Friends of NASA

Thursday, July 02, 2026

How many satellites is too many? | European Southern Observatory

How many satellites is too many? | European Southern Observatory

There are currently more than 14,000 satellites in orbit, but new proposals by SpaceX, Reflect Orbital and other companies could increase that number to over 1.7 million satellites. In this video, two European Southern Observatory experts tell us about the devastating consequences this would have on astronomy, and what are the technical and legal options to limit this damage.

Learn more:
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2607/
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2607/eso2607a.pdf

Credit: ESO
Directed by: L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, B. Ferreira
Hosted by: S. Randall
Written by: E. Elkington, S. Randall
Editing: M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada
Videography: A. Tsaousis
Animations & footage: ESO, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, Future/Brett Tingley, ESA, S. Guisard, Torsten Hansen/IAU OAES, S. Brunier, F. Kamphues, B. Häuẞler, SpaceX, Reflect Orbital, @EmericTimelapse, RubinObs/NSF/AURA/H. Stockebrand, C. Malin, B. Tafreshi, G. Lombardi, INAF-VST/OmegaCAM, P. Horálek, satellitemap.space, J. McDowell
Filming Locations: ESO Supernova
Duration: 14 minutes

Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #AstronomicalObservatories #ExtremelyLargeTelescope #ELT #VLT #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #SpaceX #UnitedStates #Technology #Engineering #CerroArmazones #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Protostars of Young Star System FS Tau in Taurus | Webb Telescope

Protostars of Young Star System FS Tau in Taurus | Webb Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has captured infrared light from bright protostars in the young star system FS Tau. In addition to myriad background galaxies that burst into view, this image flickers with a number of protostars, or baby stars that are formed from dense pockets of gas and dust. These hot, clumpy, and low-mass objects eventually will become full-fledged stars capable of burning hydrogen in their cores, like our Sun. The protostars of FS Tau are about 1 to 3 million years old. This is relatively young in cosmic scales. Our Sun, by contrast, is 4.6 billion years old.

FS Tau A, a pair of protostars that creates the largest diffraction pattern slightly to the left of center, is about half the mass of our Sun. FS Tau B, the orange protostar slightly right of center, is thought to be responsible for the red (molecular hydrogen) and orange (soot-like molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) outflows that we see amid the dusty region. The blue ridges are areas where light has been scattered by dust.

The different colors of the background galaxies indicate how much dust is in front of them, as dust both absorbs and scatters light. Redder galaxies lie behind larger amounts of dust, yellower galaxies lie behind thinner layers of dust, and whiter galaxies are mostly unobstructed.

Image Description: FS Tau, a star-forming nebula. Clouds of transparent blue and purple gas and dust extend from slightly left of center to the right side of the frame, from 2 o’clock to 5 o’clock. Several yellow and white protostars, several showing Webb’s eight-pronged diffraction pattern are dispersed throughout the clouds. Orange wisps and filaments of gas extend from one of the protostars at the center toward the top left and bottom right corners of the frame. There are numerous, distant yellow and white galaxies strewn about the black background of space.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)
Release Date: July 2, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Stars #Protostars #FSTau #FSTauA #FSTauB #TaurusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s Nuclear-Powered Lunar Rover Concept: "PROMISE" | JPL

NASA’s Nuclear-Powered Lunar Rover Concept: "PROMISE" | JPL

NASA is considering a mission concept for an advanced, nuclear-powered rover to be deployed to the Moon’s South Pole as part of the agency’s Moon Base plans.

The Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration (PROMISE) mission concept relies on the Curiosity Mars rover mission’s testbed rover. Elements of the Perseverance Mars testbed rover shown in this video could be used as well. As exact duplicates of Curiosity and Perseverance, the testbed rovers are equipped with flight-proven engineering systems capable of carrying technology as well as science instruments that would advance Moon Base efforts.

With a radioisotope thermal generator on board as a constant source of heat and power, PROMISE could operate without the need for solar power in the Moon’s frigid permanently shadowed regions, where water ice, a potential resource for astronauts, is likely to be found.

Both Curiosity and Perseverance were built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where the two missions operate their vehicle system testbed rovers at the Mars Yard. Curiosity launched in 2011 and landed on the Red Planet in 2012; Perseverance launched in 2020 and landed in 2021.

Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Duration: 1 minute, 21 seconds
Release Date: June 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Moon #LunarSouthPole #ArtemisProgram #CuriosityRover #MSL #PROMISE #NuclearPower #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

One Hour of Satellite Streaks over Telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert | ESO

One Hour of Satellite Streaks over Telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert | ESO

This image shows satellites crossing the night sky above the northern Atacama Desert in Chile, over a period of just one hour. It is a stack of a time-lapse video taken on October 15, 2025 about two hours after sunset. A few streaks are caused by planes, and can be easily identified by their blinking-colored lights, but most trails are due to satellites.

A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch over 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have “devastating consequences for astronomy.” According to the study, no more than 100,000 faint satellites, below naked eye visibility, should orbit Earth, to safeguard our ability to observe the night sky with modern telescopes. The study is the first to compute the extent to which large and bright satellite constellations would affect astronomical observations by making the night sky brighter.

Since 2019, the number of satellites orbiting Earth has increased rapidly, to over 14,000 today. Although if dead satellites and debris are included, the number of satellites currently in orbit rises to 32,000. SpaceX's Starlink telecommunications satellites represent the majority. Satellite proposals have also escalated in number and in potential impact. "Until now we have managed, but it's getting worse," stresses Olivier Hainaut. He has been involved in developing recommendations to mitigate the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy. While companies like SpaceX have taken measures to make their satellites less bright, current satellite proposals are going “beyond the limit” of what astronomy can withstand, he says. Hainaut, an astronomer at ESO for over 30 years, is the author of the peer-reviewed study on the impacts of satellite constellations accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

SpaceX plans to send one million more satellites into orbit, for space-based data centers. This would significantly alter the appearance of the sky. The new study shows that, for a large fraction of each night, hundreds of satellites would be visible and, at certain times, up to several thousand, similar to the number of stars seen with the naked eye in good conditions. Other planned satellite constellations such as E-Space's Cinnamon and China’s CTC-1 and 2 would add hundreds of thousands more satellites into orbit, compounding the problem.

Image Description: In the foreground, we see the dome of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the world’s largest optical/infrared telescope, currently under construction atop Cerro Armazones. Behind it we see the lasers of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal Observatory, 22 km away from the ELT. The background of this image shows a starry sky, including the bright lane of the Milky Way. Hundreds of bright streaks cross the sky in many directions, as if scratching the background natural sky behind it. The bottom of the image is occupied by the dark silhouette of a mountainous desert landscape. Atop the mountain at the center, is a small, distant metallic dome and yellow-orange lasers shine behind it.

Credit: F. Kamphues, ESO/M. Kornmesser
Release Date: July 1, 2026

Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Williams & Meir Complete Second Spacewalk | International Space Station

Williams & Meir Complete Second Spacewalk | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot: "Success for the US EVA-95!🎉"

"NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams carried out a second spacewalk together yesterday, and Canadarm2 is in good configuration for a very soon return to 100% operational mode. Bravo to all the teams that contributed to this success!"

NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir concluded their second spacewalk together on Tuesday after successfully replacing a malfunctioning wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm. The duo spent seven hours and 20 minutes on Canadarm2’s fourth repair job since its installation on April 26, 2001. Initial checkouts of the arm by flight controllers on the ground indicate the arm is functioning well and additional checkouts and verification will continue in the coming days.

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/S. Adenot

Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #ChrisWilliams #Spacewalks #EVA #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China-Europe SMILE Solar Science Mission Begins Critical Tests in Beijing

China-Europe SMILE Solar Science Mission Begins Critical Tests in Beijing

The SMILE satellite—short for Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer—is a major joint space mission between China and the European Space Agency (ESA). SMILE studies how solar winds affect Earth's magnetosphere, using X‑ray and ultraviolet (UV) imagers to capture these invisible interactions. It was launched on May 19, 2026, from Kourou, French Guiana, and has accurately entered its designated orbit for scientific observation.

This week a ESA team arrived in Beijing to join their Chinese counterparts in carrying out initial system checks.

Scientific questions being examined include:
How does the solar wind reshape our magnetic shield?
What triggers auroral substorms?
How do solar eruptions spark geomagnetic storms?

SMILE is an international space science mission designed to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere. By observing these dynamic processes from space, SMILE will help scientists better understand space weather and its effects on our planet's magnetic environment.

The European Space Agency (ESA) was responsible for providing SMILE’s payload module (carrying three of the four science instruments), one of the spacecraft’s four science instruments (the soft X-ray imager, SXI), the launcher, and the Assembly Integration and Testing facilities and services. ESA contributed to a second science instrument (the ultraviolet imager, UVI) and the mission operations once SMILE is in orbit.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences provided the other three science instruments and the spacecraft platform, and is responsible for operating the spacecraft in orbit.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 2 minutes, 39 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Sun #Earth #SpaceWeather #SolarWind #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #Aurorae #Europe #ESA #China #中国 #CAS #中国科学院 #SMILEMission #Heliophysics #Physics #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up: July 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

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

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in July 2026: a predawn meetup between the Moon and planets, a returning comet, dark skies for the Milky Way, and Saturn's unusually thin rings.

Before sunrise on July 11 and 12, look east/southeast for the waning crescent Moon, Mars, and Saturn. Uranus is in the same part of the sky, but you will need binoculars or a telescope to spot it.

Around July 14, use binoculars or a telescope to seek Comet 10P/Tempel 2 under dark skies of the New Moon. Those nights are also a great time to look for the Milky Way, while later in the month Saturn's rings appear strikingly thin through a telescope.

0:00 Intro

0:11 Moon, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus before dawn

0:47 Comet 10P/Tempel 2

1:35 Dark skies for the Milky Way

2:34 Saturn's thin rings

2:57 July Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 3 minutes, 20 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Moon #Mars #Saturn #Uranus #Stars #Nebulae #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Science: "A Legacy of Discovery, Built for the Future"

NASA Science: "A Legacy of Discovery, Built for the Future"

Have a Happy July 4th! "For generations, the pursuit of knowledge has transformed the unknown into the understood, turning questions into discoveries and discoveries into new frontiers."

"From the early days of Apollo to Voyager's journey into interstellar space, Hubble's breathtaking view of the cosmos, and Webb's search for the earliest chapters of the universe, each discovery has built upon those that came before it."

"As America marks 250 years of innovation and progress, we are reflecting on another journey that spans generations: humanity's ongoing quest to understand the universe and our place within it. Because every discovery brings the horizon closer."

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

Video Credit: NASA Science
Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessie Wilde
Editor: Matthew Schara
Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Moon #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #GSFC #UnitedStates #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Length of The Milky Way's Spiral Arms | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Length of The Milky Way's Spiral Arms | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

A new result shows that the outer spiral arms in the Milky Way galaxy may reach wider than previously thought. This finding may lead astronomers to adjust their understanding of our home galaxy’s structure.

A team of astronomers made this discovery by making precise measurements of distances to dust clouds in the Milky Way’s spiral arms using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton. The researchers determined the distances by studying rings around gamma-ray bursts, or GRBs, examples of the brightest bursts of light in the universe that come from the collapse of massive stars or the merger of neutron stars. GRBs are located at enormous distances, well beyond the confines of the Milky Way galaxy.

The distance measurement technique in this study capitalized on the phenomenon of light echoes, where the light from the GRB bounced off intervening dust clouds in the spiral arms along the line of sight to Earth. The diameters of the rings in X-rays give the distances to Earth with larger rings being generated by dust clouds closer to us.

The advantage of this method is that this is a very direct way—relying only on geometry—to precisely measure distances to the Milky Way’s spiral arms. Most other methods rely on assumptions about how the Milky Way rotates, becoming increasingly uncertain in the outer regions of our Galaxy.

Despite a century of awareness of the Milky Way’s spiral arms, astronomers are still working toward precise characterization of its arms due to Earth’s position within one, along with the dust and gas that block the view to other arms.

Although this technique is a major improvement, it may be difficult to use it for further measurements because bright GRBs that are visible through the plane of the galaxy are rare. In the meantime, astronomers will take a closer look at what could be the new geometry of our home galaxy, thanks to this new study.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 2 minutes, 34 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #MilkyWayGalaxy #SpiralArms #GammaRayBursts #GRBs #SagittaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hong Kong's First Astronaut Sends Greetings Home | China Space Station

Hong Kong's First Astronaut Sends Greetings Home | China Space Station

Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong's first astronaut in orbit, sent back a heartfelt video message from China's Tiangong Space Station as the region celebrated the 29th anniversary of its return to the motherland on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The 44-year-old former Hong Kong police officer lifted off in late May alongside commander Zhu Yangzhu and spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan on the Shenzhou-23 crewed mission.

With the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) flag displayed behind her, Lai marked the anniversary of the region's return with an address to the camera from inside a module 400 kilometers above the Earth.

"On this momentous day—the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the establishment of the HKSAR—I feel deeply honored to display our regional flag from the national space station, to express heartfelt gratitude to our nation and send my warmest wishes to Hong Kong," she said in a video published by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Lai, holding a PhD in computer forensics, has made history as the first female payload specialist from the HKSAR to join a national crewed space program. She spoke of the pride that fills each of her daily duties aboard the station.

"The very fact that I can speak to you from space today is living proof of the precious opportunities Hong Kong enjoys under One Country, Two Systems with the backing of the motherland. As the SAR's first astronaut, every day I am here, I am proud to be part of China's space program. I truly see how our nation's drive to become a space power not only pushes human civilization forward but also helps build a better future for all of humanity," said Lai.

"From the bottom of my heart, I wish the HKSAR even greater prosperity and stability, with the care and support of our motherland. Let us join hands and strive together for a brighter tomorrow for our nation and for Hong Kong. Let's keep going!"

According to the CMSA, the Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct more than 100 new science and application projects, focusing on frontier fields such as space life science, materials science, microgravity fluid physics, aerospace medicine and new space technologies.

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: 1 minute, 27 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 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

The Center of Our Galaxy: A 6-gigapixel image | Europe's Euclid Space Telescope

The Center of Our Galaxy: A 6-gigapixel image | Europe's Euclid Space Telescope

Millions of stars. Thousands of hidden worlds. One unprecedented view of our galaxy.

Three years since launch, the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope reveals the Milky Way galaxy’s center in extraordinary detail: a mosaic of tens of millions of stars captured in just 26 hours.

However, this is more than an image. It is a map of stellar evolution from dark clouds where stars are being born to ancient populations packed into the galactic bulge.

And hidden within this dense field of light are planets we cannot see directly.

Through gravitational microlensing, astronomers detect distant worlds by measuring tiny, temporary changes in light as stars pass in front of one another, revealing planets and even their masses through gravity alone.

Euclid, originally built to explore dark matter and dark energy, is now helping open a new window on our own galaxy, and the unseen worlds within it.

ESA's Euclid Space Telescope:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 11 minutes
Release Date: July 1, 2026

#NASA #ESA #ESAEuclid #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #SagittariusConstellation #GalacticSurvey #Cosmos #Universe #EST #EuclidSpaceTelescope #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

"🦖The dinosaurs didn’t have a space program." | NASA Planetary Defense

"🦖The dinosaurs didn’t have a space program." | NASA Planetary Defense

June 30 is Asteroid Day—an annual global awareness campaign established to educate the public about asteroids and the potential hazards they pose to Earth.

Asteroid Day was co-founded in 2014 by astrophysicist Brian May, filmmaker Grigorij Richters, NASA astronaut Russel Schweickart, and Danica Remy of the B612 Foundation, following the Chelyabinsk meteor event in 2013. The United Nations officially recognized Asteroid Day in 2016, designating June 30 as the international observance to commemorate the Tunguska event of 1908, when a meteor airburst flattened over 2,150 km² of Siberian forest

NASA’s Planetary Defense Program finds and tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and tests methods to keep us safe on Earth. This International Asteroid Day, learn more about our planetary defenders:

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense

Video Credit: NASA
Duration: 1 minute, 13 seconds
Release Date: June 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #PlanetaryDefense #AsteroidDay #AsteroidDay2026 #Asteroids #AsteroidBelt #Comets #NEO #NEA #SolarSystem #Technology #DARTMission #JHUAPL #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

"Humans changed an asteroid. Now we find out how." | European Space Agency

"Humans changed an asteroid. Now we find out how." | European Space Agency

June 30 is Asteroid Day—an annual global awareness campaign established to educate the public about asteroids and the potential hazards they pose to Earth.

On September 26, 2022, humans made our first measurable change to a Solar System object, as NASA’s DART spacecraft impacted the Dimorphos asteroid, shifting its orbit around its larger Didymos parent asteroid. This grand experiment was a success, but many unknowns remain.

What is the precise mass and structure of Dimorphos?
How did the impact change the Great-Pyramid-sized asteroid?
Has it been left with a giant crater, sent spinning wildly or perhaps reshaped entirely?

Finding out will help make the ‘kinetic impactor’ method of planetary defence into a well-understood technique that could be deployed reliably if we ever need it.

This is why European Space Agency’s Hera Mission is on its way to Dimorphos to perform a close-up "crash scene" investigation. Arriving in autumn 2026, the suite of instruments aboard the spacecraft’s topside ‘Asteroid deck’ will perform a detailed survey of this binary asteroid system—binaries make up 15% of all known asteroids. Then, Hera will release a pair of shoebox-sized ‘CubeSats’ to fly even closer and eventually attempt to land.

Learn more about the Hera Mission:
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera

Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 3 minutes, 28 seconds
Release Date: June 30, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #MarsFlyby #Moons #Deimos #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Asteroid #Hera #HeraSpacecraft #CubeSats #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #DeepSpace #SolarSystem #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to The Lupus Constellation—An Ocean of Stars | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Journey to The Lupus Constellation—An Ocean of Stars | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

This 1.7-gigapixel image of a field of stars in the constellation Lupus showcases the unprecedented view of the Universe that NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory gives us. Equipped with the LSST Camera—the largest digital camera in the world—Rubin combines a wide view of the sky with the ability to detect extremely faint objects. With this capability, Rubin can reveal details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales, from distant galaxies, to individual stars, to the wispy clouds of dust spread throughout our galaxy.

The faint, glowing clouds spread across this image are galactic cirrus: clouds of interstellar gas and dust that can be seen in the foreground of the Milky Way. Rubin’s ability to capture scenes like this in unmatched detail will open new windows into the structure of our galaxy and the Universe beyond it.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

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

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

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

Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: June 30, 2026

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