NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s new view of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) in near-infrared light is giving astronomers hints at the dynamical processes occurring within the supernova remnant. Tiny clumps represented in bright pink and orange make up the supernova’s inner shell, and are comprised of sulfu […]
2023年12月12日 Aurora and Milky Way over Norway Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi Explanation: What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to enci
In this image from Dec. 8, 1993, astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton works with equipment during a spacewalk. The spacewalk was part of an 11-day mission, Servicing Mission 1, to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Shortly after Hubble was launched in 1990, NASA discovered a flaw in the observatory’s prim
2023年12月11日 Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum Video Credit: NASA, SDO, SVS Explanation: The surface of our Sun is constantly changing. Some years it is quiet, showing relatively few sunspots and active regions. Other years it is churning, showing many sunspots and throwing frequent Coronal Mass Eje
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope can resolve individual stars in the densely-packed cores of globular clusters like NGC 2210. Imagine credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini This striking Hubble Space Telescope image shows the densely packed globular cluster known as NGC 2210, which is situated i
2023年12月10日 Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cullen Explanation: When did you first learn to identify this group of stars? Although they are familiar to many people around the world, different cultures have associated this asterism with different icons and folklo
2023年12月9日 Pic du Pleiades Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-Francois Graffand Explanation: Near dawn on November 19 the Pleiades stood in still dark skies over the French Pyrenees. But just before sunrise a serendipitous moment was captured in this single 3 second exposure; a bright meteor streak
2023年12月8日 Vega and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett Explanation: On December 4, periodic Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks shared this telescopic field of view with Vega, alpha star of the northern constellation Lyra. Fifth brightest star in planet Earth’s night, Vega is
On Nov. 16, 2023, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (left) and Christina Koch (middle) of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen (second from left) view the core stage for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The three astronauts,
2023年12月7日 Orion and the Ocean of Storms Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1 Explanation: On December 5, 2022, a camera on board the uncrewed Orion spacecraft captured this view as Orion approached its return powered flyby of the Moon. Beyond one of Orion’s extended solar arrays lies dark, smooth, t
