Menon, Dubrov & Kikina Sokol Suit Checks on Launch Day in Kazakhstan

Menon, Dubrov & Kikina Sokol Suit Checks on Launch Day in Kazakhstan

Expedition 75 prime crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, seated left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina, seated of Russia right, joined by backup crew members, Deniz Burnham of NASA, standing left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin, and Konstantin Borisov of Russia, standing right, pose for a group photograph as the prime crew prepares for their Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Expedition 75 Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina has her Russian Sokol suit pressure checked as she and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Russia, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, prepare for their Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch to the International Space Station Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon gestures to family and friends while waiting to have his Russian Sokol Suit pressure checked, as he and fellow crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina, prepare for their Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Expedition 75 Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked as he and fellow crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, prepare for their Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina waves while waiting to have her Russian Sokol Suit pressure checked, as she and fellow crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, prepare for their Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Expedition 75 NASA astronaut Anil Menon is helped into his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina, prepare for their Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Expedition 75 Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina is helped into her Russian Sokol suit as she and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Russia, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, prepare for their Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launch

Russian Sokol Suit gloves are seen inside building 254 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome where Expedition 75 crew members: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina of Russia, will suit up ahead of their Russian Soyuz 2.1a launch

A Russian Soyuz rocket was successfully launched to the International Space Station with Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina onboard, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EST (7:47 p.m. local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

The same day, their Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Prichal module.

The trio joined NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

This Soyuz MS-29 mission is his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

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

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credits: Roscosmos/GCTC/Pavel Shvets/NASA/Bill Ingalls

Date: July 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Anil Menon's Russian Soyuz Launch | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Anil Menon's Russian Soyuz Launch | International Space Station

NASA astronaut candidate Anna Menon and her children watch as a Russian Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio lifted off for their Russian Soyuz MS-29 mission at 7:47 p.m. local time to begin their long-duration stay aboard the orbital outpost.

During his stay on the station, Menon will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth.

Image Description: An adult and two children watch a rocket launch. The adult woman carries one child on her shoulder and holds hands with the other child. Their backs are to the camera, so we can see the text on the back of their t-shirts, which reads "Team Menon" in white and yellow writing.

This Soyuz MS-29 mission is Menon's first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

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

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

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.

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Image Credit: NASA/John Kraus
Release Date: July 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Performs Mars Gravity Assist Manuever: Image Timelapse

NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Performs Mars Gravity Assist Manuever: Image Timelapse

This timelapse uses images captured by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft between May 2 and May 31, 2026, during the spacecraft’s approach, close approach, and departure while the mission performed a Mars gravity assist. 

Created from thousands of images, the sequence begins with Mars as a small crescent in the distance. During close approach on May 15, the Red Planet’s cratered surface fills the imager instrument’s field of view. As the spacecraft departs Mars, the changing perspective reveals the planet’s icy south pole.   

Launched in October 2023, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is on a journey of more than 2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers) to explore the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The mission is expected to arrive in 2029 to study what scientists believe is the exposed metal-rich core of an ancient planet. The Mars flyby provided the gravity assist needed to continue that journey.

Beyond creating this time-lapse, by capturing thousands of observations of Mars with the spacecraft’s multispectral imager, engineers can now hone the precise imaging and navigation techniques required to orbit the asteroid Psyche. 

For more information, go to https://science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche/ 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Produced by True Story Films
Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Release Date: July 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #PsycheAsteroid #16Psyche #Asteroids #PsycheMission #PsycheSpacecraft #Planets #Mars #MarsFlyby #Jupiter #AsteroidBelt #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KevinGill #JPL #Caltech #ASU #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Canadian Wildfires Affect Air Quality | Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3 Earth Satellite

Canadian Wildfires Affect Air Quality | Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3 Earth Satellite

Captured by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on July 14, 2026, this image shows smoke plumes from wildfires burning in Ontario, Canada, affecting air quality across parts of Canada and the northeastern US.

The main image was captured by the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) instrument onboard one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on July 14, 2026.

EUMETSAT operates the Sentinel-3 satellites, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), and delivers the marine and atmospheric data on behalf of the European Union. 

The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is an intergovernmental organization created through an international convention agreed by a current total of 30 European Member States. EUMETSAT's primary objective is to establish, maintain and exploit European systems of operational meteorological satellites. EUMETSAT is responsible for the launch and operation of the satellites and for delivering satellite data to end-users as well as contributing to the operational monitoring of climate and the detection of global climate changes.

The activities of EUMETSAT contribute to a global meteorological satellite observing system coordinated with other space-faring states.

Sentinel-3:
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3

The European Space Agency's Copernicus Earth Observation Program: 
https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/copernicus/

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

Learn more: 

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Image Credit: EUMETSAT
Image Date: July 14, 2026 
Release Date: July 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CopernicusProgramme #Sentinel3 #Earth #Meteorology #Weather #Heatwaves #Canada #Wildfires #SmokePlumes #AirQuality #Europe #EuropeanUnion #EU #InternationalCooperation #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #STEM #Education

NASA’s Psyche Mission Just Flew by Mars: Here’s What We Learned | JPL

NASA’s Psyche Mission Just Flew by Mars: Here’s What We Learned | JPL

On May 15, 2026, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft passed about 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) from the Martian surface, successfully using the planet’s gravity to give it a critical boost on its journey to the asteroid Psyche. 

The flyby provided the mission with an opportunity to calibrate its science instruments as well as to capture images that have been assembled into a stunning timelapse of the spacecraft’s month-long Red Planet encounter.

Not only did the instruments operate precisely as designed, delivering data that matches what NASA already knows about Mars, they also provided a few new insights about the planet along the way. 

By capturing thousands of observations of Mars with the multispectral imager, engineers can now hone the precise imaging and navigation techniques required to orbit Psyche.

Launched in October 2023, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is on a journey of more than 2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers) to explore the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The mission is expected to arrive in 2029 to study what scientists believe is the exposed nickel-iron core of an ancient planet. The Mars flyby provided the gravity assist needed to continue that journey.

For more information, go to https://science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Produced by True Story Films
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: July 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #PsycheAsteroid #16Psyche #Asteroids #PsycheMission #PsycheSpacecraft #Planets #Mars #MarsFlyby #Jupiter #AsteroidBelt #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #KevinGill #JPL #Caltech #ASU #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

The Russian Soyuz MS-29 crew spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station’s Prichal module at 1:52 p.m. after launching at 10:47 a.m. (7:47 p.m. local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. At 4:30 p.m. EDT, the hatch opened between the International Space Station and the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina then entered the station, where they will spend the next eight months living and working before returning to Earth in April 2027.

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Date: July 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautVideography #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship Prepared for Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship Prepared for Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

The thirteenth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch today, Thursday, July 16, 2026. The 90-minute launch window will open at 5:45 p.m. CT.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff that you can watch here: https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The upcoming flight will aim to complete similar objectives targeted on the previous flight test that debuted the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, while also carrying next-generation Starlink V3 satellites for the first time.

The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America. There have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight.

At stage separation on Flight 12, slight differences in engine startup on the ship caused the directional flip of the booster to be off by approximately 90 degrees. The startup sequence has been modified to be more robust to timing variability and more reliably flip in the desired direction, which is done to increase overall performance. After stage separation and the flip, the Super Heavy booster attempted its boostback burn. Five of its 33 engines experienced issues when attempting to re-light causing the boostback burn to end early. The Super Heavy on this upcoming flight has hardware modifications to improve re-light reliability along with updates to engine alarms and aborts to match the conditions seen in the multi-engine flight environment.

The Starship upper stage’s primary objectives include the deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites, a relight of a single Raptor engine while in space, and another controlled entry, descent, and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. There have also been several modifications to Starship’s propulsion system to address the engine out issue experienced on the previous flight.

Approximately 40 seconds after stage separation, Starship lost one of its three Raptor vacuum optimized engines. The vehicle was able to demonstrate its engine out capability and reach its planned suborbital trajectory. Several hardware and operational modifications have been made to address the interconnected causes with additional reliability improvements planned in upcoming versions of the Raptor engine.

For the first time, Starship will carry V3 Starlink satellites to space, which aim to greatly expand the network's capacity and user speeds. As part of this initial test, Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. The Starlink satellites will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

Six of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.

Several upgrades and experiments related to Starship’s heatshield will also be tested to continue iteration towards a fully and rapidly reusable design. Multiple tiles will be attached to the metallic side of Starship’s aft flaps along with modified tiles and attachment mechanisms in the heatshield covering the aft skirt to gather flight data on different attachment options. Finally, Starship’s heatshield will have load sensing tiles to take measurements as the vehicle experiences higher dynamic pressure on ascent than previous flights, putting added stress on the tile attachments in exchange for increased payload to orbit capability.

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Release Date: July 16, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #FlightTest13 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey to The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

Journey to The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

The 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has captured a vibrant scene, filled with swirls and stars reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. "The Starry Night" is an iconic 1889 oil-on-canvas painting by Vincent van Gogh, depicting a swirling night sky over an imagined village, created during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. This new cosmic masterpiece features glowing nebula NGC 6729 on the left and globular star cluster NGC 6723 on the right. DECam is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. With a total of 74 detectors and a lens nearly a meter (3.3 feet) across, DECam is capable of taking high-resolution images that capture the details in every cosmic brushstroke.

Deep inside the constellation of Corona Australis, Latin for “Southern Crown,” lies a treasure trove of star formation known as the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud. This molecular cloud, spanning the left half of the image, is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Solar System, sitting about 430 light-years from Earth.

The primary member is a pre-main-sequence star, meaning it has accumulated almost all of its mass but has not started fusing hydrogen in its core yet—akin to being in the pre-teen stage of life. In 2019, the companion was discovered to be a red dwarf, the least massive and most common type of all hydrogen-fusing stars. Red dwarfs have relatively cool temperatures and live very long lives compared to hotter and more massive stars like our Sun.

Young stars, like the primary member of R Coronae Australis, are incredibly bright and hot. This star’s light reflects off of the nearby clouds of stellar material, forming illuminated regions known as reflection nebulae. The ultraviolet radiation from the young star is sufficient to ionize the gas surrounding it, creating a glowing region known as an emission nebula. Together, these regions form the dual nebula known as NGC 6729, which shows variations in its brightness and shape due to the orbit of the binary star system within it.

The star-forming regions of this image continue on as the eye travels up and to the right, tracing the clouds of bright blue gas that glow from the newborn stars within. This swirling beige and blue region, punctuated by embedded stars, is composed of the reflection nebulae NGC 6726 and NGC 6727. These nebulae extend to the lower right region, connecting with another reflection nebula known as IC 4812.

Bedazzling the top right portion of this image is the globular star cluster NGC 6723, nicknamed the Chandelier Cluster. NGC 6723 is a gravitationally bound collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars in a spherical shape with a notably large fraction of younger stars. Even though the glittering cluster appears to neighbor the stellar nursery of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, it actually sits far beyond it, at about 29,000 light-years away from Earth. 

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster make this region popular among astrophotographers. The constellation Corona Australis in which these objects can be seen, or which they border in the case of the Chandelier Cluster, skirts the southern horizon in summer months for observers at mid-northern latitudes, and is better viewed from farther south. As summer approaches, these objects will be well placed for astrophotographers to capture the scene.

More information
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) was designed specifically for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and was built and tested at DOE's Fermilab.

NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 

The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credits:
Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: R. Colombari & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: July 16, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #CoronaAustralisMolecularCloud #NGC6726 #NGC6727 #NGC6729 #NGC6723 #StellarNurseries #CoronaAustralisConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

Close-up: The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

The 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has captured a vibrant scene, filled with swirls and stars reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. "The Starry Night" is an iconic 1889 oil-on-canvas painting by Vincent van Gogh, depicting a swirling night sky over an imagined village, created during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. This new cosmic masterpiece features glowing nebula NGC 6729 on the left and globular star cluster NGC 6723 on the right. DECam is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. With a total of 74 detectors and a lens nearly a meter (3.3 feet) across, DECam is capable of taking high-resolution images that capture the details in every cosmic brushstroke.

Deep inside the constellation of Corona Australis, Latin for “Southern Crown,” lies a treasure trove of star formation known as the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud. This molecular cloud, spanning the left half of the image, is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Solar System, sitting about 430 light-years from Earth.

The primary member is a pre-main-sequence star, meaning it has accumulated almost all of its mass but has not started fusing hydrogen in its core yet—akin to being in the pre-teen stage of life. In 2019, the companion was discovered to be a red dwarf, the least massive and most common type of all hydrogen-fusing stars. Red dwarfs have relatively cool temperatures and live very long lives compared to hotter and more massive stars like our Sun.

Young stars, like the primary member of R Coronae Australis, are incredibly bright and hot. This star’s light reflects off of the nearby clouds of stellar material, forming illuminated regions known as reflection nebulae. The ultraviolet radiation from the young star is sufficient to ionize the gas surrounding it, creating a glowing region known as an emission nebula. Together, these regions form the dual nebula known as NGC 6729, which shows variations in its brightness and shape due to the orbit of the binary star system within it.

The star-forming regions of this image continue on as the eye travels up and to the right, tracing the clouds of bright blue gas that glow from the newborn stars within. This swirling beige and blue region, punctuated by embedded stars, is composed of the reflection nebulae NGC 6726 and NGC 6727. These nebulae extend to the lower right region, connecting with another reflection nebula known as IC 4812.

Bedazzling the top right portion of this image is the globular star cluster NGC 6723, nicknamed the Chandelier Cluster. NGC 6723 is a gravitationally bound collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars in a spherical shape with a notably large fraction of younger stars. Even though the glittering cluster appears to neighbor the stellar nursery of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, it actually sits far beyond it, at about 29,000 light-years away from Earth. 

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster make this region popular among astrophotographers. The constellation Corona Australis in which these objects can be seen, or which they border in the case of the Chandelier Cluster, skirts the southern horizon in summer months for observers at mid-northern latitudes, and is better viewed from farther south. As summer approaches, these objects will be well placed for astrophotographers to capture the scene.

More information
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) was designed specifically for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and was built and tested at DOE's Fermilab.

NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 

The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credits:
Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: R. Colombari & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: July 16, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #CoronaAustralisMolecularCloud #NGC6726 #NGC6727 #NGC6729 #NGC6723 #StellarNurseries #CoronaAustralisConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

A vibrant view of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, reveals glowing nebulae, dark dust lanes, and newborn stars in a scene reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. At left, the young binary system R Coronae Australis illuminates surrounding gas and dust, while the glittering globular cluster NGC 6723 shines at upper right, far beyond the nearby stellar nursery.

A vibrant view of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, reveals glowing nebulae, dark dust lanes, and newborn stars in a scene reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. At left, the young binary system R Coronae Australis illuminates surrounding gas and dust, while the glittering globular cluster NGC 6723 shines at upper right, far beyond the nearby stellar nursery.

A vibrant view of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, reveals glowing nebulae, dark dust lanes, and newborn stars in a scene reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. At left, the young binary system R Coronae Australis illuminates surrounding gas and dust, while the glittering globular cluster NGC 6723 shines at upper right, far beyond the nearby stellar nursery.

The 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has captured a vibrant scene, filled with swirls and stars reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. "The Starry Night" is an iconic 1889 oil-on-canvas painting by Vincent van Gogh, depicting a swirling night sky over an imagined village, created during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. This new cosmic masterpiece features glowing nebula NGC 6729 on the left and globular star cluster NGC 6723 on the right. DECam is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. With a total of 74 detectors and a lens nearly a meter (3.3 feet) across, DECam is capable of taking high-resolution images that capture the details in every cosmic brushstroke.

Deep inside the constellation of Corona Australis, Latin for “Southern Crown,” lies a treasure trove of star formation known as the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud. This molecular cloud, spanning the left half of the image, is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Solar System, sitting about 430 light-years from Earth.

The primary member is a pre-main-sequence star, meaning it has accumulated almost all of its mass but has not started fusing hydrogen in its core yet—akin to being in the pre-teen stage of life. In 2019, the companion was discovered to be a red dwarf, the least massive and most common type of all hydrogen-fusing stars. Red dwarfs have relatively cool temperatures and live very long lives compared to hotter and more massive stars like our Sun.

Young stars, like the primary member of R Coronae Australis, are incredibly bright and hot. This star’s light reflects off of the nearby clouds of stellar material, forming illuminated regions known as reflection nebulae. The ultraviolet radiation from the young star is sufficient to ionize the gas surrounding it, creating a glowing region known as an emission nebula. Together, these regions form the dual nebula known as NGC 6729, which shows variations in its brightness and shape due to the orbit of the binary star system within it.

The star-forming regions of this image continue on as the eye travels up and to the right, tracing the clouds of bright blue gas that glow from the newborn stars within. This swirling beige and blue region, punctuated by embedded stars, is composed of the reflection nebulae NGC 6726 and NGC 6727. These nebulae extend to the lower right region, connecting with another reflection nebula known as IC 4812.

Bedazzling the top right portion of this image is the globular star cluster NGC 6723, nicknamed the Chandelier Cluster. NGC 6723 is a gravitationally bound collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars in a spherical shape with a notably large fraction of younger stars. Even though the glittering cluster appears to neighbor the stellar nursery of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, it actually sits far beyond it, at about 29,000 light-years away from Earth. 

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster make this region popular among astrophotographers. The constellation Corona Australis in which these objects can be seen, or which they border in the case of the Chandelier Cluster, skirts the southern horizon in summer months for observers at mid-northern latitudes, and is better viewed from farther south. As summer approaches, these objects will be well placed for astrophotographers to capture the scene.

More information
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) was designed specifically for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and was built and tested at DOE's Fermilab.

NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 

The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credits:
Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: R. Colombari & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: July 16, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #CoronaAustralisMolecularCloud #NGC6726 #NGC 6727 #NGC6729 #NGC6723 #StellarNurseries #CoronaAustralisConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #DECam #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

SpaceX Stacking Starship for Flight 13 | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Stacking Starship for Flight 13 | Starbase Texas

The 12th flight test of SpaceX's Starship lifted off May 22, 2026, from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. Learn about the flight test results and watch a replay of the launch webcast here: 
https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12

This was the first flight of the "next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine." 

Read more about the key upgrades designed to enhance performance and unlock Starship's full capabilities here: https://www.spacex.com/updates/starship-v3

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 42 seconds
Date: July 16, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The 'Ghostly' Arms of Galaxy NGC 4848 in Coma Berenices | Hubble

The 'Ghostly' Arms of Galaxy NGC 4848 in Coma Berenices | Hubble

A notable feature of most spiral galaxies is the multitude of arching spiral arms that seemingly spin out from the galaxy’s center. In this image, taken with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, the stunning silvery-blue spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 4848 are observed in immense detail. Not only do we see the inner section of the spiral arms containing hundreds of thousands of young, bright, blue stars, but Hubble has also captured the extremely faint wispy tails of the outer spiral arms.

NGC 4848 is about 340 million light-years from Earth and around 170,000 light years across.

This wispy barred spiral galaxy was first discovered in 1865 by the German astronomer Heinrich Louis d’Arrest. In his career, Heinrich also notably discovered the asteroid 76 Freia and many other galaxies and he also contributed to the discovery of Neptune.

If you are situated in the Northern Hemisphere with a large telescope, you might just be able to observe the ghost-like appearance of this faint galaxy  within faint constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair).

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Gregg
Release Date: July 20, 2020

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Galaxies #NGC4848 #BarredSpiralGalaxies #ComaBerenicesConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Docking | International Space Station

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Docking | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir: "Welcome to the International Space Station Pyotr, Anna and Anil! Here’s a view of their Soyuz docking yesterday, as seen from a Russian Segment window. Let the games begin!"

The spacecraft arrived at the station’s Prichal module at 1:52 p.m. after launching at 10:47 a.m. (7:47 p.m. local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. At 4:30 p.m. EDT, the hatch opened between the International Space Station and the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina then entered the station, where they will spend the next eight months living and working before returning to Earth in April 2027.

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/J. Meir
Duration: 15 seconds
Release Date: July 15, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautVideography #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Russian Soyuz 2.1a Rocket Liftoff of Kikina, Menon & Dubrov in Kazakhstan

Russian Soyuz 2.1a Rocket Liftoff of Kikina, Menon & Dubrov in Kazakhstan

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched to the International Space Station with Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina onboard, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EST (7:47 p.m. local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

At 1:52 p.m. EDT the same day, their Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Prichal module. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina launched earlier  from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The trio are joining NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

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

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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: Roscosmos

Date: July 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Hidden Planet Found around Star Beta Pictoris | NASA Webb

Hidden Planet Found around Star Beta Pictoris | NASA Webb

Beta Pictoris System (NIRSpec IFU Image Annotated): The newly discovered third planet orbiting Beta Pictoris, Beta Pictoris d, is seen in reconstructed imagery from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec).

Beta Pictoris System (artist's concept): This artist’s concept shows the Beta Pictoris system with the discovered giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris d at the right. It has the widest orbit of the known three exoplanets within the system.

Beta Pictoris System (NIRSpec IFU Image and Spectrum): Researchers used the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) Integral Field Unit on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map chemical contents of the Beta Pictoris system. As a result, they discovered a third planet, Beta Pictoris d, orbiting the young star.

Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a giant planet outside our solar system, called an exoplanet, hiding within one of the most intensely studied planetary systems in our Milky Way galaxy.

The young, nearby star Beta Pictoris was already known to host two giant planets: Beta Pictoris b, one of the first exoplanets ever directly imaged, and Beta Pictoris c. The newly identified Beta Pictoris d makes it only the second planetary system known to contain at least three imaged planets. Unlike Beta Pictoris b and c, however, Beta Pictoris d was discovered not by identifying a bright point of light, but by detecting the unique chemical fingerprint of its atmosphere, a technique that could transform the search for worlds around other stars.

"This discovery adds another piece to an already fascinating planetary system," said Aidan Gibbs, lead author of a new study published Wednesday in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego. "Beta Pictoris has long served as a laboratory for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve, and now we have another planet helping us tell that story."

Familiar system, new surprise
Located 63 light-years from Earth and about 23 million years old, Beta Pictoris is a nearby system in the Milky Way offering a rare glimpse of the interactions between newborn planets and the disk of dust and debris left behind from their formation. 

The team estimates that the newfound Beta Pictoris d is likely at least two times the mass of Jupiter, making it the smallest of the three known giant planets in the system. Modeling suggests it likely circles around its star at about 30 astronomical units, comparable to the region occupied by Neptune in our own solar system. It’s the widest orbit of the known three planets, but still located inside the inner edge of the debris disk.

Although astronomers were not searching for another planet with Webb, Beta Pictoris d emerged while the team was using the telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) to study the atmosphere of Beta Pictoris b. Specifically, they used NIRSpec’s Integral Field Unit, which obtains both an image and a spectrum from each pixel in an image.

"We weren't looking for a new planet," said Gibbs. "We were trying to understand one we already knew existed. Then, this telltale signal appeared in the data where we didn’t expect it."

This signal was a series of peaks and troughs within the spectroscopic data where the team expected to see a smooth spectrum from light bouncing off dust. It was a distinctive pattern of carbon monoxide absorption lines, spread out like a barcode, an expected feature in giant planet atmospheres.

Because spectroscopy not only reveals chemical composition, but the motion of an object, the team was able to also extract radial velocity from the data. The team determined the planet’s speed, position, and alignment with the debris disk were all consistent with something orbiting Beta Pictoris rather than a background star or brown dwarf with carbon monoxide in its atmosphere.

"There was an unexpected bright source of light within the Integral Field Unit imaging, but we've learned not to trust bright blobs in images," said Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, a research scientist at University of California, San Diego and principal investigator of the first Webb observations where the discovery was made. "They can be instrumental artifacts or other structures in the debris disk. By obtaining a spectrum at the same time as the image, we were able to quickly confirm our suspicions.”

Follow-up observations with Webb's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) through a Director’s Discretionary Time request detected water vapor and methane, further confirming the planet's identity while providing a richer look at the atmosphere of the planet.

Unlike traditional imaging, the spectroscopic approach allowed researchers to identify the planet and begin studying its atmosphere from the very first observation. 

"A spectrum contains an incredible amount of information," Ruffio said. "You don't just learn that something is a planet; you immediately begin learning about its temperature, chemistry, and motion."

A separate imaging study led by Ben Sutlieff of the University of Edinburgh and Markus Bonse of the European Southern Observatory complements the team’s findings with data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and independently confirmed the existence of Beta Pictoris d.

Seeing through cosmic fog
Beta Pictoris d remained hidden for years because it lies within one of the brightest debris disks known.

The dusty disk acts like fog, scattering light from the star, making it difficult for conventional imaging techniques to distinguish planets from surrounding structures. The team's spectroscopic method with Webb effectively ignored that dust, isolating only the narrow molecular signatures unique to a planetary atmosphere.

Scientists say the planet’s presence may help explain why the famous debris disk has such a sharply defined inner edge and other puzzling structures. In fact, astronomers had already predicted the existence of a planet like Beta Pictoris d to account for the disk’s unusual structure.

Beyond expanding our understanding of Beta Pictoris, the discovery demonstrates a powerful new way to find exoplanets.

This is the first directly imaged planet discovered primarily through moderate-resolution spectroscopy, showing that astronomers can identify worlds in complex environments through their atmospheric fingerprints rather than relying solely on traditional coronagraphic imaging.

The researchers plan to continue analyzing Webb's observations to better determine the planet's temperature, atmospheric composition, and orbit, providing an even more detailed view of one of astronomy's most iconic planetary systems.

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, European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

To learn more about Webb, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/webb

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Science: Aidan Gibbs (UC San Diego), Jean-Baptiste Ruffio (UC San Diego), Ralf Crawford (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI) 

Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Release Date: July 25, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Exoplanets #BetaPictorisd #Stars #BetaPictoris #PictorConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #NIRSpec #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education