Close-up: The Little Ghost Nebula—NGC 6369 in Ophiuchus | Hubble
Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Close-up: The Little Ghost Nebula—NGC 6369 in Ophiuchus | Hubble
Planet Earth by Bright 'Moonglow' | International Space Station
Planet Earth by Bright 'Moonglow' | International Space Station
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
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.
Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Slow Motion: SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Booster on Flight#14 | Starbase Texas
Slow Motion: SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Booster on Flight#14 | Starbase Texas
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.
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
The Shrimp Nebula: Sh2-188 in Cassiopeia
The Shrimp Nebula: Sh2-188 in Cassiopeia
Its high speed is likely. What is certain is that Sh2-188 is one of the larger planetary nebulas in the night sky, by angular size, spanning about half the diameter of the Moon. Moreover, the white-dwarf core—leftover from the Sun-like star that shed its outer atmosphere—is moving unusually fast through interstellar space, creating a bow shock most visible on the upper left that is similar to a boat plowing through water. Although faint, the Shrimp Nebula glows also by compressing and brightening gas on its leading edge. The featured image was taken in the light of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen by a backyard telescope in Krakow, Poland and then digitally adjusted to approximate the nebula's true colors.
Image Description: A starfield has a bright pink swirling nebula in it. The top part of the nebula shows much detail, while the bottom part is mostly open.
Caption Credit: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Technological University (MTU)
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Bright Aurora Borealis over Sweden
Bright Aurora Borealis over Sweden
Astrophotographer Karsten Berger: "The fast solar wind did not disappoint. Even with a nearly full Moon and bright lights of the surrounding houses they were clearly visible to the naked eye."
Known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/
Location: Abisko, Sweden
Date: Sept. 25, 2026
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #KarstenBerger #Astrophotographer #Abisko #Sápmi #Lapland #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13: Ready for Launch | International Space Station
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13: Ready for Launch | International Space Station
With the rocket on the launch pad, the four-person crew for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Mission to the International Space Station participated in a dry dress rehearsal Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, on Merritt Island and at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia, spent the morning in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, donning spacesuits and completing air leak checks. Once suited, they boarded vehicles and traveled to Space Launch Complex 40, where they entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will take them to the space station at Cape Canaveral.
Crew-13 is scheduled to launch to the station no earlier than 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 1, for a long-duration science mission.
Image Description | From left: Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia, NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, wearing SpaceX spacesuits during a dress rehearsal prior to the Crew-13 mission launch, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
After Crew-13 arrives aboard the orbiting laboratory, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members will help familiarize the new crew with ongoing science and station maintenance activities for a smooth transition of operations. Following this brief handover, and pending weather conditions, Crew-12, including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia, will board its SpaceX spacecraft and head for a splashdown off the coast of California.
For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for future Mars missions.
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
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.
#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceXFalcon9Rockets #CrewDragonSpacecraft #SpaceXCrew13 #Astronauts #JessicaWatkins #LukeDelaney #JoshuaKutryk #CSA #Canada #SergeyTeteryatnikov #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
Slow Motion View: SpaceX Starship Liftoff on First Orbital Mission | Starbase Texas
Slow Motion View: SpaceX Starship Liftoff on First Orbital Mission | Starbase Texas
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.
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Prepares for Launch | International Space Station
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Prepares for Launch | International Space Station
With the rocket on the launch pad, the four-person crew for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station participated in a dry dress rehearsal Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia, spent the morning in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, donning spacesuits and completing air leak checks. Once suited, they boarded vehicles and traveled to Space Launch Complex 40, where they entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will take them to the space station.
Crew-13 is scheduled to launch to the station no earlier than 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 1, for a long-duration science mission.
After Crew-13 arrives aboard the orbiting laboratory, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members will help familiarize the new crew with ongoing science and station maintenance activities for a smooth transition of operations. Following this brief handover, and pending weather conditions, Crew-12, including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia, will board its SpaceX spacecraft and head for a splashdown off the coast of California.
For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
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.
#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceXFalcon9Rockets #CrewDragonSpacecraft #SpaceXCrew13 #Astronauts #JessicaWatkins #LukeDelaney #JoshuaKutryk #CSA #Canada #SergeyTeteryatnikov #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
NASA Pilot Nils Larson Receives 2026 Iven C. Kincheloe Award
NASA Pilot Nils Larson Receives 2026 Iven C. Kincheloe Award
Research test pilot David “Nils” Larson was selected as the 2026 recipient of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots’ Iven C. Kincheloe Award for outstanding professional accomplishment in flight testing. Larson earned the honor for leading NASA’s X‑59 quiet supersonic technology aircraft through first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, and for safely reaching the aircraft’s first flight to Mach 1.4 and an altitude of 55,000 feet during envelope expansion testing. His leadership, technical rigor, and airmanship advanced NASA’s low‑boom research goals and moved the X‑59 program closer to community overflight testing.
The X-59 aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.”
The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.
Keep up with the latest about X-59:
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/
Learn more about NASA's Quesst mission: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2026
#NASA #Aerospace #SupersonicFlight #SupersonicAircraft #X59 #Pilots #DavidNilsLarson #Sonicbooms #QuietAviation #Aviation #QuesstMission #CommercialAviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #AerospaceResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #Edwards #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
Close-up: A galactic house of mirrors—MACS J0454.1-0300 in Orion | Webb Telescope
Close-up: A galactic house of mirrors—MACS J0454.1-0300 in Orion | Webb Telescope
This NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope picture features galaxies in incredible detail that have been warped and multiplied like they have stepped into a house of mirrors. The brilliant golden galaxies splashed across this image belong to a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies concentrated on one side of the cluster are not actually part of the cluster; these galaxies are much farther away from us than the galaxies that make up MACS J0454.1-0300.
MACS J0454.1-0300 is itself incredibly distant: the light from these galaxies has been travelling to us for so long that we are seeing the cluster as it was when the Universe was about 8 billion years old. While this galaxy cluster is a valuable scientific target in its own right, the real stars of this image are the galaxies that appear warped and stretched, like a painting that has been smeared by a giant hand.
These strange-looking galaxies are of immense interest to astronomers. The way these galaxies look is the result of gravitational lensing where the enormous mass of a foreground object, such as a galaxy cluster, bends and magnifies the light from a more distant object in the background. Gravitational lensing allows astronomers to observe galaxies, star clusters and even individual stars that are too far away for our telescopes to see under normal conditions. While the large, orange galaxies appear obviously distorted, look carefully at some of the small reddish background galaxies throughout this picture—even at the very edges of the frame, there are galaxies whose images have been bent into tiny arcs by MACS J0454.1-0300’s gravity.
In addition to making galaxies look stretched out or bent, gravitational lensing can also make us see double—or quadruple. Under certain conditions, multiple images of the same galaxy can appear. It is rare to see four or more images of the same galaxy, as this requires the position of the background object and the shape of the massive foreground object to be just so. Because the requirements are so particular, this phenomenon is only seen in 10–20% of galaxy clusters.
Researchers spotted this rare configuration twice in the Webb observations of MACS J0454.1-0300, marking the first time this phenomenon has been seen more than once in the same galaxy cluster. The gravitationally lensed areas show multiple images of galaxies from when the Universe was young: a group of galaxies 2 billion years after the Big Bang, and a single galaxy just 800 million years old after the Big Bang. The galaxy group appears to be going through a merger, resulting in an enormous burst of star formation.
Astronomers have also identified individual bright ‘knots’ within these gravitationally lensed areas, corresponding to regions as small as 5 light-years across. These tiny clumps appear magnified by a factor of more than 300, in some cases.
The data behind this image come from two observing programs (#5058, PI: Furtak; #6882, PI: Fujimoto) that leverage the ability of massive galaxy clusters to bring distant objects into view. One program searches for individual gravitationally lensed stars in the first billion years of the Universe. This program will monitor a particular gravitationally lensed galaxy in the MACS J0454.1-0300 field of view for signs of hugely magnified single stars. The second program aims to observe a large sample of galaxy clusters at many wavelengths, helping researchers study the onset star formation and the evolution of early galaxies.
Image Description: A massive galaxy cluster, made of many golden elliptical galaxies with the largest, brightest one in the center. Heavily distorted orange galaxies appear all around the cluster, the largest concentrated in a large arc around the cluster's center; these are images of very distant galaxies, created by gravitational lensing. A few galaxies are large and bluish-white in color; bright, nearby stars are the same color.
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors: MACS J0454.1-0300 in Orion | Webb Telescope
Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors: MACS J0454.1-0300 in Orion | Webb Telescope
This NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope picture features galaxies in incredible detail that have been warped and multiplied like they have stepped into a house of mirrors. The brilliant golden galaxies splashed across this image belong to a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies concentrated on one side of the cluster are not actually part of the cluster; these galaxies are much farther away from us than the galaxies that make up MACS J0454.1-0300.
MACS J0454.1-0300 is itself incredibly distant: the light from these galaxies has been travelling to us for so long that we are seeing the cluster as it was when the Universe was about 8 billion years old. While this galaxy cluster is a valuable scientific target in its own right, the real stars of this image are the galaxies that appear warped and stretched, like a painting that has been smeared by a giant hand.
These strange-looking galaxies are of immense interest to astronomers. The way these galaxies look is the result of gravitational lensing where the enormous mass of a foreground object, such as a galaxy cluster, bends and magnifies the light from a more distant object in the background. Gravitational lensing allows astronomers to observe galaxies, star clusters and even individual stars that are too far away for our telescopes to see under normal conditions. While the large, orange galaxies appear obviously distorted, look carefully at some of the small reddish background galaxies throughout this picture—even at the very edges of the frame, there are galaxies whose images have been bent into tiny arcs by MACS J0454.1-0300’s gravity.
In addition to making galaxies look stretched out or bent, gravitational lensing can also make us see double—or quadruple. Under certain conditions, multiple images of the same galaxy can appear. It is rare to see four or more images of the same galaxy, as this requires the position of the background object and the shape of the massive foreground object to be just so. Because the requirements are so particular, this phenomenon is only seen in 10–20% of galaxy clusters.
Researchers spotted this rare configuration twice in the Webb observations of MACS J0454.1-0300, marking the first time this phenomenon has been seen more than once in the same galaxy cluster. The gravitationally lensed areas show multiple images of galaxies from when the Universe was young: a group of galaxies 2 billion years after the Big Bang, and a single galaxy just 800 million years old after the Big Bang. The galaxy group appears to be going through a merger, resulting in an enormous burst of star formation.
Astronomers have also identified individual bright ‘knots’ within these gravitationally lensed areas, corresponding to regions as small as 5 light-years across. These tiny clumps appear magnified by a factor of more than 300, in some cases.
The data behind this image come from two observing programs (#5058, PI: Furtak; #6882, PI: Fujimoto) that leverage the ability of massive galaxy clusters to bring distant objects into view. One program searches for individual gravitationally lensed stars in the first billion years of the Universe. This program will monitor a particular gravitationally lensed galaxy in the MACS J0454.1-0300 field of view for signs of hugely magnified single stars. The second program aims to observe a large sample of galaxy clusters at many wavelengths, helping researchers study the onset star formation and the evolution of early galaxies.
Image Description: A massive galaxy cluster, made of many golden elliptical galaxies with the largest, brightest one in the center. Heavily distorted orange galaxies appear all around the cluster, the largest concentrated in a large arc around the cluster's center; these are images of very distant galaxies, created by gravitational lensing. A few galaxies are large and bluish-white in color; bright, nearby stars are the same color.
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Monday, September 28, 2026
Planet Mars Images: Sept. 16-28, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
Planet Mars Images: Sept. 16-28, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
https://www.friendsofnasa.org/p/friends-of-nasa.html
Artemis II Moon Crew Visits NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility
Artemis II Moon Crew Visits NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility
The team at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility is still filled with joy after a recent visit from the Artemis II crew! The crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). While at America's Rocket Factory, the four shared stories and reflections from their historic trip around the Moon, connected with the workforce, and took time to answer questions.
Are you team "Moon Joy," "Earth Joy," or "Rocket Joy"?
In early April 2026, the Artemis II crew became the first to travel beyond the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled farther in space than humans have ever before.
Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit.
On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.
https://www.nasa.gov/michoud-assembly-facility/
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Sept. 28, 2026
NASA's SpaceX Falcon 9 & Dragon for Crew-13 Launch | International Space Station
NASA's SpaceX Falcon 9 & Dragon for Crew-13 Launch | International Space Station
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
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.
#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceXFalcon9Rockets #CrewDragonSpacecraft #SpaceXCrew13 #Astronauts #JessicaWatkins #LukeDelaney #JoshuaKutryk #CSA #Canada #SergeyTeteryatnikov #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
SpaceX Starship Launch on Test Flight#14: First Orbital Mission | Starbase Texas
SpaceX Starship Launch on Test Flight#14: First Orbital Mission | Starbase Texas
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.
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12: Scientific Research Work | International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12: Scientific Research Work | International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission with agency astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will soon return to Earth after a successful long-duration science expedition to the International Space Station. During their mission, Meir, Hathaway, and Adenot performed hundreds of hours of research aboard the orbiting lab, advancing scientific knowledge and expanding commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit.
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
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.
Duration: 2 minutes, 42 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 28, 2026

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