6 launches planned for the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation.

With this launch, Ariane 6, Europe's heavy-lift launcher, confirms its full operational capability. Equipped with four solid-propellant boosters, the launcher deployed 32 satellites in a complex sequence involving 12 separation phases, demonstrating its ability to meet the requirements of large-scale constellation missions. The satellites were accommodated under a 20-meter-long fairing, bringing the launcher's total height to approximately 62 meters.

This flight marks Ariane 6's seventh launch, and the second in its Ariane 64 configuration.

Mission VA268 is part of a series of 18 launches contracted to Arianespace for the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation. Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network, designed to deliver fast, reliable internet to communities currently beyond the reach of existing networks.

VA268 at a glance:
360th launch by Arianespace, 2nd Arianespace launch in 2026
32 Amazon Leo satellites deployed by mission VA268, 64 satellites deployed by Ariane 6 since the beginning of the campaign
7th Ariane 6 launch and 2nd launch of Ariane 64, its most powerful configuration
2nd Arianespace launch for Amazon Leo, as part of a series of 18

Image Credit: Arianespace
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Satellites #Amazon #CommercialSpace #Arianespace #Ariane6 #Ariane6Rocket #HeavyLiftRocket #RocketLaunch #MissionVA268 #GuianaSpaceCentre #KourouSpaceport #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #France #CNES #ArianeGroup #Europe #STEM #Education

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch: ViaSat-3 F3 Communications Satellite

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch: ViaSat-3 F3 Communications Satellite

New Photos: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the ViaSat-3 F3 Mission at 10:13 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Wednesday morning, April 29, 2026, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle’s upper stage just under five hours after liftoff, with initial signals acquired minutes later, confirming the satellite is healthy in orbit and ready for the next phase of operations. 

Watch a replay of the launch here: 
http://spacex.com/launches/viasat3f3

The Falcon Heavy rocket reduces time to orbit by delivering the satellite to a more favorable transfer orbit where this satellite’s electric propulsion will take over to place ViaSat-3 F3 into a geostationary orbit. Following launch, the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite will spend several months traveling to geostationary orbit before arriving at its reserved orbital slot. It will go through rigorous in-orbit testing of both the bus and payload before entering service, expected to occur by late summer 2026. ViaSat-3 satellites are each designed to provide regional coverage with ViaSat-3 F3 expected to cover the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

One of the side boosters on this mission previously supported SDA-0A, SARah-2, Transporter-11, and 18 Starlink missions, and the second previously supported launch of the GOES-U mission. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters landed on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Info: 
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy

ViaSat Press Release: 
https://www.viasat.com/news/latest-news/corporate/2026/viasat-confirms-successful-launch-and-initial-signal-acquisition/

Image Credit: SpaceX

Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #CommercialSpace #SpaceX #SpaceXFalconHeavy #HeavyLiftRockets #ReusableRockets #Satellites #CommunicationSatellites #ViaSat #ViaSat3F3Mission #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch—International Space Station Scientist

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch—International Space Station Scientist

While living in space for 328 days, NASA astronaut Christina Koch spent many of her hours on science activities aboard the International Space Station and wore many hats: farmer, biologist, physicist, engineer, test subject and many more.

Learn more about the research being conducted on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/

Six years before her Artemis II Moon Mission, NASA astronaut, scientist, mission specialist, flight engineer, and spacewalker Christina Koch spent almost a year in space on International Space Station Expeditions 59-61 (March 2019-February 2020), before coming home. During the longest-ever single spaceflight by a female astronaut, NASA astronaut Christina Koch also completed six spacewalks. 

When Koch returned to Earth, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Additionally, Christina participated in the first all-female spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, currently serving aboard the International Space Station on Expedition 74.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

How to Become a NASA Astronaut:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/become-an-astronaut/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2020

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Expedition59 #Expedition60 #Expedition61 #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #Scientists #ElectricalEngineers #EVAs #Spacewalks #WomenInSTEM #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planetarium View: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Planetarium View: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Note: The full dome video display format is designed for projection systems in planetariums. A planetarium is a theater built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Duration: 13 seconds
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wide-field view: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Wide-field view: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans: The Lure of The Rings | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans: The Lure of The Rings | Hubble Space Telescope

Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all. The true perpetrator has been identified by astronomers, but is outside the field of view of this image.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

How Do Stars Influence the Search for Life? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How Do Stars Influence the Search for Life? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How do stars influence the search for life? 
When astronomers search for life on other worlds, they look for atmospheric molecules called biosignatures, or gases that could indicate biological activity. However, starlight can greatly alter a planet’s atmosphere through photochemistry, sometimes creating or destroying these signals.

A NASA scientist explains why understanding a planet’s star is essential when searching for life beyond our solar system.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/stars/

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 1 minute, 42 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Scientists #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Atmospheres #Biochemistry #Photochemistry #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #PlanetaryScience  #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits The United Nations: ‘Ambassadors of the Cosmos’

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits The United Nations: ‘Ambassadors of the Cosmos’

Back from their mission to the Moon, astronauts from NASA's Artemis II crew arrived at United Nations Headquarters in New York City on April 30, 2026, with a message for humanity about our shared purpose on Earth.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn about the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs:

https://www.unoosa.org

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Video Credit: United Nations
Duration: 2 minutes, 21 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedNations #UN #UNAmbassadors #NewYorkCity #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #UNOOSA #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for May 2026: Skywatching Tips from NASA | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

What's Up for May 2026: Skywatching Tips from NASA | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in May 2026:

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower brings shooting stars before dawn, the Moon meets brilliant Venus after sunset, and May wraps up with a rare Blue Moon. Look to the early morning sky around May 5-6, 2026, for meteors from Halley’s Comet, although bright moonlight may wash out some of the fainter streaks. 

Then on May 18, spot the crescent Moon near Venus low in the western sky just after sunset. May ends with a Full Moon on May 31. 

May ends with a Blue Moon, meaning the second full moon in a single calendar month, but it will not actually look blue.

0:00 Intro

0:09  Eta Aquarids 

1:25  Moon and Venus conjunction 

1:54  Blue Moon

2:35 May Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Planets #Venus #Earth #MeteorShowers #EtaAquarids #HalleysComet #Moon #BlueMoon #Stars #Nebulae #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams: "On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the International Space Station's Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere. I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. I think it must have been some piece of orbital debris or a satellite breaking up as it entered the atmosphere. It was quite a light show!"

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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center, C. Williams

Duration: 14 seconds
Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #ChrisWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams: "On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the International Space Station's Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere. I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. I think it must have been some piece of orbital debris or a satellite breaking up as it entered the atmosphere. It was quite a light show!"

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.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center, C. Williams
Image Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #ChrisWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education