Variable Nebula: NGC 2261 | Hubble

Variable Nebula: NGC 2261 | Hubble

Hubble's variable nebula is named (like the Hubble telescope itself) after the American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble, who carried out some of the early studies of this object. It is a fan-shaped cloud of gas and dust which is illuminated by R Monocerotis (R Mon), the bright star at the bottom end of the nebula. Dense condensations of dust near the star cast shadows out into the nebula, and as they move the illumination changes, giving rise to the variations first noted by Hubble. 

The star itself, lying about 2,500 light-years from Earth, cannot be seen directly, but only through light scattered off of dust particles in the surrounding nebula. R Mon is believed to have a mass of about 10 times that of the Sun, and to have an age of only 300,000 years. There is probably a symmetrical counterpart of the fan-shaped nebula on the southern side of the star, but it is heavily obscured from view by dust lying between this lobe and our line of sight.

Distance: 2,500 light years

The Hubble Heritage team made this image from observations of R Mon acquired by William Sparks (STScI), Sylvia Baggett (STScI) and collaborators.

Credit: NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Release Date: October 7, 1999

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Star #RMonocerotis #RMon #Nebula #VariableNebula #NGC2261 #Monoceros #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #History #Astronomer #EdwinHubble #STEM #Education

The World’s First-Ever Planetary Defense Test | This Week @NASA

The World’s First-Ever Planetary Defense Test | This Week @NASA  

Week of September 30, 2022: The world’s first-ever planetary defense test is a big hit, a major hurricane spotted from space, and moving our mega Moon rocket back inside ahead of that storm . . . a few of the stories to tell you about–This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: September 30, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #AretmisI #Artemis #DARTMission #Spacecraft #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Earth #HurricaneIan #Florida #PlanetaryDefense #Moon #SolarSystem #JHUAPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Explore our Home Planet and The Universe with NASA Podcasts

Explore our Home Planet and The Universe with NASA Podcasts

Listen up! From long form interviews with astronauts and engineers to narrative shows that take you on a tour of the galaxy, NASA podcasts let you experience the thrill of space exploration without ever leaving Earth

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

Credits: NASA

Producer/Editor: Lacey Young

Duration: 1 minute, 22 seconds

Release Date: September 30, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Artemis #Astronauts #Engineers #Scientists #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #Cosmos #Universe #Podcasts #Spanish #Español #English #Audio #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up: October 2022 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up: October 2022 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What are some skywatching highlights in the northern hemisphere for October 2022? 

Enjoy giant planets Jupiter and Saturn all night throughout the month. Then watch as Mars begins its retrograde motion, moving westward each night instead of eastward, for the next few months. Finally, check out the Orionid meteors overnight on Oct. 20, 2022.

Skywatching resources from NASA: 

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatching/home/

NASA "Watch the Skies" blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/

NASA's Night Sky Network: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 3 minutes, 25 seconds 

Release Date: September 30, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #Planets #Mars #Jupiter #Saturn #Orionids #Meteors #MeteorShower #SolarSystem #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #California #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Artist’s Impression of Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

Artist’s Impression of Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

This animation shows an artist's impression of star forming region Sh 2-106 (S 106 for short) and its surrounding area.

Distance: 3,300 light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and M. Kornmesser

Duration: 31 seconds

Release Date: February 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Star #Sh2106 #S106 #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Art #Animation #HD #Video

Star-forming Region S106: Fulldome View | Hubble

Star-forming Region S106: Fulldome View | Hubble

This fulldome video is of an emission nebula in the star-forming region Sh 2-106, found in the constellation Cygnus. A massive young star at the center of the scene is responsible, in its tempestuous youth, for the wonderful, bipolar structure of dust and gas.

Distance: 3,300 light years

Note: The full dome video display format is designed for projection systems in planetariums.

Credit: NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: February 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #EmissionNebula #Star #Sh2106 #S106 #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan over Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

Pan over Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

This video pans over star-forming region Sh 2-106, or S106 for short. This is a compact star forming region in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). A newly-formed star called S106 IR is shrouded in dust at the center of the image, and is responsible for the the surrounding gas cloud’s hourglass-like shape and the turbulence visible within. Light from glowing hydrogen is colored blue in this image.

Distance: 3,300 light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Duration: 36 seconds

Release Date: December 15, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Star #Sh2106 #S106 #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

Zooming in on Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

This video zooms in on star-forming region Sh 2-106, also known as S106. This is a compact star forming region in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). A newly-formed star called S106 IR is shrouded in dust at the center of the image, and is responsible for the the surrounding gas cloud's hourglass-like shape and the turbulence visible within.

Distance: 3,300 light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Digitized Sky Survey 2, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and Nick Risinger

Duration: 56 seconds

Release Date: Feb 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Star #Sh2106 #S106 #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #NAOJ #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Views of Jupiter's Icy Ocean Moon Europa | NASA's Juno Mission

New Views of Jupiter's Icy Ocean Moon Europa | NASA's Juno Mission

Europa - PJ45-1

Europa - PJ45-2

Europa - PJ45-3

Europa - PJ45-4

Europa - PJ45-2/3/4 - Composite

Observations from the Juno spacecraft’s passes of Juputer's moon Europa have provided new views of this ocean world, resulting in remarkable imagery and unique science. Jupiter’s moon Europa has an icy crust covering a vast, global ocean.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

More information about Juno is available at:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

and

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill

Release Date: September 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Planet #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #Juno #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #Exploration #JPL #Caltech #California #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

Star-forming Region S106 | Hubble

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows Sh 2-106, or S106 for short. This is a compact star forming region in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). A newly-formed star called S106 IR is shrouded in dust at the center of the image, and is responsible for the surrounding gas cloud’s hourglass-like shape and the turbulence visible within. Light from glowing hydrogen is colored blue in this image.

Distance: 3300 light years

Credit: NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)

Release Date: December 15, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebulae #Star #Sh2106 #S106 #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Samantha Assumes Command | Week of Sept. 30, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: Samantha Assumes Command | Week of Sept. 30, 2022

Week of September 30, 2022: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy is the new Commander of the International Space Station. “Cristoforetti will lead the new Expedition 68 crew until she and three of her SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom crewmates depart the space station in October.”

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov of Russia landed on Earth, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Kazakhstan. The trio returned after 195 days in space that spanned 3,120 orbits of Earth and over 78 million miles.

During the mission, Artemyev completed five spacewalks totaling 33 hours, 12 minutes. He has now logged 561 days in space on his three flights.

Matveev completed four spacewalks totaling 26 hours, 7 minutes during the mission. He logged 195 days in space on his first flight.

Korsakov also logged 195 days in space on his first flight.

Remaining aboard the station is the seven-person crew of Expedition 66 with Station Commander Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Frank Rubio, and Jessica Watkins, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.

In October, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 members—NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina—will join the Expedition 68 members aboard the station. Crew-5 will be the fifth crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system, and its sixth flight with astronauts, to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date: September 30, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #ESA #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #BobHines #JessicaWatkins #FrankRubio #SamanthaCristoforetti #Italy #Italia #Minerva #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #DmitriPetelin #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #Europe #Russia #Россия #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Moon Rocks: Meet NASA’s Rock Detectives | NASA Explorers

Moon Rocks: Meet NASA’s Rock Detectives | NASA Explorers

 

Meet NASA’s rock detectives. Using tiny samples of lunar rock brought back by Apollo astronauts, these NASA Explorers are looking into the origins of our Moon, our planet, and ourselves. They might be among the first scientists to study samples from the Moon’s South Pole that will be delivered to Earth by Artemis astronauts. 

In episode 2 of “NASA Explorers: Artemis Generation,” we’re joining scientists like Natalie Curran and Jose Aponte, who are looking at clues buried in Moon rocks.

Credit: NASA

Series Executive Producers: Katy Mersmann/Lauren Ward

Season Producers: Lonnie Shekhtman/Stephanie Sipila/James Tralie/Molly Wasser 

Explorers: Natalie Curran/Jose Aponte

Duration: 9 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #Moon #Apollo #MoonRocks #Geology #Artemis #ArtemisI #Astronauts #MoonToMars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mysterious Dark Rays: IC 5063 | Hubble

Mysterious Dark Rays: IC 5063 | Hubble

Some of the most stunning views of our sky occur at sunset, when sunlight pierces the clouds, creating a mixture of bright and dark rays formed by the clouds’ shadows and the beams of light scattered by the atmosphere. Astronomers studying the nearby galaxy IC 5063 are tantalized by a similar effect in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. In this case, a collection of narrow bright rays and dark shadows is seen beaming out of the blazingly bright center of the active galaxy, shooting across at least 36,000 light-years.

Astronomers have traced the rays back to the galaxy’s core, the location of an active supermassive black hole. The black hole is feeding on infalling material, producing a powerful gusher of light from superheated gas near it. Although the researchers have developed several plausible theories for the lightshow, the most intriguing idea suggests that the shadows are being cast into space by an inner tube-shaped ring, or torus, of dusty material surrounding the black hole.

IC 5063 resides 156 million light-years from Earth.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and W.P. Maksym (CfA)

Release Date: November 23, 2020

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #BlackHole #Abell78 #Indus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #CfA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

A Flash of Life: Planetary Nebula Abell 78 | Hubble

A Flash of Life: Planetary Nebula Abell 78 | Hubble

Located around 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), Abell 78 is an unusual type of planetary nebula. 

After exhausting the nuclear fuel in their cores, stars with a mass of around 0.8 to 8 times the mass of our Sun collapse to form dense and hot white dwarf stars. As this process occurs, the dying star will throw off its outer layers of material, forming an elaborate cloud of gas and dust known as a planetary nebula. This phenomenon is not uncommon, and planetary nebulae are a popular focus for astrophotographers because of their often beautiful and complex shapes. However, a few like Abell 78 are the result of a so-called “born again” star. 

Although the core of the star has stopped burning hydrogen and helium, a thermonuclear runaway at its surface ejects material at high speeds. This ejecta shocks and sweeps up the material of the old nebula, producing the filaments and irregular shell around the central star seen in this image, which features data from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and PANSTARSS.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, M. Guerrero

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

Release Date: March 15, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #PANSTARSS #Abell78 #PlanetaryNebula #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Birds of a Feather: Spiral Galaxy NGC 2775 | Hubble

Birds of a Feather: Spiral Galaxy NGC 2775 | Hubble

The spiral pattern shown by the galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope is striking because of its delicate, feathery nature. These "flocculent" spiral arms indicate that the recent history of star formation of the galaxy, known as NGC 2775, has been relatively quiet. There is virtually no star formation in the central part of the galaxy, which is dominated by an unusually large and relatively empty galactic bulge, where all the gas was converted into stars long ago.

NGC 2275 is classified as a flocculent spiral galaxy, located 67 million light-years away in the constellation of Cancer. 

Millions of bright, young, blue stars shine in the complex, feather-like spiral arms, interlaced with dark lanes of dust. Complexes of these hot, blue stars are thought to trigger star formation in nearby gas clouds. The overall feather-like spiral patterns of the arms are then formed by shearing of the gas clouds as the galaxy rotates. The spiral nature of flocculents stands in contrast to the grand design spirals, which have prominent, well defined-spiral arms.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)

Release Date: June 29, 2020

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Science #Galaxy #Spiral #NGC2775 #Flocculent #Cancer #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Flyover of Tropical Storm Ian: Sept. 29, 2022 | International Space Station

Flyover of Tropical Storm Ian: Sept. 29, 2022 | International Space Station 

The International Space Station flew 260 miles over Tropical Storm Ian at 2:10 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. External cameras on the orbiting laboratory captured views of the storm as it began to move off of the east coast of Florida. Ian made landfall near Fort Myers, Florida Wednesday packing winds of 155 miles an hour as it moved to the northeast across the Florida peninsula.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 12 minutes

Release Date: September 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #TropicalStorm #TropicalStormIan #HurricaneIan #Hurricane #Meteorology #AtlanticOcean #Astronauts #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #Florida #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video