1 min read Hubble Studies a Sparkling Galaxy Pair This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features a pair of interacting galaxies called, NGC 5410 and UGC 8932/PGC 49896. NASA/ESA/D. Bowen (Princeton University)/Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) A pair of small, interacting galaxies shine in this new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. The larger of the two galaxies is named NGC 5410 and was discovered in 1787 by British astronomer William Herschel. It spans 80,000 light-years across and has a bright white bar of stars at its center.…
Read MoreHubble Views a Galaxy Settling into Old Age
1 min read Hubble Views a Galaxy Settling into Old Age The galaxy NGC 3384 takes center stage in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. ESA/Hubble & NASA/B. Lehmer et al. NGC 3384, visible in this image, has many of the characteristic features of so-called elliptical galaxies. Such galaxies glow diffusely, are rounded in shape, display few visible features, and rarely show signs of recent star formation. Instead, they are dominated by old, aging, and red-hued stars. This stands in contrast to the liveliness of spiral galaxies such as our home galaxy, the Milky Way,…
Read MoreOverview for NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th Commercial Resupply Mission
NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver science and supplies to the International Space Station. NASA NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 12:29 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 29, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the Cygnus cargo…
Read More‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ season 3 trailer signals the end of a spirited series
All good things must come to an end. So it goes for the Disney+’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated spinoff, “The Bad Batch,” which has had a brilliant run in its past two seasons that began back in 2021. The misadventures of this bold band of genetically modified soldiers has been one of the best and brightest spots in the Disney+ “Star Wars” lineup and fans will surely miss its rollicking adventures. Lucasfilm Animation has just delivered an explosive new trailer for the third and final season of “Star…
Read More‘We proved that you can land wherever you want.’ Japan’s SLIM moon probe nailed precise lunar landing, JAXA says
Japan’s SLIM lander touchdown may have given an entirely new definition to the expression “on the nose.” Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) representatives revealed that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) made a strange but precise landing on the moon. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (Jan. 25), JAXA scientists said that SLIM had touched down within 328 feet (100 meters) of its selected lunar landing site on Jan. 19, accomplishing its primary mission of making a pinpoint landing. “We proved that you can land wherever you want,…
Read MoreNASA’s Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
5 min read NASA’s Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet’s Atmosphere This is an artist’s concept of the exoplanet GJ 9827d, the smallest exoplanet where water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere. The planet could be an example of potential planets with water-rich atmospheres elsewhere in our galaxy. With only about twice Earth’s diameter, the planet orbits the red dwarf star GJ 9827. Two inner planets in the system are on the left. The background stars are plotted as they would be seen to the unaided eye looking…
Read MoreChinese company launches 5 remote-sensing satellites to orbit (video)
China’s commercial space activities continue to grow, with a solid rocket putting five privately built satellites into orbit. The third Kinetica-1 solid rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:03 p.m. EST on Monday (Jan. 22; 0403 GMT and 12:03 p.m. Beijing time on Jan. 23). Aboard were five Taijing satellites, all designed and built by Beijing-based private satellite maker Minospace. Related: The latest news about China’s space program CAS Space’s third Kinetica-1 rocket lifts off from Jiuquan spaceport on Jan. 22, 2024. (Image credit:…
Read MoreNASA Collaborating on European-led Gravitational Wave Observatory in Space
4 min read NASA Collaborating on European-led Gravitational Wave Observatory in Space The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, led by ESA (European Space Agency) with NASA contributions, will detect gravitational waves in space using three spacecraft, separated by more than a million miles, flying in a triangular formation. Lasers fired between the satellites, shown in this artist’s concept, will measure how gravitational waves alter their relative distances. AEI/MM/Exozet The first space-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves has passed a major review and will proceed to the construction of…
Read MoreShrinking Moon Causing Moonquakes and Faults Near Lunar South Pole
4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) As NASA continues to make progress toward sending astronauts to the lunar South Pole region with its Artemis campaign, data from a NASA-funded study is helping scientists better understand this strategic part of the Moon. The study presents evidence that moonquakes and faults generated as the Moon’s interior gradually cools and shrinks are also found near and within some of the areas the agency identified as candidate landing regions for Artemis III, the first Artemis mission planned to have…
Read MoreNASA Sets Coverage for Northrop Grumman Cargo Space Station Mission
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft is pictured from the International Space Station as it approaches while orbiting 261 miles above the coast of the Garabogazköl Basin in Turkmenistan. NASA NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 12:29 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 29, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station for the agency and its partners. This launch is the 20th Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency. Live launch coverage will begin at 12:15…
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