Journey to Terzan 5: A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Telescopes

Journey to Terzan 5: A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Telescopes

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope combined with multiple observations from the Hubble Space Telescope demonstrate that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Researchers using two of humanity’s most powerful observatories—NASA’s James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes—have definitively shown that Terzan 5 is not a globular star cluster as it was once classified, offering new insight into how galaxies like our own form and evolve over time. A globular star cluster typically has only one ancient star population. New data not only confirms the existence of two distinct populations of stars in Terzan 5, but also provides evidence for two more recent rounds of star formation. Although located within the crowded bulge of our Milky Way, our galaxy’s central, spherical region of older stars, Terzan 5 was massive enough to maintain its separate identity while lighter weight systems spread out and mixed to form the bulge billions of years ago. It is like a lump in an otherwise well-mixed cake batter.

“Webb’s new near-infrared observations, cross-referenced with Hubble’s archival observations, have given us a much clearer picture of the history of Terzan 5,” said Giorgia Zullo, who led the research and is a PhD student at the University of Bologna in Italy.

These results were presented at a press conference Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California, and were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

New observations from Webb combined with multiple observations from Hubble show that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Four generations of stars
Discovered in 1968 by astronomer Azop Terzan, Terzan 5 resembles a globular cluster in many ways. However, in 2009 this system was discovered to harbor two distinct populations of stars. In 2016, Hubble provided the first estimate of their ages, showing that one formed roughly 12 billion years ago—as the Milky Way itself was assembling—and the other about 5 billion years ago, just before Earth started forming. This pointed to a more complex history than a typical globular cluster.

Studying Terzan 5 is complicated by its location in a region of our galaxy crowded with stars and heavily obscured by dust. This is where Webb stepped in. Its infrared view allowed the research team to peer through the dust and catalog many more stars, and fainter stars, than previous work. By measuring star colors and brightnesses, astronomers can classify them into populations across their ages and chemistries.

Webb was able to measure these key properties for every star within the field of view in the sky—both stars within Terzan 5 and unrelated foreground stars. To isolate the stars of Terzan 5, the team relied on the power and longevity of Hubble. The 12-year separation allowed the team to measure very small movements of individual stars, known as proper motions, to determine that stars belong to Terzan 5 and are part of the Milky Way's bulge.

By combining data from Webb and Hubble, the researchers found strong evidence for two more stellar populations, one that formed 3.8 billion years ago and another only 2.5 billion years ago. They also were able to determine the precise age of the previously known stellar populations, finding that they formed 12.5 billion and 4.7 billion years ago.

With the previously known two generations of stars, astronomers could not rule out the possibility that Terzan 5 interacted with another object, like a globular cluster or a giant molecular cloud, becoming enriched with new gas and dust that set off a second round of star formation. With four stellar generations, those explanations are ruled out.

Measurements of the stellar composition of Terzan 5 populations made at the W. M. Keck Observatory and European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope also point toward very distinct populations. “Along with the ages of these populations, the cluster preserves a fossil record of progressive enrichment of heavy elements by supernovae,” said co-author R. Michael Rich, a research astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Terzan 5 formed multiple generations of stars because it was able to retain the necessary raw materials. There is evidence of powerful supernova explosions in Terzan 5 that forged heavier elements that were swept up by subsequent generations of stars. In lighter weight systems, the force of the explosions themselves could have ejected the resulting elements as well as sweeping out leftover gas and dust. The progenitor of Terzan 5 had enough mass to retain those stars’ ejections, allowing new generations of stars to form over billions of years.

‘Bulge fossil fragment’
The results show that Terzan 5 is most likely the remnant of a much more massive stellar system that initially formed 12.5 billion years ago. Terzan 5 is extraordinary because it survived—and never merged or fully “mixed in” with the Milky Way’s bulge. “For some reason, this peculiar clump of stars formed separately from the bulge and was not destroyed as the bulge itself formed,” said Francesco R. Ferraro, a professor at the University of Bologna and principal investigator of the Webb observations. “Terzan 5 is what we now call a bulge fossil fragment because it resembles the primordial clumps that contributed to the formation of the bulge.”

To date, there is one other known cosmic object like Terzan 5. Liller 1 was the second to be reclassified from a globular star cluster to a bulge fossil fragment. It also contains multiple generations of stars. There may be more objects like it. Between 40 to 50 additional globular clusters that orbit within the bulge will be examined by Ferraro’s team to determine if their stellar populations are all the same, like globular clusters, or have several generations, like bulge fossil fragments. 

Potential parallels for galaxy formation near, far
Ultimately, this research may improve what we know about how the central bulges of galaxies form over hundreds of millions of years. “Based on observations and in-depth simulations, we think that galaxies in the early universe had huge disks of gas that fragmented into clumps and formed stars. These clumps migrated to the center of the galaxies, and many merged to form their bulges,” said Barbara Lanzoni, a co-author and associate professor at the University of Bologna. For example, Webb has turned up several examples of “clumpy” galaxies that were actively forming when the universe was only a few hundred million years old, like the clumps in the Firefly Sparkle galaxy. “Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe,” Lanzoni said.

Image Description: A dramatically crowded starfield that looks like a just-shaken snow globe. The black background of space, clearer at the edges, is covered by thousands of tiny white, orange, and blue points of light, that are stars. The stars are most concentrated in the center, forming a roughly circular orb, and sparser at the edges of the image. Several larger orange stars, particularly those largest near the edges of the frame, have prominent diffraction spikes.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.

Learn more about Webb:
https://science.nasa.gov/webb

Learn more about Hubble:
https://science.nasa.gov/hubble

Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI); Acknowledgments: ESO, Pan-STARRS, DSS2, Akira Fujii

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: June 16, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #SpiralGalaxies #MilkyWay #MilkyWayBulge  #Stars #StarClusters #Terzan5 #BulgeFossilFragment #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST  #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Terzan 5—A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Telescopes

Close-up: Terzan 5—A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Telescopes

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope combined with multiple observations from the Hubble Space Telescope demonstrate that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Researchers using two of humanity’s most powerful observatories—NASA’s James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes—have definitively shown that Terzan 5 is not a globular star cluster as it was once classified, offering new insight into how galaxies like our own form and evolve over time. A globular star cluster typically has only one ancient star population. New data not only confirms the existence of two distinct populations of stars in Terzan 5, but also provides evidence for two more recent rounds of star formation. Although located within the crowded bulge of our Milky Way, our galaxy’s central, spherical region of older stars, Terzan 5 was massive enough to maintain its separate identity while lighter weight systems spread out and mixed to form the bulge billions of years ago. It is like a lump in an otherwise well-mixed cake batter.

“Webb’s new near-infrared observations, cross-referenced with Hubble’s archival observations, have given us a much clearer picture of the history of Terzan 5,” said Giorgia Zullo, who led the research and is a PhD student at the University of Bologna in Italy.

These results were presented at a press conference Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California, and were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

New observations from Webb combined with multiple observations from Hubble show that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Four generations of stars
Discovered in 1968 by astronomer Azop Terzan, Terzan 5 resembles a globular cluster in many ways. However, in 2009 this system was discovered to harbor two distinct populations of stars. In 2016, Hubble provided the first estimate of their ages, showing that one formed roughly 12 billion years ago—as the Milky Way itself was assembling—and the other about 5 billion years ago, just before Earth started forming. This pointed to a more complex history than a typical globular cluster.

Studying Terzan 5 is complicated by its location in a region of our galaxy crowded with stars and heavily obscured by dust. This is where Webb stepped in. Its infrared view allowed the research team to peer through the dust and catalog many more stars, and fainter stars, than previous work. By measuring star colors and brightnesses, astronomers can classify them into populations across their ages and chemistries.

Webb was able to measure these key properties for every star within the field of view in the sky—both stars within Terzan 5 and unrelated foreground stars. To isolate the stars of Terzan 5, the team relied on the power and longevity of Hubble. The 12-year separation allowed the team to measure very small movements of individual stars, known as proper motions, to determine that stars belong to Terzan 5 and are part of the Milky Way's bulge.

By combining data from Webb and Hubble, the researchers found strong evidence for two more stellar populations, one that formed 3.8 billion years ago and another only 2.5 billion years ago. They also were able to determine the precise age of the previously known stellar populations, finding that they formed 12.5 billion and 4.7 billion years ago.

With the previously known two generations of stars, astronomers could not rule out the possibility that Terzan 5 interacted with another object, like a globular cluster or a giant molecular cloud, becoming enriched with new gas and dust that set off a second round of star formation. With four stellar generations, those explanations are ruled out.

Measurements of the stellar composition of Terzan 5 populations made at the W. M. Keck Observatory and European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope also point toward very distinct populations. “Along with the ages of these populations, the cluster preserves a fossil record of progressive enrichment of heavy elements by supernovae,” said co-author R. Michael Rich, a research astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Terzan 5 formed multiple generations of stars because it was able to retain the necessary raw materials. There is evidence of powerful supernova explosions in Terzan 5 that forged heavier elements that were swept up by subsequent generations of stars. In lighter weight systems, the force of the explosions themselves could have ejected the resulting elements as well as sweeping out leftover gas and dust. The progenitor of Terzan 5 had enough mass to retain those stars’ ejections, allowing new generations of stars to form over billions of years.

‘Bulge fossil fragment’
The results show that Terzan 5 is most likely the remnant of a much more massive stellar system that initially formed 12.5 billion years ago. Terzan 5 is extraordinary because it survived—and never merged or fully “mixed in” with the Milky Way’s bulge. “For some reason, this peculiar clump of stars formed separately from the bulge and was not destroyed as the bulge itself formed,” said Francesco R. Ferraro, a professor at the University of Bologna and principal investigator of the Webb observations. “Terzan 5 is what we now call a bulge fossil fragment because it resembles the primordial clumps that contributed to the formation of the bulge.”

To date, there is one other known cosmic object like Terzan 5. Liller 1 was the second to be reclassified from a globular star cluster to a bulge fossil fragment. It also contains multiple generations of stars. There may be more objects like it. Between 40 to 50 additional globular clusters that orbit within the bulge will be examined by Ferraro’s team to determine if their stellar populations are all the same, like globular clusters, or have several generations, like bulge fossil fragments. 

Potential parallels for galaxy formation near, far
Ultimately, this research may improve what we know about how the central bulges of galaxies form over hundreds of millions of years. “Based on observations and in-depth simulations, we think that galaxies in the early universe had huge disks of gas that fragmented into clumps and formed stars. These clumps migrated to the center of the galaxies, and many merged to form their bulges,” said Barbara Lanzoni, a co-author and associate professor at the University of Bologna. For example, Webb has turned up several examples of “clumpy” galaxies that were actively forming when the universe was only a few hundred million years old, like the clumps in the Firefly Sparkle galaxy. “Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe,” Lanzoni said.

Image Description: A dramatically crowded starfield that looks like a just-shaken snow globe. The black background of space, clearer at the edges, is covered by thousands of tiny white, orange, and blue points of light, that are stars. The stars are most concentrated in the center, forming a roughly circular orb, and sparser at the edges of the image. Several larger orange stars, particularly those largest near the edges of the frame, have prominent diffraction spikes.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.

Learn more about Webb:
https://science.nasa.gov/webb

Learn more about Hubble:
https://science.nasa.gov/hubble

Credits: 

Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Giorgia Zullo (University of Bologna), Francesco Ferraro (University of Bologna), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: June 16, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #SpiralGalaxies #MilkyWay #MilkyWayBulge  #Stars #StarClusters #Terzan5 #BulgeFossilFragment #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST  #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Terzan 5: A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Space Telescopes

Terzan 5: A Milky Way Bulge Fossil Fragment | Webb & Hubble Space Telescopes

Image Description: A dramatically crowded starfield that looks like a just-shaken snow globe. The black background of space, clearer at the edges, is covered by thousands of tiny white, orange, and blue points of light, that are stars. The stars are most concentrated in the center, forming a roughly circular orb, and sparser at the edges of the image. Several larger orange stars, particularly those largest near the edges of the frame, have prominent diffraction spikes.

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope combined with multiple observations from the Hubble Space Telescope demonstrate that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Researchers using two of humanity’s most powerful observatories—NASA’s James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes—have definitively shown that Terzan 5 is not a globular star cluster as it was once classified, offering new insight into how galaxies like our own form and evolve over time. A globular star cluster typically has only one ancient star population. New data not only confirms the existence of two distinct populations of stars in Terzan 5, but also provides evidence for two more recent rounds of star formation. Although located within the crowded bulge of our Milky Way, our galaxy’s central, spherical region of older stars, Terzan 5 was massive enough to maintain its separate identity while lighter weight systems spread out and mixed to form the bulge billions of years ago. It is like a lump in an otherwise well-mixed cake batter.

“Webb’s new near-infrared observations, cross-referenced with Hubble’s archival observations, have given us a much clearer picture of the history of Terzan 5,” said Giorgia Zullo, who led the research and is a PhD student at the University of Bologna in Italy.

These results were presented at a press conference Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California, and were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

New observations from Webb combined with multiple observations from Hubble show that Terzan 5 is a self-contained, self-enriching stellar system that contains up to four distinct star populations. It orbits within our Milky Way galaxy’s central bulge.

Four generations of stars
Discovered in 1968 by astronomer Azop Terzan, Terzan 5 resembles a globular cluster in many ways. However, in 2009 this system was discovered to harbor two distinct populations of stars. In 2016, Hubble provided the first estimate of their ages, showing that one formed roughly 12 billion years ago—as the Milky Way itself was assembling—and the other about 5 billion years ago, just before Earth started forming. This pointed to a more complex history than a typical globular cluster.

Studying Terzan 5 is complicated by its location in a region of our galaxy crowded with stars and heavily obscured by dust. This is where Webb stepped in. Its infrared view allowed the research team to peer through the dust and catalog many more stars, and fainter stars, than previous work. By measuring star colors and brightnesses, astronomers can classify them into populations across their ages and chemistries.

Webb was able to measure these key properties for every star within the field of view in the sky—both stars within Terzan 5 and unrelated foreground stars. To isolate the stars of Terzan 5, the team relied on the power and longevity of Hubble. The 12-year separation allowed the team to measure very small movements of individual stars, known as proper motions, to determine that stars belong to Terzan 5 and are part of the Milky Way's bulge.

By combining data from Webb and Hubble, the researchers found strong evidence for two more stellar populations, one that formed 3.8 billion years ago and another only 2.5 billion years ago. They also were able to determine the precise age of the previously known stellar populations, finding that they formed 12.5 billion and 4.7 billion years ago.

With the previously known two generations of stars, astronomers could not rule out the possibility that Terzan 5 interacted with another object, like a globular cluster or a giant molecular cloud, becoming enriched with new gas and dust that set off a second round of star formation. With four stellar generations, those explanations are ruled out.

Measurements of the stellar composition of Terzan 5 populations made at the W. M. Keck Observatory and European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope also point toward very distinct populations. “Along with the ages of these populations, the cluster preserves a fossil record of progressive enrichment of heavy elements by supernovae,” said co-author R. Michael Rich, a research astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Terzan 5 formed multiple generations of stars because it was able to retain the necessary raw materials. There is evidence of powerful supernova explosions in Terzan 5 that forged heavier elements that were swept up by subsequent generations of stars. In lighter weight systems, the force of the explosions themselves could have ejected the resulting elements as well as sweeping out leftover gas and dust. The progenitor of Terzan 5 had enough mass to retain those stars’ ejections, allowing new generations of stars to form over billions of years.

‘Bulge fossil fragment’
The results show that Terzan 5 is most likely the remnant of a much more massive stellar system that initially formed 12.5 billion years ago. Terzan 5 is extraordinary because it survived—and never merged or fully “mixed in” with the Milky Way’s bulge. “For some reason, this peculiar clump of stars formed separately from the bulge and was not destroyed as the bulge itself formed,” said Francesco R. Ferraro, a professor at the University of Bologna and principal investigator of the Webb observations. “Terzan 5 is what we now call a bulge fossil fragment because it resembles the primordial clumps that contributed to the formation of the bulge.”

To date, there is one other known cosmic object like Terzan 5. Liller 1 was the second to be reclassified from a globular star cluster to a bulge fossil fragment. It also contains multiple generations of stars. There may be more objects like it. Between 40 to 50 additional globular clusters that orbit within the bulge will be examined by Ferraro’s team to determine if their stellar populations are all the same, like globular clusters, or have several generations, like bulge fossil fragments. 

Potential parallels for galaxy formation near, far
Ultimately, this research may improve what we know about how the central bulges of galaxies form over hundreds of millions of years. “Based on observations and in-depth simulations, we think that galaxies in the early universe had huge disks of gas that fragmented into clumps and formed stars. These clumps migrated to the center of the galaxies, and many merged to form their bulges,” said Barbara Lanzoni, a co-author and associate professor at the University of Bologna. For example, Webb has turned up several examples of “clumpy” galaxies that were actively forming when the universe was only a few hundred million years old, like the clumps in the Firefly Sparkle galaxy. “Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe,” Lanzoni said.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.

Learn more about Webb:
https://science.nasa.gov/webb

Learn more about Hubble:
https://science.nasa.gov/hubble

Credits: 

Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Giorgia Zullo (University of Bologna), Francesco Ferraro (University of Bologna)

Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Release Date: June 16, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #SpiralGalaxies #MilkyWay #MilkyWayBulge  #Stars #StarClusters #Terzan5 #BulgeFossilFragment #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST  #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China Long March 3B/E Satellite Launch | Xichang Satellite Launch Center

China Long March 3B/E Satellite Launch | Xichang Satellite Launch Center

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology’s Long March 3B/E launch mission emblem

Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology’s Shijian-31 satellite emblem

A China Long March 3B/E rocket launched the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology-made Shijian-31 satellite beyond low Earth orbit for space environment monitoring tasks from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan province on June 16, 2026, 17:45pm China Standard Time (09:45am Universal Coordinated Time). See slow-motion video.

This mission was the 116th launch of a Long March 3B vehicle, and the 651st launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 41st launch from China in 2026.

Shiyan is a satellite designation used for technology development spacecraft, and the name literally translates to "experiment".

Image Credits: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CAST), Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology

Date: June 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #China #中国 #LongMarchRocket #LongMarch3B #CZ3B #CALT #中国运载火箭技术研究院 #Shijian31 #实践三十一号卫星 #CAST #通信技术试验卫星二十五号 #XSLC #西昌卫星发射中心 #SichuanProvince #四川 #STEM #Education

China Long March 3B/E Satellite Launch | Xichang Satellite Launch Center

China Long March 3B/E Satellite Launch | Xichang Satellite Launch Center

A China Long March 3B/E rocket launched the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology-made Shijian-31 satellite beyond low Earth orbit for space environment monitoring tasks from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan province on June 16, 2026, 17:45pm China Standard Time (09:45am Universal Coordinated Time). See slow-motion video.

This mission was the 116th launch of a Long March 3B vehicle, and the 651st launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 41st launch from China in 2026.

Shiyan is a satellite designation used for technology development spacecraft, and the name literally translates to "experiment".

Video Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CAST)

Duration: 46 seconds
Date: June 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #China #中国 #LongMarchRocket #LongMarch3B #CZ3B #CALT #中国运载火箭技术研究院 #Shijian31 #实践三十一号卫星 #CAST #通信技术试验卫星二十五号 #XSLC #西昌卫星发射中心 #SichuanProvince #四川 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Bubblegum-pink Nebula: Gum 46 in Crux | European Southern Observatory

A Bubblegum-pink Nebula: Gum 46 in Crux | European Southern Observatory

This picture shows Gum 46, a stunning gas cloud 5500 light-years away, observed in detail with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Why does it glow pink?

At the heart of Gum 46 there is a young, hot, and blue star called HD311999. Its intense radiation excites atoms in the surrounding gas. This then re-emit this energy at very specific colors or wavelengths. The pink shade that dominates this image is due to hydrogen atoms, the most abundant element in this nebula and the Universe as a whole.

The dark wispy clouds that surround the nebula make for a stunning sight, too. These clouds are not intrinsically dark. They are extremely dense regions of dust that block light passing through them, enshrouding the glowing heart of Gum 46.

This image was created as part of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Cosmic Gems program, an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes, for the purposes of education and public outreach. The program makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESO’s science archive.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: May 13, 2024

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Gum46 #EmissionNebulae #Stars #HD311999 #CruxConstellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VST #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Planets Venus, Jupiter & Mercury: View from Arizona

Planets Venus, Jupiter & Mercury: View from Arizona

Astrophotographer David Blanchard: "The planets Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter continue to put on a show during evening twilight, including a reflection of Mercury in the calm waters of the lake."

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.

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: Lake Mary, Flagstaff, Arizona
Image Details: Nikon D850, 35mm, f/2.8, ISO 100, 8 seconds
Date: June 13, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Mercury #Venus #Jupiter  #PlanetaryConjunctions #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #DavidBlanchard #CitizenScience #LakeMary #Flagstaff #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Achieves Higher Launch Frequency

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Achieves Higher Launch Frequency

A Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) Y14 rocket, developed by Chinese commercial space company CAS Space, blasted off at 11:44 am Beijing Time (BJT) on June 15, 2026, from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in Northwest China delivering eight rideshare satellites into their designated orbits. These remote sensing satellites are now in Earth orbit and will image a variety of areas on behalf of Chinese provincial and municipal operators.

Kinetica-1 is now the first vehicle from a private Chinese provider to launch 100 satellites. Today’s launch was the 14th launch for Kinetica-1, and the 15th for CAS Space through its Kinetica family of launch vehicles. This was also the 40th launch from China in 2026. The CAS Space team continues to expand rocket production and launch frequency to meet rising commercial demand. The CAS Space factory in Guangzhou aims for low-cost, mass-production. The Kinetica-1 launch vehicle has flown for the third time in three months, delivering eight Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL) built satellites into orbit where they will begin imaging Earth below for provincial and municipal operators including:

CGSTL manufactured several satellites for this  launch mission, starting with its own Jilin Gaofen-07C04 (吉星高分07C04星), for an expansion of its Jilin-1 (吉林一号) Earth imaging constellation. Caiyun Opitcal-01 (彩云光学01星), a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite dedicated to Yunnan province for geological disaster prevention and monitoring of natural resources, jointly backed by the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Yunnan Geological and Mining Group (云南地矿集团).

Antie-03 (安铁03星), also a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite for Quanzhou Zhongke Xingqiao Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. (泉州中科星桥空天技术有限公司), supported by Anxi County People’s Government for ‘smart’ crop monitoring and management for Fujian province’s tea industry as part of its digital upgrade plans.

‘Lichuan Red (利川红)’, another a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite that is for the city of Lichuan in Hubei province, to monitor its ecological situation and resources, while supporting its tea industry, backed by Lichuan Municipal People's Government, who have technical support from Hubei Lirui Technology Co. Ltd.

Cultural Relics-01 (文物01星), tasked with monitoring cultural heritage sites from space by the National Cultural Heritage Administration via its high-resolution optical remote sensing capabilities.

Three other satellites launched were not yet named by CAS Space or their owner/operators.

Kinetica-1 is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:

2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit

1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.

On its launch pad, Kinetica-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Kinetica-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Video Credit: CAS Space/SMG
Text Credits: CAS Space, Xinhua, CGTN

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds
Date: June 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y14Rocket #Lijian1Y14 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch of Eight Earth Observation Satellites

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch of Eight Earth Observation Satellites

A Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) Y14 rocket, developed by Chinese commercial space company CAS Space, blasted off at 11:44 am Beijing Time (BJT) on June 15, 2026, from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in Northwest China delivering eight rideshare satellites into their designated orbits. These remote sensing satellites are now in Earth orbit and will image a variety of areas on behalf of Chinese provincial and municipal operators.

Kinetica-1 is now the first vehicle from a private Chinese provider to launch 100 satellites. Today’s launch was the 14th launch for Kinetica-1, and the 15th for CAS Space through its Kinetica family of launch vehicles. This was also the 40th launch from China in 2026. The CAS Space team continues to expand rocket production and launch frequency to meet rising commercial demand. The CAS Space factory in Guangzhou aims for low-cost, mass-production. The Kinetica-1 launch vehicle has flown for the third time in three months, delivering eight Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL) built satellites into orbit where they will begin imaging Earth below for provincial and municipal operators including:

CGSTL manufactured several satellites for this  launch mission, starting with its own Jilin Gaofen-07C04 (吉星高分07C04星), for an expansion of its Jilin-1 (吉林一号) Earth imaging constellation. Caiyun Opitcal-01 (彩云光学01星), a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite dedicated to Yunnan province for geological disaster prevention and monitoring of natural resources, jointly backed by the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Yunnan Geological and Mining Group (云南地矿集团).

Antie-03 (安铁03星), also a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite for Quanzhou Zhongke Xingqiao Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. (泉州中科星桥空天技术有限公司), supported by Anxi County People’s Government for ‘smart’ crop monitoring and management for Fujian province’s tea industry as part of its digital upgrade plans.

‘Lichuan Red (利川红)’, another a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite that is for the city of Lichuan in Hubei province, to monitor its ecological situation and resources, while supporting its tea industry, backed by Lichuan Municipal People's Government, who have technical support from Hubei Lirui Technology Co. Ltd.

Cultural Relics-01 (文物01星), tasked with monitoring cultural heritage sites from space by the National Cultural Heritage Administration via its high-resolution optical remote sensing capabilities.

Three other satellites launched were not yet named by CAS Space or their owner/operators.

Kinetica-1 is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:

2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit

1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.

On its launch pad, Kinetica-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Kinetica-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Video Credit: CAS Space
Text Credits: CAS Space, Xinhua, CGTN

Duration: 27 seconds
Date: June 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y14Rocket #Lijian1Y14 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch of Eight Earth Observation Satellites

China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch of Eight Earth Observation Satellites

A Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) Y14 rocket, developed by Chinese commercial space company CAS Space, blasted off at 11:44 am Beijing Time (BJT) on June 15, 2026, from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in Northwest China delivering eight rideshare satellites into their designated orbits. These remote sensing satellites are now in Earth orbit and will image a variety of areas on behalf of Chinese provincial and municipal operators.

Kinetica-1 is now the first vehicle from a private Chinese provider to launch 100 satellites. Today’s launch was the 14th launch for Kinetica-1, and the 15th for CAS Space through its Kinetica family of launch vehicles. This was also the 40th launch from China in 2026. The CAS Space team continues to expand rocket production and launch frequency to meet rising commercial demand. The CAS Space factory in Guangzhou aims for low-cost, mass-production. The Kinetica-1 launch vehicle has flown for the third time in three months, delivering eight Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL) built satellites into orbit where they will begin imaging Earth below for provincial and municipal operators including:

CGSTL manufactured several satellites for this  launch mission, starting with its own Jilin Gaofen-07C04 (吉星高分07C04星), for an expansion of its Jilin-1 (吉林一号) Earth imaging constellation. Caiyun Opitcal-01 (彩云光学01星), a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite dedicated to Yunnan province for geological disaster prevention and monitoring of natural resources, jointly backed by the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Yunnan Geological and Mining Group (云南地矿集团).

Antie-03 (安铁03星), also a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite for Quanzhou Zhongke Xingqiao Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. (泉州中科星桥空天技术有限公司), supported by Anxi County People’s Government for ‘smart’ crop monitoring and management for Fujian province’s tea industry as part of its digital upgrade plans.

‘Lichuan Red (利川红)’, another a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite that is for the city of Lichuan in Hubei province, to monitor its ecological situation and resources, while supporting its tea industry, backed by Lichuan Municipal People's Government, who have technical support from Hubei Lirui Technology Co. Ltd.

Cultural Relics-01 (文物01星), tasked with monitoring cultural heritage sites from space by the National Cultural Heritage Administration via its high-resolution optical remote sensing capabilities.

Three other satellites launched were not yet named by CAS Space or their owner/operators.

Kinetica-1 is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:

2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit

1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.

On its launch pad, Kinetica-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Kinetica-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Image Credits: CAS Space
Text Credits: CAS Space, Xinhua, CGTN
Date: June 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y14Rocket #Lijian1Y14 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education

Unexpected Fireworks Found in Aftermath of Stellar Explosions | NASA Chandra

Unexpected Fireworks Found in Aftermath of Stellar Explosions | NASA Chandra

The aftermath of a stellar explosion should be a slowly fading cloud of hot gas. Thus, when astronomers pointed NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the nearby galaxy M83, the last thing they expected to find was a population of supernova remnants appearing to dramatically change in brightness.

The new results were made possible by analyzing Chandra data of the galaxy Messier 83, or M83, that span 14 years from 2000 to 2014. Stars are forming at a high rate in M83 and the galaxy is about 15 million light-years from Earth.

Using this extensive set of data, the researchers caught surprising variations in the x-ray brightness of sources previously identified as supernova remnants, the debris from supernova explosions. Supernova remnants older than a century or so will fade gradually in x-rays, but they should not dramatically change in brightness.

The team found that roughly half of the x-ray sources associated with supernova remnants in their sample showed changes in x-ray brightness over the 14-year span of observations—a result that was completely unexpected.

While researchers knew that individual x-ray sources could vary dramatically, it was surprising to find that so many supernova remnants were behaving this way. Pinpointing the cause remains a challenge, however, since M83's distance limits the detail astronomers can observe.

The most likely explanation is that the team has uncovered a population of stellar survivors—stars that lived through their partner's destruction in a supernova explosion. In this scenario, each variable x-ray source began as a pair of massive stars orbiting each other. The more massive star collapsed and exploded as a supernova, leaving behind a black hole or ultra-dense neutron star. Its companion survived.

These results are not unique to M83. A follow-up study of the nearby star-forming galaxy Messier 51 has uncovered a similar population of variable x-ray sources associated with supernova remnants, suggesting that such systems may be a feature of galaxies undergoing vigorous star formation. Astronomers will continue to look at these and other galaxies to investigate these sources further.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: June 15, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #SupernovaRemnants #Galaxies #Messier83 #M83 #HydraConstellation #Universe #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #CXC #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

Journey to Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

This video zooms in on the spiral galaxy NGC 3256, about 100 million light-years away. It starts with a view of the night sky focused on the constellation of Vela (The Sails), 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.

NGC 3256 is an impressive example of a peculiar galaxy that is actually the relict of a collision of two separate galaxies that took place in a distant past. The telltale signs of the collision are two extended luminous tails swirling out from the galaxy. NGC 3256 belongs to the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster complex and provides a nearby template for studying the properties of young star clusters in tidal tails. The system hides a double nucleus and a tangle of dust lanes in the central region. The tails are studded with a particularly high density of star clusters.

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 31, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC3256 #VV65 #InteractingGalaxies #StarburstGalaxies #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #VelaConstellation #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #DSS2 #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

This video pans over NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope observations of the starburst galaxy NGC 3256, located about 100 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy is the result of a merger between galaxies with similar masses. Although the collision is estimated to have happened 500 million years ago, the galaxy still bears the marks of this event: luminous tails of gas and dust surround the galaxy and in its center, new stars are born at a rapid rate.

NGC 3256 is an impressive example of a peculiar galaxy that is actually the relict of a collision of two separate galaxies that took place in a distant past. The telltale signs of the collision are two extended luminous tails swirling out from the galaxy. NGC 3256 belongs to the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster complex and provides a nearby template for studying the properties of young star clusters in tidal tails. The system hides a double nucleus and a tangle of dust lanes in the central region. The tails are studded with a particularly high density of star clusters.

Credit: ESA/Hubble; Risinger/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Duration: 25 seconds
Release Date: May 31, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC3256 #VV65 #InteractingGalaxies #StarburstGalaxies #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #VelaConstellation #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #DSS2 #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy NGC 3256 in Vela | Hubble Space Telescope

NGC 3256 is an impressive example of a peculiar galaxy that is actually the relict of a collision of two separate galaxies that took place in a distant past. The telltale signs of the collision are two extended luminous tails swirling out from the galaxy. NGC 3256 belongs to the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster complex and provides a nearby template for studying the properties of young star clusters in tidal tails. The system hides a double nucleus and a tangle of dust lanes in the central region. The tails are studded with a particularly high density of star clusters.

Distance from Earth: ~100 million light years

Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Release Date: April 24, 2008

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC3256 #VV65 #InteractingGalaxies #StarburstGalaxies #HydraCentaurusSupercluster #VelaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Wide-field view: Star-forming Region Gum 19 in Vela | Digitized Sky Survey 2

Wide-field view: Star-forming Region Gum 19 in Vela | Digitized Sky Survey 2

This image shows the area around the star-forming region Gum 19 (also known as RCW 34), in the direction of the constellation of Vela (The Sails), as seen by the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The image covers an area of 3 by 3 degrees on the sky. Gum 19 is approximately 22,000 light years from Earth. 

The furnace that fuels Gum 19’s luminosity is a gigantic, superhot star called V391 Velorum. Shining brightest in the scorching blue range of visible light—V391 Velorum boasts a surface temperature in the vicinity of 30,000 degrees Celsius. Within the neighborhood of this fitful supergiant, new stars nonetheless continue to grow. In several million years—a blink of an eye in cosmic time—they will eventually reach the high density at their centers necessary to ignite nuclear fusion. The fresh outpouring of energy and stellar winds from these newborn stars will also modify the gaseous landscape of Gum 19.

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: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2
Release Date: March 31, 2010

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #V391Velorum #Nebulae #Gum19 #RCW34 #StellarNurseries #HIIRegion #EmissionNebulae #VelaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NTT #InfraredAstronomy #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #DSS2 #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey to Star-forming Region Gum 19 in Vela | New Technology Telescope

Journey to Star-forming Region Gum 19 in Vela | New Technology Telescope

This video zooms in onto the star-forming region Gum 19, located towards the constellation of Vela (the Sail). The final image of the Gum 19 star-forming region was obtained with SOFI, an infrared instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory's New Technology Telescope (NTT) that operates at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Gum 19 is located in the direction of the constellation Vela (the Sail) at a distance of approximately 22,000 light years. 

The furnace that fuels Gum 19’s luminosity is a gigantic, superhot star called V391 Velorum. Shining brightest in the scorching blue range of visible light—V391 Velorum boasts a surface temperature in the vicinity of 30,000 degrees Celsius. Within the neighborhood of this fitful supergiant, new stars nonetheless continue to grow. In several million years—a blink of an eye in cosmic time—they will eventually reach the high density at their centers necessary to ignite nuclear fusion. The fresh outpouring of energy and stellar winds from these newborn stars will also modify the gaseous landscape of Gum 19.

The image is based on data obtained in three near-infrared bands (J, H, K; associated respectively to blue, green, and red). The image is 4.7 arcminutes across.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/A. Fujii

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 31, 2010

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #V391Velorum #Nebulae #Gum19 #RCW34 #StellarNurseries #HIIRegion #EmissionNebulae #VelaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #NTT #InfraredAstronomy #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video