2025 October 1

NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula
* Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Meyers

Explanation:
Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, an interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251001.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supernova_remnants
https://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/supernovas.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cygnus_Loop_Labeled.png
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101119.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251001.html

#space #nebula #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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2025 October 1 A starfield is shown that has a multi-filament nebula flowing across it horizontally. The most prominent colors are red and blue. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula * Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Meyers Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, an interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

Last sneak peak at Low Earth Orbit Adventures until next year I'd say

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpc6Bpy0zMQ

#GodotEngine #GodotShowreel #NASA #NASAPunk #StarCops #gaming #LEOAdventures

2025 September 30

Comet Lemmon Brightens
* Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter
https://app.astrobin.com/i/lsnen5

Explanation:
Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, but first it will pass its nearest to the Earth -- at about half the Earth-Sun distance -- on October 21. Although the brightnesses of comets are notoriously hard to predict, optimistic estimates have Comet Lemmon then becoming visible to the unaided eye. The comet should be best seen in predawn skies until mid-October, when it also becomes visible in evening skies. The featured image showing the comet's split and rapidly changing ion tail was taken in Texas, USA late last week.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_A6_(Lemmon)
https://earthsky.org/space/5-bright-comets-approaching-earth-charts-2025-2026/
https://theskylive.com/c2025a6-info
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/facts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_tail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_unit

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250930.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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2025 September 30 A starfield is shown that has a bright comet. The comet shows a green head on the lower left and an ion tail with significant structure extending out to the upper right. Comet Lemmon Brightens * Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter Explanation: Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, but first it will pass its nearest to the Earth -- at about half the Earth-Sun distance -- on October 21. Although the brightnesses of comets are notoriously hard to predict, optimistic estimates have Comet Lemmon then becoming visible to the unaided eye. The comet should be best seen in predawn skies until mid-October, when it also becomes visible in evening skies. The featured image showing the comet's split and rapidly changing ion tail was taken in Texas, USA late last week. 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.

2025 September 29

Two Camera Comets in One Sky
* Image Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot (TWAN)
https://www.lucperrot.fr/bio

Explanation:
It may look like these comets are racing, but they are not. Comets C/2025 K1 ATLAS (left) and C/2025 R2 SWAN (right) appeared near each other by chance last week in the featured image taken from France's Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Fainter Comet ATLAS is approaching our Sun and will reach its closest approach in early October when it is also expected to be its brightest -- although still only likely visible with long exposures on a camera. The brighter comet, nicknamed SWAN25B, is now headed away from our Sun, although its closest approach to Earth is expected in mid-October, when optimistic estimates have it becoming bright enough to see with the unaided eye. Each comet has a greenish coma of expelled gas and an ion tail pointing away from the Sun.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250918.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250916.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_K1_(ATLAS)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_R2_(SWAN)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma_(comet)

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250929.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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2025 September 29 A starfield is shown that has two short streaks running diagonally. At closer inspection, they are two comets both with white-green heads and white tails. Two Camera Comets in One Sky * Image Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot (TWAN) Explanation: It may look like these comets are racing, but they are not. Comets C/2025 K1 ATLAS (left) and C/2025 R2 SWAN (right) appeared near each other by chance last week in the featured image taken from France's Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Fainter Comet ATLAS is approaching our Sun and will reach its closest approach in early October when it is also expected to be its brightest -- although still only likely visible with long exposures on a camera. The brighter comet, nicknamed SWAN25B, is now headed away from our Sun, although its closest approach to Earth is expected in mid-October, when optimistic estimates have it becoming bright enough to see with the unaided eye. Each comet has a greenish coma of expelled gas and an ion tail pointing away from the Sun. 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.

Mars 2020: Perseverance Rover - NASA Science

latest news
New Report: Perseverance Rock Sample Contains 'Potential Biosignatures'
-- Alicia Cermak

A sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life. Taken from a rock named “Cheyava Falls” last year, the sample, called “Sapphire Canyon,” contains potential biosignatures, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/

Please read this article by Jessica Taveau as well:
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-says-mars-rover-discovered-potential-biosignature-last-year/

also FYI:
https://youtu.be/-StZggK4hhA

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA #ESA

Perseverance Finds a Rock with ‘Leopard Spots’

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this image of a rock nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” on July 18, 2024, the 1,212th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Running the length of the rock are large white calcium sulfate veins. Between those veins are bands of material whose reddish color suggests the presence of hematite, one of the minerals that gives Mars its distinctive rusty hue. Scientists are particularly interested in the millimeter-size, irregularly shaped light patches on the central reddish band (from lower left to upper right of the image) that are surrounded by a thin ring of dark material, akin to leopard spots. Spotting of this type on sedimentary terrestrial rocks can occur when chemical reactions involving hematite turn the rock from red to white. Those reactions can also release iron and phosphate, possibly causing the black halos to form, and they can be an energy source for microbes, hence the association between such features and microbes in a terrestrial setting.

Figure A is the same image with annotations pointing out the leopard spots and olivine in the rock.

Measuring 3.2 feet by 2 feet (1 meter by 0.6 meters) and named after a Grand Canyon waterfall, Cheyava Falls was found in an ancient riverbed within the “Bright Angel” region of Mars’ Jezero Crater. This image of the rock was captured using a camera called WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering), which is part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument suite located on the end of Perseverance’s 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm. SHERLOC looks for organic compounds — carbon-based molecules that are considered the building blocks of life — and detected them in Cheyava Falls.
[...]
Read more in the ALT-Text

https://science.nasa.gov/resource/perseverance-finds-a-rock-with-leopard-spots/

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA #ESA

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Annotations for previous post. An annotated version of the image of “Cheyava Falls” indicates the markings akin to leopard spots, which have particularly captivated scientists, and the olivine in the rock. The image was captured by the WATSON instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on July 18. [...] The white, knobby material seen on either side of the spots is dotted with a few green olivine crystals, which form in igneous rocks such as lava flows. It’s unknown whether the olivine formed at the same time as the leopard spots; scientists hope to establish a timeline for when both the olivine and the spots formed. Perseverance drilled a core from Cheyava Falls, the rover’s 22nd rock sample, on July 21. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover is also characterizing the planet’s geology and past climate, which paves the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

2025 September 28

Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks
* Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, Perseverance Rover
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
https://www.msss.com/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/

Explanation:
What is creating these unusual spots? Light-colored spots on Martian rocks, each surrounded by a dark border, were discovered last year by NASA's Perseverance Rover currently exploring Mars. Dubbed leopard spots because of their seemingly similarity to markings on famous Earth-bound predators, these curious patterns are being studied with the possibility they were created by ancient Martian life. The pictured spots measure only millimeters across and were discovered on a larger rock named Cheyava Falls. The exciting but unproven speculation is that long ago, microbes generated energy with chemical reactions that turned rock from red to white while leaving a dark biosignature ring, like some similarly appearing spots on Earth rocks. Although other non-biological explanations have not been ruled out, speculation focusing on this potential biological origin is causing much intrigue.
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/perseverance-finds-a-rock-with-leopard-spots/
https://science.nasa.gov/mars/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/earliest-life-on-earth-rocks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematite#Mars

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250928.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA #ESA

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2025 September 28 Part of a large rock on Mars is shown being mostly orange. On the rock are several irregular light-colored areas surrounded by a dark border. The spots are only millimeters across but might be a remnant biosignature of ancient Martian life. Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, Perseverance Rover Explanation: What is creating these unusual spots? Light-colored spots on Martian rocks, each surrounded by a dark border, were discovered last year by NASA's Perseverance Rover currently exploring Mars. Dubbed leopard spots because of their seemingly similarity to markings on famous Earth-bound predators, these curious patterns are being studied with the possibility they were created by ancient Martian life. The pictured spots measure only millimeters across and were discovered on a larger rock named Cheyava Falls. The exciting but unproven speculation is that long ago, microbes generated energy with chemical reactions that turned rock from red to white while leaving a dark biosignature ring, like some similarly appearing spots on Earth rocks. Although other non-biological explanations have not been ruled out, speculation focusing on this potential biological origin is causing much intrigue. 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

TOPIC>
Mars

2025 June 15
Two images are shown side by side. On the left is a sunset seen from Earth, while on the right is a sunset seen from Mars. The Earth sunset is quite orange, while the Mars sunset is quite blue. The Sun appears angularly smaller from Mars than from the Earth.

Two Worlds, One Sun
* Left Image Credit & Copyright: Damia Bouic
https://www.planetary.org/profiles/damia-bouic
* Right Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
https://www.msss.com/
* Digital processing: Damia Bouic

Explanation:
How different does sunset appear from Mars than from Earth? For comparison, two images of our common star were taken at sunset, one from Earth and one from Mars. These images were scaled to have the same angular width and are featured here side-by-side. A quick inspection will reveal that the Sun appears slightly smaller from Mars than from Earth. This makes sense since Mars is 50% further from the Sun than Earth. More striking, perhaps, is that the Martian sunset is noticeably bluer near the Sun than the typically orange colors near the setting Sun from Earth. The reason for the blue hues from Mars is not fully understood, but thought to be related to forward scattering properties of Martian dust. The terrestrial sunset was taken in 2012 March from Marseille, France, while the Martian sunset was captured in 2015 by NASA's robotic Curiosity rover from Gale crater on Mars.
https://www.db-prods.net/blog/2015/05/06/coucher-de-soleil-sur-mars/
https://www.planetary.org/articles/0506-sunset-on-mars
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140302.html
https://science.nasa.gov/mars/facts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gale_%28crater%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_regolith#Atmospheric_dust
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson-2/Blue-Skies-and-Red-Sunsets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy_on_Mars#The_color_of_the_sky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXSIZcj8WgA
https://www.msss.com/

https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
https://hudsonvalleygeologist.blogspot.com/2012/04/size-of-sun.html
https://hudsonvalleygeologist.blogspot.com/2012/04/size-of-sun.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220206.html
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap980526.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250615.html

#space #mars #sun #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #physics

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Two Worlds, One Sun * Left Image Credit & Copyright: Damia Bouic; * Right Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; * Digital processing: Damia Bouic Explanation: How different does sunset appear from Mars than from Earth? For comparison, two images of our common star were taken at sunset, one from Earth and one from Mars. These images were scaled to have the same angular width and are featured here side-by-side. A quick inspection will reveal that the Sun appears slightly smaller from Mars than from Earth. This makes sense since Mars is 50% further from the Sun than Earth. More striking, perhaps, is that the Martian sunset is noticeably bluer near the Sun than the typically orange colors near the setting Sun from Earth. The reason for the blue hues from Mars is not fully understood, but thought to be related to forward scattering properties of Martian dust. The terrestrial sunset was taken in 2012 March from Marseille, France, while the Martian sunset was captured in 2015 by NASA's robotic Curiosity rover from Gale crater on Mars. 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.

Mars missions: A brief history
By Elizabeth Howell, Vicky Stein, Daisy Dobrijevic

Mars missions have been launching for over 50 years but not every mission ends in success.

Mars missions have been launching from Earth with regularity since the 1960s, bent on exploring our planetary neighbor. With its potential for liquid water — and therefore, life — Mars is an alluring target.

But it's a difficult journey, and only about half of all Mars missions successfully make it to the Red Planet, according to NASA. A "Great Galactic Ghoul" must be consuming them, joked a journalist and a NASA scientist corresponding in 1964, reported the Economist.

Since the first successful flyby in 1965, several space agencies have successfully made it to Mars. NASA, the former Soviet Union space program, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organization each met with earlier successes.

A significant batch of Mars-bound missions arrived in February 2021. NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter reached Mars that month, along with the United Arab Emirates' Hope orbiter (a first interplanetary mission for that country) and the China National Space Administration's Tianwen-1 orbiter and lander-rover mission, which was China's first successful mission to the Red Planet.

Coming up in the 2020s and 2030s, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning a sample-return mission from Mars' moon Phobos, and NASA has teamed up with the ESA on a sample-return mission from Mars itself.

Read more:>>
https://www.space.com/13558-historic-mars-missions.html

#space #mars #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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The Mars Exploration Family Portrait shows every dedicated space mission to Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/Roscosmos/JAXA/ESA/ISRO/MBRSC/Jason Davis/The Planetary Society

https://youtu.be/7aKewWHXXRE

“Landing on Mars”
(59 min)

In the summer of 2003, two NASA rovers began their journeys to Mars at a time when the Red Planet and Earth were the nearest they had been to each other in 60,000 years. To capitalize on this alignment, the rovers had been built at breakneck speed by teams at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission came amid further pressures, from mounting international competition to increasing public scrutiny following the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. NASA was in great need of a success.

“Landing on Mars” is the story of Opportunity and Spirit surviving a massive solar flare during cruise, the now well-known “six minutes of terror,” and what came close to being a mission-ending software error for the first rover once it was on the ground.

#space #mars #sun #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #physics

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/mars

"This link will take you directly to the maximized full screen of the interactive 3D simulation with many different options. Have fun exploring .."

The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere.
Mars was named by the ancient Romans for their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood. The Red Planet is actually many colors. At the surface we see colors such as brown, gold and tan. The reason Mars looks reddish is due to oxidization—or rusting—of iron in the rocks, regolith (Martian “soil”), and dust of Mars. This dust gets kicked up into the atmosphere and from a distance makes the planet appear mostly red. Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons. It's three times taller than Earth's Mt. Everest with a base the size of the state of New Mexico.
Mars appears to have had a watery past, with ancient river valley networks, deltas and lakebeds, as well as rocks and minerals on the surface that could only have formed in liquid water. Some features suggest that Mars experienced huge floods about 3.5 billion years ago. There is water on Mars today, but the Martian atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. Today, water on Mars is found in the form of water-ice just under the surface in the polar regions as well as in briny (salty) water, which seasonally flows down some hillsides and crater walls.
No planet beyond Earth has been studied as intensely as Mars. Today, a science fleet of robotic spacecraft study Mars from all angles.

#space #mars #sun #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

Curiosity wraps up an investigation at Mars' Pink Cliffs while trying out a style of exploration used by geologists on Earth called “the walkabout.”

Part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, Curiosity, was the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars when it launched in 2011. Curiosity set out to answer the question: Did Mars ever have the right environmental conditions to support small life forms called microbes? Early in its mission, Curiosity's scientific tools found chemical and mineral evidence of past habitable environments on Mars. It continues to explore the rock record from a time when Mars could have been home to microbial life.

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/

#space #mars #sun #earth #science #astronomy #geology #tech #nature #NASA #MarsRoverCuriosity

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Curiosity wraps up an investigation at Mars' Pink Cliffs while trying out a style of exploration used by geologists on Earth called “the walkabout.”

https://youtu.be/sbfODUMgfcw

Drag your mouse or move your phone to explore this 360-degree panorama provided by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.

3D Model of a Curiousity Rover to explore it from all sides >>
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/gltf_embed/2398/?height=450&rotate=true&cc=true&fs=true&target=&orbit=

#space #mars #sun #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #tech #nature #NASA

2025 June 21

Two Worlds, Two Analemmas
* Image Credit: (left) Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN) https://twanight.org/profile/tunc-tezel/ - (right): NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU/TAMU https://www.nasa.gov/

Explanation:
Sure, that figure-8 shaped curve you get when you mark the position of the Sun in Earth's sky at the same time each day over one year is called an analemma. On the left, Earth's figure-8 analemma was traced by combining wide-angle digital images recorded during the year from December 2011 through December 2012. But the shape of an analemma depends on the eccentricity of a planet's orbit and the tilt of its axis of rotation, so analemma curves can look different for different worlds. Take Mars for example. The Red Planet's axial tilt is similar to Earth's, but its orbit around the same sun is more eccentric (less circular) than Earth's orbit. As seen from the Martian surface, the analemma traced in the right hand panel is shaped more like a tear drop. The Mars rover Opportunity captured the images used over the Martian year corresponding to Earth dates July 2006 to June 2008. Of course, each world's solstice dates still lie at the top and bottom of their different analemma curves. The last Mars northern summer solstice was May 29, 2025. Our fair planet's 2025 northern summer solstice is at June 21, 2:42 UTC.

Earth:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131014.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241204.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250320.html

Mars:
https://www.planetary.org/articles/a-martian-analemma
https://www.planetary.org/articles/mars-calendar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma#Seen_from_other_planets
https://analemma.com/other-analemmas.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250621.html

#space #mars #sun #earth #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #physics

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2025 June 21 Two Worlds, Two Analemmas * Image Credit: (left) Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN) - (right): NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU/TAMU Explanation: Sure, that figure-8 shaped curve you get when you mark the position of the Sun in Earth's sky at the same time each day over one year is called an analemma. On the left, Earth's figure-8 analemma was traced by combining wide-angle digital images recorded during the year from December 2011 through December 2012. But the shape of an analemma depends on the eccentricity of a planet's orbit and the tilt of its axis of rotation, so analemma curves can look different for different worlds. Take Mars for example. The Red Planet's axial tilt is similar to Earth's, but its orbit around the same sun is more eccentric (less circular) than Earth's orbit. As seen from the Martian surface, the analemma traced in the right hand panel is shaped more like a tear drop. The Mars rover Opportunity captured the images used over the Martian year corresponding to Earth dates July 2006 to June 2008. Of course, each world's solstice dates still lie at the top and bottom of their different analemma curves. The last Mars northern summer solstice was May 29, 2025. Our fair planet's 2025 northern summer solstice is at June 21, 2:42 UTC. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

2025 June 22

A Berry Bowl of Martian Spherules
* Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Curiosity Rover
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
https://www.nasa.gov/

Explanation:
How were these unusual Martian spherules created? Thousands of unusual gray spherules made of iron and rock and dubbed blueberries were found embedded in and surrounding rocks near the landing site of the robot Opportunity rover on Mars in 2004. To help investigate their origin, Opportunity found a surface dubbed the Berry Bowl with an indentation that was rich in the Martian orbs. The Berry Bowl is pictured here, imaged during rover's 48th Martian day. The average size of a Martian blueberry rock is only about 4 millimeters across. By analyzing a circular patch in the rock surface to the left of the densest patch of spherules, Opportunity obtained data showing that the underlying rock has a much different composition than the hematite rich blueberries. This information contributes to the growing consensus that these small, strange, gray orbs were slowly deposited from a bath of dirty water.
https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05634
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/location-map/
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017Icar..289..144W/abstract

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040303.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040210.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040216.html
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/martian-blueberries-2/
Martian_spherules

https://periodic.lanl.gov/26.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematite

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250622.html

#space #mars #rover #astrophotography #photography #science #geology #nature #NASA

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2025 June 22 The image looks down on an orange rock on Mars. On the rock are many nearly spherical smaller rocks. A Berry Bowl of Martian Spherules * Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Curiosity Rover Explanation: How were these unusual Martian spherules created? Thousands of unusual gray spherules made of iron and rock and dubbed blueberries were found embedded in and surrounding rocks near the landing site of the robot Opportunity rover on Mars in 2004. To help investigate their origin, Opportunity found a surface dubbed the Berry Bowl with an indentation that was rich in the Martian orbs. The Berry Bowl is pictured here, imaged during rover's 48th Martian day. The average size of a Martian blueberry rock is only about 4 millimeters across. By analyzing a circular patch in the rock surface to the left of the densest patch of spherules, Opportunity obtained data showing that the underlying rock has a much different composition than the hematite rich blueberries. This information contributes to the growing consensus that these small, strange, gray orbs were slowly deposited from a bath of dirty water. 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.

March 5, 2024: NASA released images of transits of the moon Deimos, the moon Phobos and the planet Mercury as viewed by the Perseverance rover on the planet Mars.

Solar 'eclipses' on Mars

The two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are much smaller than Earth's Moon, greatly reducing the frequency of solar eclipses on that planet. Neither moon's apparent diameter is large enough to cover the disk of the Sun, and therefore they are annular solar eclipses and can also be considered transits.

Eclipses caused by Phobos

Due to the small size of Phobos (about 20 by 25 km (12 by 16 mi)) and its rapid orbital motion, an observer on the surface of Mars would never experience a solar eclipse for longer than about thirty seconds. Phobos also takes only 7 hours 39 minutes to orbit Mars, while a Martian day is 24 hours 37 minutes long, meaning that Phobos can create two eclipses per Martian day. These are annular eclipses, because Phobos is not quite large enough or close enough to Mars to create a total solar eclipse.

Transits caused by Deimos

Deimos is too small (about 15 by 10 km (9.3 by 6.2 mi)) and too far from Mars to cause an eclipse. The best an observer on Mars would see is a small spot crossing the Sun's disc.

Transit of Mercury

A transit of Mercury across the Sun as seen from Mars takes place when the planet Mercury passes directly between the Sun and Mars, obscuring a small part of the Sun's disc for an observer on Mars. During a transit, Mercury can be seen from Mars as a small black disc moving across the face of the Sun.

The Mercury-Mars synodic period is 100.888 days. It can be calculated using the formula 1/(1/P-1/Q), where P is the orbital period of Mercury (87.969 days) and Q is the orbital period of Mars (686.98 days).

Credits:
Excerpts from Wikipedia articles

#space #mars #PerseveranceRover #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #NASA

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Transit of Phobos (February 8, 2024)

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Transit of Mercury (October 28, 2023)

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Transit of Deimos (January 19, 2024)

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Mercury Transit 2019 from SDO This image, taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft, shows Mercury transiting the Sun on 11 November 2019. Credit: NASA/SDO, HMI, and AIA science teams

Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity
* Occurred 6 years ago

NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers were identical twin robots that helped rewrite our understanding of the early history of Mars.

Landing Sites

The rovers were targeted to land at sites on opposite sides of Mars that looked as though they were affected by liquid water in the past. Spirit landed at Gusev Crater, a possible former lake in a giant impact crater. Opportunity landed at Meridiani Planum, a place where mineral deposits suggested that Mars had a wet history.

Mars Exploration Rovers In Depth

Rover Basics:
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a rover take on human-like features, such as “heads,” and “bodies.”
https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/rover-basics/

Objectives:
New knowledge from the twin rovers uniquely contributed to meeting the four overarching goals of the Mars Exploration Program, while complementing data gathered through other Mars missions.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-exploration-rovers-spirit-and-opportunity/science-objectives/

Science:
By studying the rock record, Spirit and Opportunity confirmed that water was long standing on the surface of Mars in ancient times.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-exploration-rovers-spirit-and-opportunity/science-highlights/

Resources:
Visit the one-stop-shop for all Spirit and Opportunity multimedia.
https://science.nasa.gov/mars/resources/?search=spirit+opportunity

This infographic highlights NASA’s twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity. The rovers landed on the Red Planet in 2004, in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. Spirit concluded its mishttps://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-exploration-rovers-spirit-and-opportunity/sion in 2010. Opportunity last communicated with Earth on June 10, 2018, as a planet-wide dust storm blanketed the solar-powered rover's location on Mars.

Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-exploration-rovers-spirit-and-opportunity/

#space #mars #rover #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #NASA

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This infographic highlights NASA’s twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity. The rovers landed on the Red Planet in 2004, in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. Spirit concluded its mission in 2010. Opportunity last communicated with Earth on June 10, 2018, as a planet-wide dust storm blanketed the solar-powered rover's location on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/gltf_embed/2370/?height=450&rotate=true&cc=true&fs=true&target=&orbit=

A 3D model of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.
NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD)

#space #mars #rover #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #NASA

2004 February 4

Opportunity's Horizon
* Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-exploration-rovers-spirit-and-opportunity/
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html

Explanation:
Remarkably, the Opportunity Mars rover lies in a small martian impact crater about 3 meters deep and 22 meters wide. For 360 degrees, Opportunity's horizon stretches to the right in this color mosaic image from the rover's panoramic camera. Notable in this view of the generally dark, smooth terrain are surface imprints left by the lander's airbags and an outcropping of light-colored, layered rock about 8 meters away toward the northwest. Though they look imposing, the rocks in the tantalizing outcrop are only a few centimeters high and will be dwarfed by the cart-sized rover itself during future close-up investigations. Opportunity has now rolled off its lander and, along with the restored Spirit rover, is directly exploring the martian surface.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040126.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040114.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040204.html

#space #mars #rover #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2004 February 4 Opportunity's Horizon * Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA Explanation: Remarkably, the Opportunity Mars rover lies in a small martian impact crater about 3 meters deep and 22 meters wide. For 360 degrees, Opportunity's horizon stretches to the right in this new color mosaic image from the rover's panoramic camera. Notable in this view of the generally dark, smooth terrain are surface imprints left by the lander's airbags and an outcropping of light-colored, layered rock about 8 meters away toward the northwest. Though they look imposing, the rocks in the tantalizing outcrop are only a few centimeters high and will be dwarfed by the cart-sized rover itself during future close-up investigations. Opportunity has now rolled off its lander and, along with the restored Spirit rover, is directly exploring the martian surface. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 June 29

Dark Sand Cascades on Mars
* Image Credit: NASA, HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona),
https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/
http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/
http://www.nasa.gov/

Explanation:
Are these trees growing on Mars? No. Groups of dark brown streaks have been photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on melting pinkish sand dunes covered with light frost. The featured image was taken in 2008 April near the North Pole of Mars. At that time, dark sand on the interior of Martian sand dunes became more and more visible as the spring Sun melted the lighter carbon dioxide ice. When occurring near the top of a dune, dark sand may cascade down the dune leaving dark surface streaks -- streaks that might appear at first to be trees standing in front of the lighter regions but cast no shadows. Objects about 25 centimeters across are resolved on this image spanning about one kilometer. Close ups of some parts of this image show billowing plumes indicating that the sand slides were occurring even while the image was being taken.
https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_007962_2635
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/martian-sand-dunes-spring/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080311.html
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/recurring-martian-streaks-flowing-sand-not-water/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070805.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021224.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250629.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2025 June 29 Viewed from above, a landscape on Mars features many ridges of pink sand. Superposed on some of these ridges are thin brown stipes. Dark Sand Cascades on Mars * Image Credit: NASA, HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), Explanation: Are these trees growing on Mars? No. Groups of dark brown streaks have been photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on melting pinkish sand dunes covered with light frost. The featured image was taken in 2008 April near the North Pole of Mars. At that time, dark sand on the interior of Martian sand dunes became more and more visible as the spring Sun melted the lighter carbon dioxide ice. When occurring near the top of a dune, dark sand may cascade down the dune leaving dark surface streaks -- streaks that might appear at first to be trees standing in front of the lighter regions but cast no shadows. Objects about 25 centimeters across are resolved on this image spanning about one kilometer. Close ups of some parts of this image show billowing plumes indicating that the sand slides were occurring even while the image was being taken. 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.

2006 August 23

Sandy Gas Jets Hypothesized on Mars
* Illustration Credit & Copyright: Ron Miller (ASU)
https://sese.asu.edu/

Explanation:
What's causing seasonal dark spots on Mars? Every spring, strange dark spots appear near the Martian poles, and then vanish a few months later. These spots typically span 50 meters across and appear fan shaped. Recent observations made with THEMIS instrument onboard NASA's Mars Odyssey, currently orbiting Mars, found the spots to be as cold as the carbon dioxide (CO2) ice beneath them. Based on this evidence, a new hypothesis has been suggested where the spots are caused by explosive jets of sand-laden CO2. As a pole warms up in the spring, frozen CO2 on the surface thins, perforates, and begins to vent gaseous CO2 held underneath. Within this hypothesis, interspersed dark sand would explain the color of the spots, while the underlying frozen CO2 would explain the coolness of the spots. Pictured above, an artist depicts what it might be like to stand on Mars and witness the venting of these tremendous gas and dust jets.

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/odyssey/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice#Solid_CO2
https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08660

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060823.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2006 August 23 Sandy Gas Jets Hypothesized on Mars * Illustration Credit & Copyright: Ron Miller (ASU) Explanation: What's causing seasonal dark spots on Mars? Every spring, strange dark spots appear near the Martian poles, and then vanish a few months later. These spots typically span 50 meters across and appear fan shaped. Recent observations made with THEMIS instrument onboard NASA's Mars Odyssey, currently orbiting Mars, found the spots to be as cold as the carbon dioxide (CO2) ice beneath them. Based on this evidence, a new hypothesis has been suggested where the spots are caused by explosive jets of sand-laden CO2. As a pole warms up in the spring, frozen CO2 on the surface thins, perforates, and begins to vent gaseous CO2 held underneath. Within this hypothesis, interspersed dark sand would explain the color of the spots, while the underlying frozen CO2 would explain the coolness of the spots. Pictured above, an artist depicts what it might be like to stand on Mars and witness the venting of these tremendous gas and dust jets. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: EUD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

"This Martian Professor explains an exciting hypothesis about the effect of dry ice on the Martian surface at the seasonal polar caps"

Video Credit:
mr_JDog75
https://www.youtube.com/@mrbrunnerutah

#space #mars #science #nature #NASA

April 6, 2011

Dry Ice on Mars
by Melody

On Mars the seasonal polar caps are composed of dry ice (carbon dioxide). In the springtime as the sun shines on the ice, it turns from solid to gas and causes erosion of the surface. Dry ice goes directly from solid to vapor, unlike water ice which melts into liquid when it gets warm.

On Mars the seasonal polar caps are composed of dry ice (carbon dioxide). In the springtime as the sun shines on the ice, it turns from solid to gas and causes erosion of the surface. I enjoy the incredible diversity of forms that the erosion takes, and am studying the factors that give us "spiders", "caterpillars", or "starbursts", all colloquial words for what we rigorously name "araneiform" terrain.

This particular example shows eroded channels filled with bright ice, in contrast to the muted red of the underlying ground. In the summer the ice will disappear into the atmosphere, and we will see just the channels of ghostly spiders carved in the surface. This is truly Martian terrain - this type of erosion does not take place anywhere naturally on earth because our climate is too warm.

Credit:
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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Dry Ice on Mars Spidery ice formations on the surface of Mars as seen from orbit. This image was taken with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Jan. 12, 2011.

Oct. 26, 2023

Distribution of Buried Ice on Mars

These Mars global maps show the likely distribution of water ice buried within the upper 3 feet (1 meter) of the planet's surface and represent the latest data from the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project, or SWIM. SWIM uses data acquired by science instruments aboard three NASA orbital missions to estimate where ice may be hiding below the surface. Superimposed on the globes are the locations of ice-exposing meteoroid impacts, which provide an independent means to test the mapping results.

The ice-exposing impacts were spotted by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. While other instruments at Mars can only suggest where buried water ice is located, HiRISE's imagery of ice-exposing impacts can confirm where ice is present.

Most of these craters are no more than 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter, although in 2022 HiRISE captured a 492-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) impact crater that revealed a motherlode of ice that had been hiding beneath the surface. This crater is indicated with a circle in the upper-left portion of the right-most globe above.

Scientists can use mapping data like this to decide where the first astronauts on Mars should land: Buried ice will be a vital resource for the first people to set foot on Mars, serving as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel. It would also be a major scientific target: Astronauts or robots could one day drill ice cores much as scientists do on Earth, uncovering the climate history of Mars and exploring potential habitats (past or present) for microbial life.

Credit:
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

#space #mars #science #astronomy #physics #geology #nature #education #NASA

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Distribution of Buried Ice on Mars Oct. 26, 2023 These Mars global maps show the likely distribution of water ice buried within the upper 3 feet (1 meter) of the planet's surface and represent the latest data from the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project, or SWIM. SWIM uses data acquired by science instruments aboard three NASA orbital missions to estimate where ice may be hiding below the surface. Superimposed on the globes are the locations of ice-exposing meteoroid impacts, which provide an independent means to test the mapping results. The need to look for subsurface ice arises because liquid water isn't stable on the Martian surface: The atmosphere is so thin that water immediately vaporizes. There's plenty of ice at the Martian poles – mostly made of water, although carbon dioxide, or dry ice, can be found as well – but those regions are too cold for astronauts (or robots) to survive for long.

Dec 20, 2024

Avalanches, Icy Explosions, and Dunes:

NASA Is Tracking New Year on Mars
By NASA

[...]
“Springtime on Earth has lots of trickling as water ice gradually melts. But on Mars, everything happens with a bang,” said Serina Diniega, who studies planetary surfaces at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Mars’ wispy atmosphere doesn’t allow liquids to pool on the surface, like on Earth. Instead of melting, ice sublimates, turning directly into a gas. The sudden transition in spring means a lot of violent changes as both water ice and carbon dioxide ice — dry ice, which is much more plentiful on Mars than frozen water — weaken and break.

[...]

Using the cameras and other sensors aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which launched in 2005, scientists study all this activity to improve their understanding of the forces shaping the dynamic Martian surface. Here’s some of what they track.

In 2015, MRO’s High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured a 66-foot-wide (20-meter-wide) chunk of carbon dioxide frost in freefall. Chance observations like this are reminders of just how different Mars is from Earth, Diniega said, especially in springtime, when these surface changes are most noticeable.

[...]

Diniega has relied on HiRISE to study another quirk of Martian springtime: gas geysers that blast out of the surface, throwing out dark fans of sand and dust. These explosive jets form due to energetic sublimation of carbon dioxide ice. As sunlight shines through the ice, its bottom layers turn to gas, building pressure until it bursts into the air, creating those dark fans of material.

But to see the best examples of the newest fans, researchers will have to wait until December 2025, when spring starts in the southern hemisphere. There, the fans are bigger and more clearly defined.
[...]

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/avalanches-icy-explosions-and-dunes-nasa-is-tracking-new-year-on-mars/

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA

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It’s a new year on Mars, and while New Year’s means winter in Earth’s northern hemisphere, it’s the start of spring in the same region of the Red Planet. And that means ice is thawing, leading to all sorts of interesting things. JPL research scientist Serina Diniega explains. NASA/JPL-Caltech

2025 July 6

The Spiral North Pole of Mars
* Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team
http://www.esa.int/
http://www.dlr.de/pf/
http://www.fu-berlin.de/
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/globalsurveyor/
https://attic.gsfc.nasa.gov/mola/

Explanation:
Why is there a spiral around the North Pole of Mars? Each winter this pole develops a new outer layer about one meter thick composed of carbon dioxide frozen out of the thin Martian atmosphere. This fresh layer is deposited on a water-ice layer that exists year round. Strong winds blow down from above the cap's center and swirl due to the spin of the red planet -- contributing to Planum Boreum's spiral structure. The featured image is a perspective mosaic generated in 2017 from numerous images taken by ESA's Mars Express and elevations extracted from the laser altimeter aboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor mission.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2017/02/Perspective_view_of_Mars_north_polar_ice_cap
!>>https://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/lw16/docs/presentations/sci_6_Smith.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planum_Boreum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250706.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #nature #NASA

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2025 July 6 A computer construction of what the north pole of Mars looks like. The picture was constructed from measured altitude data. A spiral landscape is seen that is colored red but is mostly covered with white ice. The Spiral North Pole of Mars * Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team Explanation: Why is there a spiral around the North Pole of Mars? Each winter this pole develops a new outer layer about one meter thick composed of carbon dioxide frozen out of the thin Martian atmosphere. This fresh layer is deposited on a water-ice layer that exists year round. Strong winds blow down from above the cap's center and swirl due to the spin of the red planet -- contributing to Planum Boreum's spiral structure. The featured image is a perspective mosaic generated in 2017 from numerous images taken by ESA's Mars Express and elevations extracted from the laser altimeter aboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor mission. 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.

"27 years ago, the first 3D visualizations of the North Pole of Mars were published and if you take into account the technical possibilities at that time and the resulting state of knowledge, then this image was a world sensation"

December 16, 1998

3-D Mars' North Pole
* Credit: MOLA Team, MGS Project, NASA
* Image: Greg Shirah (SVS)

Explanation:
This dramatic premier three-dimensional visualization of Mars' north pole is based on elevation measurements made by an orbiting laser. During the Spring and Summer of 1998 the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) flashed laser pulses toward the Martian surface from the Global Surveyor spacecraft and recorded the time it took to detect the reflection. This timing data has now been translated to a detailed topographic map of Mars' north polar terrain. The map indicates that the ice cap is is about 1,200 kilometers across, a maximum of 3 kilometers thick, and cut by canyons and troughs up to 1 kilometer deep. The measurements also indicate that the cap is composed primarily of water ice with a total volume of only about four percent of planet Earth's Antarctic ice sheet. In all it represents at most a tenth of the amount of water some scientists believe once existed on ancient Mars. Where did all the water go?

https://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/lw16/docs/presentations/sci_6_Smith.pdf

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap981216.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #history #nature #NASA

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December 16, 1998 3-D Mars' North Pole * Credit: MOLA Team, MGS Project, NASA * Image: Greg Shirah (SVS) Explanation: This dramatic premier three-dimensional visualization of Mars' north pole is based on elevation measurements made by an orbiting laser. During the Spring and Summer of 1998 the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) flashed laser pulses toward the Martian surface from the Global Surveyor spacecraft and recorded the time it took to detect the reflection. This timing data has now been translated to a detailed topographic map of Mars' north polar terrain. The map indicates that the ice cap is is about 1,200 kilometers across, a maximum of 3 kilometers thick, and cut by canyons and troughs up to 1 kilometer deep. The measurements also indicate that the cap is composed primarily of water ice with a total volume of only about four percent of planet Earth's Antarctic ice sheet. In all it represents at most a tenth of the amount of water some scientists believe once existed on ancient Mars. Where did all the water go? Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC &: Michigan Tech. U.

Some laser-based toporaphic views of the surface of Mars

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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This is a Global topographic map of Mars with major surface features labeled. (Credit: MOLA Science Team)

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Global false-color topographic views of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). These maps are orthographic projections that contain over 200,000,000 points and about 5,000,000 altimetric crossovers. The spatial resolution is about 15 kilometers at the equator and less at higher latitudes. The vertical accuracy is less than 5 meters.

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Global false-color topographic views of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). These maps are orthographic projections that contain over 200,000,000 points and about 5,000,000 altimetric crossovers. The spatial resolution is about 15 kilometers at the equator and less at higher latitudes. The vertical accuracy is less than 5 meters.

Cappuccino swirls at Mars’ south pole

This picture is, perhaps surprisingly, from ESA’s Mars Express, which has been exploring and imaging the martian surface and atmosphere since 2003. We may be used to seeing numerous images of red and brown-hued soil and ruddy landscapes peppered with craters, but the Red Planet isn’t always so red.

The bright white region of this image shows the icy cap that covers Mars’ south pole, composed of frozen water and carbon dioxide. While it looks smooth in this image, at close quarters the cap is a layered mix of peaks, troughs and flat plains, and has been likened in appearance to swiss cheese.

The southern cap reaches some 3 km thick in places, and is around 350 km in diameter. This icy region is permanent; in the martian winter another, thinner ice cap forms over the top of it, stretching further out across the planet and disappearing again when the weather warms up.

The cap is around 150 km north of Mars’ geographical south pole and Mars Express has shed light on why this ice cap is displaced. Deep impact craters – notably the Hellas Basin, the largest impact structure on the entire planet at 7 km deep and 2300 km across – funnel the strong winds that blow across Mars towards its southern pole, creating a mix of different low- and high-pressure systems. The carbon dioxide in the polar cap sublimates at different rates in these regions with contrasting pressure, resulting in the cap’s lopsided structure.

Mars Express imaged this area of Mars on 17 December 2012, in infrared, green and blue light, using its High Resolution Stereo Camera. This image was processed by Bill Dunford, using data available from the ESA Planetary Science Archive.

CREDIT
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin / Bill Dunford

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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Swirls of chocolate, caramel and cream – this image is definitely one to trigger sweet-toothed cravings. Smooth cream-coloured plateaus surrounded by cocoa-dusted ridges interspersed with caramel-hued streaks create a scene reminiscent of a cosmic cappuccino. This picture is, perhaps surprisingly, from ESA’s Mars Express, which has been exploring and imaging the martian surface and atmosphere since 2003. We may be used to seeing numerous images of red and brown-hued soil and ruddy landscapes peppered with craters, but the Red Planet isn’t always so red. CREDIT ESA/DLR/FU Berlin / Bill Dunford

Upper surface of icy layers covering Mars' south-polar region

This map shows the topography of the south polar region of Mars. The data were collected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor orbiter between 1997 and 2001.

The elevation of the terrain is shown by colors, with purple and blue representing the lowest areas, and orange and red the highest. The total range of elevation shown is about 5 kilometres. The black line shows the boundary of the south polar layered deposits, an ice-rich geologic unit that was probed by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter between 2005 and 2006.

The radar data indicate that the deposit is more than 3.7 kilometres thick in places, and that the material consists of nearly pure water ice, with only a small component of dust. The MARSIS team also determined that the total volume of ice in the layered deposits is equivalent to a water layer 11 metres deep, if spread evenly across the planet. The boundary of the layered deposits was mapped by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey. The dark circle in the upper center is the area pole-ward of 87 ° south latitude, where MARSIS data cannot be collected. The image covers an area 1670 by 1800 kilometres.

CREDIT
NASA/MOLA Science Team

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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This map shows the topography of the south polar region of Mars. The data were collected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor orbiter between 1997 and 2001.

Hebes Chasma, perspective view

Perspective view of Hebes Chasma obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft.
Hebes Chasma is located at approximately 1° south and 282° east. The HRSC obtained image data on 16 September 2005 with a ground resolution of approximately 15 m/pixel.

CREDIT
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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Hebes Chasma, perspective view Perspective view of Hebes Chasma obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Hebes Chasma is located at approximately 1° south and 282° east. The HRSC obtained image data on 16 September 2005 with a ground resolution of approximately 15 m/pixel. CREDIT ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

2017 May 28

Collapse in Hebes Chasma on Mars
* Image Credit & License: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
http://www.esa.int/
http://www.dlr.de/pf/
http://www.fu-berlin.de/
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/People/Man_with_a_plan_An_interview_with_Gerhard_Neukum

Explanation:
What's happened in Hebes Chasma on Mars? Hebes Chasma is a depression just north of the enormous Valles Marineris canyon. Since the depression is unconnected to other surface features, it is unclear where the internal material went. Inside Hebes Chasma is Hebes Mensa, a 5 kilometer high mesa that appears to have undergone an unusual partial collapse -- a collapse that might be providing clues. The featured image, taken by ESA's robotic Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, shows great details of the chasm and the unusual horseshoe shaped indentation in the central mesa. Material from the mesa appears to have flowed onto the floor of the chasm, while a possible dark layer appears to have pooled like ink on a downslope landing. A recent hypothesis holds that salty rock composes some lower layers in Hebes Chasma, with the salt dissolving in melted ice flows that drained through holes into an underground aquifer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebes_Chasma
!>>http://geomorphology.sese.asu.edu/Papers/Adams_etal_hebes_chasma_salt_tectonics_geol.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquifer

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170528.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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2017 May 28 Collapse in Hebes Chasma on Mars * Image Credit & License: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) Explanation: What's happened in Hebes Chasma on Mars? Hebes Chasma is a depression just north of the enormous Valles Marineris canyon. Since the depression is unconnected to other surface features, it is unclear where the internal material went. Inside Hebes Chasma is Hebes Mensa, a 5 kilometer high mesa that appears to have undergone an unusual partial collapse -- a collapse that might be providing clues. The featured image, taken by ESA's robotic Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, shows great details of the chasm and the unusual horseshoe shaped indentation in the central mesa. Material from the mesa appears to have flowed onto the floor of the chasm, while a possible dark layer appears to have pooled like ink on a downslope landing. A recent hypothesis holds that salty rock composes some lower layers in Hebes Chasma, with the salt dissolving in melted ice flows that drained through holes into an underground aquifer. 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.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hebes Chasma

is an isolated chasma just north of the Valles Marineris canyon system of Mars. It is centered at 1 degree southern latitude and 76 degrees western longitude, just between the Martian equator and the Valles Marineris system, just east of the Tharsis region.

Hebes Chasma is a completely closed depression in the surface of Mars, with no outflows to the nearby Echus Chasma to the west, Perrotin Crater to the southwest, or Valles Marineris to the south. Its maximum extents are approximately 320 km east to west, 130 km north to south, and 5 to 6 km in depth. At the center of the depression is Hebes Mensa, a large mesa rising some 5 km off the valley floor, nearly as high as the surrounding terrain. This central plateau makes Hebes Chasma a unique valley in Martian geography.

The word Hebes comes from Hebe, the goddess of youth, who was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the wife of Hercules.

The walls of Hebes Chasma weather differently than the slopes on the mesa on its floor. Also, studies of the thermal inertia suggest that the mesa and the walls of the canyon are made of different substances. Thermal inertia is how long the surface holds heat. For example, rocky areas will stay warmer than dust at night. One popular idea that explains the difference between the depression's walls and the mesa slopes is that the mesa was formed from material that accumulated in a lake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebes_Chasma

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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This mosaic of Hebes Chasma is composed of eight single images taken with the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express, corresponding to orbits 360 (2 May 2004), 2149 (16 September 2005), 3217 (12 July 2006), 5142 (3 January 2008), 5160 (8 January 2008), 5178 (13 January 2008), 6241 (11 November 2008), and 7237 (24 August 2009). The image centre lies at about 1°S / 284°E. Hebes Chasma is an enclosed, almost 8 km-deep trough stretching 315 km in an east–west direction and 125 km from north to south at its widest point. It sits about 300 km north of the vast Valles Marineris canyon. A flat-topped mesa is located in the centre of Hebes Chasma, which was likely shaped by the action of wind and water. CREDIT ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum),CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

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This product is an infrared image mosaic generated using Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) images from the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter mission. The small colored globe based on Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). CREDIT NASA, modified by Chmee2

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View of most of Hebes Chasma (upper center and right), with a portion of Ophir Chasma at lower right, and the southern part of Echus Chasma at upper left. Perrotin Crater is just left of lower center. This image was obtained by cropping a massive 23,711 × 11,856 pixel mosaic of NASA images, and adjusting in hue and saturation. The original caption for the mosaic reads in part as follows: This mosaic image of Valles Marineris - colored to resemble the martian surface - comes from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), a visible-light and infrared-sensing camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Mars Odyssey was built by Lockheed Martin and the mission is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Built from more than 500 daytime infrared photos, the mosaic shows the whole valley in more detail than any previous composite photo. Despite the valley's huge extent - including its western extension through Noctis Labyrinthus, it reaches some 3,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) long - the smallest details visible in the image are about the size of a football field: 100 meters (328 feet). CREDIT NASA / JPL-Caltech / Arizona State University

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Fly-through movie of Hebes Chasma, the northernmost part of Valles Marineris. (No Audio) The movie was created from images taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express and was first published by Freie Universität Berlin in 2008. CREDIT ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

2014 May 11

Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars
* Image Credit: Viking Project, USGS, NASA
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
https://www.usgs.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/

Explanation:
The largest canyon in the Solar System cuts a wide swath across the face of Mars. Named Valles Marineris, the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as 600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. The origin of the Valles Marineris remains unknown, although a leading hypothesis holds that it started as a crack billions of years ago as the planet cooled. Several geologic processes have been identified in the canyon. This mosaic was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valles_Marineris
https://www.windows2universe.org/mars/interior/Valles_Marineris.html
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mars.html
https://science.nasa.gov/mars/facts/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140511.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140511.html

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA

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2014 May 11 Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars * Image Credit: Viking Project, USGS, NASA Explanation: The largest canyon in the Solar System cuts a wide swath across the face of Mars. Named Valles Marineris, the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as 600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. The origin of the Valles Marineris remains unknown, although a leading hypothesis holds that it started as a crack billions of years ago as the planet cooled. Several geologic processes have been identified in the canyon. The above mosaic was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. 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.

15/12/2021

ExoMars discovers hidden water in Mars’ Grand Canyon

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted significant amounts of water at the heart of Mars’ dramatic canyon system, Valles Marineris in 2021.

The water, which is hidden beneath Mars’ surface, was found by the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)’s FREND instrument, which is mapping the hydrogen – a measure of water content – in the uppermost metre of Mars’ soil.

While water is known to exist on Mars, most is found in the planet’s cold polar regions as ice. Water ice is not found exposed at the surface near the equator, as temperatures here are not cold enough for exposed water ice to be stable.

Missions including ESA’s Mars Express have hunted for near-surface water – as ice covering dust grains in the soil, or locked up in minerals – at lower latitudes of Mars, and found small amounts. However, such studies have only explored the very surface of the planet; deeper water stores could exist, covered by dust.

“With TGO we can look down to one metre below this dusty layer and see what’s really going on below Mars’ surface – and, crucially, locate water-rich ‘oases’ that couldn’t be detected with previous instruments,” says Igor Mitrofanov of the Space Research Institute in Moscow, Russia.

“FREND revealed an area with an unusually large amount of hydrogen in the colossal Valles Marineris canyon system: assuming the hydrogen we see is bound into water molecules, as much as 40% of the near-surface material in this region appears to be water.”

The water-rich area is about the size of the Netherlands and overlaps with the deep valleys of Candor Chaos, part of the canyon system considered promising in our hunt for water on Mars.
[...]
More Information in the ALT-Text and read more on:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/ExoMars_discovers_hidden_water_in_Mars_Grand_Canyon

CREDIT
From I. Mitrofanov et al. (2021)

#space #mars #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #geology #topography #nature #NASA #ESA

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ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has discovered large amounts of water locked up within Mars’ extensive canyon system, Valles Marineris. This feature is the largest canyon in the Solar System and can be seen stretching across this frame, overlaid by coloured shading representing the amount of water mixed into the uppermost metre of soil (ranging from low amounts in orange-red to high in purple-blue tones, as measured by TGO’s FREND (Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector)). The coloured scale at the bottom of the frame shows the amount of ‘water-equivalent hydrogen’ (WEH) by weight (wt%). As reflected on these scales, the purple contours in the centre of this figure show the most water-rich region. In the area marked with a ‘C’, up to 40% of the near-surface material appears to be composed of water (by weight). The area marked ‘C’ is about the size of the Netherlands and overlaps with the deep valleys of Candor Chaos, part of the canyon system considered promising in our hunt for water on Mars. The underlying grey shading in this image represents surface topography, and is based on data from the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MGS/MOLA). The axes around the frame show location (latitude and longitude) on Mars. CREDIT From I. Mitrofanov et al. (2021)

Sun news: Is the low sun activity the calm before the storm?
-- C. Alex Young

Today’s top story: Sun flare activity dropped back to low over the past day, with only faint C-class flares. But the past day’s flare count rose in contrast to recent days. We saw 15 flares in this period versus as few as six earlier in the week. Are we seeing the calm before the storm? We observed fiery activity on the northeast limb through repeated, slow, arching prominences. This action may rotate into Earth’s view in the coming days. Could it bring a surge in solar activity? Stay tuned.
https://earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-activity-solar-flare-cme-aurora-updates/

#space #sun #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA #ESA

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Sun news for September 25-26, 2025. Prominence activity danced over northeast limb sending chromospheric plasma up and down in the solar corona. Flare activity: Solar activity stayed at a low level, producing only C-class flares. The sun fired off 15 C-class flares during the period. + Strongest: C3.4 from AR4217 at 14:01 UTC on September 25. * Other notable events: C2.4 (AR4226 at 19:21 UTC), C2.4 (from an incoming unnumbered region in the northeast at 6:28 UTC), and C2.3 (AR4220 at 18:53 UTC). The newcomer in the northeast led the count with seven C flares, closely followed by AR4217 with five. Images via NOAA/GOES.

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As will other geostationary satellites, twice a year the spacecraft experiences an “eclipse” season where the Earth comes between the sun and the spacecraft for an approximately two week period. Images via NOAA/GOES.

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This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 4 UTC on September 27, 2025, as seen from Learmonth Solar Observatory in Australia. * Original image, without labels, via NSO/GONG. * Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Q: Why are east and west on the sun reversed? Flare activity: Solar activity stayed at a low level, producing only C-class flares. The sun fired off 15 C-class flares during the period. Strongest: C3.4 from AR4217 at 14:01 UTC on September 25. Other notable events: C2.4 (AR4226 at 19:21 UTC), C2.4 (from an incoming unnumbered region in the northeast at 6:28 UTC), and C2.3 (AR4220 at 18:53 UTC). The newcomer in the northeast led the count with seven C flares, closely followed by AR4217 with five. Sunspot regions: Ten numbered active regions covered the Earth-facing solar disk. The four regions — AR4230 (southeast), AR4217 (southwest), AR4226 (southeast), and AR4229 (southwest) — that showed gamma magnetic complexity yesterday, all simplified to beta configurations today. The rest of the regions remained small, stable, or in slow decay. A newcomer appeared in the southwest and was numbered AR4231.

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An M1.6 solar flare from AR4224 captured by the SUVI instrument onboard the GOES spacecraft. Images via NOAA. Sun activity jumped up to moderate with the production of an M1.0 flare from active region AR4217 in the southwest. The blast occurred at 10:34 UTC on September 23. Along with the M flare, a type II radio emission was registered at 10:43 UTC along with an R1 (minor) radio blackout observed over Africa. Total flare production also doubled compared to the previous day, with 14 flares blasted out during the past 24 hours.

"Ahem, yes.. and no this is not First Mate Piggy's spacesuit and not Michael Jackson's costume for one of his most famous stage performances, even if this sculpture was called "Mooooonwalk", but read on for yourself..."

Suiting Up for the Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Tech. U.)
https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/

Explanation:
How will cows survive on the Moon? One of the most vexing questions asked about space, scientists have spent decades debating this key issue. Finally, after extensive computer modeling and over a dozen midnight milkings, engineers have designed, built, and now tested the new Lunar Grazing Module (LGM), a multi-purpose celestial bovine containment system. By now, many of you will not be surprised to be wished a Happy April Fool's Day from APOD. To the best of our knowledge, there are no current plans to launch cows into space. For one reason, cows tend to be large animals that don't launch easily or cheaply. As friendly as cows may be, head-to-head comparisons show that robotic rovers are usually more effective as scientific explorers. The featured image is of a thought-provoking work of art named "Mooooonwalk" which really is on display at a popular science museum.

+ Tech
https://www.ominous-valve.com/images/1954_c64.jpg
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140627.html

+ Science
https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/

+ Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXKDu6cdXLI

+ Culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools%27_Day

+ Nature
https://www.wikihow.com/Milk-a-Cow

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150401.html

#space_related #space #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #biology #culture #physics #Space_Culture_Club #tech

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Suiting Up for the Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Tech. U.) Explanation: How will cows survive on the Moon? One of the most vexing questions asked about space, scientists have spent decades debating this key issue. Finally, after extensive computer modeling and over a dozen midnight milkings, engineers have designed, built, and now tested the new Lunar Grazing Module (LGM), a multi-purpose celestial bovine containment system. By now, many of you will not be surprised to be wished a Happy April Fool's Day from APOD. To the best of our knowledge, there are no current plans to launch cows into space. For one reason, cows tend to be large animals that don't launch easily or cheaply. As friendly as cows may be, head-to-head comparisons show that robotic rovers are usually more effective as scientific explorers. The featured image is of a thought-provoking work of art named "Mooooonwalk" which really is on display at a popular science museum. 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.

Apollo 18 Mission:
Pride Flag Hoisting on the Lunar Surface
* Music Credit:
REM - UMan On The Moon

Explanation:
The Apollo 18 mission, which was originally planned but never executed by NASA, became a symbol of unity and inclusivity when a group of enthusiasts from the LGBTQ+ community and space aficionados covertly sent a spacecraft to the moon, culminating in the historic hoisting of a Pride flag on its surface. This unprecedented event was a testament to the human spirit and the universal reach of the Pride movement.

The Apollo 18 mission was conceived as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which marked the first time humans set foot on the lunar surface. While NASA had long ago abandoned the idea of sending another manned mission to the moon under the Apollo program, the dream was not lost on a group of individuals who believed in the power of symbolism and representation.
The decision to plant the Pride flag on the moon was a poignant gesture. The flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community's struggle for equality and visibility, now stands as a beacon on a celestial body that has historically been a symbol of human ambition and exploration. It serves as a reminder that space belongs to everyone, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, or nationality.
While the Apollo 18 mission was not an official NASA endeavor, it adhered to strict safety protocols and international space laws.
The hoisting of the Pride flag on the moon is a monumental event in the history of space exploration. It not only showcases humanity's technological achievements but also exemplifies the universal quest for equality and representation. As we continue to reach for the stars, this small yet significant gesture serves as a powerful reminder that the spirit of Pride is not bound by gravity, extending far beyond our planet into the cosmos

#space_related #moon #photography #music #NASA #fediverse #mastodon #nature #Space_Culture_Club #grobi_muzak

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The hoisting of the Pride flag on the moon is a monumental event in the history of space exploration. It not only showcases humanity's technological achievements but also exemplifies the universal quest for equality and representation. As we continue to reach for the stars, this small yet significant gesture serves as a powerful reminder that the spirit of Pride is not bound by gravity, extending far beyond our planet into the cosmos.

"Now it's time for me and I wish you a pleasant night and endless beautiful dreams. Thanks for the nice chat in between. Stay hopeful."

2025 March 30
A Partial Solar Eclipse over Iceland
* Image Credit & Copyright: Wioleta Gorecka
https://www.instagram.com/wiola.gorecka/

Explanation:
What if the Sun and Moon rose together? That happened yesterday over some northern parts of planet Earth as a partial solar eclipse occurred shortly after sunrise. Regions that experienced the Moon blocking part of the Sun included northeastern parts of North America and northwestern parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The featured image was captured yesterday over the Grábrók volcanic crater in Iceland where much of the Sun became momentarily hidden behind the Moon. The image was taken through a cloudy sky but so well planned that the photographer's friend appeared to be pulling the Sun out from behind the Moon. No part of the Earth experienced a total solar eclipse this time. In the distant past, some of humanity was so surprised when an eclipse occurred that ongoing battles suddenly stopped. Today, eclipses are not a surprise and are predicted with an accuracy of seconds.
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/mar-29-2025-eclipse/
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240310.html
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/accuracy.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIPyR6-bko

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250330.html

#space #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #iceland #NASA

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2025 March 30 A a cloudy sky appears with an overall pink - red hue. The Sun appears partially eclipsed over a slanting hill. A person on the hill has their arms raised and appears to be holding up the partially eclipsed Sun. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. A Partial Solar Eclipse over Iceland Image Credit & Copyright: Wioleta Gorecka Explanation: What if the Sun and Moon rose together? That happened yesterday over some northern parts of planet Earth as a partial solar eclipse occurred shortly after sunrise. Regions that experienced the Moon blocking part of the Sun included northeastern parts of North America and northwestern parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The featured image was captured yesterday over the Grábrók volcanic crater in Iceland where much of the Sun became momentarily hidden behind the Moon. The image was taken through a cloudy sky but so well planned that the photographer's friend appeared to be pulling the Sun out from behind the Moon. No part of the Earth experienced a total solar eclipse this time. In the distant past, some of humanity was so surprised when an eclipse occurred that ongoing battles suddenly stopped. Today, eclipses are not a surprise and are predicted with an accuracy of seconds. 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

2025 July 1
A fisheye image of the sky is shown on the left with the landscape-foreground surrounding it. The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs down the center. At first glance the sky looks like oddly like an eye of a dragon.

Eye Sky a Dragon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Anton Komlev
https://www.instagram.com/komlev.av/

Explanation:
What do you see when you look into this sky? In the center, in the dark, do you see a night sky filled with stars? Do you see a sunset to the left? Clouds all around? Do you see the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running down the middle? Do you see the ruins of an abandoned outpost on a hill? (The outpost is on Askold Island, Russia.) Do you see a photographer with a headlamp contemplating surreal surroundings? (The featured image is a panorama of 38 images taken last month and compiled into a Little Planet projection.) Do you see a rugged path lined with steps? Or do you see the eye of a dragon?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1r5mYWIi9k/

Location:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRMXR8y9Nc
https://www.rbth.com/arts/travel/2013/09/27/islands_of_riches_off_vladivostok_29725
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia

DIY:
https://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/little-planet-photos-5-simple-steps-to-making-panorama-worlds

For Your Desktop:
https://getwallpapers.com/collection/dragon-eye-wallpaper

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250701.html

#space_related #milkyway #astrophotography #astroart #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

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2025 July 1 A fisheye image of the sky is shown on the left with the landscape-foreground surrounding it. The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs down the center. At first glance the sky looks like oddly like an eye of a dragon. Eye Sky a Dragon * Image Credit & Copyright: Anton Komlev Explanation: What do you see when you look into this sky? In the center, in the dark, do you see a night sky filled with stars? Do you see a sunset to the left? Clouds all around? Do you see the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running down the middle? Do you see the ruins of an abandoned outpost on a hill? (The outpost is on Askold Island, Russia.) Do you see a photographer with a headlamp contemplating surreal surroundings? (The featured image is a panorama of 38 images taken last month and compiled into a Little Planet projection.) Do you see a rugged path lined with steps? Or do you see the eye of a dragon? 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

"Welcome back to the
Space Culture Club
(Feel free to contribute, rather as a reply than using the hashtag)
https://defcon.social/@grobi/114663418339078163 "

2023 September 17

Moon Mountains Magnified during Ring of Fire Eclipse
* Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)
http://www.luckwlt.com/About%20Me.html

Explanation:
What are those dark streaks in this composite image of a solar eclipse? They are reversed shadows of mountains at the edge of the Moon. The center image, captured from Xiamen, China, has the Moon's center directly in front of the Sun's center. The Moon, though, was too far from the Earth to completely block the entire Sun. Light that streamed around the edges of the Moon is called a ring of fire. Images at each end of the sequence show sunlight that streamed through lunar valleys. As the Moon moved further in front of the Sun, left to right, only the higher peaks on the Moon's perimeter could block sunlight. Therefore, thehttps://defcon.social/@grobi/114663418339078163 dark streaks are projected, distorted, reversed, and magnified shadows of mountains at the Moon's edge. Bright areas are called Baily's Beads. Only people in a narrow swath across Earth's Eastern Hemisphere were able to view this full annular solar eclipse in 2020. Next month, though, a narrow swath crossing both North and South America will be exposed to the next annular solar eclipse. And next April, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230917.html

#space_related #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

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2023 September 17 A dark circle is seen in the image center. On both the left and right of the circle are a series of bright half-rings. Some parts of these bright half rings are dark, and the dark areas look similar to mountains. Moon Mountains Magnified during Ring of Fire Eclipse * Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night) Explanation: What are those dark streaks in this composite image of a solar eclipse? They are reversed shadows of mountains at the edge of the Moon. The center image, captured from Xiamen, China, has the Moon's center directly in front of the Sun's center. The Moon, though, was too far from the Earth to completely block the entire Sun. Light that streamed around the edges of the Moon is called a ring of fire. Images at each end of the sequence show sunlight that streamed through lunar valleys. As the Moon moved further in front of the Sun, left to right, only the higher peaks on the Moon's perimeter could block sunlight. Therefore, the dark streaks are projected, distorted, reversed, and magnified shadows of mountains at the Moon's edge. Bright areas are called Baily's Beads. Only people in a narrow swath across Earth's Eastern Hemisphere were able to view this full annular solar eclipse in 2020. Next month, though, a narrow swath crossing both North and South America will be exposed to the next annular solar eclipse. And next April, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff & Jerry Bonnell

2020 June 15

A Ring of Fire Sunrise Solar Eclipse
* Video Credit: Colin Legg & Geoff Sims
https://www.facebook.com/ColinLeggPhotography
https://www.facebook.com/BeyondBeneath
* Music: Peter Nanasi
https://www.peternanasi.com/about

Explanation:
What's rising above the horizon behind those clouds? It's the Sun. Most sunrises don't look like this, though, because most sunrises don't include the Moon. In the early morning of 2013 May 10, however, from Western Australia, the Moon was between the Earth and the rising Sun. At times, it would be hard for the uninformed to understand what was happening. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block the entire Sun, and at most leaves a ring of fire where sunlight pours out around every edge of the Moon. The featured time-lapse video also recorded the eclipse through the high refraction of the Earth's atmosphere just above the horizon, making the unusual rising Sun and Moon appear also flattened. As the video continues on, the Sun continues to rise, and the Sun and Moon begin to separate. This weekend, a new annular solar eclipse will occur, visible from central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and a narrow band across Asia, with much of Earth's Eastern hemisphere being able to see a partial solar eclipse.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200615.html

** Note by grobi:
"To upload this video, I converted it and compressed it to a smaller file-size under #linux with the free software ffmpeg and the corresponding command:

'ffmpeg -i video_in.mkv -vcodec libx265 -crf 28 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."

#space_related #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

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2020 June 15 A Ring of Fire Sunrise Solar Eclipse * Video Credit: Colin Legg & Geoff Sims; * Music: Peter Nanasi Explanation: What's rising above the horizon behind those clouds? It's the Sun. Most sunrises don't look like this, though, because most sunrises don't include the Moon. In the early morning of 2013 May 10, however, from Western Australia, the Moon was between the Earth and the rising Sun. At times, it would be hard for the uninformed to understand what was happening. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block the entire Sun, and at most leaves a ring of fire where sunlight pours out around every edge of the Moon. The featured time-lapse video also recorded the eclipse through the high refraction of the Earth's atmosphere just above the horizon, making the unusual rising Sun and Moon appear also flattened. As the video continues on, the Sun continues to rise, and the Sun and Moon begin to separate. This weekend, a new annular solar eclipse will occur, visible from central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and a narrow band across Asia, with much of Earth's Eastern hemisphere being able to see a partial solar eclipse. 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.

2025 July 18

ISS Meets Saturn
* Image Credit & Copyright: A.J. Smadi
https://www.instagram.com/aj.smadi/

Explanation:
This month, bright planet Saturn rises in evening skies, its rings oriented nearly edge-on when viewed from planet Earth. And in the early morning hours on July 6, it posed very briefly with the International Space Station when viewed from a location in Federal Way, Washington, USA. This well-planned image, a stack of video frames, captures their momentary conjunction in the same telescopic field of view. With the ISS in low Earth orbit, space station and gas giant planet were separated by almost 1.4 billion kilometers. Their apparent sizes are comparable but the ISS was much brighter than Saturn and the ringed planet's brightness has been increased for visibility in the stacked image. Precise timing and an exact location were needed to capture the ISS/Saturn conjunction.
https://www.nasa.gov/spot-the-station/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/observing-our-planet-from-low-earth-orbit/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2507/ISSMeetsSaturn1_1024.jpg

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250718.html

#Space_Culture_Club #space #iss #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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Image with annotations 2025 July 18 ISS Meets Saturn * Image Credit & Copyright: A.J. Smadi Explanation: This month, bright planet Saturn rises in evening skies, its rings oriented nearly edge-on when viewed from planet Earth. And in the early morning hours on July 6, it posed very briefly with the International Space Station when viewed from a location in Federal Way, Washington, USA. This well-planned image, a stack of video frames, captures their momentary conjunction in the same telescopic field of view. With the ISS in low Earth orbit, space station and gas giant planet were separated by almost 1.4 billion kilometers. Their apparent sizes are comparable but the ISS was much brighter than Saturn and the ringed planet's brightness has been increased for visibility in the stacked image. Precise timing and an exact location were needed to capture the ISS/Saturn conjunction. 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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Edited Image of ISS in front of Saturn

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Unedited Image of ISS in front of Saturn.

"How about a little manual work for a change to really come down from the stress of the day? Let's be inspired by the quilting of Judy W. Ross and make ourselves comfortable with a cup of tea."

2004 November 25

What the Hubble Saw
* Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA

Explanation:
In this striking 41 inch by 38 inch quilt, astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has interpreted some of the Hubble Space Telescope's best galactic and extragalactic vistas. Featured in past APODs, clockwise from the lower right are; the Red Rectangle Nebula, NGC 2392, the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, V838 Monocerotis - the Milky Way's most mysterious star, and supernova remnant N49 - the cosmic debris from an exploded star. Of course, quilts have been used historically to represent astronomical concepts. And while inspired by the images of the cosmos that she incorporates into her quilts, Ross reports that she is still a little daunted by the intricacies of the Cat's Eye Nebula revealed by the Hubble's sharp vision.
https://quiltindex.org/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041125.html

#space #NASA #astrophotography #photography #art #astroart #quilting #quilt #craft #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

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2004 November 25 What the Hubble Saw * Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA Explanation: In this striking 41 inch by 38 inch quilt, astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has interpreted some of the Hubble Space Telescope's best galactic and extragalactic vistas. Featured in past APODs, clockwise from the lower right are; the Red Rectangle Nebula, NGC 2392, the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, V838 Monocerotis - the Milky Way's most mysterious star, and supernova remnant N49 - the cosmic debris from an exploded star. Of course, quilts have been used historically to represent astronomical concepts. And while inspired by the images of the cosmos that she incorporates into her quilts, Ross reports that she is still a little daunted by the intricacies of the Cat's Eye Nebula revealed by the Hubble's sharp vision. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

"After a somewhat clumsy and obviously drunk young man has just vomited on the carpet in the entrance area, in order to enable him to recover quickly, sufficient fresh air was provided and we now make a pleasant fire in the fireplace."

2021 March 3

Stars over an Erupting Volcano
* Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Vella
https://www.instagram.com/Peppe.vella_photography/

Explanation:
Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years. Located in Sicily, Italy, the volcano produces lava fountains over one kilometer high. Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high. Pictured erupting last month, a lava plume shoots upwards, while hot lava flows down the volcano's exterior. Likely satellite trails appear above, while ancient stars dot the sky far in the distance. This volcanic eruption was so strong that nearby airports were closed to keep planes from flying through the dangerous plume. The image foreground and background were captured consecutively by the same camera and from the same location.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210303.html

#space #earth #volcano #NASA #photography #nature #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

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2021 March 3 Stars over an Erupting Volcano * Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Vella Explanation: Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years. Located in Sicily, Italy, the volcano produces lava fountains over one kilometer high. Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high. Pictured erupting last month, a lava plume shoots upwards, while hot lava flows down the volcano's exterior. Likely satellite trails appear above, while ancient stars dot the sky far in the distance. This volcanic eruption was so strong that nearby airports were closed to keep planes from flying through the dangerous plume. The image foreground and background were captured consecutively by the same camera and from the same location. 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.

"Before going to bed, we dedicate ourselves once again to the works of Judy W. Ross. Because in an anniversary year, all those involved and supporters should receive the recognition they deserve."

2003 October 17

Astronomy Quilt of the Week
* Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA

Explanation:
Demonstrating her mastery of a traditional astronomical imaging technique quilter and astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has produced this spectacular composition of "Astronomy Quilt Piece of the Week". Her year-long effort resulted in an arrangement for a six by seven foot quilt consisting of 52 individual pieces (11 inches by 8 inches), one for each week, which she reports were inspired by her steady diet of APOD's daily offerings. Some of the pieces are based on actual pictures, such as the Hubble Space Telescope's view of planet forming AB Aurigae or Bill Keel's image of the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy. Others, with titles like the Blue Carpet Nebula and Duck Contemplates Black Hole, are from her own creative imaginings.

#space #NASA #astrophotography #apod #aniversary #photography #art #astroart #quilting #quilt #craft #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

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2003 October 17 Astronomy Quilt of the Week * Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA Explanation: Demonstrating her mastery of a traditional astronomical imaging technique quilter and astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has produced this spectacular composition of "Astronomy Quilt Piece of the Week". Her year-long effort resulted in an arrangement for a six by seven foot quilt consisting of 52 individual pieces (11 inches by 8 inches), one for each week, which she reports were inspired by her steady diet of APOD's daily offerings. Some of the pieces are based on actual pictures, such as the Hubble Space Telescope's view of planet forming AB Aurigae or Bill Keel's image of the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy. Others, with titles like the Blue Carpet Nebula and Duck Contemplates Black Hole, are from her own creative imaginings. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 May 21

Tardigrade in Moss
* Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of Science / Science Source Images
https://www.sciencesource.com/

Explanation:
Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the candidate. That's because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed, and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230521.html

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animal #tardigrade #aliens #survivor #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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2023 May 21 An usual looking creature is pictured which may appear alien but is actually a Earth-dwelling tardigrade. The tardigrade has no apparent eyes, a light brown body, a circular gear-like snout, and claws at the end of its numerous feet. The tardigrade is seen perched on green moss. Tardigrade in Moss * Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of Science / Science Source Images Explanation: Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the candidate. That's because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed, and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.

By contributors to Wikimedia projects

Tardigrades,

known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them Kleiner Wasserbär 'little water bear'. In 1776, the Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani named them Tardigrada, which means 'slow walkers'.

They live in diverse regions of Earth's biosphere – mountaintops, the deep sea, tropical rainforests, and the Antarctic. Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known, with individual species able to survive extreme conditions – such as exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures (both high and low), air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, and starvation – that would quickly kill most other forms of life. Tardigrades have survived exposure to outer space.

There are about 1,500 known species in the phylum Tardigrada, a part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. The earliest known fossil is from the Cambrian, some 500 million years ago. They lack several of the Hox genes found in arthropods, and the middle region of the body corresponding to an arthropod's thorax and abdomen. Instead, most of their body is homologous to an arthropod's head.

Tardigrades are usually about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long when fully grown. They are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws (usually four to eight) or sticky pads. Tardigrades are prevalent in mosses and lichens and can readily be collected and viewed under a low-power microscope, making them accessible to students and amateur scientists. Their clumsy crawling and their well-known ability to survive life-stopping events have brought them into science fiction and popular culture including items of clothing, statues, soft toys and crochet patterns. [...]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animals #tardigrade #aliens #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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Hank explains why NASA and the European Space Agency are in love with tardigrades and how these extremophiles are helping us study the panspermia hypothesis. CREDIT SciShow

Tardigrades in space

From Wikipedia

The use of tardigrades in space, first proposed in 1964 because of their extreme tolerance to radiation, began in 2007 with the FOTON-M3 mission in low Earth orbit, where they were exposed to space's vacuum for 10 days, and reanimated, just by rehydration, back on Earth. In 2011, tardigrades were on board the International Space Station on STS-134. In 2019, a capsule containing tardigrades was on board the Israeli lunar lander Beresheet which crashed on the Moon.

Tardigrades are small arthropods able to tolerate extreme environments. Many live in tufts of moss, such as on rooftops, where they get repeatedly dried out and rewetted. Others live in the Arctic or atop mountains, where they are exposed to cold. When dried, they go into a cryptobiotic 'tun' state in which metabolism is suspended. They have been described as the toughest animals on Earth.
Their DNA is protected from damage, such as by radiation, by Dsup proteins.

In 1964, R.M. May and colleagues proposed that the tardigrade Macrobiotus areolatus would be a suitable model organism for space experiments because of its exceptional radiation tolerance.

In 2001, R. Bertolani and colleagues proposed tardigrades as a model for a study of animal survival in space. As terrestrial experiments on tardigrades proceeded, knowledge of their survival abilities grew, enabling K.I. Jönsson in 2007, and then other researchers such as Daiki Horikawa in 2008 and Roberto Guidetti in 2012, to present evidence that they would resist desiccation, radiation, heat, and cold, suiting them for astrobiological studies.

In 2008, F. Ono and colleagues suggested that tardigrades might be able to survive a journey through space on a meteorite, enabling panspermia, the transfer of life from one planet to another. [...]
More in ALT-Text
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrades_in_space

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animal #tardigrade #aliens #survivor #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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Video: First Animal to Survive in Space Video Credit: VICE [...] The 2007 FOTON-M3 mission carrying the BIOPAN astrobiology payload (illustrated) exposed tardigrades to vacuum, solar ultraviolet, or both, showing their ability to survive in the space environment. Tardigrades have survived exposure to space. In 2007, dehydrated tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission carrying the BIOPAN astrobiology payload. For 10 days, in the "Tardigrade Resistance to Space Effects" (TARSE) experiment, groups of Paramacrobiotus richtersi tardigrades, some of them previously dehydrated, some of them not, were exposed to the hard vacuum of space, or vacuum and solar ultraviolet radiation. Back on Earth, more than 68% of the subjects protected from solar ultraviolet radiation were reanimated within 30 minutes following rehydration; although subsequent mortality was high, many produced viable embryos. In contrast, in the "Tardigrades in Space" (TARDIS) experiment, hydrated samples exposed to the combined effect of vacuum and full solar ultraviolet radiation had significantly reduced survival, with only three subjects of Milnesium tardigradum surviving. The space vacuum did not much affect egg-laying in either Richtersius coronifer or M. tardigradum, whereas UV radiation did reduce egg-laying in M. tardigradum. The third FOTON-M3 experiment, "Rotifers, Tardigrades and Radiation" (RoTaRad) focused mainly on radiation survival. [...]

"Why not take to the air right away?"

2020 February 9

To Fly Free in Space
* Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/sts-41b/

Explanation:
What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. McCandless and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an "untethered space walk" during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984. The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the SAFER backpack propulsion unit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200209.html

#space #space_related #earth #photography #astrophotography #science #nature #astronomy #physics #Space_Culture_Club #NASA

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2020 February 9 To Fly Free in Space * Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. McCandless and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an "untethered space walk" during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984. The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the SAFER backpack propulsion unit. 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.