Tag Archive for 'NASA'

On Earth, the Northern and Southern lights occur when the solar wind (electrically charged particles from the Sun) follow our planet’s geomagnetic field lines to the poles and collide with the upper atmosphere. Mars lacks a global magnetic field, so instead the solar wind piles up in front of Mars in a bow shock, which blocks charged particles from reaching the bulk of the atmosphere. However, in a process first observed by NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, some solar wind protons can slip past the bow shock by first bonding with electrons from the Martian upper atmosphere to form hydrogen atoms. Because these hydrogen atoms are electrically neutral, they can pass through the bow shock and go on to create an ultraviolet proton aurora on the dayside of Mars. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Proton Aurora Discovered on Mars

Jul 24, 2018 by News Staff

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft has found a new type of Martian aurora that occurs over much of the day side of the...

This mosaic of Cerealia Facula is based on images obtained by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft in its second extended mission, from an altitude as low as about 21 miles (34 km). The contrast in resolution obtained by the two phases is visible here, reflected by a few gaps in the high-resolution coverage. This image is superposed to a similar scene acquired in the low-altitude mapping orbit of the mission from an altitude of about 240 miles (385 km). The increased resolution afforded by the low altitude is revealing intimate details about the relationships between bright and dark materials across the facula, which will help resolve the mystery of its origin. Cerealia Facula is located at about 19.7 degrees north latitude and 239.6 degrees east longitude. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA / PSI.

Dawn Shows Ceres’ Mysterious Bright Spots in Spectacular Detail

Jul 23, 2018 by News Staff

New images of Ceres, taken by NASA’s Dawn orbiter, show the bright areas in sharper detail than ever before. This mosaic of Cerealia Facula is based...

This color image of NGC 6744 was made from separate exposures taken in the visible, ultraviolet and infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Seven filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Judy Schmidt.

Hubble Sees Beautiful Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744

Jul 23, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a detailed view of part of NGC 6744, one of the most Milky Way-like spiral galaxies...

These images of Titan were created using 13 years of data acquired by Cassini’s VIMS instrument. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Nantes / University of Arizona.

NASA Releases Spectacular New Infrared Images of Titan

Jul 20, 2018 by News Staff

The newly-released series of images, made from data obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on board NASA’s Cassini...

Artist’s illustration depicting the destruction of a young planet. Image credit: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss.

Young Star Caught Snacking on Planetary Debris

Jul 19, 2018 by News Staff

For decades, astronomers have puzzled over the variability of young stars residing in Taurus-Auriga dark clouds, a group of molecular clouds located in...

Using NASA/ESA Hubble and ESA’s Gaia space telescopes, Riess et al have made the most precise measurements to date of the Universe’s expansion rate. This is calculated by gauging the distances between nearby galaxies using special types of stars called Cepheid variables as cosmic yardsticks. By comparing their intrinsic brightness as measured by Hubble, with their apparent brightness as seen from Earth, scientists can calculate their distances. Gaia further refines this yardstick by geometrically measuring the distances to Cepheid variables within the Milky Way Galaxy. This allowed astronomers to more precisely calibrate the distances to Cepheids that are seen in outside galaxies. Image credit: NASA / ESA / A. Field, STScI.

Universe’s Expansion Measured with Greatest Precision Yet

Jul 16, 2018 by News Staff

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ESA’s Gaia space observatory to make the most precise measurements of the expansion rate...

This image from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft shows a volcanic explosion on Io. Image credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizon.

Juno Spots New Active Volcano on Jupiter Moon’s Io

Jul 16, 2018 by News Staff

Infrared data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft point to a new heat source in the southern hemisphere of Io — Jupiter’s third-largest moon...

This image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the galaxy cluster SDSS J1336-0331. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Catches Enormous Cluster of Galaxies

Jul 16, 2018 by News Staff

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this beautiful image of a massive galaxy cluster called SDSS J1336-0331. This image, taken with the Wide...

A bi-static radar image of the binary asteroid 2017 YE5 from the Arecibo Observatory and the Green Bank Observatory on June 25, 2018. Image credit: Arecibo / GBO / NSF / NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Astronomers Spot Rare Binary Asteroid: 2017 YE5

Jul 13, 2018 by News Staff

New observations by NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar in California, Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia...

Perspective view of Pluto’s highest mountains, Tenzing Montes, along the western margins of Sputnik Planitia. Image credit: Paul Schenk, Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Global Mosaic and Topographic Maps of Pluto and Charon Released

Jul 11, 2018 by News Staff

NASA’s New Horizons team has released the first official global mosaic and topographic maps of the dwarf planet Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. Perspective...

Sulaiman et al found a powerful interaction of plasma waves moving from Saturn to its rings and Enceladus. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Sounds of Saturn: Evidence of Communication between Saturn, Its Rings and Enceladus via Plasma Waves

Jul 10, 2018 by News Staff

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft’s high-inclination Grand Finale orbits offered an unprecedented new view of Saturn and its environment. New research from...

This Hubble image shows the irregular galaxy UGC 12682. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Hubble Snaps Stunning Irregular Galaxy Image

Jul 9, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of a little known galaxy called UGC 12682. This Hubble image shows the irregular galaxy UGC 12682....

Juno Images Show Unusual ‘Footprint’ of Io and Ganymede on Jupiter’s Aurorae

Jul 6, 2018 by News Staff

High-resolution infrared images from the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) on NASA’s Juno spacecraft show that, rather than casting one ‘shadow’...

Eta Carinae’s great eruption in the 1840s created the Homunculus Nebula, imaged here by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Now about a light-year long, the expanding cloud contains enough material to make at least 10 copies of our Sun. Astronomers cannot yet explain what caused this eruption. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble SM4 ERO Team.

NuSTAR Detects High-Energy Cosmic Rays from Eta Carinae System

Jul 4, 2018 by News Staff

Eta Carinae — a binary star system approximately 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Carina — is accelerating particles to high energies,...

Camargo 1102. Image credit: Denilso Camargo, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aacc68.

Astronomer Discovers Five New Globular Clusters

Jul 4, 2018 by Sergio Prostak

Using images from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), Dr. Denilso Camargo of the Colégio Militar de Porto Alegre, Brazil, has discovered...

This image from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft shows a boulder field near Occator crater’s eastern rim. It was obtained on June 9, 2018 from an altitude of about 30 miles (48 km). The center of this picture is located at about 18.3 degrees north latitude and 244.8 degrees east longitude. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.

NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft Captures New Images of Ceres’ Occator Crater

Jul 3, 2018 by News Staff

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has sent back stunning close-up images from its lowest-ever and final orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres. This image from NASA’s...

This Hubble image shows the giant galaxy cluster RXC J2211.7-0350. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / RELICS.

Hubble Spots Cluster of Diverse Galaxies

Jul 2, 2018 by News Staff

An incredible new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the diverse collection of galaxies in RXC J2211.7-0350, a massive galaxy cluster...

This artist’s painting of the south polar region of Enceladus shows massive jets of water ice being blasted into space. Image credit: Karl Kofoed / NASA.

Cassini Scientists Find Complex Organic Molecules in Geyser-Like Plumes of Enceladus

Jun 28, 2018 by News Staff

Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, a research team led by University of Heidelberg scientists Frank Postberg and Nozair Khawaja found that complex,...

This artist’s impression shows ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar object discovered in our Solar System. Recent observations show that the object is moving faster than predicted while leaving the Solar System. Astronomers assume that venting material from its surface due to solar heating is responsible for this behavior. This outgassing can be seen in this artist’s impression as a subtle cloud being ejected from the side of the object facing the Sun. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / ESO / M. Kornmesser.

Oumuamua Turns Out to Be Interstellar Comet After All

Jun 28, 2018 by News Staff

1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua — the first known object of extrasolar origin discovered within the Solar System — has been the subject of intense scrutiny...

The East Antarctic Plateau is a windswept desolate expanse the size off Australia with few bases or instruments. Image credit: Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center / University of Colorado Boulder.

Coldest Place on Earth: Study Explains East Antarctica’s Ultra-Low Surface Temperatures

Jun 26, 2018 by News Staff

When Dr. Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, and co-authors first...

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