Teamwork makes the dream work! ✨
Combining X-ray data from @NASAChandraXray, optical data from @NASAHubble, and infrared data from the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers has “wound back the clock” to help determine the timeline of a distant star’s demise.
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy 160,000 light years from Earth, the supernova remnant is the debris from an explosion of a white dwarf star. After reaching a critical mass, either by pulling matter from a neighboring star or by merging with another white dwarf, the star underwent a thermonuclear explosion and was destroyed.
The researchers compared Hubble images of the area from 2010, 2011, and 2020 to measure the speeds of material in the blast wave from the explosion. If the speed was toward the upper end of estimates, the astronomers determined that light from the explosion would have reached Earth about 670 years ago. However, further investigation revealed that it’s likely that debris impacted dense gas after the explosion—slowing down the shockwave and suggesting that the explosion happened more recently than 670 years ago. Astronomers may use additional observations with Hubble to determine more precisely when the time of the star’s demise should truly be set.
Image Description: A composite image from SNR 0519, the remnants of a distant supernova. The center of the image is dominated by the colorful remains of a destroyed star, along the exterior periphery of the debris a thin shell of blood-red wisps of gas as pictured from Hubble optical data. Within the red shell are X-rays with low, medium, and high energies displayed as mixed shades of green, blue, and purple, with some of these colors overlapping to appear creamy white. The whole of the debris resembles a colorful bubble. The background of the image is speckled with hundreds of stars, between them the deep blackness of space.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/GSFC/B. J. Williams et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI
#NASA #Space #Stars #Galaxy #Universe #Chandra #Hubble #Spitzer #Supernova #Xray
Spiraling? It's natural 💁
Spirals are everywhere: from the whirlpool of a hurricane to pinwheel-shaped disks around newborn stars, to the vast realms of spiral galaxies across our universe.
Astronomers have found young stars spiraling into the center of a massive and oddly shaped stellar nursery in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located 200 light-years away.
A spiral is the most efficient way to feed star formation from the outside toward the center. Learning how stars form in the Small Magellanic Cloud offers a new twist on how a firestorm of star birth may have occurred early in the universe's history, when it was undergoing a "baby boom" about 2 to 3 billion years after the big bang (the universe is now 13.8 billion years old). The new results find that the process of star formation there is similar to that in our own Milky Way.
Image description: The Small Magellanic Cloud shrouds the view of space with blue and purple hues, as the sky is littered with stars. Near the center of the image, a cluster of stars create a vague shape of a swirl. The next image slide includes the same image of the Small Magellanic cloud, but with a superimposed semi-transparent red swirl graphic highlighting the unique star formation.
Credit: NASA, ESA, Andi James (STScI)
#NASA #Hubble #Galaxy #Space #Cosmic #Stars #Nursery #Spirals #Nature
Tardy for the party.
Satellites captured the waters in Hood Canal, Washington turning turquoise last month. This more typically tropical hue means that the coccolithophores, a type of phytoplankton, have arrived—fashionably late this time.
Coccolithophores have chalky calcium carbonate plates (coccoliths) that reflect light. When they’re present in great numbers, they make even the darkest green or navy blue waters turn a bright blue.
Like most phytoplankton, coccolithophores float near the ocean surface and turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen. Coccolithophores also play an important, but not fully understood, role in the global carbon cycle, taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and eventually sinking it to the bottom of the ocean.
This year’s color-changing bloom appeared late, as it took a while to get the right blend of water temperatures. Water in Hood Canal does not always mix well; the upper layers can have different temperatures and salt levels than the deeper layers.
Image description: An aerial view of Hood Canal and surrounding land. The canal waters are mostly turquoise, with the bright and navy blue hues swirling together along the banks. The land is mostly emerald green and varied in terrain. A few clusters of white clouds mark the top of the photo.
Credit: USGS/NASA
#Landsat #Washington #NASA #satellite #MarineBiology #plankton #Earth #EarthScience
This Labor Day, we thank all those who help us unfold the universe and expand our knowledge for the benefit of humanity. ✨
We salute the pioneers, the star-sailors, the thinkers, the visionaries, the doers. We stand upon the shoulders of giants—to go farther than humanity has ever been.
Our mission is about sustainable science and the advance of the human spirit—to expand what's possible and our collective understanding.
Exploration is a team effort, and we go together. #WeAreNASA.
Image Description: A Hubble Space Telescope image of a glittering star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The stars are of varying temperatures, distances, and sizes, with some points of light appearing larger than others. Stars make up the entire image but are more concentrated in the center.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
#NASA #ArtemisGeneration #Workforce #Artemis #People #Space #Exploring #LaborDay
Safety first. Safety always.
On Sept. 3, @NASAArtemis teams prepared to launch the #Artemis I flight test on an uncrewed mission around the Moon, but a leak developed in the supply side of a line that transfers fuel to the rocket. Mission managers are meeting to discuss next steps and determine a new launch date.
We only fly when we're ready. Stay updated at blogs.nasa.gov/artemis
Image Description: A closeup view of the Space Launch System rocket on the launchpad. It's attached to the gray metal launch tower which has multiple levels of servicing platforms. The background is the blue sky with scattered clouds. The rocket has an orange central fuel tank with two white rocket boosters on either side. At the top sits the Orion crew capsule which is protected in white casing, or fairing.
Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
#Rocket #SpaceLaunchSystem #Orion #SLS #Space #Moon #NASA #WeAreGoing #Launch #Scrub
Humanity’s return to the Moon starts with #Artemis I.
Our most powerful rocket we’ve ever built, the Space Launch System (SLS) stands ready at @NASAKennedy for the historic Artemis I launch set for Sept. 3, 2022. The two-hour liftoff window opens at 2:17 p.m. EDT (18:17 UTC).
Atop the mega Moon rocket sits the uncrewed Orion spacecraft which will take future astronauts to the lunar surface and beyond. The goal: to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, serving as a steppingstone for missions to Mars. The 5-week mission will test Orion’s capabilities prior to Artemis II, the first @NASAArtemis flight with astronauts aboard.
Watch our live NASA TV broadcast starting at 12:15 p.m. EDT (16:15 UTC) on Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, and Dailymotion. Our Spanish-language @NASA_Es broadcast begins at 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC).
We are capable. We are going. nasa.gov/artemis
Image Description: The Space Launch System rocket stands upright on the launchpad. The background is the sky dominated by puffy cumulus clouds. The rocket has an orange central fuel tank with two white rocket boosters on either side. The boosters have the word NASA painted vertically on them in red in the iconic "NASA Worm" typeface. The typeface resembles a worm. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
#Rocket #Moon #Launch #SLS #Orion #Spacecraft #NASA #Space
Mars: “Whaaaasupppppp”
Jupiter: “Wazzzzzuppp”
Moon: “Wasssssuuup”
Mars is visible this month high in the southern sky moving eastward; it is best seen in the early morning before sunrise. Later in the month, Mars will appear to form a triangle in the sky with the stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse.
Jupiter is highly visible, as it is in opposition this month: on the 11th, you’ll see it hanging out with the Moon, making for a great viewing opportunity to observe them together through binoculars. Finally, Sept. 23 brings the equinox marking the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
You can read our full skywatching guide and see What’s Up in September at go.nasa.gov/whatsup
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
#NASA #Space #Moon #Jupiter #Mars #Equinox #Spring #Fall #Seasons #Stars #SolarSystem #Skywatching #Moongazing
Baby’s first exoplanet capture 🍼
@NASAWebb captured its first image of a planet outside of our solar system—a preview of future observations that will reveal more about exoplanets.
While this is not the first direct image of an exoplanet taken from space, HIP 65426 b points the way forward for Webb’s exoplanet exploration.
These images show the exoplanet in different bands of infrared light, as seen from Webb’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared instrument (MIRI). They look different because of the ways different instruments capture light. A set of masks within each instrument, called a coronagraph, blocks out the host star’s light so that the planet can be seen. The small white star in each image marks the location of the exoplanet’s host star, which has been subtracted using the coronagraphs and image processing.
The exoplanet is a gas giant, meaning it has no rocky surface and could not be habitable. It's about six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, and young as planets go—about 15 to 20 million years old, compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old Earth.
Taking direct images of exoplanets is challenging because stars are so much brighter than planets. The HIP 65426 b planet is more than 10,000 times fainter than its host star in the near-infrared, and a few thousand times fainter in the mid-infrared.
Image descriptions:
1: Webb’s NIRCam view shows a purple dot with purple bars at 11 & 5 o’clock, which are telescope artifacts, not physically present. The planet & artifacts have been colored purple.
2: Similar NIRCam view colored blue & with artifact bars
3: MIRI view, colored orange. No bars present
4: MIRI view, a red dot
5: Text reads “This image of gas giant HIP 65426 b hints at Webb's future possibilities for studying distant worlds.
Note: This post highlights images from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.
Credits: NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI)
#NASA #NASAWebb #Exoplanet #Universe #Space #Planet #Milestones #Astronomy
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night
Located in the constellation Pisces, the Phantom Galaxy is a grand-design spiral galaxy around 32 million light-years away. The first image combines data from the Webb and @nasahubble telescopes, giving us new insights into the galaxy’s symmetrical spiral arms, winding dust lanes, and bright areas of star formation. Keep swiping to see the telescopes’ individual views.
This galaxy is 100,000 light-years across and is suspected to have a black hole with the mass of 10,000 suns at its center. It is estimated that the Phantom Galaxy is home to about 100 billion stars, making it a little smaller than the Milky Way.
Image Descriptions (Credit: @nasawebb):
1. Hubble & Webb Combined View: Here, Webb's mid-infrared data has been combined with optical data from Hubble. Lacy red filaments spiraling out of the center of the galaxy are overlaid over a black field speckled with tiny blue stars. The red filaments contain pops of bright pink, which are star-forming regions. The red color is dust, and lighter oranges in the dust means that dust is hotter. Heavier older stars closer to the center of the galaxy are cyan and green and contribute to a greenish glow at the core.
2. Hubble Optical View: Arms carved of brown filaments spiral out from a bright galactic core. The arms have pops of pink, which are star-forming regions. Blue stars are speckled throughout the dark background.
3. Webb Mid-Infrared View: Delicate gray, web-like filaments form a spiral pattern winding outwards from the center of the galaxy. These spiral arms are traced by blue and bursts of pink, which are star-forming regions. A speckled cluster of young stars glow blue at the very heart of the galaxy.
Photo credits: Mid-Infrared – ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team; Optical – ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar. Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt
#NASA #space #astrophysics #Hubble #JWST #spiral #astronomy #BlackHole #Phantom #galaxy
We will try again. 🚀
This morning, teams came together in the early hours at @NASAKennedy Space Center in Florida and attempted to launch the #Artemis I mission to its voyage around and beyond the Moon.
After fully tanking the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, engineers discovered an issue with one of the four RS-25 engines not reaching the proper temperatures during a planned engine bleed test. As a result, we decided to postpone the launch today. Teams will come together to look at the data and determine a new launch date.
Space flight is inherently risky. But our teams do everything they can to keep the rocket and our communities safe. We will try again.
Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Image description: Sunrise begins to break over the SLS as it sits at Kennedy Space Center’s Launchpad 39B. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are orange and white, seen in the distance, surrounded by three grey lightning towers and three white fuel tanks. The sky is shades of blue, white, and pink, and the ocean is light blue with a hint of pink from the rising sun.
#Sunrise #Rocket #SLS #Space #Moon #NASA #MegaMoonRocket #Orion #NASAKennedy
We are ready. We are going! 🚀
Artemis stands ready. Ready to turn dreams into reality. Ready to return humanity to the Moon, and take us farther than ever before. The culmination of inspiration and innovation of herculean efforts and steadfast collaboration—#Artemis I is ready for departure.
Monday, Aug. 29, the uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System with the Orion spacecraft stacked atop it will launch into space for a journey around the far side of the Moon and back. Along the way it will conduct revolutionary research that will lay the path ahead for future crewed Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually on to Mars.
Our live coverage of the Aug. 29 launch starting at 6:30 a.m. EDT (10:30 UTC). Watch on our Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and in 4K on YouTube accounts, as well as on nasa.gov/live and NASA TV.
Image Description: Artemis I on the launch pad at sunset. In the distance the white and orange livery of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft are visible upright at the launch pad. Attached to the rocket is a large metallic grey support structure. To the left and right of the rocket are two tall and thin lightning towers. In the foreground of the image the silhouette of shrubbery is visible dominating the lower third of the image. The background of the upper portion of the image is a picturesque Florida sunset, with puffy and wispy white clouds and a sky painted with cozy hues of orange, pink, and red.
Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
#NASA #Artemis #SLS #Orion #Space #Launch #Moon #MegaMoonRocket #Launch
The next giant leap in space exploration is almost upon us, with the launch of #Artemis I, set for no earlier than Aug 29 at 8:33 a.m. EDT (12:33 UTC).
We want to thank the thousands of people who spent countless hours striving toward a goal larger than themselves, at 322 ft (98 meters) tall and 5.8 million pounds (2.6 million kg).
Though the mission is uncrewed, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is NASA's most powerful rocket, and with the help of the SLS, our Orion spacecraft will travel farther and longer than any ship designed for humans.
No matter where on Earth you call home, we hope you join us in watching the launch and celebrating with our team as humanity continues to look to the Moon and beyond.
Image description: The SLS and Orion spacecraft can be seen in the foreground with a full Moon to the left of the spacecraft. The SLS is orange, Orion is white, and the Moon is grey and white. A lightning tower is to the left of the Moon.
Credit: @NASA/Ben Smegelsky
#NASA #MegaMoonRocket #Space #Moon #Launch
Booked and busy ✈️
T-38 aircraft are a fixture of astronaut training, assisting pilots and mission specialists to think quickly in changing situations. Here, our T-38s fly in formation above the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on historic Launch Pad 39B at @NASAKennedy.
SLS and the Orion spacecraft for the @NASAArtemis I mission will launch no earlier than Aug. 29, 2022, with a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT (12:33 UTC). This will be the beginning of its six-week, uncrewed test flight around the Moon where it will travel farther than any Apollo mission before it. This is the first of many complex and challenging test missions that will prepare to send humans on the Moon for long-term lunar exploration.
Watch the live broadcast for the launch on nasa.gov/live beginning at 6:30 a.m. (10:30 UTC) in English. Spanish coverage will begin at 7:30 a.m. (11:30 UTC).
Video description: Four slim white planes each with a single blue stripe fly in an organized diagonal formation above the NASA Kennedy Space Center 39B launch complex, where the SLS rocket, in orange and white, awaits its launch day. Streets jut out in different directions from the launch pad, and the area is surrounded by an expanse of green grass.
Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
#NASA #Artemis #Space #Launch #Rockets #Kennedy #T38 #Jets #Astronauts #Training #Practice #aviation #avgeek
Fashions fade, style is eternal.
Forty million light-years from Earth, a galaxy starts to lose its shine as its gas and dust recede – without the star-making material, the galaxy will eventually fade.
Stars are formed when immense clouds of gas and dust collapse under their gravitational attraction; as the cloud collapses, a dense hot core forms and begins to gather more material, which can become planets, asteroids, comets, or remain dust.
The remnants of this spiral galaxy’s massive arms can be seen in this image taken by @NASAHubble. The galaxy lies in the constellation Dorado (the Dolphinfish) and can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.
Image description: Thousands of stars surround this image of a galaxy that has a bright core and concentric circles of brown dust emanating from its center.
Credit: @EuropeanSpaceAgency/Hubble & NASA, D. Rosario; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz
#Stars #Galaxy #FadeAway #NASA #Dust #Hubble
Let your light shine. 💅
A brilliant stream of the southern lights or aurora australis is captured in this photograph from the International Space Station (@ISS) as it orbited 270 miles (434 km) above the Indian Ocean near Antarctica.
The vibrant displays of light around Earth’s North and South Poles are caused by the interaction of solar particles, ejected by the Sun, and our planet’s protective magnetic field. Most of the time these interactions are relatively limited and go unnoticed by us on Earth. However, during large solar storms, called coronal mass ejections, the Sun spews large bubbles of electrified gas which collide with our magnetic field at its North and South Poles and enter our atmosphere.
Once in the atmosphere, these energized solar particles collide with atmospheric gases resulting in beautiful displays of light. When solar particles collide with atmospheric oxygen they give off rich red and green hues as seen in this image. Conversely, if these same particles collide with nitrogen in our atmosphere they illuminate the sky in glows of blue and purple.
Earth isn’t the only planet to have auroras. If a planet has an atmosphere and magnetic field, they likely have auroras—as is the case with our solar system neighbor Jupiter, which showed off its beautiful auroras in our last post.
Image Description: A rich stream of the aurora australis or southern lights. The curved horizon of Earth dominates the lower half of the image. Following the curve of the horizon beautiful wisps of green light float above the planet’s surface. Near the upper extremes of the horizon, near where it meets with space, long tall spikes of green light radiate towards the upper half of the image. As the long tall spikes of light reach higher they transition into hues of red. In the upper half of the image, the dark blackness of space dominates, disrupted by the bright white sprinkles of stars visible in the distance. To the far right, the International Space Station covers a section of the image.
Credit: NASA/Bob Hines
#NASA #Space #SolarSystem #Earth #SouthernLights #Sun #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SpaceStation #ThePlanets