Round and round they go - then BOOM! This animation begins with the final moments of two neutron stars (the super-dense cores of exploded massive stars), whirling around each other in a galaxy 130 million light-years away. Gravitational waves (rippling disturbance in space-time, shown here as pale arcs) bleed away orbital energy, causing the stars to move closer together and merge.
As the stars collide, this explosive event emits light across a series of different wavelengths - first gamma rays (magenta), then ultraviolet (violet), then visible and infrared (blue-white to red) and once the jet directed toward us expanded into our view from Earth, X-rays (blue). Our Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope witnessed this event on August 17, 2017 and we watched it unfold over multiple days with a variety of other telescopes, including the Swift spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope (@NASAHubble), the Spitzer Space Telescope, our Chandra X-Ray Observatory (@NASAChandraXray) and our NuSTAR mission. The detectors at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) received a gravitational wave signal just 1.7 seconds before the first light was seen by Fermi, making this the first event observed in both light and gravitational waves.
Credit: @NASAGoddard/CI Lab
#space #nasa #universe #galaxy #stars #astrophysics #astronomy #science #gammarays #ultraviolet #infrared #xrays #gravitationalwaves #neutronstars #hubble #chandra #spitzer #nustar #fermi #swift
Over a 17-hour period, a pair of active regions – with solar plasma heated to over a million degrees – rotated into our Solar Dynamic Observatory’s view Oct. 4-5. They were observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
The arches above the regions consist of charge particles spinning along and revealing magnetic field lines. Each one shows a few minor bursts of material, none of which were serious.
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #sun #SUNday #picoftheday #solarsystem #universe #yellow #light #magnetic #plasma #hot
Fish-eye view of planet Earth. NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik (@astrokomrade) captured this timelapse video from his unique vantage point on the International Space Station (@iss) , 250 miles above our home planet. He posted it to his social media accounts on Oct. 1 saying, “Desert sands, wispy clouds, and blue ocean, the cupola fish-eye spies many features along the spine of Africa in this #timelapse.” There are currently six people living and working on the space station, which is orbiting our planet at 17,500 mph. They are conducting important science and research on the orbiting laboratory that will not only help us send humans to deep space destinations, like Mars, but also has direct benefits to live here on Earth.
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #spacestation #international #science #research #laboratory #microgravity #earth #africa #sand #desert #ocean #clouds #fisheye #astronaut
Did you know that some of the technology developed by our techies is also used in the commercial world? For example, the camera used during parachute testing for our deep space capsule is now used for car crash tests.
Credit: NASA/Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
#nasa #space #tech #techies #technology #nationaltechiesday #science #engineering #math #stem #develop #innovate #missions #people
Our techies are always testing new and cutting-edge ideas in extreme environments both here on Earth and in space. For example, techies working on our Deep Space Engine project are looking to create a spacecraft propulsion system that is high-performance, lightweight, compact and low-cost.
It’s National Techies Day…and here at NASA we have quite a few people who get REALLY excited about technology. Without techies and the technology they develop, we wouldn’t be able to do the amazing things we do at NASA, or on Earth and in space.
We love our techies! The passionate engineers, researchers and scientists who work on our technology efforts enable us to make a difference in the world around us. They are responsible for developing the pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed to achieve our current and future missions.
What’s up in the night sky for October?
This month you can catch planet pairs, our moon near red stars and more! Catch bright Venus in the predawn sky by looking for fainter Mars below it on Oct. 1, really close on the 5th and above Venus after that.
In the Oct. 8 – 11 predawn sky watch the moon glide near the Pleiades star cluster and pass near the red stars Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus and Betelgeuse in Orion.
Watch for more about when and where to look up this month!
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #stars #moon #stargazing #october #nightsky #saturn #venus #mars #planets #astronomy #whatsup #lookup #universe #solarsystem
The Sun erupted with a solar flare, one of the largest of the current solar cycle on Sept. 10, 2017. Its source was the same sunspot region that produced flares the week before that. In this video, you see two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light at the same time and each reveals different features of the Sun. Both are colorized to identify in which wavelength they were observed. The coils of loops after the flare are the magnetic field lines reorganizing themselves after the eruption. The video covers about six hours.
Credit: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory
#nasa #space #sun #science #solar #solarflare #observatory #solarsystem #sunspot #eruption #rotate #orbit #spacecraft #flare
This time-lapse video from astronauts on the International Space Station (@ISS) shows an aurora above Canada beginning over the California coast, to North Dakota then on to Quebec when day breaks. Taken on Sept. 15, 2017, the orbiting laboratory is located 250 miles above Earth and is traveling at 17,500 miles per hour.
At any given time, the station is home to more than 250 experiments, including some that are helping us determine the effects of microgravity on the human body. Research on the station will not only help us send humans deeper into space than ever before, including to Mars, but also benefits life here on Earth.
An unusual object in the asteroid belt is, in fact, two asteroids orbiting each other that have comet-like features. These include a bright halo of material, called a coma, and a long tail of dust. This time-lapse, assembled from a set of Hubble Space Telescope photos, reveals the asteroid pair, called 2006 VW139/288P.
The pair is orbiting each other at a distance of 60 miles and was imaged in September 2016. The more recent Hubble observations revealed ongoing activity in the binary system. We detected strong indications for the sublimation of water ice due to the increased solar heating – similar to how the tail of a comet is created.
The team estimates that 2006 VW139/288P has existed as a binary system only for about 5,000 years. The most probably formation scenario is the breakup due to fast rotation.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. DePasquale and Z Levay (STScI)
#nasa #space #hubble #hubblespacetelescope #telescope #binary #asteroids #orbit #sun #timelapse #gif #astronomy #solarsystem
Look up in the sky tonight and see Saturn!
This month Saturn is the only prominent evening planet low in the southwest sky. Look for it near the constellation Sagittarius. Above and below Saturn--from a dark sky--you can't miss the summer Milky Way spanning the sky from northeast to southwest!
Grab a pair of binoculars and scan the teapot-shaped Sagittarius, where stars and some brighter clumps appear as steam from the teapot. Those bright clumps are near the center of our galaxy, which is full of gas, dust and stars.
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #astronomy #september #whatsup #night #nightsky #stars #stargazing #saturn #planet
In this video captured at 1,500 frames per second with a high-speed camera, the International Space Station (@ISS), with a crew of six onboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second during a partial solar eclipse, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 near Banner, Wyoming. Onboard as part of the crew are: NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson, Jack Fischer (@Astro2Fish), and Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade); Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazanskiy (@SergeyISS); and ESA (@EuropeanSpaceAgency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli (@Astro_Paolo). A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe.
Today, a solar eclipse will be visible across North America. Throughout the continent, the Moon will cover part – or all – of the Sun’s super-bright face for part of the day. For those within the narrow path of totality, stretching from Oregon to South Carolina, that partial eclipse will become total for a few brief moments.
Make sure you’re using proper solar filters (not sunglasses) or an indirect viewing method if you plan to watch the eclipse in person.
Wherever you are, you can also watch today’s eclipse online with us at http://www.nasa.gov/eclipselive. Starting at noon ET, our show will feature views from our research aircraft, high-altitude balloons, satellites and specially modified telescopes, as well as live reports from cities across the country and the International Space Station.
LIFTOFF! Today at 8:29 a.m. EDT, we launched our next communications satellite, named the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M). This satellite will join a fleet in space that helps us with global communications for more than 40 of our missions. From the beautiful images we receive from the Hubble Space Telescope, to communicating with astronauts on the International Space Station, the TDRS network helps facilitate the work we do at NASA.
With the launch of TDRS-M, the lifespan of our Space Network will be extended for another 15 years or more. Seen here as it leaves Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 in Florida, the Atlas V rocket safely delivered the satellite in orbit.
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #satellite #tdrsm #communications #launch #liftoff #kennedy #kennedyspacecenter #capecanaveral #ula #spacecraft #orbit #launchpad
Solar déjà vu. The large sunspot that rotated out of view about two weeks ago has returned. Though much reduced in size, it did blast a good-sized coronal mass ejection about a week ago on the far side of the Sun.
It was showing off numerous magnetic loops and arches above it as it came into view. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one for more solar activity. Sunspots can last from days to months, so for it to return again is not an unusual event.
Credit: NASA/SDO
What’s up for August? On August 21, there will be a total solar eclipse across the United States. If you are in the path of totality, you’ll get to see the rare site of a total eclipse. Others, not in the narrow path, will see a partial eclipse. Everyone watching should make sure to protect their eyes. Discover all the ways you can safely view this month’s eclipse.
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #eclipse #eclipse2017 #sun #moon #earth #planets #safety #watch #august #solarsystem
Our pale blue dot, planet Earth, is seen in this video captured by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer (@astro2fish) from his unique vantage point on the International Space Station (@iss). From 250 miles above our home planet, this time-lapse imagery takes us over the Pacific Ocean’s moon glint and above the night lights of San Francisco, CA. The thin hue of our atmosphere is visible surrounding our planet with a majestic white layer of clouds sporadically seen underneath.
The International Space Station is currently home to 6 people who are living and working in microgravity. As it orbits our planet at 17,500 miles per hour, the crew onboard is conducting important research that benefits life here on Earth.
What’s up for August? A total solar eclipse across the continental United States, and you can help us collect scientific data during this solar event! The eclipse, happening on August 21, will be visible throughout North America. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights – a total solar eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the Sun and the Sun’s tenuous atmosphere – the corona – can be seen, will stretch from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the Sun’s disk.
Looking directly at the Sun is unsafe, so plan to protect your eyes during this solar event. The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. Watch for more information about the eclipse and how you can help us collect data during this solar event!
Credit: NASA
#nasa #space #eclipse #eclipse2017 #sun #moon #earth #totality #charleston #oregon #southcarolina #salem #pathoftotality #whatsup #astronomy #partialeclipse #totaleclipse #safety #howtowatch
