5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s AVIRIS-3 airborne imaging spectrometer was used to map a wildfire near Cas-tleberry, Alabama, on March 19. Within minutes, the image was transmitted to firefighters on the ground, who used it to contain the blaze. NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory The map visualizes three wavelengths of infrared light, which are invisible to the human eye. Orange and red areas show cooler-burning areas, while yellow indicates the most intense flames. Burned areas show up as dark red or brown. NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA…
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Astronomers discover dark matter ‘bridge’ linking colliding galaxies: ‘This is the missing piece we’ve been looking for.’
Astronomers have discovered a long-missing element of a galactic collision involving the Perseus galaxy cluster, located 240 million light-years from Earth. This element, a newly detected “subcluster,” is 1.4 million light-years to the west of NGC 1275, the central galaxy of the Perseus cluster. These two elements seem to be connected by a faint “bridge” of material. The structural backbone of this bridge is dark matter, the universe’s most mysterious “stuff.” Dark matter remains effectively invisible by not interacting with light, but its interaction with gravity has helped to shape…
Read MoreFixing the Hubble Space Telescope: A timeline of NASA’s shuttle servicing missions
The Hubble Space Telescope is a masterwork of engineering and human ingenuity. Hubble is comparable in size and weight to a large school bus, but its contributions to science and astronomy could fill libraries. Not only is Hubble one of Earth’s premium sources for absolutely incredible, out-of-this-world imagery, it is also a testament to human curiosity and determination. The telescope has been in operation for over 30 years, undergone a total of five servicing missions and delivered nearly 250 terabytes of data in contributions to our understanding of the universe.…
Read MoreHappy Earth Day 2025! Write your name in NASA satellite images and celebrate our planet (video)
Happy Earth Day! April 22 is traditionally known as Earth Day, the occasion where we pause as temporary travelers on our ‘blue marble‘ to honor and respect our precious planetary home and its immeasurable beauty, allowing for greater appreciation of this distinctive world’s bounty of resources. This yearly reflective holiday was first founded as Earth Day on April 22, 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, when 20 million Americans united as a concerned force to bring attention to the vital importance of recognizing key environmental issues facing our fragile “third…
Read MoreNASA Wins Six Webby Awards, Six Webby People’s Voice Awards
2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA was recognized today by the 29th Annual Webby Awards with six Webby Awards and six Webby People’s Voice Awards, the latter of which are awarded by the voting public. The Webbys honors excellence in eight major media types: websites and mobile sites; video and film; advertising, media and public relations; apps and software; social; podcasts; artificial intelligence, immersive and games; and creators. NASA has always been at the forefront of innovation, and that extends to our digital presence. These Webby Awards…
Read MorePlanetary Alignment Provides NASA Rare Opportunity to Study Uranus
5 Min Read Planetary Alignment Provides NASA Rare Opportunity to Study Uranus Artist's illustration showing a distant star going out of sight as it is eclipsed by Uranus – an event known as a planetary stellar occultation. Credits: NASA/Advanced Concepts Laboratory When a planet’s orbit brings it between Earth and a distant star, it’s more than just a cosmic game of hide and seek. It’s an opportunity for NASA to improve its understanding of that planet’s atmosphere and rings. Planetary scientists call it a stellar occultation and that’s exactly what…
Read MoreFirst Results from the Eclipse Soundscapes Project: Webinar on May 7
2 min read First Results from the Eclipse Soundscapes Project: Webinar on May 7 How do the sudden darkness and temperature changes of a solar eclipse impact life on Earth? The Eclipse Soundscapes project invited you to document changes in the environment during the week of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, using your own senses or an audiomoth sound recorder. Thanks to your participation, the Eclipse Soundscapes team collected 25 terabytes of audio data during the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses. “It was really empowering for me to…
Read MoreSunshine on Earth
The sun’s glint beams off a partly cloudy Atlantic Ocean just after sunrise as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above on March 5, 2025.
Read MoreOur galactic neighbor Andromeda has a bunch of satellite galaxies — and they’re weirdly pointing at us
Our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, or M31) appears to sport a lopsided arrangement of satellite galaxies that defy scientific models, stumping astronomers who are also trying to figure out why so many of this galaxy’s family members point in our direction. All but one of M31’s brightest 37 satellites are on the side of the Andromeda spiral that faces our Milky Way galaxy – the odd one out being Messier 110, which is easily visible in amateur images of the Andromeda Galaxy. “M31 is the only system that we…
Read MoreWatch SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule arrive at the ISS today
NASA’s SpaceX 32nd Commercial Resupply Services Rendezvous and Docking – YouTube Watch On A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) this morning (April 22), and you can watch the orbital rendezvous live. Elon Musk‘s company launched its 32nd robotic resupply mission to the ISS for NASA early Monday morning (April 21), sending a Dragon freighter aloft from Florida’s Space Coast. If all goes according to plan, the Dragon’s off-Earth chase will end this morning around 8:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT), when the…
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