What is a black hole? A black hole is an astronomical object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape it. A black hole’s “surface,” called its event horizon, defines the boundary where the velocity needed to escape exceeds the speed of light, which is the speed li […]
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Nov. 21, 2020, at 12:17 p.m. EST. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satel
Observed with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the faint galaxy featured in this image is known as UGC 12588. Unlike many spiral galaxies, UGC 12588 displays neither a bar of stars across its center nor the classic prominent spiral arm pattern. Instead, to a viewer, its circular, white and mostl
Marcellus Proctor is an enrolled member of the Piscataway-Conoy Nation of Southern Maryland and the assistant chief in the Electrical Engineering Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. In this position, he strives “to ensure that resources are allocated to support his employees
On Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, the SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived at the International Space Station for docking, carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi. In this image the Crew Dragon spacecraft was on approach
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy LRG-3-817, also known as SDSS J090122.37+181432.3. The galaxy, its image distorted by the effects of gravitational lensing, appears as a long arc to the left of the central galaxy cluster. Gravitational lensing occurs when a large distri
Watching the launch from Firing Room four in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lee Rosen, vice president of Mission and Launch Operations at SpaceX, pats Norm Knight, deputy director of Flight Operations. At 7:27 p.m. ET, Nov. 15, 2020, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket c
With a degree in computer engineering and computer science from the University of Southern California, Lauren Denson is now an quality engineer and supervisor at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her advice: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and ask early. Pursuing a degree in STEM field is chall
The galaxy UGCA 193, seen here by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, is a galaxy in the constellation of Sextans (the Sextant). Looking rather like a waterfall, UGCA 193 appears to host many young stars, especially in the lower portion of this view, creating a striking blue haze and the sense that
Inside SpaceX’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-monitoring satellite is being encapsulated in its payload fairing on Nov. 3, 2020. Sentinel-6 is scheduled to launch on Nov. 21, 2020, at 12:17 p.m. EST, atop t
