Rare 2nd-Gen Star Discovered inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy | NOIRLab

Rare 2nd-Gen Star Discovered inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy | NOIRLab

This image shows the star PicII-503 with the lowest iron content ever measured outside of the Milky Way.

This image shows stars in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, Pictor II. Pictor II is a satellite galaxy of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). LMC is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.

This image shows stars in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, Pictor II. Pictor II is a satellite galaxy of the Large Magellanic Cloud. This is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, and is located in the constellation Pictor. The system is made up of several thousand stars and is more than ten billion years old.

Astronomers have discovered one of the most chemically primitive stars ever identified—an ancient stellar relic that preserves the chemical imprint of the very first stars in the Universe. This star, named PicII-503, resides in the tiny, ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pictor II. The discovery was enabled by the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, at the National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

Pictor II is located in the constellation Pictor. It contains several thousand stars and is more than ten billion years old. PicII-503 lies on the outskirts of the galaxy, and it contains less iron than any other star ever measured outside of the Milky Way, while also having an extreme overabundance of carbon. These signatures unmistakably match those of carbon-enhanced stars found in the outer reaches of the Milky Way, whose origins have, until now, been a mystery.

The study was led by Anirudh Chiti, Brinson Prize Fellow at Stanford University, and the results are presented in a paper appearing in Nature Astronomy.

The first stars in the Universe formed from gas that contained only the simple elements, hydrogen and helium. Within their fiery cores, this first generation of stars created the first elements heavier than helium, such as carbon and iron, that astronomers refer to as “metals.” When these stars exploded, they released their heavy elements into the interstellar medium to be recycled into the next generation of stars.

Second-generation stars are like time capsules, preserving the low amounts of heavy elements released during the explosive deaths of first-generation stars. By searching for these rare, low-metallicity stars and deriving their chemistry, scientists can better understand the mechanisms of initial element production in the Universe.

PicII-503 is the first unambiguous example of a second-generation star in an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy. It was uncovered in data from the DECam Mapping the Ancient Galaxy in CaHK (MAGIC) survey, a 54-night observing program designed to identify the oldest and most chemically primitive stars in the Milky Way and its dwarf galaxy companions. Using a specialized narrow-band filter sensitive to calcium absorption features, astronomers were able to estimate the metal content of thousands of stars from imaging data alone.

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)

Acknowledgments: PI: Anirudh Chiti, Alex Drlica-Wagner

Date: March 16, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #PicII503 #Galaxies #PictorII #DwarfGalaxies #PictorIIConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China Launches New Earth Remote Sensing Satellite | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center

China Launches New Earth Remote Sensing Satellite | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center

China successfully launched a remote sensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province on Sunday, March 15, 2026. 

The Yaogan-50 02 satellite was launched at 21:22 Beijing time aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket and has entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.

The satellite will be mainly used for land survey, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief.

This launch marked the 633rd flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 15, 2026  

#NASA #Space #Planets #Earth #Satellites #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #Agriculture #DisasterPrevention #China #中国 #Yaogan5002Satellite #LongMarch6Rocket #TaiyuanSatelliteLaunchCenter #TSLC #Shanxi #山西 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nebula NGC 6188: The "Dragons of Ara"

Nebula NGC 6188: The "Dragons of Ara"

Are these sky dragons, along with a dragon's egg? 

Although it might appear that way, these dragons are illusions made of thin gas and dust. The emission nebula NGC 6188, home to the glowing clouds, is found about 4,000 light years away near the edge of a large molecular cloud unseen at visible wavelengths, in the southern constellation Ara (the Altar). Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed in that region only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The recent star formation itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions from previous generations of massive stars that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. 

Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas, visible toward the lower right, is rare emission nebula NGC 6164, also created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in appearance to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164's striking, symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo surround its bright central star near the bottom edge. 

The reddish glow of the dragons’ backs is ionized hydrogen, ‘lit up’ by light from the bright young stars—only a few million years old—in the nebula. Of these young stars, 27 form the beaming open cluster NGC 6193. This gives a background glow that further defines the outline of the dragons. These young stars have also been blowing off intense stellar winds since they ignited, sculpting and shaping the gas and dust into the mythical scene we see today.

Image Credit: Ian Inverarity

Text Credit: NASA Goddard
Release Date: April 9, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Nebula #Nebulae #EmissionNebulae #NGC6188 #NGC6164 #NGC6193 #PlanetaryNebulae #AraConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotographers #IanInverarity #Astrophotography #Hawker #SouthAustralia #Australia #STEM #Education

Globular Star Cluster Messier 10 in Ophiuchus: ultraviolet view | Hubble

Globular Star Cluster Messier 10 in Ophiuchus: ultraviolet view | Hubble

This image of Messier 10 was created with ultraviolet light gathered by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The data is from an observing program that established an archive of globular clusters in ultraviolet light. This ultraviolet light image compliments the visible and infrared light image below, and highlights the energetic, bright, young, blue stars that dot the cluster.

Messier 10 is a ball of stars that lies about 15,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer). Approximately 80 light-years across, it should therefore appear about two thirds the size of the Moon in the night sky. However, its outer regions are extremely diffuse, and even the comparatively bright core is too dim to see with the naked eye.

Hubble, having fewer problems seeing many faint objects, has observed the brightest part of the center of the cluster in this image, a region that is about 13 light-years across.

Like many of the most famous objects in the sky, globular cluster Messier 10 was of little interest to its discoverer. Charles Messier, the 18th century French astronomer, cataloged over 100 galaxies and clusters, but was primarily interested in comets. Through the telescopes available at the time, comets, nebulae, globular clusters and galaxies appeared just as faint, diffuse blobs and could easily be confused for one another.

Only by carefully observing their motion—or lack of it—were astronomers able to distinguish them: comets move slowly relative to the stars in the background, while other more distant astronomical objects do not move at all.

Messier’s decision to catalog all the objects that he could find that were not comets was a pragmatic solution that would have a huge impact on astronomy. His catalog of just over 100 objects includes many of the most famous objects in the night sky. Messier 10, seen here in an image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, is one of them. Messier described it in the very first edition of his catalog, published in 1774 and included the first 45 objects he identified.

Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Piotto (Universita degli Studi di Padova); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: June 18, 2012

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularClusters #Messier10 #OphiuchusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #UltravioletAstronomy #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Globular Star Cluster Messier 10 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

Globular Star Cluster Messier 10 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

Messier 10 is a ball of stars that lies about 15,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer). Approximately 80 light-years across, it should therefore appear about two thirds the size of the Moon in the night sky. However, its outer regions are extremely diffuse, and even the comparatively bright core is too dim to see with the naked eye.

Hubble, having fewer problems seeing many faint objects, has observed the brightest part of the center of the cluster in this image, a region that is about 13 light-years across.

Like many of the most famous objects in the sky, globular cluster Messier 10 was of little interest to its discoverer. Charles Messier, the 18th century French astronomer, cataloged over 100 galaxies and clusters, but was primarily interested in comets. Through the telescopes available at the time, comets, nebulae, globular clusters and galaxies appeared just as faint, diffuse blobs and could easily be confused for one another.

Only by carefully observing their motion—or lack of it—were astronomers able to distinguish them: comets move slowly relative to the stars in the background, while other more distant astronomical objects do not move at all.

Messier’s decision to catalog all the objects that he could find that were not comets was a pragmatic solution that would have a huge impact on astronomy. His catalog of just over 100 objects includes many of the most famous objects in the night sky. Messier 10, seen here in an image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, is one of them. Messier described it in the very first edition of his catalog, published in 1774 and included the first 45 objects he identified.

This image is consists of observations made in visible and infrared light using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The observations were carried out as part of a major Hubble survey of globular clusters in the Milky Way.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Release Date: June 18, 2012

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #GlobularClusters #Messier10 #OphiuchusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Comet C/2023 A3 | International Space Station

Comet C/2023 A3 | International Space Station

Expedition 71/72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "Comet C/2023 A3 framed by the ISS Canadarm, SpaceX Crew Dragon and the sunlit rim of Earth near orbital dawn."

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is a comet from the solar system's Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory east of Nanjing, China, on January 9, 2023, and independently found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. C/2023 A3 passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million miles) on September 27, 2024.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.

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/D. Pettit
Release Date: March 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #SolarSystem #Comets #C2023A3 #Earth #Canadarm2  #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #ESA #France #Europe #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education

Sounding Rockets for NASA Science: Solar Eclipses | Wallops Flight Facility

Sounding Rockets for NASA Science: Solar Eclipses | Wallops Flight Facility

In March 1970, more than 30 sounding rockets launched from Wallops during a total solar eclipse to study changes in the atmosphere. In the decades since, Wallops has launched thousands of rockets, from sounding rockets all the way to Antares missions resupplying the Space Station. All of these rocket launches owe inspiration to our parent facility's namesake: Robert Goddard. One hundred years ago, Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket, carrying us into the space age. These launches and many other following helped shape NASA's goals of reaching the Moon and beyond.

Wallops Flight Facility is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies. 

Learn more about Wallops: 
https://www.nasa.gov/wallops/

Video Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility
Producer/Editor: Madison Griffin
Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #SolarSystem #Science #Earth #EarthScience #RobertGoddard #History #SoundingRockets #TerrierOrionSoundingRockets #MagellanAerospace #BlackBrant #SubOrbitalExperiments #RocketLaunches #WallopsIsland #WFF #NASAWallops #Virginia #NASAGoddard #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Extracting Oxygen from Moon Soil using Concentrated Sunlight | NASA Science

Extracting Oxygen from Moon Soil using Concentrated Sunlight | NASA Science

NASA’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project completed an important step toward using local resources to support human exploration on the Moon. The CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, while confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction. Lunar soil, or regolith, is a fine, unconsolidated layer of rock fragments, mineral grains, and dust covering the Moon, formed primarily by meteoroid impacts and space weathering.

If deployed on the Moon, this technology could enable the production of propellant using only lunar materials and sunlight, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of sustaining a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. The same downstream systems used to convert carbon monoxide into oxygen can also be adapted to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and methane on Mars.  

The integrated prototype brought together a carbothermal oxygen production reactor developed by Sierra Space, a solar concentrator designed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, precision mirrors produced by Composite Mirror Applications, and avionics, software, and gas analysis systems from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston led project management, systems engineering, testing, and development of key hardware and ground support systems.

The CaRD project was funded by NASA’s Game Changing Development program under the Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Image Description: A solar concentrator is tested as part of the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project. It aims to produce oxygen from simulated lunar regolith for use at the Moon’s south pole. During this integrated test, the team combined the concentrator, mirrors, and control software and confirmed the production of carbon monoxide.

Image Credit: NASA/Michael Rushing
Text Credit: Johnson Space Center Office of Communications
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #CaRDProject #Sunlight #OxygenProduction #LunarRegolith #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #STMD #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAGlenn #NASAKennedy #JSC #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education

Astronaut Q&A: Does Candy Taste Sweet in Space? | International Space Station

Astronaut Q&A: Does Candy Taste Sweet in Space? | International Space Station

From aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Christopher Williams and Jack Hathaway participated in an in-flight interview with students at 12:05 p.m. ET on March 11, 2026. They discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost with Queens Borough Public Library in Jamaica, New York.    

Queens Borough Public Library
https://www.queenslibrary.org

Learn more about in-flight STEM downlinks: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/in-flight-stem-downlinks/

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 
Duration: 20 minutes
Release Date: March 11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #ISS #Students #NewYorkCity #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #JackHathaway #UnitedStates #ESA #France #Europe #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Shenzhou-21 Crew Performs Space Experiments, Maintenance | China Space Station

Shenzhou-21 Crew Performs Space Experiments, Maintenance | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-21 astronauts have steadily carried out a series of tasks aboard the Tiangong Space Station over the past week, including in-orbit experiments, equipment maintenance, and health monitoring, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated on March 15, 2026.

The crew, comprised of mission commander Zhang Lu and astronauts Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, have spent more than four months in orbit and remain in good health, according to the CMSA.

Inside the station's core module, cherry tomatoes cultivated using a water aeroponic device are thriving. The astronauts documented the plants with photos, harvested ripe fruit, and sealed plants and produce separately for preservation.

Building on the success of the cherry tomato cultivation, the team will conduct aeroponic experiments with wheat, carrots, plus medicinal and other edible plants as planned. These trials aim to validate key technologies and expand the range of crops and technical capabilities for space cultivation.

In the field of space materials science, the crew completed several tasks, including cleaning the experimental chamber in the unpressurized compartment, replacing experimental samples, maintaining the electrodes of the central mechanism, and cleaning the window cover of the central mechanism.

They also completed related microgravity combustion science experiments. This included replacing the burner and sampling cover inside the experiment cabinet, as well as vacuumization and exhaust gas discharge.

Additional work included maintenance of the regenerative life support system equipment, microorganism monitoring and assessment, and medical training. This helps familiarize the astronauts with rescue operation methods and force application characteristics in a microgravity environment.

The Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on October 31, 2025, sending the three astronauts to the orbiting space station on a six-month mission.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - 2nd spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞)  Flight Engineer - 1st spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - 1st spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds
Release Date: March 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhangLu #WuFei #ZhangHongzhang #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CNSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Long March-8A Rocket Launches New Internet Satellites from Hainan

China Long March-8A Rocket Launches New Internet Satellites from Hainan

China launched a Long March-8A carrier rocket on Friday, March 13, 2026, in the southern island province of Hainan, sending a new group of Internet satellites into space. The rocket lifted off at 03:48 from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 20th group of low-orbit Internet satellites, into preset orbit.

The Long March-8A carrier rocket, designed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), represents a significant upgrade to the Long March-8 series. It successfully conducted its maiden flight on Feb. 11, 2025.

The rocket, 50.5 meters long with a takeoff weight of 371 tonnes, is capable of carrying up to seven tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 km. It is designed specifically for high-density, rapid constellation deployment, serving as a core vehicle for China's satellite Internet constellation construction.

So far, it has successfully completed eight missions. About 15 launch missions have been scheduled for the Long March 8 series rockets this year, involving the Long March 8A and Long March 8 rockets.

As a new-generation medium-lift liquid-fueled carrier rocket, the Long March 8 series rockets have become the mainstay for China's low-to-medium orbit satellite launches since its maiden flight, thanks to its modular design, high cost-effectiveness, and rapid response capabilities.

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., or HICAL, is a Chinese state-owned company that operates the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, China's first commercial spaceport. Established in 2022, HICAL is the first commercially incorporated company in China to independently own and manage a spaceport.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 47 seconds
Release Date: March 13, 2026

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Satellites #RocketLaunch #LongMarch8A #长征八号运载火箭 #LongMarch8ARocket #CALT #CommercialSpace #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #HICAL #WCSLS #文昌商业航天发射场 #Spaceports #Hainan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5264 in Hydra: An Irregular Island | Hubble Space Telescope

Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5264 in Hydra: An Irregular Island | Hubble Space Telescope

This image, courtesy of the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), captures the glow of distant stars within NGC 5264, a dwarf galaxy located just over 15 million light-years away in the constellation of Hydra (The Sea Serpent).

Dwarf galaxies like NGC 5264 typically possess around a billion stars—just one per cent of the number of stars found within the Milky Way. They are usually found orbiting other, larger, galaxies such as our own, and are thought to form from the material left over from the messy formation of their larger cosmic relatives.

NGC 5264 clearly possesses an irregular shape—unlike the more common spiral or elliptical galaxies—with knots of blue star formation. Astronomers believe that this is due to the gravitational interactions between NGC 5264 and other galaxies nearby. These past flirtations sparked the formation of new generations of stars that now glow in bright shades of blue.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Aug. 22, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC5264 #DwarfGalaxies #IrregularGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #HydraConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora over New Zealand

Aurora over New Zealand

Sam Lawler: "Auroras were just barely visible to the naked eye, the colours only showed up with a camera."

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

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

Arthur's Pass is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for exploring Arthur's Pass National Park.

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.

Image Credit: Sam Lawler
Location: near Arthur's Pass, New Zealand

Release Date: March 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #Astrophotography #SamLawler #Astrophotographers #ArthursPass #SelwynDistrict #SouthIsland #NewZealand #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Anil Menon Training in Houston | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Anil Menon Training in Houston | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anil Menon participates in a spacewalk training session at Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) in Houston, Texas, ahead of his upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anil Menon participates in an emergency training session at Johnson Space Center's Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in Houston, Texas, ahead of his upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

From left, Expedition 75 crew members Anil Menon of the United States, along with Anna Kikina, and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia, participate in an emergency training session at Johnson Space Center's Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) in Houston, Texas, ahead of their upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anil Menon participates in a training session at Johnson Space Center's Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in Houston, Texas, ahead of his upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon is preparing for his first mission to the International Space Station, serving as a flight engineer and Expedition 75 crew member. Menon will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft in June 2026, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the trio will spend approximately eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to "help prepare humans for future space missions and benefit humanity."

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

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.

Learn more about International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Image Credits: NASA's Johnson Space Center/James Blair/Josh Valcarcel/David DeHoyos/Helen Arase Vargas

Dates: April 3, 2025-March 5, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #AnilMenon #AstronautTraining #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #JSC #Houston #Texas #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Spacewalk Preparations | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Spacewalk Preparations | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jessica Meir works inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock, installing leg and arm components on a spacesuit and swapping components from one suit to another.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jessica Meir’s reflection is captured in a spacesuit helmet visor. The visor assembly is coated with a microscopic layer of gold that reflects infrared radiation to protect an astronaut’s eyes while allowing visible light to pass through. Meir was working inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock, installing leg and arm components on the spacesuit and swapping components from one suit to another. 

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 crew member Chris Williams smiles for the camera during a spacesuit fit verification inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock. Officially called the On-Orbit Fit Verification, this procedure confirms that the spacesuit is airtight and properly configured, assesses comfort and mobility, and helps prevent potential safety risks.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Chris Williams inspects and configures a spacesuit jetpack, known as the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. The jetpacks attach to the rear of spacesuits and serve as a safety mechanism that allows a spacewalker to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they become untethered from their worksite.

NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, both Expedition 74 flight engineers, inspect and configure a spacesuit jetpack, known as the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. The jetpacks attach to the rear of spacesuits and serve as a safety mechanism that allows a spacewalker to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they become untethered from their worksite. 

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Chris Williams familiarizes himself with the hardware he will use to install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the International Space Station during a spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. The duo will use the hardware to prepare the orbital outpost for a future roll‑out solar array that will be installed during a later spacewalk. 

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams, both Expedition 74 flight engineers, familiarize themselves with the hardware they will use to install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the International Space Station. The duo will conduct a spacewalk using the hardware to prepare the orbital outpost for a future roll‑out solar array that will be installed during a later spacewalk.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jack Hathaway configures a spacesuit installing its components, checking a helmet, and cleaning suit seals inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

A spacewalk by NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams is scheduled on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at the International Space Station. The team has reviewed the spacewalking tools and tasks necessary to install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the orbital outpost. This external maintenance work will enable the next roll-out solar array to be installed on a future spacewalk after it is delivered on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

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/J. Hathaway

Dates: Jan. 2, 2026-March 5, 2026

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Zodiacal Light over Arizona | Earth Science

Zodiacal Light over Arizona | Earth Science

Astrophotographer David Blanchard: "The zodiacal light was easy to see over northern Arizona on Thursday night. This was taken just before the end of astronomical twilight."

What's that strangely diffused white light? 
Dust orbiting the Sun. At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar System appears prominently just after sunset—or just before sunrise—and is called zodiacal light. Although the origin of this dust is still being researched, a leading hypothesis holds that zodiacal dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and that it slowly spirals into the Sun.

Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Image Credit: David Blanchard 
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Release Date: March 12, 2026

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