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Search results for tag #nasa

[?]grobi » 🌐
@grobi@defcon.social

2025 November 20

3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri
instagram.com/rolandoligustri/

Explanation:
Now outbound after its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our fair Solar System. Its greenish coma and faint tails are seen against a background of stars in the constellation Virgo in this view from planet Earth, recorded with a small telescope on November 14. But this interstellar interloper is the subject of an on-going, unprecedented Solar System-wide observing campaign involving spacecraft and space telescopes from Earth orbit to the surface of Mars and beyond. And while the comet from another star-system has recently grown brighter, you'll still need a telescope if you want to see 3I/ATLAS from planet Earth. It's now above the horizon in November morning skies and will make its closest approach to Earth, a comfortable 270 million kilometers distant, around December 19.
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
instagram.com/rolandoligustri/
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250809.ht
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25035
earthsky.org/space/new-interst
theskylive.com/c2025n1-info

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251121.ht

2025 November 20 3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri Explanation: Now outbound after its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our fair Solar System. Its greenish coma and faint tails are seen against a background of stars in the constellation Virgo in this view from planet Earth, recorded with a small telescope on November 14. But this interstellar interloper is the subject of an on-going, unprecedented Solar System-wide observing campaign involving spacecraft and space telescopes from Earth orbit to the surface of Mars and beyond. And while the comet from another star-system has recently grown brighter, you'll still need a telescope if you want to see 3I/ATLAS from planet Earth. It's now above the horizon in November morning skies and will make its closest approach to Earth, a comfortable 270 million kilometers distant, around December 19. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Alt...2025 November 20 3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri Explanation: Now outbound after its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our fair Solar System. Its greenish coma and faint tails are seen against a background of stars in the constellation Virgo in this view from planet Earth, recorded with a small telescope on November 14. But this interstellar interloper is the subject of an on-going, unprecedented Solar System-wide observing campaign involving spacecraft and space telescopes from Earth orbit to the surface of Mars and beyond. And while the comet from another star-system has recently grown brighter, you'll still need a telescope if you want to see 3I/ATLAS from planet Earth. It's now above the horizon in November morning skies and will make its closest approach to Earth, a comfortable 270 million kilometers distant, around December 19. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

    [?]grobi » 🌐
    @grobi@defcon.social

    2025 November 20

    Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Aygen Erkaslan
    app.astrobin.com/u/a.erkaslan#

    Explanation:
    Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are the bright bluish stars from east to west (upper right to lower left) along the diagonal in this cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion, these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie from 700 to 2,000 light-years away, born of Orion's well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula near Alnitak at the upper right. The famous Orion Nebula itself is off the right edge of this colorful starfield. The telescopic frame spans almost 4 degrees on the sky.
    stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/a
    stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/a
    stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/m
    app.astrobin.com/u/a.erkaslan?
    gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Educatio
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200919.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250902.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251113.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120119.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251120.ht

    2025 November 20 Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka * Image Credit & Copyright: Aygen Erkaslan Explanation: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are the bright bluish stars from east to west (upper right to lower left) along the diagonal in this cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion, these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie from 700 to 2,000 light-years away, born of Orion's well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula near Alnitak at the upper right. The famous Orion Nebula itself is off the right edge of this colorful starfield. The telescopic frame spans almost 4 degrees on the sky. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

    Alt...2025 November 20 Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka * Image Credit & Copyright: Aygen Erkaslan Explanation: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are the bright bluish stars from east to west (upper right to lower left) along the diagonal in this cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion, these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie from 700 to 2,000 light-years away, born of Orion's well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula near Alnitak at the upper right. The famous Orion Nebula itself is off the right edge of this colorful starfield. The telescopic frame spans almost 4 degrees on the sky. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

      [?]grobi » 🌐
      @grobi@defcon.social

      Annotated Hi-Res image for previews post.

      Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
      * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou

      apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25111

      Annotated Hi-Res image for previews post. The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust appearing brown and making a big Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this 11.4-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, a bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on the upper right of the V, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with one notable exception: a white spot just below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas.

      Alt...Annotated Hi-Res image for previews post. The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust appearing brown and making a big Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this 11.4-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, a bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on the upper right of the V, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with one notable exception: a white spot just below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas.

        [?]grobi » 🌐
        @grobi@defcon.social

        2025 November 19

        Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
        * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou
        app.astrobin.com/u/Flying_Dutc

        Explanation:
        Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this 11.4-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, a bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on the upper right of the V, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with one notable exception: a white spot just below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas.
        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaele
        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Cha
        flickr.com/photos/hiroc/478075
        werbeagentur.org/oldwexi/galle
        theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/ic3
        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180628.ht

        science.org/content/article/in
        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_
        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_giant
        astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/d
        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.ht
        science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infrar

        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251119.ht

        2025 November 19 The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust appearing brown and making a big Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this 11.4-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, a bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on the upper right of the V, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with one notable exception: a white spot just below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

        Alt...2025 November 19 The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust appearing brown and making a big Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas * Image Credit & Copyright: Xinran Li & Houbo Zhou Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this 11.4-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, a bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on the upper right of the V, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with one notable exception: a white spot just below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

          [?]grobi » 🌐
          @grobi@defcon.social

          Explore and compare the Milky Way band in Visible Light and Radio Light with GLEAMX-deepzoom:

          gleamx-deepzoom.pages.dev/

          CREDIT
          International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)

          Screenshot of the GLEAMX-deepzoom webpage CREDIT International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)

          Alt...Screenshot of the GLEAMX-deepzoom webpage CREDIT International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)

            [?]grobi » 🌐
            @grobi@defcon.social

            2025 November 18

            The Galactic Plane: Radio Versus Visible
            * Image Credit: Radio: S. Mantovanini & the GLEAM team
            researchgate.net/profile/Silvi
            mwatelescope.org/science/galac
            * Visible: Axel Mellinger (milkywaysky.com)
            milkywaysky.com/contact.html

            Explanation:
            What does the Milky Way look like in radio waves? To better find out, GLEAM surveyed the central band of our galaxy in high resolution radio light as imaged by the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia. As the featured video slowly scrolls, radio light (71 - 231 MHz) is seen on the left and visible light -- from the same field -- on the right. Differences are so great because most objects glow differently in radio and visible light, and because visible light is stopped by nearby interstellar dust. These differences are particularly apparent in the direction toward the center of our galaxy, seen about a third of the way through. Among the many features that appear in the radio, bright red patches are usually supernova remnants of exploded stars, while areas colored blue are stellar nurseries filled with bright young stars.
            mwatelescope.org/science/galac
            mwatelescope.org/
            icrar.org/gleam-x-galactic-pla
            curtin.edu.au/news/media-relea

            science.nasa.gov/ems/05_radiow
            science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visibl

            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250209.ht
            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241124.ht
            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250708.ht
            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100831.ht
            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250414.ht
            en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernov

            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251118.ht

            Alt...2025 November 18 The Galactic Plane: Radio Versus Visible * Image Credit: Radio: S. Mantovanini & the GLEAM team * Visible: Axel Mellinger (milkywaysky.com) Explanation: What does the Milky Way look like in radio waves? To better find out, GLEAM surveyed the central band of our galaxy in high resolution radio light as imaged by the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia. As the featured video slowly scrolls, radio light (71 - 231 MHz) is seen on the left and visible light -- from the same field -- on the right. Differences are so great because most objects glow differently in radio and visible light, and because visible light is stopped by nearby interstellar dust. These differences are particularly apparent in the direction toward the center of our galaxy, seen about a third of the way through. Among the many features that appear in the radio, bright red patches are usually supernova remnants of exploded stars, while areas colored blue are stellar nurseries filled with bright young stars. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

              [?]grobi » 🌐
              @grobi@defcon.social

              Watch the watchers of 3I/ATLAS live in this solar-system 3D api and read more about their missions:

              eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-syste

              Image of 3I/ATLAS live in this solar-system 3D api url provided in main text.

              Alt...Image of 3I/ATLAS live in this solar-system 3D api url provided in main text.

                [?]grobi » 🌐
                @grobi@defcon.social

                3I/ATLAS has its closest approach to Mars on Oct. 3, 2025. Several Mars missions will attempt to study the comet as it flies by.
                The comet may be detectable by various Mars spacecraft, including Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express, as well as the Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity.

                Watch its approach live with this interactive 3D simulation api:
                eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-syste

                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                  @grobi@defcon.social

                  2025 November 17

                  Comet Lemmon's Wandering Tail
                  * Image Credit: Ignacio Fernández
                  instagram.com/igneis.nightscap

                  Explanation:
                  What has happened to Comet Lemmon's tail? The answer is blowing in the wind — the wind from the Sun in this case. This continuous outflow of charged particles from the Sun has been quite variable of late, as the Sun emits bursts of energy, CMEs, that push out and deflect charged particles emitted by the comet itself. The result is a blue hued ion tail for Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) that is not only impressively intricate but takes some unusual turns. This long-duration composite image taken from Alfacar, Spain last month captured this inner Solar System ionic tumult. Comet Lemmon is now fading as it heads out away from the Earth and Sun and back into the outer Solar System.
                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_A
                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220125.ht
                  theskylive.com/c2025a6-info
                  science.nasa.gov/sun/what-is-t
                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240818.ht
                  science.nasa.gov/science-resea
                  jpl.nasa.gov/nmp/st5/SCIENCE/c
                  science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/

                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25111

                  2025 November 17 A starfield is shown above a mountain peak. Just above the mountain and extending up toward the upper right is a blue-tinted tail of a comet. The comet's head is just to the left of the peak. Comet Lemmon's Wandering Tail * Image Credit: Ignacio Fernández Explanation: What has happened to Comet Lemmon's tail? The answer is blowing in the wind — the wind from the Sun in this case. This continuous outflow of charged particles from the Sun has been quite variable of late, as the Sun emits bursts of energy, CMEs, that push out and deflect charged particles emitted by the comet itself. The result is a blue hued ion tail for Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) that is not only impressively intricate but takes some unusual turns. This long-duration composite image taken from Alfacar, Spain last month captured this inner Solar System ionic tumult. Comet Lemmon is now fading as it heads out away from the Earth and Sun and back into the outer Solar System. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                  Alt...2025 November 17 A starfield is shown above a mountain peak. Just above the mountain and extending up toward the upper right is a blue-tinted tail of a comet. The comet's head is just to the left of the peak. Comet Lemmon's Wandering Tail * Image Credit: Ignacio Fernández Explanation: What has happened to Comet Lemmon's tail? The answer is blowing in the wind — the wind from the Sun in this case. This continuous outflow of charged particles from the Sun has been quite variable of late, as the Sun emits bursts of energy, CMEs, that push out and deflect charged particles emitted by the comet itself. The result is a blue hued ion tail for Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) that is not only impressively intricate but takes some unusual turns. This long-duration composite image taken from Alfacar, Spain last month captured this inner Solar System ionic tumult. Comet Lemmon is now fading as it heads out away from the Earth and Sun and back into the outer Solar System. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                    @grobi@defcon.social

                    The Great Crossing
                    (Saturn's rings on the edge)

                    This movie sequence captures Saturn's rings during a ring plane crossing from the Cassini spacecraft's point of view. The movie begins with a view of the sunlit side of the rings. As the spacecraft speeds from south to north, the rings appear to tilt downward and collapse to a thin plane, and then open again to reveal the un-illuminated side of the ring plane, where sunlight filters through only dimly. The movie consists of 34 images taken over the course of 12 hours as Cassini pierced the ring plane. Six moons careen through the field of view during the sequence. The first large one is Enceladus, whose slanted motion from the upper left to center right nicely illustrates the inclination of its orbit with respect to the rings. The second large one, seen in the second half of the movie, is Mimas, going from right to left.

                    Saturn's rings are about 175,000 miles (282,000 km) across, but only about 3,200 feet (~1 km) thick. If you had a model of Saturn that wasCRED a meter stick wide (3 feet), its rings would be about 10,000 times thinner than a razor blade! Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon.

                    Saturn's rings probably formed when objects like comets, asteroids, or even moons broke up in orbit around Saturn due to Saturn's very strong gravity. The pieces of these objects kept colliding with each other and broke into even smaller pieces. These pieces gradually spread around Saturn to form its rings. The rings are thought to be short-lived compared to the age of the Solar System, meaning that if we lived at a very different time, we may not have seen rings around Saturn.

                    Saturn's rings are made of billions of pieces of ice, dust and rocks. (more in ALT-text)

                    CREDIT
                    NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

                    coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/as

                    Alt...This movie sequence captures Saturn's rings during a ring plane crossing from the Cassini spacecraft's point of view. The movie begins with a view of the sunlit side of the rings. As the spacecraft speeds from south to north, the rings appear to tilt downward and collapse to a thin plane, and then open again to reveal the un-illuminated side of the ring plane, where sunlight filters through only dimly. The movie consists of 34 images taken over the course of 12 hours as Cassini pierced the ring plane. Six moons careen through the field of view during the sequence. The first large one is Enceladus, whose slanted motion from the upper left to center right nicely illustrates the inclination of its orbit with respect to the rings. The second large one, seen in the second half of the movie, is Mimas, going from right to left. Saturn's rings are about 175,000 miles (282,000 km) across, but only about 3,200 feet (~1 km) thick. If you had a model of Saturn that was a meter stick wide (3 feet), its rings would be about 10,000 times thinner than a razor blade! Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon. Saturn's rings are made of billions of pieces of ice, dust and rocks. Some of these particles are as small as a grain of salt, while others are as big as houses. These chucks of rock and ice are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids or even moons which were torn apart by the strong gravity of Saturn before they could reach the planet.

                      [?]grobi » 🌐
                      @grobi@defcon.social

                      2025 November 16

                      Crossing Saturn's Ring Plane
                      * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, ISS, Cassini Imaging Team
                      nasa.gov/
                      esa.int/
                      jpl.nasa.gov/
                      ciclops.org/iss/iss.php
                      ciclops.org/
                      * Processing: Fernando Garcia Navarro

                      Explanation:
                      If this is Saturn, where are the rings? When Saturn's "appendages" disappeared in 1612, Galileo did not understand why. Later that century, it became understood that Saturn's unusual protrusions were rings and that when the Earth crosses the ring plane, the edge-on rings will appear to disappear. This is because Saturn's rings are confined to a plane many times thinner, in proportion, than a razor blade. In modern times, the robotic Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn frequently crossed Saturn's ring plane during its mission to Saturn, from 2004 to 2017. A series of plane crossing images from 2005 February was dug out of the vast online Cassini raw image archive by interested Spanish amateur Fernando Garcia Navarro. Pictured here, digitally cropped and set in representative colors, is the striking result. Saturn's thin ring plane appears in blue, bands and clouds in Saturn's upper atmosphere appear in gold. Details of Saturn's rings can be seen in high dark shadows. The moons Dione and Enceladus appear as bumps in the rings.
                      asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.ph
                      slate.com/technology/2005/06/s
                      coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/as
                      solarsystem.nasa.gov/cassini-r
                      science.nasa.gov/mission/cassi
                      science.nasa.gov/mission/cassi

                      science.nasa.gov/mission/cassi
                      science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/
                      science.gsfc.nasa.gov/attic/hu
                      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_

                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251116.ht

                      2025 November 16 The planet Saturn is shown as an orange orb with bands. A blue line with bumps runs across the middle -- which is the rings seen sideways. The bumps are small moons. Crossing Saturn's Ring Plane * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, ISS, Cassini Imaging Team * Processing: Fernando Garcia Navarro Explanation: If this is Saturn, where are the rings? When Saturn's "appendages" disappeared in 1612, Galileo did not understand why. Later that century, it became understood that Saturn's unusual protrusions were rings and that when the Earth crosses the ring plane, the edge-on rings will appear to disappear. This is because Saturn's rings are confined to a plane many times thinner, in proportion, than a razor blade. In modern times, the robotic Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn frequently crossed Saturn's ring plane during its mission to Saturn, from 2004 to 2017. A series of plane crossing images from 2005 February was dug out of the vast online Cassini raw image archive by interested Spanish amateur Fernando Garcia Navarro. Pictured here, digitally cropped and set in representative colors, is the striking result. Saturn's thin ring plane appears in blue, bands and clouds in Saturn's upper atmosphere appear in gold. Details of Saturn's rings can be seen in high dark shadows. The moons Dione and Enceladus appear as bumps in the rings. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

                      Alt...2025 November 16 The planet Saturn is shown as an orange orb with bands. A blue line with bumps runs across the middle -- which is the rings seen sideways. The bumps are small moons. Crossing Saturn's Ring Plane * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, ISS, Cassini Imaging Team * Processing: Fernando Garcia Navarro Explanation: If this is Saturn, where are the rings? When Saturn's "appendages" disappeared in 1612, Galileo did not understand why. Later that century, it became understood that Saturn's unusual protrusions were rings and that when the Earth crosses the ring plane, the edge-on rings will appear to disappear. This is because Saturn's rings are confined to a plane many times thinner, in proportion, than a razor blade. In modern times, the robotic Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn frequently crossed Saturn's ring plane during its mission to Saturn, from 2004 to 2017. A series of plane crossing images from 2005 February was dug out of the vast online Cassini raw image archive by interested Spanish amateur Fernando Garcia Navarro. Pictured here, digitally cropped and set in representative colors, is the striking result. Saturn's thin ring plane appears in blue, bands and clouds in Saturn's upper atmosphere appear in gold. Details of Saturn's rings can be seen in high dark shadows. The moons Dione and Enceladus appear as bumps in the rings. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

                        [?]grobi » 🌐
                        @grobi@defcon.social

                        Trapezium Zoom
                        Messier 42 (The Orion Nebula)

                        + Distance: 1,500 light-years
                        + Apparent Magnitude: 4.0
                        + Constellation: Orion
                        + Object Type: Nebula

                        + Release Date: August 24, 2000
                        + Science Release: Hubble Spies Brown Dwarfs in Nearby Stellar Nursery

                        Credit
                        Bryan Preston (STScI AVL)

                        science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb

                        Alt...Trapezium Zoom Release Date: August 24, 2000 Science Release: Hubble Spies Brown Dwarfs in Nearby Stellar Nursery Credit Bryan Preston (STScI AVL)

                          [?]grobi » 🌐
                          @grobi@defcon.social

                          Messier 42 (The Orion Nebula)
                          * by Andrea Gianopoulos

                          You can spot Messier 42, better known as the Orion Nebula, with the unaided eye from a dark sky site.

                          Believed to be the cosmic fire of creation by the Maya of Mesoamerica, M42 blazes brightly in the constellation Orion. Popularly called the Orion Nebula, this stellar nursery has been known to many different cultures throughout human history. The nebula is only 1,500 light-years away, making it the closest large star-forming region to Earth and giving it a relatively bright apparent magnitude of 4. Because of its brightness and prominent location just below Orion’s belt, M42 can be spotted with the naked eye, while offering an excellent peek at stellar birth for those with telescopes. It is best observed during January.

                          The Mayan culture’s likening of the Orion Nebula to a cosmic fire of creation is very apt. The nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas where vast numbers of new stars are being forged. Its bright, central region is the home of four massive, young stars that shape the nebula. The four hefty stars are called the Trapezium because they are arranged in a trapezoidal pattern. Ultraviolet light unleashed by these stars is carving a cavity in the nebula and disrupting the growth of hundreds of smaller stars.

                          This stunning Hubble image offers the sharpest view of the Orion Nebula ever obtained. Created using 520 different Hubble exposures taken in multiple wavelengths of light, this mosaic contains over one billion pixels. Hubble imaged most of the nebula, but ground-based images were used to fill in the gaps in its observations. The orange color in the image can be attributed to hydrogen, green represents oxygen, and the red represents both sulfur and observations made in infrared light.

                          science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl

                          FYI:
                          science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb
                          science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb

                          This stunning Hubble image offers the sharpest view of the Orion Nebula ever obtained. Created using 520 different Hubble exposures taken in multiple wavelengths of light, this mosaic contains over one billion pixels. Hubble imaged most of the nebula, but ground-based images were used to fill in the gaps in its observations. The orange color in the image can be attributed to hydrogen, green represents oxygen, and the red represents both sulfur and observations made in infrared light. Credit NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

                          Alt...This stunning Hubble image offers the sharpest view of the Orion Nebula ever obtained. Created using 520 different Hubble exposures taken in multiple wavelengths of light, this mosaic contains over one billion pixels. Hubble imaged most of the nebula, but ground-based images were used to fill in the gaps in its observations. The orange color in the image can be attributed to hydrogen, green represents oxygen, and the red represents both sulfur and observations made in infrared light. Credit NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

                          Appearing like glistening precious stones, M42’s Trapezium cluster, named for the trapezoidal arrangement of its central massive stars, is seen in this infrared Hubble image. All of the members of the Trapezium were born together in this hotbed of star formation. CREDIT K.L. Luhman (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.); and G. Schneider, E. Young, G. Rieke, A. Cotera, H. Chen, M. Rieke, R. Thompson (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.) and NASA/ESA

                          Alt...Appearing like glistening precious stones, M42’s Trapezium cluster, named for the trapezoidal arrangement of its central massive stars, is seen in this infrared Hubble image. All of the members of the Trapezium were born together in this hotbed of star formation. CREDIT K.L. Luhman (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.); and G. Schneider, E. Young, G. Rieke, A. Cotera, H. Chen, M. Rieke, R. Thompson (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.) and NASA/ESA

                          Resembling an interstellar Frisbee, the dark feature in these two Hubble images is a protoplanetary disk of dust seen edge-on around a newborn star in M42. The two images show the disk through two different sets of filters: one to probe the disk’s chemical composition (left) and another to reduce the brightness of the nebula, revealing brighter regions above and below the disk that betray the presence of the star (right). Because the disk is edge-on, its star is largely hidden, but the disk may be an embryonic planetary system in the making. Our solar system probably formed out of such a disk 4.5 billion years ago. CREDIT Mark McCaughrean (Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy), C. Robert O'Dell (Rice University) and NASA

                          Alt...Resembling an interstellar Frisbee, the dark feature in these two Hubble images is a protoplanetary disk of dust seen edge-on around a newborn star in M42. The two images show the disk through two different sets of filters: one to probe the disk’s chemical composition (left) and another to reduce the brightness of the nebula, revealing brighter regions above and below the disk that betray the presence of the star (right). Because the disk is edge-on, its star is largely hidden, but the disk may be an embryonic planetary system in the making. Our solar system probably formed out of such a disk 4.5 billion years ago. CREDIT Mark McCaughrean (Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy), C. Robert O'Dell (Rice University) and NASA

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                            Hubble Spies Brown Dwarfs in Nearby Stellar Nursery

                            [...]
                            Appearing like glistening precious stones surrounding a setting of sparkling diamonds, more than 300 fledgling stars and brown dwarfs surround the brightest, most massive stars [center of picture] in Hubble's view of the Trapezium cluster's central region. All of the celestial objects in the Trapezium were born together in this hotbed of star formation. The cluster is named for the trapezoidal alignment of those central massive stars.

                            Brown dwarfs are gaseous objects with masses so low their cores never become hot enough to fuse hydrogen, the thermonuclear fuel stars like the Sun need to shine steadily. Instead, these gaseous objects fade and cool as they grow older. [...]

                            This finding, along with observations from ground-based telescopes, is further evidence that brown dwarfs, once considered exotic objects, are nearly as abundant as stars. The image and results appear in the Sept. 20 issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

                            The brown dwarfs are too dim to be seen in a visible-light image taken by the Hubble telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 [picture at left]. This view also doesn't show the assemblage of infant stars seen in the near-infrared image. That's because the young stars are embedded in dense clouds of dust and gas. The Hubble telescope's near-infrared camera, the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer, penetrated those clouds to capture a view of those objects. The brown dwarfs are the faintest objects in the image. Surveying the cluster's central region, the Hubble telescope spied brown dwarfs with masses equaling 10 to 80 Jupiters. Researchers think there may be less massive brown dwarfs that are beyond the limits of Hubble's vision.
                            [...] (see more in ALT-text)

                            science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/

                            ography

                            Probing deep within a neighborhood stellar nursery, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered a swarm of newborn brown dwarfs. The orbiting observatory's near-infrared camera revealed about 50 of these objects throughout the Orion Nebula's Trapezium cluster [image at right], about 1,500 light-years from Earth. Appearing like glistening precious stones surrounding a setting of sparkling diamonds, more than 300 fledgling stars and brown dwarfs surround the brightest, most massive stars [center of picture] in Hubble's view of the Trapezium cluster's central region. The brown dwarfs are too dim to be seen in an image taken by the Hubble telescope's visible-light camera [picture at left]. [...] The near-infrared image was taken Jan. 17, 1998. Two near-infrared filters were used to obtain information on the colors of the stars at two wavelengths (1.1 and 1.6 microns). The Trapezium picture is 1 light-year across. This composite image was made from a "mosaic" of nine separate, but adjoining images. In this false-color image, blue corresponds to warmer, more massive stars, and red to cooler, less massive stars and brown dwarfs, and stars that are heavily obscured by dust. The visible-light data were taken in 1994 and 1995. Credit * Near-infrared image: NASA; K.L. Luhman and G. Schneider, E. Young, G. Rieke, A. Cotera, H. Chen, M. Rieke, R. Thompson * Visible-light image: NASA, C.R. O'Dell and S.K. Wong (Rice University)

                            Alt...Probing deep within a neighborhood stellar nursery, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered a swarm of newborn brown dwarfs. The orbiting observatory's near-infrared camera revealed about 50 of these objects throughout the Orion Nebula's Trapezium cluster [image at right], about 1,500 light-years from Earth. Appearing like glistening precious stones surrounding a setting of sparkling diamonds, more than 300 fledgling stars and brown dwarfs surround the brightest, most massive stars [center of picture] in Hubble's view of the Trapezium cluster's central region. The brown dwarfs are too dim to be seen in an image taken by the Hubble telescope's visible-light camera [picture at left]. [...] The near-infrared image was taken Jan. 17, 1998. Two near-infrared filters were used to obtain information on the colors of the stars at two wavelengths (1.1 and 1.6 microns). The Trapezium picture is 1 light-year across. This composite image was made from a "mosaic" of nine separate, but adjoining images. In this false-color image, blue corresponds to warmer, more massive stars, and red to cooler, less massive stars and brown dwarfs, and stars that are heavily obscured by dust. The visible-light data were taken in 1994 and 1995. Credit * Near-infrared image: NASA; K.L. Luhman and G. Schneider, E. Young, G. Rieke, A. Cotera, H. Chen, M. Rieke, R. Thompson * Visible-light image: NASA, C.R. O'Dell and S.K. Wong (Rice University)

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                              Orion Nebula proplyd atlas

                              This atlas features 30 proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, that were recently discovered in the majestic Orion Nebula. Using the wide field channel on Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), astronomers discovered a total of 42 new discs that could be the seeds of planetary systems to come. Within the awe-inspiring, gaseous folds of Orion, researchers have identified two different types of discs around young and forming stars: those that lie close to the brightest star in the cluster (Theta 1 Orionis C) and those farther away from it. The bright star heats up the gas in the nearby discs, causing them to shine brightly. The discs that are farther away do not receive enough of the energetic radiation from the star to set the gas ablaze; thus, they can only be detected as dark silhouettes against the background of the bright nebula, as the dust that surrounds these discs absorbs background visible light. By studying these silhouetted discs, astronomers are better able to characterize the properties of the dust grains that are thought to bind together and possibly form planets like our own. In the brighter discs the excited material produces many glowing cusps, which all face the bright star, but from our point of view are randomly oriented through the nebula, so we see some edge on, and others face on, for instance. Other interesting features enhance the look of these captivating objects, such as emerging jets of matter and shock waves. The dramatic shock waves are formed when the stellar wind from the nearby massive star collides with the gas in the nebula, sculpting boomerang shapes or arrows or even, in the case of 181-825, a space jellyfish! [...] (see ALT-text)

                              Image Credit:
                              NASA, ESA, and L. Ricci (ESO)

                              science.nasa.gov/image-detail/

                              Orion Nebula proplyd atlas This atlas features 30 proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, that were recently discovered in the majestic Orion Nebula. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and L. Ricci (ESO) [...] It is relatively rare to see visible images of proplyds, but the high resolution and sensitivity of Hubble and the Orion Nebula’s proximity to Earth allow for precise views of these potential planetary systems. This proplyd atlas is the first scientific outcome from the HST Treasury Program on the Orion Nebula.

                              Alt...Orion Nebula proplyd atlas This atlas features 30 proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, that were recently discovered in the majestic Orion Nebula. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and L. Ricci (ESO) [...] It is relatively rare to see visible images of proplyds, but the high resolution and sensitivity of Hubble and the Orion Nebula’s proximity to Earth allow for precise views of these potential planetary systems. This proplyd atlas is the first scientific outcome from the HST Treasury Program on the Orion Nebula.

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                                2025 November 15

                                Andromeda and Friends
                                * Image Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski
                                app.astrobin.com/u/PiotrC#gall

                                Explanation:
                                This magnificent extragalactic skyscape looks toward the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. It also accomplishes a Messier catalog trifecta by including Andromeda, cataloged as Messier 31 (M31), along with Messier 32 (M32), and Messier 110 (M110) in the same telescopic field of view. In this frame, M32 is just left of the Andromeda Galaxy's bright core with M110 below and to the right. M32 and M110 are both elliptical galaxies themselves and satellites of the larger spiral Andromeda. By combining 60 hours of broadband and narrowband image data, the deep telescopic view also reveals tantalizing details of dust lanes, young star clusters, and star-forming regions along Andromeda's spiral arms, and faint, foreground clouds of glowing hydrogen gas. For now, Andromeda and friends are some 2.5 million light-years from our own large spiral Milky Way.
                                app.astrobin.com/u/PiotrC?i=1y
                                science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
                                science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
                                science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl

                                apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25111

                                2025 November 15 Andromeda and Friends * Image Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski Explanation: This magnificent extragalactic skyscape looks toward the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. It also accomplishes a Messier catalog trifecta by including Andromeda, cataloged as Messier 31 (M31), along with Messier 32 (M32), and Messier 110 (M110) in the same telescopic field of view. In this frame, M32 is just left of the Andromeda Galaxy's bright core with M110 below and to the right. M32 and M110 are both elliptical galaxies themselves and satellites of the larger spiral Andromeda. By combining 60 hours of broadband and narrowband image data, the deep telescopic view also reveals tantalizing details of dust lanes, young star clusters, and star-forming regions along Andromeda's spiral arms, and faint, foreground clouds of glowing hydrogen gas. For now, Andromeda and friends are some 2.5 million light-years from our own large spiral Milky Way. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                Alt...2025 November 15 Andromeda and Friends * Image Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski Explanation: This magnificent extragalactic skyscape looks toward the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. It also accomplishes a Messier catalog trifecta by including Andromeda, cataloged as Messier 31 (M31), along with Messier 32 (M32), and Messier 110 (M110) in the same telescopic field of view. In this frame, M32 is just left of the Andromeda Galaxy's bright core with M110 below and to the right. M32 and M110 are both elliptical galaxies themselves and satellites of the larger spiral Andromeda. By combining 60 hours of broadband and narrowband image data, the deep telescopic view also reveals tantalizing details of dust lanes, young star clusters, and star-forming regions along Andromeda's spiral arms, and faint, foreground clouds of glowing hydrogen gas. For now, Andromeda and friends are some 2.5 million light-years from our own large spiral Milky Way. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                  2025 November 14

                                  Florida Northern Lights
                                  * Image Credit & Copyright: Samil Cabrera
                                  instagram.com/astronycc/

                                  Explanation:
                                  Northern lights have come to Florida skies. In fact, the brilliant streak of a Northern Taurid meteor flashes through the starry night sky above the beach in this sea and skyscape, captured from Shired Island, Florida on November 11. Meteors from the annual Northern Taurid meteor shower are expected this time of year. But the digital camera exposure also records the shimmering glow of aurora, a phenomenon more often seen from our fair planet's higher geographical latitudes. Also known as aurora borealis, these northern lights are part of recent, wide spread auroral activity caused by strong geomagnetic storms. In the last few days, stormy spaceweather has been triggered by multiple Earth impacting coronal mass ejections and intense solar activity.
                                  spaceweathergallery2.com/indiv
                                  swpc.noaa.gov/news/g3-strong-g
                                  earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti
                                  earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-acti

                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251114.ht

                                  2025 November 14 Florida Northern Lights * Image Credit & Copyright: Samil Cabrera Explanation: Northern lights have come to Florida skies. In fact, the brilliant streak of a Northern Taurid meteor flashes through the starry night sky above the beach in this sea and skyscape, captured from Shired Island, Florida on November 11. Meteors from the annual Northern Taurid meteor shower are expected this time of year. But the digital camera exposure also records the shimmering glow of aurora, a phenomenon more often seen from our fair planet's higher geographical latitudes. Also known as aurora borealis, these northern lights are part of recent, wide spread auroral activity caused by strong geomagnetic storms. In the last few days, stormy spaceweather has been triggered by multiple Earth impacting coronal mass ejections and intense solar activity. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                  Alt...2025 November 14 Florida Northern Lights * Image Credit & Copyright: Samil Cabrera Explanation: Northern lights have come to Florida skies. In fact, the brilliant streak of a Northern Taurid meteor flashes through the starry night sky above the beach in this sea and skyscape, captured from Shired Island, Florida on November 11. Meteors from the annual Northern Taurid meteor shower are expected this time of year. But the digital camera exposure also records the shimmering glow of aurora, a phenomenon more often seen from our fair planet's higher geographical latitudes. Also known as aurora borealis, these northern lights are part of recent, wide spread auroral activity caused by strong geomagnetic storms. In the last few days, stormy spaceweather has been triggered by multiple Earth impacting coronal mass ejections and intense solar activity. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                    2011 March 25

                                    Auroral Substorm over Yellowknife
                                    * Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul
                                    twanight.org/profile/kwon-o-ch

                                    Explanation:
                                    Intense auroral activity flooded the night with shimmering colors on February 24, captured here from a lodge near the city of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The stunning sequence (left to right) of three all-sky exposures, taken at 30 second intervals, shows rapid changes in dancing curtains of northern lights against a starry background. What makes the northern lights dance? Measurements by NASA's fleet of THEMIS spacecraft indicate that these explosions of auroral activity are driven by sudden releases of energy in the Earth's magnetosphere called magnetic reconnection events. The reconnection events release energy when magnetic field lines snap like rubber bands, driving charged particles into the upper atmosphere. Stretching into space, these reconnection events occur in the magnetosphere on the Earth's night side at a distance about 1/3 of the way to the Moon.

                                    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110325.ht

                                    2011 March 25 Auroral Substorm over Yellowknife * Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul (TWAN) Explanation: Intense auroral activity flooded the night with shimmering colors on February 24, captured here from a lodge near the city of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The stunning sequence (left to right) of three all-sky exposures, taken at 30 second intervals, shows rapid changes in dancing curtains of northern lights against a starry background. What makes the northern lights dance? Measurements by NASA's fleet of THEMIS spacecraft indicate that these explosions of auroral activity are driven by sudden releases of energy in the Earth's magnetosphere called magnetic reconnection events. The reconnection events release energy when magnetic field lines snap like rubber bands, driving charged particles into the upper atmosphere. Stretching into space, these reconnection events occur in the magnetosphere on the Earth's night side at a distance about 1/3 of the way to the Moon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                    Alt...2011 March 25 Auroral Substorm over Yellowknife * Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul (TWAN) Explanation: Intense auroral activity flooded the night with shimmering colors on February 24, captured here from a lodge near the city of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The stunning sequence (left to right) of three all-sky exposures, taken at 30 second intervals, shows rapid changes in dancing curtains of northern lights against a starry background. What makes the northern lights dance? Measurements by NASA's fleet of THEMIS spacecraft indicate that these explosions of auroral activity are driven by sudden releases of energy in the Earth's magnetosphere called magnetic reconnection events. The reconnection events release energy when magnetic field lines snap like rubber bands, driving charged particles into the upper atmosphere. Stretching into space, these reconnection events occur in the magnetosphere on the Earth's night side at a distance about 1/3 of the way to the Moon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                      2025 November 13

                                      Orion and the Running Man
                                      * Image Credit & Copyright: R. Jay Gabany
                                      cosmotography.com/index.html

                                      Explanation:
                                      Few cosmic vistas can excite the imagination like The Great Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint, bland celestial smudge to the naked-eye, the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across this sharp colorful telescopic image. Designated M42 in the Messier Catalog, the Orion Nebula's glowing gas and dust surrounds hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, M42 is at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away that lies within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun. Including dusty bluish reflection nebula NGC 1977, also known as the Running Man nebula at left in the frame, the natal nebulae represent only a small fraction of our galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems.
                                      cosmotography.com/images/small
                                      science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/
                                      science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
                                      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_mo
                                      science.nasa.gov/image-detail/

                                      science.nasa.gov/universe/

                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251113.ht

                                      2025 November 13 Orion and the Running Man * Image Credit & Copyright: R. Jay Gabany Explanation: Few cosmic vistas can excite the imagination like The Great Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint, bland celestial smudge to the naked-eye, the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across this sharp colorful telescopic image. Designated M42 in the Messier Catalog, the Orion Nebula's glowing gas and dust surrounds hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, M42 is at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away that lies within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun. Including dusty bluish reflection nebula NGC 1977, also known as the Running Man nebula at left in the frame, the natal nebulae represent only a small fraction of our galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                      Alt...2025 November 13 Orion and the Running Man * Image Credit & Copyright: R. Jay Gabany Explanation: Few cosmic vistas can excite the imagination like The Great Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint, bland celestial smudge to the naked-eye, the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across this sharp colorful telescopic image. Designated M42 in the Messier Catalog, the Orion Nebula's glowing gas and dust surrounds hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, M42 is at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away that lies within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun. Including dusty bluish reflection nebula NGC 1977, also known as the Running Man nebula at left in the frame, the natal nebulae represent only a small fraction of our galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                        2025 November 12

                                        A Super Lunar Corona
                                        * Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Houck
                                        instagram.com/a_guy_named_eric/

                                        Explanation:
                                        What are those colorful rings around the Moon? A corona. Rings like this will sometimes appear when the Moon is seen through thin clouds. The effect is created by the diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar coronae are one of the few color diffraction effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. The featured image of a lunar corona was captured around last week's full Super Moon from near Knight's Ferry, California, USA. To the right of the full Moon is the giant orange star Botein. Similar coronae that form around the Sun are typically harder to see because of the Sun's great brightness.
                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(
                                        atoptics.co.uk/blog/corona-for
                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffract
                                        youtube.com/shorts/-zSIty9q73E
                                        science.nasa.gov/moon/
                                        science.nasa.gov/ems/01_intro/
                                        defcon.social/@grobi/114964072
                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Ar

                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251112.ht

                                        2025 November 12 The Moon is pictured in the center. ARound the Moon are colorful rings. The rings are nearly circular but have gaps. This but structured clouds are seen around the scene and at the bottom of the frame. A Super Lunar Corona * Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Houck Explanation: What are those colorful rings around the Moon? A corona. Rings like this will sometimes appear when the Moon is seen through thin clouds. The effect is created by the diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar coronae are one of the few color diffraction effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. The featured image of a lunar corona was captured around last week's full Super Moon from near Knight's Ferry, California, USA. To the right of the full Moon is the giant orange star Botein. Similar coronae that form around the Sun are typically harder to see because of the Sun's great brightness. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                        Alt...2025 November 12 The Moon is pictured in the center. ARound the Moon are colorful rings. The rings are nearly circular but have gaps. This but structured clouds are seen around the scene and at the bottom of the frame. A Super Lunar Corona * Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Houck Explanation: What are those colorful rings around the Moon? A corona. Rings like this will sometimes appear when the Moon is seen through thin clouds. The effect is created by the diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar coronae are one of the few color diffraction effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. The featured image of a lunar corona was captured around last week's full Super Moon from near Knight's Ferry, California, USA. To the right of the full Moon is the giant orange star Botein. Similar coronae that form around the Sun are typically harder to see because of the Sun's great brightness. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                          2025 November 11

                                          Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble
                                          * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble
                                          nasa.gov/
                                          esa.int/
                                          science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
                                          Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
                                          science.nasa.gov/people-of-nas

                                          Explanation:
                                          Jupiter looks a bit different in ultraviolet light. To better interpret Jupiter's cloud motions and to help NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft understand the planetary context of the small fields that it sees, the Hubble Space Telescope was being directed to regularly image the entire Jovian giant. The colors of Jupiter being monitored go beyond the normal human visual range to include both ultraviolet and (not pictured) infrared light. Featured from 2017, Jupiter appears different in near ultraviolet light, partly because the amount of sunlight reflected back is distinct, giving differing cloud heights and latitudes discrepant brightnesses. In the near UV, Jupiter's poles appear relatively dark, as does its Great Red Spot and a smaller (optically) white oval to the right. The String of Pearl storms farther to the right, however, are brightest in near ultraviolet, and so here appear (false-color) pink. Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede appears on the upper left. Juno continues on a looping 33-day orbit around Jupiter, while Earth-orbiting Hubble is aging and now relies on a single stabilizing gyroscope.
                                          flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/39
                                          science.nasa.gov/resource/jupi
                                          nasa.gov/image-article/hubble-
                                          science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultrav
                                          archive.stsci.edu/proposal_sea
                                          astronomynow.com/2017/06/26/ju
                                          nasa.gov/centers-and-facilitie
                                          science.nasa.gov/jupiter/
                                          science.nasa.gov/mission/juno/
                                          science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupit
                                          science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
                                          science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl

                                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251111.ht

                                          2025 November 11 The planet Jupiter appears full frame in apparent colors of a variety of blues and some pink bands. The Great Red Spot is visible on the lower left as a dark spot. Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt Explanation: Jupiter looks a bit different in ultraviolet light. To better interpret Jupiter's cloud motions and to help NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft understand the planetary context of the small fields that it sees, the Hubble Space Telescope was being directed to regularly image the entire Jovian giant. The colors of Jupiter being monitored go beyond the normal human visual range to include both ultraviolet and (not pictured) infrared light. Featured from 2017, Jupiter appears different in near ultraviolet light, partly because the amount of sunlight reflected back is distinct, giving differing cloud heights and latitudes discrepant brightnesses. In the near UV, Jupiter's poles appear relatively dark, as does its Great Red Spot and a smaller (optically) white oval to the right. The String of Pearl storms farther to the right, however, are brightest in near ultraviolet, and so here appear (false-color) pink. Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede appears on the upper left. Juno continues on a looping 33-day orbit around Jupiter, while Earth-orbiting Hubble is aging and now relies on a single stabilizing gyroscope. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

                                          Alt...2025 November 11 The planet Jupiter appears full frame in apparent colors of a variety of blues and some pink bands. The Great Red Spot is visible on the lower left as a dark spot. Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt Explanation: Jupiter looks a bit different in ultraviolet light. To better interpret Jupiter's cloud motions and to help NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft understand the planetary context of the small fields that it sees, the Hubble Space Telescope was being directed to regularly image the entire Jovian giant. The colors of Jupiter being monitored go beyond the normal human visual range to include both ultraviolet and (not pictured) infrared light. Featured from 2017, Jupiter appears different in near ultraviolet light, partly because the amount of sunlight reflected back is distinct, giving differing cloud heights and latitudes discrepant brightnesses. In the near UV, Jupiter's poles appear relatively dark, as does its Great Red Spot and a smaller (optically) white oval to the right. The String of Pearl storms farther to the right, however, are brightest in near ultraviolet, and so here appear (false-color) pink. Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede appears on the upper left. Juno continues on a looping 33-day orbit around Jupiter, while Earth-orbiting Hubble is aging and now relies on a single stabilizing gyroscope. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

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                                            TOPIC> Jupiter

                                            Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Getting Taller as it Shrinks.

                                            Though once big enough to swallow three Earths with room to spare, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been shrinking for a century and a half. Nobody is sure how long the storm will continue to contract or whether it will disappear altogether.

                                            A new study suggests that it hasn’t all been downhill, though. The storm seems to have increased in area at least once along the way, and it’s growing taller as it gets smaller.

                                            “Storms are dynamic, and that’s what we see with the Great Red Spot. It’s constantly changing in size and shape, and its winds shift, as well,” said Amy Simon, an expert in planetary atmospheres at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of the new paper, published in the Astronomical Journal.

                                            Observations of Jupiter date back centuries, but the first confirmed sighting of the Great Red Spot was in 1831. (Researchers aren’t certain whether earlier observers who saw a red spot on Jupiter were looking at the same storm.)

                                            Keen observers have long been able to measure the size and drift of the Great Red Spot by fitting their telescopes with an eyepiece scored with crosshairs. A continuous record of at least one observation of this kind per year dates back to 1878.

                                            Simon and her colleagues drew on this rich archive of historical observations and combined them with data from NASA spacecraft, starting with the two Voyager missions in 1979. In particular, the group relied on a series of annual observations of Jupiter that team members have been conducting with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy, or OPAL, project. The OPAL team scientists are based at Goddard, the University of California at Berkeley, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. ...

                                            read more >>> science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb

                                            * Editor: NASA Hubble Mission

                                            Alt...Scientists have noticed that Jupiter's Great Red Spot has been getting smaller over time. Now, there's evidence the storm is actually growing taller as it shrinks. - This video is public domain and can be downloaded from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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                                              Pia26595 Juno Sees Turbulence In Jupiters Atmosphere | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

                                              Jet Propulsion Laboratory jpl.nasa.gov/
                                              1–2 minutes

                                              JunoCam, the visible light imager aboard NASA's Juno, captured this view of Jupiter's northern high latitudes during the spacecraft's 69th flyby of the giant planet on Jan. 28, 2025. Jupiter's belts and zones stand out in this enhanced color rendition, along with the turbulence along their edges caused by winds going in different directions.

                                              The original JunoCam image used to produce this view was taken from an altitude of about 36,000 miles (58,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops. Citizen scientist Jackie Branc processed the image.

                                              JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/p. More information about NASA citizen science can be found at science.nasa.gov/citizen-scien.

                                              More information about Juno is at science.nasa.gov/mission/juno/ and missionjuno.swri.edu.

                                              Pia26595 Juno Sees Turbulence In Jupiters Atmosphere | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

                                              Alt...Pia26595 Juno Sees Turbulence In Jupiters Atmosphere | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

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                                                Pia25729 Nasas Juno Mission Captures The Colorful And Chaotic Clouds Of Jupiter | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
                                                Jet Propulsion Laboratory jpl.nasa.gov/

                                                During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet's northern hemisphere. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region. In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter's clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few days.

                                                Citizen scientist Gary Eason made this image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument, applying digital processing techniques to enhance color and clarity.

                                                At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a latitude of about 68 degrees north of the equator.

                                                JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/p. More information about NASA citizen science can be found at science.nasa.gov/citizenscience and nasa.gov/solve/opportunities/c.

                                                More information about Juno is at nasa.gov/juno and missionjuno.swri.edu. For more about this finding and other science results, see missionjuno.swri.edu/science-f.

                                                NASA’s Juno Mission Captures the Colorful and Chaotic Clouds of Jupiter July 19, 2024 During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet's northern hemisphere. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region. In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter's clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few days.

                                                Alt...NASA’s Juno Mission Captures the Colorful and Chaotic Clouds of Jupiter July 19, 2024 During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet's northern hemisphere. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region. In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter's clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few days.

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                                                  Pia26295 Nasas Juno Catches 3 Waves Of Jupiters Polar Cyclones | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/

                                                  This composite shows views of Jupiter's northern polar cyclones in three different wavelengths of light – microwave, visible, and ultraviolet – as captured by NASA's Juno mission. These differing perspectives allowed Juno scientists to deduce that all Jovian polar cyclones are not created equal.

                                                  The infrared image, on the far right, was derived from data collected by the spacecraft's Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument. The composite image at center was collected by the JunoCam visible-light imager. Though taken with separate instruments that record different wavelengths of light, both images depict Jupiter's northern polar storms as well defined and of similar size.

                                                  The data on the left, collected by Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR), shows the polar storms in another light. MWR enables Juno to see deep into Jupiter by recording the planet's microwave emissions. In the MWR graphic, the polar storms at the 4 and 6 o'clock positions have bright microwave signatures, indicating they extend well beneath the cloud tops, at least 62 miles (100 kilometers) below. The size of those two storms is comparable to what's found in the visible light and infrared light images, but the other storms, as seen through MWR, have a notably reduced emissions intensity.

                                                  Another disparity in the MWR graphic versus visible light and infrared can be seen in how the central cyclone is depicted by the data. ...
                                                  read more >>
                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26295-n

                                                  More information about Juno is at nasa.gov/juno and missionjuno.swri.edu. For more about this finding and other science results, see missionjuno.swri.edu/science-f.

                                                  Another disparity in the MWR graphic versus visible light and infrared can be seen in how the central cyclone is depicted by the data. In the infrared and visible light images, the central cyclone is evident; with MWR data, it all but disappears. This disparity indicates that the central cyclone's subsurface structure must be very different from the surrounding storms. JIRAM "sees" in infrared light not visible to the human eye. It captures the infrared glow from the heat of Jupiter's upper atmosphere, probing the top of the weather layer, and gaps in the clouds allow glimpses as deep as 30 to 45 miles (50 to 70 kilometers) below Jupiter's cloud tops. JunoCam's visible light images catch reflected sunlight, with a view that is very similar to what a human eye would see if a person could ride along with Juno. JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing. Like JIRAM, the MWR instrument records the glow of Jupiter's atmosphere, but the brightness results from the temperature at depths below anything achievable with previous spacecraft or Earth-based observations. The MWR's six radio channels peer progressively deeper below the visible cloud tops, with a range from the top of the clouds (for the highest frequency channel) to 200 miles (320 kilometers) or more below (for the lowest frequency channel).

                                                  Alt...Another disparity in the MWR graphic versus visible light and infrared can be seen in how the central cyclone is depicted by the data. In the infrared and visible light images, the central cyclone is evident; with MWR data, it all but disappears. This disparity indicates that the central cyclone's subsurface structure must be very different from the surrounding storms. JIRAM "sees" in infrared light not visible to the human eye. It captures the infrared glow from the heat of Jupiter's upper atmosphere, probing the top of the weather layer, and gaps in the clouds allow glimpses as deep as 30 to 45 miles (50 to 70 kilometers) below Jupiter's cloud tops. JunoCam's visible light images catch reflected sunlight, with a view that is very similar to what a human eye would see if a person could ride along with Juno. JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing. Like JIRAM, the MWR instrument records the glow of Jupiter's atmosphere, but the brightness results from the temperature at depths below anything achievable with previous spacecraft or Earth-based observations. The MWR's six radio channels peer progressively deeper below the visible cloud tops, with a range from the top of the clouds (for the highest frequency channel) to 200 miles (320 kilometers) or more below (for the lowest frequency channel).

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                                                    Pia25728 Nasas Juno Mission Spots Jupiters Tiny Moon Amalthea | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
                                                    jpl.nasa.gov/

                                                    NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea (see Figure B below).

                                                    Figure B
                                                    With a radius of just 52 miles (84 kilometers), Amalthea has a potato-like shape, lacking the mass to pull itself into a sphere. In 2000, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft revealed some surface features, including impact craters, hills, and valleys. Amalthea circles Jupiter inside Io's orbit, which is the innermost of the planet’s four largest moons, taking 0.498 Earth days to complete one orbit.

                                                    Amalthea is the reddest object in the solar system, and observations indicate it gives out more heat than it receives from the Sun. This may be because, as it orbits within Jupiter's powerful magnetic field, electric currents are induced in the moon's core. Alternatively, the heat could be from tidal stresses caused by Jupiter’s gravity.

                                                    At the time that the first of these two images was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 165,000 miles (265,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 5 degrees north of the equator.

                                                    Citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt made these images using raw data from the JunoCam instrument, applying processing techniques to enhance the clarity of the images.

                                                    JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/p. More information about NASA citizen science can be found at science.nasa.gov/citizenscience and nasa.gov/solve/opportunities/c.

                                                    NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea (see Figure B right).

                                                    Alt...NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea (see Figure B right).

                                                    NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea. Credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt

                                                    Alt...NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea. Credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt

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                                                      Beneath Jupiter
                                                      * Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS; Processing & License: Gerald Eichstädt & Seán Doran
                                                      uahirise.org/epo/made-with-hir
                                                      planetary.org/profiles/gerald-
                                                      msss.com/
                                                      swri.org/
                                                      science.nasa.gov/mission/juno/
                                                      nasa.gov/

                                                      Explanation:
                                                      Jupiter is stranger than we knew. NASA's Juno spacecraft has now completed over 70 swoops past Jupiter as it moves around its highly elliptical orbit. Pictured from 2017, Jupiter is seen from below where, surprisingly, the horizontal bands that cover most of the planet disappear into swirls and complex patterns. A line of white oval clouds is visible nearer to the equator. Impressive results from Juno show that Jupiter's weather phenomena can extend deep below its cloud tops, that Jupiter's center has a core that is unexpectedly large and soft, and that Jupiter's magnetic field varies greatly with location. Although Juno is scheduled to keep orbiting Jupiter further into 2025, at some time the robotic spacecraft will be maneuvered to plunge into the giant planet.
                                                      science.nasa.gov/jupiter/
                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160626.ht
                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170213.ht
                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170228.ht

                                                      jpl.nasa.gov/missions/juno/
                                                      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(sp
                                                      astronomy.com/science/what-has
                                                      swri.org/newsroom/press-releas
                                                      jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-juno-m
                                                      jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/j.
                                                      youtube.com/watch?v=6o9FiTf1vZE

                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250525.ht

                                                      2025 May 25 A close-up image is shown of the planet Jupiter. Many clouds are visible including clouds colored blue near the bottom, on the left, and white oval clouds on the upper right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Beneath Jupiter * Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS; Processing & License: Gerald Eichstädt & Seán Doran Explanation: Jupiter is stranger than we knew. NASA's Juno spacecraft has now completed over 70 swoops past Jupiter as it moves around its highly elliptical orbit. Pictured from 2017, Jupiter is seen from below where, surprisingly, the horizontal bands that cover most of the planet disappear into swirls and complex patterns. A line of white oval clouds is visible nearer to the equator. Impressive results from Juno show that Jupiter's weather phenomena can extend deep below its cloud tops, that Jupiter's center has a core that is unexpectedly large and soft, and that Jupiter's magnetic field varies greatly with location. Although Juno is scheduled to keep orbiting Jupiter further into 2025, at some time the robotic spacecraft will be maneuvered to plunge into the giant planet. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                      Alt...2025 May 25 A close-up image is shown of the planet Jupiter. Many clouds are visible including clouds colored blue near the bottom, on the left, and white oval clouds on the upper right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Beneath Jupiter * Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS; Processing & License: Gerald Eichstädt & Seán Doran Explanation: Jupiter is stranger than we knew. NASA's Juno spacecraft has now completed over 70 swoops past Jupiter as it moves around its highly elliptical orbit. Pictured from 2017, Jupiter is seen from below where, surprisingly, the horizontal bands that cover most of the planet disappear into swirls and complex patterns. A line of white oval clouds is visible nearer to the equator. Impressive results from Juno show that Jupiter's weather phenomena can extend deep below its cloud tops, that Jupiter's center has a core that is unexpectedly large and soft, and that Jupiter's magnetic field varies greatly with location. Although Juno is scheduled to keep orbiting Jupiter further into 2025, at some time the robotic spacecraft will be maneuvered to plunge into the giant planet. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                        Approaching Jupiter
                                                        * Video Composition & Copyright: Peter Rosén et al.
                                                        planetary.org/profiles/peter-r
                                                        * Music: The Awakening by Clemens Ruh
                                                        soundcloud.com/clemensruh

                                                        Explanation:
                                                        What would it look like to approach Jupiter? To help answer this, a team of 91 amateur astrophotographers took over 1,000 pictures of Jupiter from the Earth with the resulting images aligned and digitally merged into the featured time-lapse video. Image taking began in 2014 December and lasted just over three months. The resulting fictitious approach sequence has similarities to what was seen by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft as it first approached the Jovian world last July. The video begins with Jupiter appearing as a small orb near the image center. As Jupiter nears from below, the planet looms ever larger while the rotation of its cloud bands becomes apparent. Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot rotates into view twice, at times showing unusual activity. Many white ovals are visible moving around the giant planet. The video ends as the imaginary spacecraft passes over Jupiter's North Pole.
                                                        planetary.org/articles/2011705

                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170523.ht

                                                        Alt...2017 May 23 Approaching Jupiter * Video Composition & Copyright: Peter Rosén et al. * Music: The Awakening by Clemens Ruh Explanation: What would it look like to approach Jupiter? To help answer this, a team of 91 amateur astrophotographers took over 1,000 pictures of Jupiter from the Earth with the resulting images aligned and digitally merged into the featured time-lapse video. Image taking began in 2014 December and lasted just over three months. The resulting fictitious approach sequence has similarities to what was seen by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft as it first approached the Jovian world last July. The video begins with Jupiter appearing as a small orb near the image center. As Jupiter nears from below, the planet looms ever larger while the rotation of its cloud bands becomes apparent. Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot rotates into view twice, at times showing unusual activity. Many white ovals are visible moving around the giant planet. The video ends as the imaginary spacecraft passes over Jupiter's North Pole. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                          The upper ammonia clouds visible at Jupiter's surface are organized in a dozen zonal bands parallel to the equator and are bounded by powerful zonal atmospheric flows (winds) known as jets, exhibiting a phenomenon known as atmospheric super-rotation. The bands alternate in color: the dark bands are called belts, while light ones are called zones. Zones, which are colder than belts, correspond to upwellings, while belts mark descending gas. The zones' lighter color is believed to result from ammonia ice; what gives the belts their darker colors is uncertain.
                                                          The origins of the banded structure and jets are not well understood, though a "shallow model" and a "deep model" exist.
                                                          [from: en.wikipedia.org]

                                                          * This small GIF i took from a NASA Video
                                                          please see Explanation and credits

                                                          Explanation:
                                                          This animation depicts Jupiter's planet wrapping cloud structure, commonly referred to as "belts" and "zones," and the jet streams that encompass them. The belts (white bands) and zones (reddish bands) are separated by strong east-west winds, or jet streams (depicted by black arrows), that move in opposite directions. These jets penetrate about 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) below the cloud level of Jupiter. Other components of the winds including north-south and up-down movements – have been a mystery and have now been uncovered with the latest data from the microwave radiometer instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft.

                                                          The base composite image of Jupiter was created from images obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

                                                          * Credit
                                                          NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Weizmann Institute of Science

                                                          * Instrument
                                                          Microwave Radiometer (MWR)

                                                          Alt...This small GIF i took from a NASA Video please see Explanation and credits Explanation: This animation depicts Jupiter's planet wrapping cloud structure, commonly referred to as "belts" and "zones," and the jet streams that encompass them. The belts (white bands) and zones (reddish bands) are separated by strong east-west winds, or jet streams (depicted by black arrows), that move in opposite directions. These jets penetrate about 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) below the cloud level of Jupiter. Other components of the winds including north-south and up-down movements – have been a mystery and have now been uncovered with the latest data from the microwave radiometer instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. The base composite image of Jupiter was created from images obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. * Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Weizmann Institute of Science * Instrument Microwave Radiometer (MWR)

                                                          Alt..."The first color movie of Jupiter from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows what it would look like to peel the entire globe of Jupiter, stretch it out on a wall into the form of a rectangular map, and watch its atmosphere evolve with time. Various patterns of motion are apparent all across Jupiter at the cloudtop level seen here. The Great Red Spot shows its counterclockwise rotation, and the uneven distribution of its high haze is obvious. To the east (right) of the Red Spot, oval storms, like ball bearings, roll over and pass each other. Horizontal bands adjacent to each other move at different rates. Strings of small storms rotate around northern-hemisphere ovals. The large grayish-blue "hot spots' at the northern edge of the white Equatorial Zone change over the course of time as they march eastward across the planet. Ovals in the north rotate counter to those in the south. Small, very bright features appear quickly and randomly in turbulent regions, candidates for lightning storms. The smallest visible features at the equator are about 600 kilometers (about 370 miles) across. In a map of this nature, the most extreme northern and southern latitudes are unnaturally stretched out. Date Oct. 31 and Nov. 9, 2000 Source From http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02863 * Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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                                                            False colored morphing animation of Jupiter's clouds in motion

                                                            The Jovian atmosphere shows a wide range of active phenomena, including band instabilities, vortices (cyclones and anticyclones), storms and lightning. The vortices reveal themselves as large red, white or brown spots (ovals). The largest two spots are the Great Red Spot (GRS) and Oval BA, which is also red. These two and most of the other large spots are anticyclonic. Smaller anticyclones tend to be white. Vortices are thought to be relatively shallow structures with depths not exceeding several hundred kilometers. Located in the southern hemisphere, the GRS is the largest known vortex in the Solar System. It could engulf two or three Earths and has existed for at least three hundred years. Oval BA, south of GRS, is a red spot a third the size of GRS that formed in 2000 from the merging of three white ovals.

                                                            Jupiter has powerful storms, often accompanied by lightning strikes. The storms are a result of moist convection in the atmosphere connected to the evaporation and condensation of water. They are sites of strong upward motion of the air, which leads to the formation of bright and dense clouds. The storms form mainly in belt regions. The lightning strikes on Jupiter are hundreds of times more powerful than those seen on Earth, and are assumed to be associated with the water clouds. Recent Juno observations suggest Jovian lightning strikes occur above the altitude of water clouds (3-7 bars). A charge separation between falling liquid ammonia-water droplets and water ice particles may generate higher-altitude lightning. Upper-atmospheric lightning has also been observed 260 km above the 1 bar level.

                                                            * Credit:
                                                            NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt

                                                            Alt...False colored morphing animation of Jupiter's clouds in motion The Jovian atmosphere shows a wide range of active phenomena, including band instabilities, vortices (cyclones and anticyclones), storms and lightning. The vortices reveal themselves as large red, white or brown spots (ovals). The largest two spots are the Great Red Spot (GRS) and Oval BA, which is also red. These two and most of the other large spots are anticyclonic. Smaller anticyclones tend to be white. Vortices are thought to be relatively shallow structures with depths not exceeding several hundred kilometers. Located in the southern hemisphere, the GRS is the largest known vortex in the Solar System. It could engulf two or three Earths and has existed for at least three hundred years. Oval BA, south of GRS, is a red spot a third the size of GRS that formed in 2000 from the merging of three white ovals. * Credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt

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                                                              > from Wikipedia

                                                              The belts and zones that divide Jupiter's atmosphere with each their own names and characteristics.

                                                              They begin below the North and South Polar Regions, which extend from the poles to roughly 40–48° N/S. This bluish-gray regions are usually featureless.
                                                              The North North Temperate Region rarely shows more detail, due to limb darkening, foreshortening, and the general diffuseness of features. However, the North-North Temperate Belt (NNTB) is the northernmost distinct belt, though it occasionally disappears. Disturbances tend to be minor and short-lived. The North-North Temperate Zone (NNTZ) is perhaps more prominent, but also generally quiet.
                                                              The North Temperate Region is part of a latitudinal region easily observable from Earth. It also features the strongest prograde jet stream on the planet—a westerly current that forms the southern boundary of the North Temperate Belt (NTB). The NTB fades roughly once a decade, making the North Temperate Zone (NTZ) apparently merge into the North Tropical Zone (NTropZ). Other times, the NTZ is divided by a narrow belt into northern and southern components.
                                                              The North Tropical Region is composed of the NTropZ and the North Equatorial Belt (NEB). The NTropZ is generally stable in coloration, changing in tint only in tandem with activity on the NTB's southern jet stream. Like the NTZ, it too is sometimes divided by a narrow band, the NTropB. On rare occasions, the southern NTropZ plays host to "Little Red Spots". As the name suggests, these are northern equivalents of the Great Red Spot. Unlike the GRS, they tend to occur in pairs and are always short-lived, lasting a year on average.

                                                              Read more >>
                                                              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphe

                                                              Image Credit: Sakurambo at English Wikipedia

                                                              Idealized illustration of Jupiter's cloud bands, labeled with their official abbreviations. Lighter zones are indicated to the right, darker belts to the left. The Great Red Spot and Oval BA are shown in the South Tropical Zone and South Temperate Belt, respectively. Image Credit: Sakurambo at English Wikipedia

                                                              Alt...Idealized illustration of Jupiter's cloud bands, labeled with their official abbreviations. Lighter zones are indicated to the right, darker belts to the left. The Great Red Spot and Oval BA are shown in the South Tropical Zone and South Temperate Belt, respectively. Image Credit: Sakurambo at English Wikipedia

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                                                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                The colorful stripes of Jupiter run more than 1,000 miles deep and hold so much gas that their mass is about three times that of the entire Earth, three new studies find.

                                                                Jupiter's atmospheric stripes have been known for centuries; famed astronomer Galileo Galilei was the first to see the dark bands and bright zones on the largest planet in our solar system. "These bands are related to strong winds flowing on Jupiter," said Yohai Kaspi, lead author of one of the three studies and a planetary scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Rehovot, Israel.

                                                                However, until now, scientists were uncertain how deep those bands reached into Jupiter. NASA's Juno spacecraft orbits Jupiter every 53 days. As the planet's gravitational field tugs on Juno, the radio signals that the probe sends back to Earth shift a bit. The greater the mass under Juno, the stronger the gravitational pull the spacecraft and its radio waves experience. Because Juno's flybys are in different orbits each time, it can map the gravitational field of different parts of the planet.

                                                                As Jupiter's belts of winds can flow at speeds of about 223 mph (360 km/h), they disrupt how mass is spread across the planet. Therefore, mapping Jupiter's gravitational field can shed light on how deep these winds extend below the surface.

                                                                The researchers found that these stripes extend 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) deep, or about one-twentieth the distance to the center of the planet — far deeper than previously thought. "These flows on Jupiter contain about 1 percent of the mass of Jupiter, which is equal to about three Earth masses," Kaspi said. "In comparison, Earth's atmosphere is less than one-millionth the mass of Earth."

                                                                Read more >>
                                                                space.com/39907-jupiter-atmosp

                                                                * Credit: Charles Q. Choi
                                                                (Contributing Writer for space.com)

                                                                Alt...Data obtained using NASA's Juno spacecraft has revealed the depth of the "colorful bands of clouds" of the gas giant planet Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI

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                                                                  2025 September 1

                                                                  Callisto: Dirty Battered Iceball
                                                                  * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager 2
                                                                  nasa.gov/
                                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/
                                                                  science.nasa.gov/mission/voyag
                                                                  * Processing & License: Kevin M. Gill
                                                                  flickr.com/people/kevinmgill/

                                                                  Explanation:
                                                                  Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System -- but what's inside? Jupiter's moon Callisto is a battered ball of dirty ice that is larger than the planet Mercury. It was visited by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s and 2000s, but the recently reprocessed featured image is from a flyby of NASA's Voyager 2 in 1979. The moon would appear darker if it weren't for the tapestry of light-colored fractured surface ice created by eons of impacts. The interior of Callisto is potentially even more interesting because therein might lie an internal layer of liquid water. This potential underground sea is a candidate to harbor life -- similar with sister moons Europa and Ganymede. Callisto is slightly larger than Luna, Earth's Moon, but because of its high ice content is slightly less massive. ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper missions are now headed out to Jupiter to better investigate its largest moons.
                                                                  science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupit
                                                                  science.nasa.gov/mission/galil
                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap981106.ht
                                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/news/ocean-inside

                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250901.ht

                                                                  2025 September 1 A dark spherical body is shown that has many light craters. Callisto: Dirty Battered Iceball * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager 2 * Processing & License: Kevin M. Gill Explanation: Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System -- but what's inside? Jupiter's moon Callisto is a battered ball of dirty ice that is larger than the planet Mercury. It was visited by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s and 2000s, but the recently reprocessed featured image is from a flyby of NASA's Voyager 2 in 1979. The moon would appear darker if it weren't for the tapestry of light-colored fractured surface ice created by eons of impacts. The interior of Callisto is potentially even more interesting because therein might lie an internal layer of liquid water. This potential underground sea is a candidate to harbor life -- similar with sister moons Europa and Ganymede. Callisto is slightly larger than Luna, Earth's Moon, but because of its high ice content is slightly less massive. ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper missions are now headed out to Jupiter to better investigate its largest moons. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                  Alt...2025 September 1 A dark spherical body is shown that has many light craters. Callisto: Dirty Battered Iceball * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager 2 * Processing & License: Kevin M. Gill Explanation: Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System -- but what's inside? Jupiter's moon Callisto is a battered ball of dirty ice that is larger than the planet Mercury. It was visited by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s and 2000s, but the recently reprocessed featured image is from a flyby of NASA's Voyager 2 in 1979. The moon would appear darker if it weren't for the tapestry of light-colored fractured surface ice created by eons of impacts. The interior of Callisto is potentially even more interesting because therein might lie an internal layer of liquid water. This potential underground sea is a candidate to harbor life -- similar with sister moons Europa and Ganymede. Callisto is slightly larger than Luna, Earth's Moon, but because of its high ice content is slightly less massive. ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper missions are now headed out to Jupiter to better investigate its largest moons. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                    2025 November 10

                                                                    Micro Moon vs. Super Moon
                                                                    * Image Credit & Copyright: Şenol Şanlı"
                                                                    instagram.com/snlsanli/

                                                                    Explanation:
                                                                    What was so super about Wednesday's supermoon? Last week, a full moon occurred that appeared slightly larger and brighter than usual. The reason is that the Moon's fully illuminated phase occurred within a short time from perigee - when the Moon was its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. Although the precise conditions that define a supermoon vary, last Wednesday's supermoon was surely the closest, largest, and brightest full moon this year. One reason supermoons are popular is because they are so easy to see -- just go outside at sunset and watch an impressive full moon rise! Pictured here, Wednesday's supermoon is compared to April's micro moon -- when a full Moon occurs near the furthest part of the Moon's orbit -- so that it appears slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. Given many definitions, at least one supermoon occurs each year, with another one coming next month (moon-th).
                                                                    science.nasa.gov/moon/
                                                                    universetoday.com/articles/wha
                                                                    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5415/
                                                                    science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-pha
                                                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon
                                                                    ophysics.com/f6.html
                                                                    en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perigee

                                                                    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251110.ht

                                                                    2025 November 10 Two full Moons are shown. They are different sizes because the Micro Moon image on the left was captured when the Moon was near its furthest from the Earth, while the Super Moon on the right was captured when the Moon was near its closest to the Earth. Micro Moon vs. Super Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Şenol Şanlı" Explanation: What was so super about Wednesday's supermoon? Last week, a full moon occurred that appeared slightly larger and brighter than usual. The reason is that the Moon's fully illuminated phase occurred within a short time from perigee - when the Moon was its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. Although the precise conditions that define a supermoon vary, last Wednesday's supermoon was surely the closest, largest, and brightest full moon this year. One reason supermoons are popular is because they are so easy to see -- just go outside at sunset and watch an impressive full moon rise! Pictured here, Wednesday's supermoon is compared to April's micro moon -- when a full Moon occurs near the furthest part of the Moon's orbit -- so that it appears slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. Given many definitions, at least one supermoon occurs each year, with another one coming next month (moon-th). Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech

                                                                    Alt...2025 November 10 Two full Moons are shown. They are different sizes because the Micro Moon image on the left was captured when the Moon was near its furthest from the Earth, while the Super Moon on the right was captured when the Moon was near its closest to the Earth. Micro Moon vs. Super Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Şenol Şanlı" Explanation: What was so super about Wednesday's supermoon? Last week, a full moon occurred that appeared slightly larger and brighter than usual. The reason is that the Moon's fully illuminated phase occurred within a short time from perigee - when the Moon was its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. Although the precise conditions that define a supermoon vary, last Wednesday's supermoon was surely the closest, largest, and brightest full moon this year. One reason supermoons are popular is because they are so easy to see -- just go outside at sunset and watch an impressive full moon rise! Pictured here, Wednesday's supermoon is compared to April's micro moon -- when a full Moon occurs near the furthest part of the Moon's orbit -- so that it appears slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. Given many definitions, at least one supermoon occurs each year, with another one coming next month (moon-th). Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech

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                                                                      Annotations for previous post

                                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251109.ht

                                                                      Annotations for previous post

                                                                      Alt...Annotations for previous post

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                                                                        2025 November 9

                                                                        Road to the Galactic Center
                                                                        * Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Abramyan
                                                                        instagram.com/mikeabramyan

                                                                        Explanation:
                                                                        Does the road to our galaxy's center go through Monument Valley? It doesn't have to, but if your road does -- take a picture. In this case, the road is US Route 163 and iconic buttes on the Navajo National Reservation populate the horizon. The band of Milky Way Galaxy stretches down from the sky and appears to be a continuation of the road on Earth. Filaments of dust darken the Milky Way, in contrast to billions of bright stars and several colorful glowing gas clouds including the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas. The featured picture is a composite of images taken with the same camera and from the same location -- Forest Gump Point in Utah, USA. The foreground was taken just after sunset in early 2021 September during the blue hour, while the background is a mosaic of four exposures captured a few hours later.
                                                                        youtube.com/watch?v=0yTBvAhj7N
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_N
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_N
                                                                        travelinusa.us/forrest-gump-po
                                                                        science.nasa.gov/earth/
                                                                        science.nasa.gov/resource/the-

                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251109.ht

                                                                        2025 November 9 The picture shows the a composite image of Monument Valley, Utah, USA in the foreground, and the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy including the Galactic Center in the background. Road to the Galactic Center * Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Abramyan Explanation: Does the road to our galaxy's center go through Monument Valley? It doesn't have to, but if your road does -- take a picture. In this case, the road is US Route 163 and iconic buttes on the Navajo National Reservation populate the horizon. The band of Milky Way Galaxy stretches down from the sky and appears to be a continuation of the road on Earth. Filaments of dust darken the Milky Way, in contrast to billions of bright stars and several colorful glowing gas clouds including the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas. The featured picture is a composite of images taken with the same camera and from the same location -- Forest Gump Point in Utah, USA. The foreground was taken just after sunset in early 2021 September during the blue hour, while the background is a mosaic of four exposures captured a few hours later. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                        Alt...2025 November 9 The picture shows the a composite image of Monument Valley, Utah, USA in the foreground, and the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy including the Galactic Center in the background. Road to the Galactic Center * Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Abramyan Explanation: Does the road to our galaxy's center go through Monument Valley? It doesn't have to, but if your road does -- take a picture. In this case, the road is US Route 163 and iconic buttes on the Navajo National Reservation populate the horizon. The band of Milky Way Galaxy stretches down from the sky and appears to be a continuation of the road on Earth. Filaments of dust darken the Milky Way, in contrast to billions of bright stars and several colorful glowing gas clouds including the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas. The featured picture is a composite of images taken with the same camera and from the same location -- Forest Gump Point in Utah, USA. The foreground was taken just after sunset in early 2021 September during the blue hour, while the background is a mosaic of four exposures captured a few hours later. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                          @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                          2025 November 8

                                                                          A Full Moon at Perigee
                                                                          * Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy
                                                                          instagram.com/betul_turksoy/p/

                                                                          Explanation:
                                                                          What is big, bright, and beautiful, can wear a cape made of clouds, and is at the closest point in its elliptical orbit around planet Earth? A full moon at perigee of course, captured here near moonset in predawn skies on November 5 from Kayseri, Turkiye. Full moons that happen at (or very near) perigee, and so are slightly larger and brighter than full moons on average, have become popularly known as supermoons. In fact, this full moon at perigee is the closest and brightest of the three supermoons of 2025. Rising as the Sun sets, this full moon follows this October's Harvest Moon and is traditionally known to some as the Hunter's Moon.
                                                                          science.nasa.gov/moon/supermoo
                                                                          astropixels.com/ephemeris/moon
                                                                          earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti

                                                                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25110

                                                                          2025 November 8 A Full Moon at Perigee * Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy Explanation: What is big, bright, and beautiful, can wear a cape made of clouds, and is at the closest point in its elliptical orbit around planet Earth? A full moon at perigee of course, captured here near moonset in predawn skies on November 5 from Kayseri, Turkiye. Full moons that happen at (or very near) perigee, and so are slightly larger and brighter than full moons on average, have become popularly known as supermoons. In fact, this full moon at perigee is the closest and brightest of the three supermoons of 2025. Rising as the Sun sets, this full moon follows this October's Harvest Moon and is traditionally known to some as the Hunter's Moon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                          Alt...2025 November 8 A Full Moon at Perigee * Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy Explanation: What is big, bright, and beautiful, can wear a cape made of clouds, and is at the closest point in its elliptical orbit around planet Earth? A full moon at perigee of course, captured here near moonset in predawn skies on November 5 from Kayseri, Turkiye. Full moons that happen at (or very near) perigee, and so are slightly larger and brighter than full moons on average, have become popularly known as supermoons. In fact, this full moon at perigee is the closest and brightest of the three supermoons of 2025. Rising as the Sun sets, this full moon follows this October's Harvest Moon and is traditionally known to some as the Hunter's Moon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                            2025 November 7

                                                                            A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
                                                                            * Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Jofre
                                                                            app.astrobin.com/u/JJofre#gall

                                                                            Explanation:
                                                                            Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula floats in silhouette against a rich background of of stars and glowing hydrogen gas. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, dark nebula is part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the luminous depths of the Milky Way in Cepheus add to this stunning galactic skyscape.
                                                                            app.astrobin.com/i/pw6z9f
                                                                            ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1916
                                                                            ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1919
                                                                            exhibit-archive.library.gatech
                                                                            science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infrar

                                                                            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251107.ht

                                                                            2025 November 7 A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus * Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Jofre Explanation: Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula floats in silhouette against a rich background of of stars and glowing hydrogen gas. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, dark nebula is part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the luminous depths of the Milky Way in Cepheus add to this stunning galactic skyscape. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                            Alt...2025 November 7 A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus * Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Jofre Explanation: Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula floats in silhouette against a rich background of of stars and glowing hydrogen gas. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, dark nebula is part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the luminous depths of the Milky Way in Cepheus add to this stunning galactic skyscape. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                              @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                              2025 November 6

                                                                              NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe
                                                                              * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block
                                                                              adamblockphotos.com/

                                                                              Explanation:
                                                                              Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star forming regions in this colorful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to black holes near the galaxy's center.
                                                                              adamblockphotos.com/ngc-253.ht
                                                                              science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/
                                                                              arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0509430
                                                                              chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2001

                                                                              nasa.gov/universe/nasa-mission

                                                                              messier.seds.org/more/local.ht
                                                                              messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/sclg
                                                                              messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n025
                                                                              rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astron

                                                                              apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25110

                                                                              2025 November 6 NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block Explanation: Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star forming regions in this colorful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to black holes near the galaxy's center. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                              Alt...2025 November 6 NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block Explanation: Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star forming regions in this colorful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to black holes near the galaxy's center. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                Pan: NGC 3370
                                                                                Release date: 22 October 2025, 15:55

                                                                                Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features a galaxy that Hubble has captured multiple times over more than 20 years. The galaxy is called NGC 3370, and it is a spiral galaxy located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion).

                                                                                What is it about this galaxy that makes it a popular target for researchers? NGC 3370 is home to two kinds of objects that astronomers prize for their usefulness in determining distances to faraway galaxies: Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae.

                                                                                Cepheid variable stars change in both size and temperature as they pulsate. As a result, the luminosity of these stars varies over a period of days to months. It does so in a way that reveals something important: the more luminous a Cepheid variable star is, the more slowly it pulsates. By measuring how long a Cepheid variable’s brightness takes to complete one cycle, astronomers can determine how bright the star actually is. Paired with how bright the star appears from Earth, this information gives the distance to the star and its home galaxy.

                                                                                Type Ia supernovae provide a way to measure distances in a single explosive burst rather than through regular brightness variations. Type Ia supernovae happen when the dead core of a star ignites in a sudden flare of nuclear fusion. These explosions peak at very similar luminosities, and much like for a Cepheid variable star, knowing the intrinsic brightness of a supernova explosion allows for its distance to be measured. Observations of Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae are both critical for precisely measuring how fast our Universe is expanding.
                                                                                [...]
                                                                                esahubble.org/videos/potw2542a/

                                                                                Credit:
                                                                                ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
                                                                                Music: Stellardrone - Ascent

                                                                                Alt...About the Video Id: potw2542a Release date: 22 October 2025, 15:55 Duration: 30 s Frame rate: 25 fps About the Object Name: NGC 3370 Category: Galaxies A previous Hubble image of NGC 3370 was released in 2003. The image released today zooms in on the galaxy, presenting a richly detailed view that incorporates wavelengths of light that were not included in the previous version. NGC 3370 is a member of the NGC 3370 group of galaxies along with other Hubble targets NGC 3447 and NGC 3455. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble) Music: Stellardrone - Ascent

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                                                                                  @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                  Type 1a Supernova Animation

                                                                                  This animation represents a binary star system in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a normal companion star. Matter streaming from the red star accumulates on the white dwarf until the dwarf explodes. With its partner destroyed, the normal star careens into space. This scenario results in what astronomers refer to as a Type Ia supernova.

                                                                                  Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Walt Feimer

                                                                                  Alt...This animation represents a binary star system in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a normal companion star. Matter streaming from the red star accumulates on the white dwarf until the dwarf explodes. With its partner destroyed, the normal star careens into space. This scenario results in what astronomers refer to as a Type Ia supernova. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Walt Feimer

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                                                                                    @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                    2020 May 11

                                                                                    Behind Betelgeuse
                                                                                    * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
                                                                                    adamblockphotos.com/
                                                                                    astro.arizona.edu/

                                                                                    Explanation:
                                                                                    What's behind Betelgeuse? One of the brighter and more unusual stars in the sky, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse can be found in the direction of famous constellation Orion. Betelgeuse, however, is actually well in front of many of the constellation's other bright stars, and also in front of the greater Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Numerically, light takes about 700 years to reach us from Betelgeuse, but about 1,300 years to reach us from the Orion Nebula and its surrounding dust and gas. All but the largest telescopes see Betelgeuse as only a point of light, but a point so bright that the inherent blurriness created by the telescope and Earth's atmosphere make it seem extended. In the featured long-exposure image, thousands of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy can be seen in the background behind Betelgeuse, as well as dark dust from the Orion Molecular Cloud, and some red-glowing emission from hydrogen gas on the outskirts of the more distant Lambda Orionis Ring.

                                                                                    Betelgeuse has recovered from appearing unusually dim over the past six months (2020), but is still expected to explode in a spectacular supernova sometime in the next (about) 100,000 years.

                                                                                    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200511.ht

                                                                                    2020 May 11 Behind Betelgeuse * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona Explanation: What's behind Betelgeuse? One of the brighter and more unusual stars in the sky, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse can be found in the direction of famous constellation Orion. Betelgeuse, however, is actually well in front of many of the constellation's other bright stars, and also in front of the greater Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Numerically, light takes about 700 years to reach us from Betelgeuse, but about 1,300 years to reach us from the Orion Nebula and its surrounding dust and gas. All but the largest telescopes see Betelgeuse as only a point of light, but a point so bright that the inherent blurriness created by the telescope and Earth's atmosphere make it seem extended. In the featured long-exposure image, thousands of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy can be seen in the background behind Betelgeuse, as well as dark dust from the Orion Molecular Cloud, and some red-glowing emission from hydrogen gas on the outskirts of the more distant Lambda Orionis Ring. Betelgeuse has recovered from appearing unusually dim over the past six months, but is still expected to explode in a spectacular supernova sometime in the next (about) 100,000 years. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

                                                                                    Alt...2020 May 11 Behind Betelgeuse * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona Explanation: What's behind Betelgeuse? One of the brighter and more unusual stars in the sky, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse can be found in the direction of famous constellation Orion. Betelgeuse, however, is actually well in front of many of the constellation's other bright stars, and also in front of the greater Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Numerically, light takes about 700 years to reach us from Betelgeuse, but about 1,300 years to reach us from the Orion Nebula and its surrounding dust and gas. All but the largest telescopes see Betelgeuse as only a point of light, but a point so bright that the inherent blurriness created by the telescope and Earth's atmosphere make it seem extended. In the featured long-exposure image, thousands of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy can be seen in the background behind Betelgeuse, as well as dark dust from the Orion Molecular Cloud, and some red-glowing emission from hydrogen gas on the outskirts of the more distant Lambda Orionis Ring. Betelgeuse has recovered from appearing unusually dim over the past six months, but is still expected to explode in a spectacular supernova sometime in the next (about) 100,000 years. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

                                                                                      [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                      @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                      What Will It Look Like When Betelgeuse Goes Supernova?

                                                                                      640 light years away, there is a colossal star that is on the verge of exploding in a magnificent supernova. But what will it look like from Earth?

                                                                                      Video Credit:
                                                                                      V101 SPACE
                                                                                      youtube.com/@V101SPACE

                                                                                      To upload this video, I converted it and compressed it to less than a tenth of the original size under linux with the free software ffmpeg and the corresponding command:

                                                                                      'ffmpeg -i video_in.webm -vcodec libx265 -crf 40 video_out.mp4'

                                                                                      Maybe you would like to post a corresponding video on a scientifically related topic, but it is perhaps too big? Then try ffmpeg.

                                                                                      Often the compression factor '-crf 28' is enough, but in this particular case I had to go up to '-crf 40', because the original is a 4K UHD video and has a file size of 377MB. The compressed version here has a file size of only 28.4MB .
                                                                                      Of course, the quality of the video decreases, but it is enough to illustrate the topic.

                                                                                      Want to see the video in all its glory? Then visit the channel youtube.com/@V101SPACE and let Rob explain exciting space-related topics to you

                                                                                      Alt...640 light years away, there is a colossal star that is on the verge of exploding in a magnificent supernova. But what will it look like from Earth? Video Credit: V101 SPACE https://www.youtube.com/@V101SPACE To upload this video, I converted it and compressed it to less than a tenth of the original size under linux with the free software ffmpeg and the corresponding command: 'ffmpeg -i video_in.webm -vcodec libx265 -crf 40 video_out.mp4' Maybe you would like to post a corresponding video on a scientifically related topic, but it is perhaps too big? Then try ffmpeg. Often the compression factor 'crf -28' is enough, but in this particular case I had to go up to 'crf -40', because the original is a 4K UHD video and has a file size of 377MB. The compressed version here has a file size of only 28.4MB . Of course, the quality of the video decreases, but it is enough to illustrate the topic. Want to see the video in all its glory? Then visit the channel https://www.youtube.com/@V101SPACE and let Rob explain exciting space-related topics to you

                                                                                        [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                        @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                        2024 April 3

                                                                                        Unusual Nebula Pa 30
                                                                                        * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF
                                                                                        umanitoba.ca/science/physics-a
                                                                                        physics.dartmouth.edu/
                                                                                        nsf.gov/
                                                                                        af.mil/
                                                                                        esa.int/
                                                                                        nasa.gov/;
                                                                                        * Processing: G. Ferrand gillesferrand.github.io/ (U. Manitoba), J. English www2.physics.umanitoba.ca/u/en (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen physics.dartmouth.edu/people/r (Dartmouth), C. Treyturik (U. Manitoba);
                                                                                        * Text: G. Ferrand & J. English

                                                                                        Explanation:
                                                                                        What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula, dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright "guest star" did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30's filaments look similar to that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula (for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE), visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future observations and analyses may tell us more.

                                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240403.ht

                                                                                        2024 April 3 A nebula is shown that appears like a firework. Radial filaments connect a glowing halo to a star in the center that appears as a blue dot. Unusual Nebula Pa 30 * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF; * Processing: G. Ferrand (U. Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C. Treyturik (U. Manitoba); * Text: G. Ferrand & J. English Explanation: What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula, dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright "guest star" did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30's filaments look similar to that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula (for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE), visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future observations and analyses may tell us more. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

                                                                                        Alt...2024 April 3 A nebula is shown that appears like a firework. Radial filaments connect a glowing halo to a star in the center that appears as a blue dot. Unusual Nebula Pa 30 * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF; * Processing: G. Ferrand (U. Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C. Treyturik (U. Manitoba); * Text: G. Ferrand & J. English Explanation: What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula, dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright "guest star" did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30's filaments look similar to that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula (for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE), visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future observations and analyses may tell us more. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

                                                                                          [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                          @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                          2021 August 22
                                                                                          The picture shows an illustration of binary star system RS Ophiuchus during a nova-causing explosion.

                                                                                          Explosions from White Dwarf Star RS Oph
                                                                                          * Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC
                                                                                          astroart.org/hardy-profile
                                                                                          en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle

                                                                                          Explanation:
                                                                                          Spectacular explosions keep occurring in the binary star system named RS Ophiuchi. Every 20 years or so, the red giant star dumps enough hydrogen gas onto its companion white dwarf star to set off a brilliant thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf's surface. At about 5,000 light years distant, the resulting nova explosions cause the RS Oph system to brighten up by a huge factor and become visible to the unaided eye. The red giant star is depicted on the right of the above drawing, while the white dwarf is at the center of the bright accretion disk on the left. As the stars orbit each other, a stream of gas moves from the giant star to the white dwarf. Astronomers speculate that at some time in the next 100,000 years, enough matter will have accumulated on the white dwarf to push it over the Chandrasekhar Limit, causing a much more powerful and final explosion known as a supernova. Starting early this month, RS Oph was again seen exploding in a bright nova.
                                                                                          ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001

                                                                                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210822.ht

                                                                                          2021 August 22 The picture shows an illustration of binary star system RS Ophiuchus during a nova-causing explosion. Explosions from White Dwarf Star RS Oph * Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC Explanation: Spectacular explosions keep occurring in the binary star system named RS Ophiuchi. Every 20 years or so, the red giant star dumps enough hydrogen gas onto its companion white dwarf star to set off a brilliant thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf's surface. At about 5,000 light years distant, the resulting nova explosions cause the RS Oph system to brighten up by a huge factor and become visible to the unaided eye. The red giant star is depicted on the right of the above drawing, while the white dwarf is at the center of the bright accretion disk on the left. As the stars orbit each other, a stream of gas moves from the giant star to the white dwarf. Astronomers speculate that at some time in the next 100,000 years, enough matter will have accumulated on the white dwarf to push it over the Chandrasekhar Limit, causing a much more powerful and final explosion known as a supernova. Starting early this month, RS Oph was again seen exploding in a bright nova. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                          Alt...2021 August 22 The picture shows an illustration of binary star system RS Ophiuchus during a nova-causing explosion. Explosions from White Dwarf Star RS Oph * Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC Explanation: Spectacular explosions keep occurring in the binary star system named RS Ophiuchi. Every 20 years or so, the red giant star dumps enough hydrogen gas onto its companion white dwarf star to set off a brilliant thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf's surface. At about 5,000 light years distant, the resulting nova explosions cause the RS Oph system to brighten up by a huge factor and become visible to the unaided eye. The red giant star is depicted on the right of the above drawing, while the white dwarf is at the center of the bright accretion disk on the left. As the stars orbit each other, a stream of gas moves from the giant star to the white dwarf. Astronomers speculate that at some time in the next 100,000 years, enough matter will have accumulated on the white dwarf to push it over the Chandrasekhar Limit, causing a much more powerful and final explosion known as a supernova. Starting early this month, RS Oph was again seen exploding in a bright nova. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                            [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                            @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                            "The extreme temporary light emissions of a nova are often visible to the naked eye from Earth. Even with several spectacular visible phenomena, such as this night sky, the nova remains recognizable to the trained eye. Due to their short-term glow and later dimming, it seemed to earlier cultures as if there were celestial bodies that could appear and disappear out of nowhere. In ancient China, astronomers called these 'Guest Stars' More on this in the next post"

                                                                                            2021 August 16

                                                                                            Perseid Meteor, Red Sprites, and Nova RS Ophiuchus
                                                                                            * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona

                                                                                            Explanation:
                                                                                            This was an unusual sky. It wasn't unusual because of the central band the Milky Way Galaxy, visible along the image left. Most dark skies show part of the Milky Way. It wasn't unusual because of the bright meteor visible on the upper right. Many images taken during last week's Perseid Meteor Shower show meteors, although this Perseid was particularly bright. This sky wasn't unusual because of the red sprites, visible on the lower right. Although this type of lightning has only been noted in the past few decades, images of sprites are becoming more common. This sky wasn't unusual because of the nova, visible just above the image center. Novas bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye occur every few years, with pictured Nova RS Ophiuchus discovered about a week ago. What was most unusual, though, was to capture all these things together, in a single night, on a single sky. The unusual sky occurred above Zacatecas, Mexico.

                                                                                            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210816.ht

                                                                                            2021 August 16 Perseid Meteor, Red Sprites, and Nova RS Ophiuchus * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona Explanation: This was an unusual sky. It wasn't unusual because of the central band the Milky Way Galaxy, visible along the image left. Most dark skies show part of the Milky Way. It wasn't unusual because of the bright meteor visible on the upper right. Many images taken during last week's Perseid Meteor Shower show meteors, although this Perseid was particularly bright. This sky wasn't unusual because of the red sprites, visible on the lower right. Although this type of lightning has only been noted in the past few decades, images of sprites are becoming more common. This sky wasn't unusual because of the nova, visible just above the image center. Novas bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye occur every few years, with pictured Nova RS Ophiuchus discovered about a week ago. What was most unusual, though, was to capture all these things together, in a single night, on a single sky. The unusual sky occurred above Zacatecas, Mexico. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                            Alt...2021 August 16 Perseid Meteor, Red Sprites, and Nova RS Ophiuchus * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona Explanation: This was an unusual sky. It wasn't unusual because of the central band the Milky Way Galaxy, visible along the image left. Most dark skies show part of the Milky Way. It wasn't unusual because of the bright meteor visible on the upper right. Many images taken during last week's Perseid Meteor Shower show meteors, although this Perseid was particularly bright. This sky wasn't unusual because of the red sprites, visible on the lower right. Although this type of lightning has only been noted in the past few decades, images of sprites are becoming more common. This sky wasn't unusual because of the nova, visible just above the image center. Novas bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye occur every few years, with pictured Nova RS Ophiuchus discovered about a week ago. What was most unusual, though, was to capture all these things together, in a single night, on a single sky. The unusual sky occurred above Zacatecas, Mexico. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                              [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                              @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                              Guest star (astronomy)
                                                                                              From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                                                                                              In Chinese astronomy, a guest star (Chinese: pinyin: kèxīng) is a star which has suddenly appeared in a place where no star had previously been observed and becomes invisible again after some time. The term is a literal translation from ancient Chinese astronomical records.

                                                                                              Modern astronomy recognizes that guest stars are manifestations of cataclysmic variable stars: novae and supernovae. The term "guest star" is used in the context of ancient records, since the exact classification of an astronomical event in question is based on interpretations of old records, including inference, rather than on direct observations.

                                                                                              In ancient Chinese astronomy, guest stars were one of the three types of highly transient objects (bright heavenly bodies). The other two were comets with tails (Chinese: pinyin: huìxīng; lit. 'broom star') and comets without tails (Chinese: pinyin: beìxīng; lit. 'fuzzy star'), with the former term being used for all comets in modern astronomy.

                                                                                              The earliest Chinese record of guest stars is contained in Han Shu,the history of Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), and all subsequent dynastic histories had such records. These contain one of the clearest early descriptions consistent with a supernova, posited to be left over by object SN 185, thus identified as a supernova remnant of the exact year AD 185. Chronicles of the contemporary Europeans are more vague when consulted for supernovae candidates. Whether this was due to the weather or other reasons, astronomers have questioned why the remnant attributed to Chinese observations of a guest star in AD 1054 (see SN 1054) is missing from the European records.
                                                                                              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic

                                                                                              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guest_st

                                                                                              The guest star reported by Chinese astronomers in 1054 and cited in the highlighted passages in this text from 1414 is identified as SN 1054

                                                                                              Alt...The guest star reported by Chinese astronomers in 1054 and cited in the highlighted passages in this text from 1414 is identified as SN 1054

                                                                                                [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                                "Obviously, the ancient document shown in the previous post is a testimony of the famous ancient supernova SN 1054"

                                                                                                The Crab Nebula is an expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers recorded this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054 AD, as did likely the Native Americans. The glowing relic has been expanding since the star exploded, and it is now approximately 11 light-years in width.

                                                                                                Constellation: Taurus

                                                                                                Distance: 6,500 light-years (2.0 kiloparsecs)

                                                                                                Animation showing the Crab Supernova explosion and its remant.

                                                                                                * Animation Credit:
                                                                                                ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

                                                                                                Alt...Animation showing the Crab Supernova explosion and its remant. "Obviously, the ancient document shown in the previous post is a testimony of the famous ancient supernova SN 1054" The Crab Nebula is an expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers recorded this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054 AD, as did likely the Native Americans. The glowing relic has been expanding since the star exploded, and it is now approximately 11 light-years in width. Constellation: Taurus Distance: 6,500 light-years (2.0 kiloparsecs) * Animation Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

                                                                                                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                                  @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                                  Oct 18, 2019

                                                                                                  The Tycho Supernova: Death of a Star - NASA
                                                                                                  * Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/RIKEN & GSFC/T. Sato et al; Optical: DSS

                                                                                                  Explanation:
                                                                                                  In 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was among those who noticed a new bright object in the constellation Cassiopeia. Adding fuel to the intellectual fire that Copernicus started, Tycho showed this “new star” was far beyond the Moon, and that it was possible for the universe beyond the Sun and planets to change.

                                                                                                  Astronomers now know that Tycho’s new star was not new at all. Rather it signaled the death of a star in a supernova, an explosion so bright that it can outshine the light from an entire galaxy. This particular supernova was a Type Ia, which occurs when a white dwarf star pulls material from, or merges with, a nearby companion star until a violent explosion is triggered. The white dwarf star is obliterated, sending its debris hurtling into space.

                                                                                                  In its two decades of operation, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured unparalleled X-ray images of many supernova remnants.

                                                                                                  Chandra reveals an intriguing pattern of bright clumps and fainter areas in Tycho. What caused this thicket of knots in the aftermath of this explosion? Did the explosion itself cause this clumpiness, or was it something that happened afterward?

                                                                                                  nasa.gov/image-article/tycho-s

                                                                                                  This latest image of Tycho from Chandra is providing clues. To emphasize the clumps in the image and the three-dimensional nature of Tycho, scientists selected two narrow ranges of X-ray energies to isolate material (silicon, colored red) moving away from Earth, and moving towards us (also silicon, colored blue). The other colors in the image (yellow, green, blue-green, orange and purple) show a broad range of different energies and elements, and a mixture of directions of motion. In this new composite image, Chandra’s X-ray data have been combined with an optical image of the stars in the same field of view from the Digitized Sky Survey. Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/RIKEN & GSFC/T. Sato et al; Optical: DSS

                                                                                                  Alt...This latest image of Tycho from Chandra is providing clues. To emphasize the clumps in the image and the three-dimensional nature of Tycho, scientists selected two narrow ranges of X-ray energies to isolate material (silicon, colored red) moving away from Earth, and moving towards us (also silicon, colored blue). The other colors in the image (yellow, green, blue-green, orange and purple) show a broad range of different energies and elements, and a mixture of directions of motion. In this new composite image, Chandra’s X-ray data have been combined with an optical image of the stars in the same field of view from the Digitized Sky Survey. Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/RIKEN & GSFC/T. Sato et al; Optical: DSS

                                                                                                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                                    @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                                    Webb Reveals Never-Before-Seen Details in Cassiopeia A - NASA
                                                                                                    [...]
                                                                                                    Editor’s Note: The story below has been updated to clarify that the supernova was 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective.

                                                                                                    The explosion of a star is a dramatic event, but the remains the star leaves behind can be even more dramatic. A new mid-infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides one stunning example. It shows the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), created by a stellar explosion 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective. Cas A is the youngest known remnant from an exploding, massive star in our galaxy, which makes it a unique opportunity to learn more about how such supernovae occur.

                                                                                                    “Cas A represents our best opportunity to look at the debris field of an exploded star and run a kind of stellar autopsy to understand what type of star was there beforehand and how that star exploded,” said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, principal investigator of the Webb program that captured these observations.

                                                                                                    “Compared to previous infrared images, we see incredible detail that we haven’t been able to access before,” added Tea Temim of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, a co-investigator on the program.

                                                                                                    Cassiopeia A is a prototypical supernova remnant that has been widely studied by a number of ground-based and space-based observatories, including NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The multi-wavelength observations can be combined to provide scientists with a more comprehensive understanding of the remnant.
                                                                                                    [...]
                                                                                                    Perhaps most prominently, a loop represented in green extends across the right side of the central cavity. “We’ve nicknamed it the Green Monster in honor of Fenway Park in Boston. If you look closely, you’ll notice that it’s pockmarked with what look like mini-bubbles,” said Milisavljevic.
                                                                                                    [...]

                                                                                                    nasa.gov/universe/webb-reveals

                                                                                                    Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light. On the remnant’s exterior, particularly at the top and left, lie curtains of material appearing orange and red due to emission from warm dust. This marks where ejected material from the exploded star is ramming into surrounding circumstellar material. Interior to this outer shell lie mottled filaments of bright pink studded with clumps and knots. This represents material from the star itself, and likely shines due to a mix of various heavy elements and dust emission. The stellar material can also be seen as fainter wisps near the cavity’s interior. A loop represented in green extends across the right side of the central cavity. Its shape and complexity are unexpected and challenging for scientists to understand. This image combines various filters with the color red assigned to 25.5 microns (F2550W), orange-red to 21 microns (F2100W), orange to 18 microns (F1800W), yellow to 12.8 microns (F1280W), green to 11.3 microns (F1130W), cyan to 10 microns (F1000W), light blue to 7.7 microns (F770W), and blue to 5.6 microns (F560W). The data comes from general observer

                                                                                                    Alt...Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light. On the remnant’s exterior, particularly at the top and left, lie curtains of material appearing orange and red due to emission from warm dust. This marks where ejected material from the exploded star is ramming into surrounding circumstellar material. Interior to this outer shell lie mottled filaments of bright pink studded with clumps and knots. This represents material from the star itself, and likely shines due to a mix of various heavy elements and dust emission. The stellar material can also be seen as fainter wisps near the cavity’s interior. A loop represented in green extends across the right side of the central cavity. Its shape and complexity are unexpected and challenging for scientists to understand. This image combines various filters with the color red assigned to 25.5 microns (F2550W), orange-red to 21 microns (F2100W), orange to 18 microns (F1800W), yellow to 12.8 microns (F1280W), green to 11.3 microns (F1130W), cyan to 10 microns (F1000W), light blue to 7.7 microns (F770W), and blue to 5.6 microns (F560W). The data comes from general observer

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