Monday, June 08, 2026

Earth Aurora over Southern Hemisphere | International Space Station

Earth Aurora over Southern Hemisphere | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir: "A timelapse view from our SpaceX Dragon of the spectacular southern aurora seen in yesterday’s post, a result of a recent solar event. As opposed to the previous aurora I’ve seen, this one danced and snaked its way directly below us, putting on quite a show. I am in awe of this ethereal and emotionally evocative phenomenon."


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/JSC/Jessica Meir
Duration: 1 minute
Date: June 6, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #Aurorae #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #SouthernHemisphere #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #JessicaMeir #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #NASAJohnson #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceLaboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Sunday, June 07, 2026

NASA’s Artemis III Crew Member Announcement Coming Soon

NASA’s Artemis III Crew Member Announcement Coming Soon

On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), NASA will announce the astronauts flying aboard the upcoming Artemis III Mission. They will test rendezvous and docking capabilities with commercial landers in low Earth orbit. Commercial landers are needed to bring astronauts to the lunar surface during future Artemis missions.


Credit: NASA
Duration: 45 seconds
Release Date: June 7, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIICrew #LunarLanders #NASASLS #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4866 in Virgo: "A Stranger in the Crowd" | Hubble

Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4866 in Virgo: "A Stranger in the Crowd" | Hubble

The constellation of Virgo (The Virgin) is the largest of the Zodiac constellations, and the second largest overall after Hydra (The Water Snake). Its most appealing feature, however, is the sheer number of galaxies that lie within it. In this picture, among a crowd of face- and edge-on spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies, lies NGC 4866, a lenticular galaxy located about 80 million light-years from Earth.

Lenticular galaxies are somewhere between spirals and ellipticals in terms of shape and properties. From the picture, we can appreciate the bright central bulge of NGC 4886 that contains primarily old stars, but no spiral arms are visible. The galaxy is seen from Earth as almost edge-on, meaning that the disc structure—a feature not present in elliptical galaxies—is clearly visible. Faint dust lanes trace across NGC 4866 in this image, obscuring part of the galaxy’s light.

To the right of the galaxy is a very bright star that appears to lie within NGC 4886’s halo. However, this star actually lies much closer to us; in front of the galaxy, along our line of sight. These kinds of perspective tricks are common when observing, and can initially deceive astronomers as to the true nature and position of objects, such as galaxies, stars, and clusters.

This sharp image of NGC 4866 was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), an instrument on the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Acknowledgement: Gilles Chapdelaine
Release Date: July 15, 2013

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC4866 #LenticularGalaxies #VirgoConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #ACS #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

How Europe Studies The Sun | European Space Agency

How Europe Studies The Sun | European Space Agency

This is an overview of European missions studying our closest star, from SOHO and Solar Orbiter to Proba-3 that is creating artificial solar eclipses in space seeking to unlock new insights into the Sun's mysterious corona.

The Solar Orbiter mission is a partnership between the European Space Agency and NASA, designed to observe the Sun and its inner heliosphere. The mission includes ten science instruments, all designed to provide unprecedented data about how our star operates. Solar Orbiter's unique position allows it to observe the Sun from within its perihelion, making it the first spacecraft to do so. Solar Orbiter was launched on February 10, 2020, and is planned to be operational until the end of 2026 with a potential extension until 2030. The spacecraft is equipped with a dedicated heat shield to protect it from the intense solar flux near perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun).

Learn about ESA's Solar Orbiter, Proba-3 and SOHO missions:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter

This video features European Space Agency (ESA) Reserve Astronaut Sara García Alonso of Spain:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Sara_Garcia_Alonso

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 2 minutes, 48 seconds
Release Date: June 5, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Stars #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #SolarSystem #SolarWind #Planets #Earth #SpaceWeather #SolarOrbiter #SOHO #Proba3 #Europe #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

How Europe Studies The Sun | European Space Agency

How Europe Studies The Sun | European Space Agency

How does Europe study the Sun? 

This is an overview of European missions studying our closest star, from SOHO and Solar Orbiter to Proba-3 that is creating artificial solar eclipses in space seeking to unlock new insights into the Sun's mysterious corona.

The Solar Orbiter mission is a partnership between the European Space Agency and NASA, designed to observe the Sun and its inner heliosphere. The mission includes ten science instruments, all designed to provide unprecedented data about how our star operates. Solar Orbiter's unique position allows it to observe the Sun from within its perihelion, making it the first spacecraft to do so. Solar Orbiter was launched on February 10, 2020, and is planned to be operational until the end of 2026 with a potential extension until 2030. The spacecraft is equipped with a dedicated heat shield to protect it from the intense solar flux near perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun).


This video features European Space Agency (ESA) Reserve Astronaut Sara García Alonso of Spain:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Sara_Garcia_Alonso

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 2 minutes, 48 seconds
Release Date: June 5, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Stars #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #SolarSystem #SolarWind #Planets #Earth #SpaceWeather #SolarOrbiter #SOHO #Proba3 #Europe #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Hydra Cluster of Galaxies

The Hydra Cluster of Galaxies

Within our own Milky Way galaxy, two bright, spiky stars stand like sentinels in the foreground of this cosmic snapshot. Far beyond them are the galaxies of the Hydra Cluster. In fact, while the spiky foreground stars are hundreds of light-years distant, the Hydra Cluster galaxies are well over 100 million light-years away. Three large galaxies near the cluster center, two yellow ellipticals (NGC 3311, NGC 3309) and one prominent blue spiral (NGC 3312), are the dominant galaxies, each about 150,000 light-years in diameter. An intriguing overlapping galaxy pair cataloged as NGC 3314 lies above and left of NGC 3312. Also known as Abell 1060, the Hydra galaxy cluster is one of three large galaxy clusters within 200 million light-years of the Milky Way. In the nearby universe, galaxies are gravitationally bound into clusters which themselves are loosely bound into superclusters. Superclusters in turn are seen to align over even larger scales.


Image Credit & Copyright: Rafael Sampaio
Rafael's website: https://www.instagram.com/rafael.astrofotografia/
Release Date: June 5, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #HydraGalaxyCluster #NGC3311 #NGC3309 #NGC3312 #NGC3314 #NGC3312 #CassiopeiaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #RafaelSampaio #Astrophotographers #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Shenzhou-23 Astronauts Make Steady Progress after Crew Handover

Shenzhou-23 Astronauts Make Steady Progress after Crew Handover

The three-member Shenzhou-23 crew is making steady progress aboard China's Tiangong Space Station following a seamless handover with the Shenzhou-21 crew. On May 25, 2026, the three Shenzhou-23 astronauts—mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-ying (Li Jiaying)—joined their Shenzhou-21 colleagues aboard the space station. Over the following days, the two crews worked side by side to complete a detailed handover of station operations and experiment plans before the Shenzhou-21 trio returned to Earth on May 29.

In the coming months, the Shenzhou-23 team will carry out more than 100 new scientific projects, focusing on frontiers, such as space life sciences, materials science, microgravity fluid physics, aerospace medicine, and new space technologies.

After having gradually adapted to the microgravity environment, the Shenzhou-23 astronauts are steadily continuing their assigned work as scheduled.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's crewed spaceflight program and the seventh crewed flight mission since the Tiangong Space Station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)
Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 55 seconds
Release Date: June 7, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Saturday, June 06, 2026

Planets Jupiter and Venus: View from Utah

Planets Jupiter and Venus: View from Utah

In astronomy, a conjunction refers to an event where two or more celestial bodies appear to meet or pass each other in the sky. A conjunction is an apparent phenomenon caused by an observer's perspective. However, the two objects involved are not actually close to one another in space.

Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, and Nevada to the west.


Image Credit: Paul Martini 
Location: Bluff, Utah, United States
Date: June 4, 2025


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Venus #Jupiter  #PlanetaryConjunctions #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #PaulMartini #CitizenScience #Utah #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planets Jupiter and Venus: View from France

Planets Jupiter and Venus: View from France




VegaStar Photography: "This photograph was taken during the evening of June 1, 2026. It captures the beautiful conjunction of Venus and Jupiter shining together in the twilight sky. The reddish-orange glow visible on the left side of the image is not the sunset. It is most likely the skyglow from Paris, caused by light pollution reflecting in the atmosphere. This observation was a very special moment for me because I shared it with my niece. We spent a wonderful evening together watching the sky, and it made the experience even more memorable. I hope you enjoy this image as much as we enjoyed witnessing this beautiful celestial event . . . "

In astronomy, a conjunction refers to an event where two or more celestial bodies appear to meet or pass each other in the sky. A conjunction is an apparent phenomenon caused by an observer's perspective. However, the two objects involved are not actually close to one another in space.


Image Credit: VegaStar Photography
Location: Epernay, Marne, France
Image Details:📷Canon EOS Rebel Canon 18 200mm ISO 800 Expo Time 8s F/3.5 18mm
Photographer's website: https://flic.kr/p/2sgrkWt
Date: June 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Venus #Jupiter  #PlanetaryConjunctions #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #ValerieLiard #VegaStarPhotography #CitizenScience #Epernay #Marne #France #Europe #STEM #Education

A Distant Galactic 'Crash': Galaxies NGC 4490 & 4485 | Digitized Sky Survey 2

A Distant Galactic 'Crash': Galaxies NGC 4490 & 4485 | Digitized Sky Survey 2

This ground-based image shows the large galaxy NGC 4490 and the irregular galaxy NGC 4485 — above the larger galaxy in the center of the image—it is interacting with.

Both galaxies are connected with each other through a stream of material about 25,000 light-years long. The stream is made up of bright knots and huge pockets of gassy regions, as well as enormous regions of star formation where young, massive, blue stars are born.

Having already made their closest approach, NGC 4485 and NGC 4490 are now moving away from each other.

The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute through its Guide Star Survey group.


Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2 (Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin)
Release Date: May 16, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC4485 #NGC4490 #IrregularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #CanesVenaticiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #DSS2 #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Journey to Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici | Hubble Space Telescope

Journey to Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici | Hubble Space Telescope

This video zooms in on the irregular galaxy NGC 4485, about 30 million light-years away. It starts with a view of the night sky focused on the constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs), as seen from the ground. It then zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, and ends with a view of the galaxy obtained with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

During the zoom also the neighboring galaxy, NGC 4490 becomes visible. The gravitational pull of this galaxy is responsible for the irregular shape of NGC 4485 and also caused the intense star formation in the galaxy, as well as the bright stream of gas and stars emerging from it.

The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute through its Guide Star Survey group.


Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, Digitized Sky Survey 2
Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin
Duration: 50 seconds
Release Date: May 16, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC4485 #IrregularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #CanesVenaticiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici | Hubble Space Telescope

NGC 4485 has been involved in a dramatic gravitational interplay with its larger galactic neighbor NGC 4490—out of frame to the bottom right in this image. This altered the original, ordered spiral structure of the galaxy and transformed it into an irregular one.

Distance from Earth: 30 million light years

The interaction also created a stream of material about 25,000 light-years long, connecting the two galaxies. The stream, visible to the right of the galaxy is made up of bright knots and huge pockets of gassy regions, as well as enormous regions of star formation where young, massive, blue stars are born.

Below NGC 4485 one can see a bright, orange background galaxy: CXOU J123033.6+414057. This galaxy is the source of X-ray radiation studied by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Its distance from Earth is about 850 million light-years.


Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Acknowledgement: T. Roberts (Durham University), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team, R. Tully (University of Hawaii) and R. Chandar (University of Toledo)
Duration: 25 seconds
Release Date: May 16, 2019


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC4485 #IrregularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #CanesVenaticiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici: On the Verge | Hubble

Irregular Galaxy NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici: On the Verge | Hubble


NGC 4485 has been involved in a dramatic gravitational interplay with its larger galactic neighbor NGC 4490—out of frame to the bottom right in this image. This altered the original, ordered spiral structure of the galaxy and transformed it into an irregular one.

Distance from Earth: 30 million light years

The interaction also created a stream of material about 25,000 light-years long, connecting the two galaxies. The stream, visible to the right of the galaxy is made up of bright knots and huge pockets of gassy regions, as well as enormous regions of star formation where young, massive, blue stars are born.

Below NGC 4485 one can see a bright, orange background galaxy: CXOU J123033.6+414057. This galaxy is the source of X-ray radiation studied by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Its distance from Earth is about 850 million light-years.


Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Acknowledgement: T. Roberts (Durham University), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team, R. Tully (University of Hawaii) and R. Chandar (University of Toledo).
Release Date: May 16, 2019


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC4485 #IrregularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #CanesVenaticiConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: June 1-5, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: June 1-5, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4915
Mars 2020 - sol 1879
Mars 2020 - sol 1877
Mars 2020 - sol 1879
Mars 2020 - sol 1879
Mars 2020 - sol 1875
MSL - sol 4913
MSL - sol 4913

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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: June 1-5, 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 #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

Italy by Night | International Space Station

Italy by Night | International Space Station

This nighttime image of Italy looks southward toward the Mediterranean Sea and is outlined by its coastal city lights, including those of Rome and Naples near the upper center. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above southern Germany at the time of this photograph.
Italy’s darkened Po Valley contrasts with the brighter city lights that surround the region, even though it is one of the most densely populated and industrialized areas in Europe. The Po Valley appears darker from space due to wide expanses of farmland and nearby mountainous terrain that absorb light, creating an overall dimmer appearance.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. It consists of a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as nearly 800 islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares land borders with France to the west; Switzerland and Austria to the north; Slovenia to the east; and the two enclaves of Vatican City and San Marino.


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 Credits: NASA/Chris Williams
Date: May 2, 2026


#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #Italy #Italia #PoValley #Mediterranean #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #ChrisWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #STEM #Education

Friday, June 05, 2026

NASA’s X-59 Flies Supersonic for First Time | Armstrong Flight Research Center

NASA’s X-59 Flies Supersonic for First Time Armstrong Flight Research Center


NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first supersonic flight Friday, June 5, 2026, marking the first time the aircraft exceeded the speed of sound in support of NASA’s Quesst Mission. The milestone represents a major step in flight testing as the aircraft expands into the supersonic portion of its flight envelope. The display shows Mach 1.07, but the aircraft is actually at Mach 1.0. The difference comes from the system's calibration. This makes the shown value slightly higher than the true speed. The calibration will continue fine-tuning as we expand the X-59's flight envelope.
Keep up with the latest about X-59: 
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/

The X-59 aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.”

Data gathered during X-59 research flights will be shared with the U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.

The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

Learn more about NASA's Quesst mission: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/


Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
Duration: 44 seconds
Release Date: June 5, 2026

#NASA #Aerospace #SupersonicFlight #SupersonicAircraft #X59 #Sonicbooms #QuietAviation #Aviation #QuesstMission #CommercialAviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #AerospaceResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #Edwards #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video