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Why can you see the Moon during the day? 🌕
Easy, because it’s there! It may seem odd to look up at the daytime sky and see the Moon but it’s perfectly natural. Planetary geologist Sarah Noble breaks it down so you know when to look up.
Easy, because it’s there! It may seem odd to look up at the daytime sky and see the Moon but it’s perfectly natural. Planetary geologist Sarah Noble breaks it down so you know when to look up.
Nestled atop an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, the James Webb Space Telescope rolled out to the launchpad on Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Webb will study every phase of the cosmos—from our own solar system to galaxies formed 13.5 billion years ago, just after the Big Bang. A colossal collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, Webb will revolutionize our understanding of the universe.
Liftoff is set for Dec. 25 at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20 UTC)
Liftoff is set for Dec. 25 at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20 UTC)
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"The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring, and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." – Jim Lovell
On Dec. 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to orbit the Moon and the first to witness the Earth rising above the Moon's barren surface. That evening they held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon as seen from their spacecraft.
The mission is known for this iconic "Earthrise" image, snapped by Anders, which would give humankind a new perspective on our home planet. Anders has said that despite all the training and preparation for an exploration of the Moon, the astronauts ended up discovering Earth.
Fifty-three years later, we celebrate the moment by looking back on this image.
"The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring, and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." – Jim Lovell
On Dec. 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to orbit the Moon and the first to witness the Earth rising above the Moon's barren surface. That evening they held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon as seen from their spacecraft.
The mission is known for this iconic "Earthrise" image, snapped by Anders, which would give humankind a new perspective on our home planet. Anders has said that despite all the training and preparation for an exploration of the Moon, the astronauts ended up discovering Earth.
Fifty-three years later, we celebrate the moment by looking back on this image.
Goodnight Moon 🌙
A waxing crescent Moon is pictured from the International Space Station during an orbital sunset as it flew 268 miles (431 km) above the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
Above the surface of the Earth, a brilliant sequence of colors roughly denotes several layers of the atmosphere.
Deep oranges and yellows appear in the troposphere, which contains over 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor, clouds, and precipitation.
The pink to white region above the clouds appears to be the lower stratosphere; this atmospheric layer generally has few or no clouds. Above the stratosphere, blue layers likely mark the transition between the middle and upper atmosphere as it gradually fades into the blackness of outer space.
A waxing crescent Moon is pictured from the International Space Station during an orbital sunset as it flew 268 miles (431 km) above the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
Above the surface of the Earth, a brilliant sequence of colors roughly denotes several layers of the atmosphere.
Deep oranges and yellows appear in the troposphere, which contains over 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor, clouds, and precipitation.
The pink to white region above the clouds appears to be the lower stratosphere; this atmospheric layer generally has few or no clouds. Above the stratosphere, blue layers likely mark the transition between the middle and upper atmosphere as it gradually fades into the blackness of outer space.
We hope this view of the Coalsack Nebula is the only coal you’ll get this year.
Also called Caldwell 99, this is a dark nebula – a dense cloud of interstellar dust that completely blocks out visible wavelengths of light from objects behind it.
Image credits: NASA, ESA, and R. Sahai (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Also called Caldwell 99, this is a dark nebula – a dense cloud of interstellar dust that completely blocks out visible wavelengths of light from objects behind it.
Image credits: NASA, ESA, and R. Sahai (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
A Hubble Classic full of stars ✨
Called Trumpler 14, this cluster of stars is located 8,000 light-years away in a huge star-forming region known as the Carina Nebula.
The cluster is about 500,000 years old and has one of the highest concentrations of bright, massive stars in our entire Milky Way Galaxy!
Image credits: NASA, ESA, and J. Maíz Apellániz (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, Spain); Acknowledgment: N. Smith (University of Arizona)
Called Trumpler 14, this cluster of stars is located 8,000 light-years away in a huge star-forming region known as the Carina Nebula.
The cluster is about 500,000 years old and has one of the highest concentrations of bright, massive stars in our entire Milky Way Galaxy!
Image credits: NASA, ESA, and J. Maíz Apellániz (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, Spain); Acknowledgment: N. Smith (University of Arizona)
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These pillars of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula are regions of starbirth, hiding newborn stars in their wispy columns, which stretch over roughly 4 to 5 light-years. That’s a small blip in the massive Eagle Nebula, with a size spanning 70 by 55 light-years.
In the sonification, sounds represent both visible (Hubble) and X-ray light in the image. Moving from left to right, particular attention is paid to the structure of the pillars, which can be heard as pitches sweep from low to high and back.
The vertical position of the recorded light controls the pitch.
Sonification credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, M. Russo & A. Santaguida
In the sonification, sounds represent both visible (Hubble) and X-ray light in the image. Moving from left to right, particular attention is paid to the structure of the pillars, which can be heard as pitches sweep from low to high and back.
The vertical position of the recorded light controls the pitch.
Sonification credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, M. Russo & A. Santaguida
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⚫️ Our galaxy’s central black hole has a leak!
This supermassive black hole (which is over 4 million times more massive than our Sun, by the way!) looks like it still has the remains of a blowtorch-like jet dating back thousands of years.
Read more at the link in our bio!
This supermassive black hole (which is over 4 million times more massive than our Sun, by the way!) looks like it still has the remains of a blowtorch-like jet dating back thousands of years.
Read more at the link in our bio!
Massive cosmic objects, like a huge cluster of galaxies, have so much gravity they can actually warp light coming from behind them!
Once NASA Webb begins science operations in about six months, it might detect the universe’s first black holes and stars with the help of gravitational lensing.
This Hubble image shows the effect in action. The galaxy cluster Abell 2744 warped and magnified the images of nearly 3,000 distant background galaxies!
Image credits: NASA, ESA, Jennifer Lotz (STScI), Matt Mountain (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), HFF Team (STScI)
Once NASA Webb begins science operations in about six months, it might detect the universe’s first black holes and stars with the help of gravitational lensing.
This Hubble image shows the effect in action. The galaxy cluster Abell 2744 warped and magnified the images of nearly 3,000 distant background galaxies!
Image credits: NASA, ESA, Jennifer Lotz (STScI), Matt Mountain (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), HFF Team (STScI)
Closing out the year with a bang 💥
The NASA Hubble space telescope captured a side-on view of a barred spiral galaxy roughly 57 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation Centaurus.
In 2014, a sudden flare of light caused by the explosion accompanying the death of a massive star in our galaxy was discovered by amateur astronomers who are part of the Backyard Observatory Supernova Search in New Zealand.
This wealth of knowledge provided by Hubble paves the way for future science as NASA Webb makes its way to Lagrange Point 2, where it will begin its orbit. Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 have made connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas in which they form. Webb’s ability to observe at infrared wavelengths will be able to peer through the clouds of gas and dust in stellar nurseries and observe the fledgling stars within.
The NASA Hubble space telescope captured a side-on view of a barred spiral galaxy roughly 57 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation Centaurus.
In 2014, a sudden flare of light caused by the explosion accompanying the death of a massive star in our galaxy was discovered by amateur astronomers who are part of the Backyard Observatory Supernova Search in New Zealand.
This wealth of knowledge provided by Hubble paves the way for future science as NASA Webb makes its way to Lagrange Point 2, where it will begin its orbit. Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 have made connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas in which they form. Webb’s ability to observe at infrared wavelengths will be able to peer through the clouds of gas and dust in stellar nurseries and observe the fledgling stars within.
Staying close to those deer to us 🦌❄️
This winter scene captures the Sápmi region, which stretches across parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. This region is the ancient home of the Sami, Europe’s only recognized indigenous people.
About 80,000 to 100,000 Sami are spread across the four countries and have lived a nomadic life of hunting, gathering, and reindeer herding. In fact, this is one of the few places on Earth where deer have been domesticated.
🦌An estimated 500,000 reindeer live in Scandinavia, with most of them tended and herded by the Sami.🦌
The image above is part of a global composite assembled from data acquired in 2016 by the @NOAA and @NASAEarth Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. This nightime view was made possible by the “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, which is sensitive enough to measure nighttime light emissions and reflections to distinguish the intensity of lights and observe how they change.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image
This winter scene captures the Sápmi region, which stretches across parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. This region is the ancient home of the Sami, Europe’s only recognized indigenous people.
About 80,000 to 100,000 Sami are spread across the four countries and have lived a nomadic life of hunting, gathering, and reindeer herding. In fact, this is one of the few places on Earth where deer have been domesticated.
🦌An estimated 500,000 reindeer live in Scandinavia, with most of them tended and herded by the Sami.🦌
The image above is part of a global composite assembled from data acquired in 2016 by the @NOAA and @NASAEarth Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. This nightime view was made possible by the “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, which is sensitive enough to measure nighttime light emissions and reflections to distinguish the intensity of lights and observe how they change.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image
Goodnight Moon 🌙
A waxing crescent Moon is pictured from the International Space Station during an orbital sunset as it flew 268 miles (431 km) above the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
Above the surface of the Earth, a brilliant sequence of colors roughly denotes several layers of the atmosphere.
Deep oranges and yellows appear in the troposphere, which contains over 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor, clouds, and precipitation.
The pink to white region above the clouds appears to be the lower stratosphere; this atmospheric layer generally has few or no clouds. Above the stratosphere, blue layers likely mark the transition between the middle and upper atmosphere as it gradually fades into the blackness of outer space.
Credit: NASA
A waxing crescent Moon is pictured from the International Space Station during an orbital sunset as it flew 268 miles (431 km) above the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
Above the surface of the Earth, a brilliant sequence of colors roughly denotes several layers of the atmosphere.
Deep oranges and yellows appear in the troposphere, which contains over 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor, clouds, and precipitation.
The pink to white region above the clouds appears to be the lower stratosphere; this atmospheric layer generally has few or no clouds. Above the stratosphere, blue layers likely mark the transition between the middle and upper atmosphere as it gradually fades into the blackness of outer space.
Credit: NASA
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Are there rainbows on Mars? 🌈 🤔 Sadly, no. But there are a whole lot of other conditions on Mars that we have right here on Earth! Planetary scientist Mark Lemmon explains why the Red Planet is a rainbowless world.
Credit: NASA/Producers: Jessica Wilde & Scott Bednar
Editor: Matthew Schara
Credit: NASA/Producers: Jessica Wilde & Scott Bednar
Editor: Matthew Schara
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New Year, new Moon! 🌚
Kicking off 2022, stargazing is at its best on the nights around the new Moon on Jan. 2. Later that night, catch the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. Look for meteors after midnight local time, after the constellation they appear to originate from, Boötes, rises above the horizon.
☄️ This tends to be one of the better meteor showers of the year and often produces bright meteors called fireballs!
A few days later, look for the Moon with Jupiter on Jan. 5 in the west, and with Mars and Venus on Jan. 29 in the east. Venus is now appearing in the morning after being "the Evening Star" in 2021, and Mars is returning to the skies after its solar conjunction last fall, where it passed behind the Sun as seen from Earth.
Listen in for more skywatching tips from NASA!
Credit: NASA
Producer: Preston Dyches
Kicking off 2022, stargazing is at its best on the nights around the new Moon on Jan. 2. Later that night, catch the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. Look for meteors after midnight local time, after the constellation they appear to originate from, Boötes, rises above the horizon.
☄️ This tends to be one of the better meteor showers of the year and often produces bright meteors called fireballs!
A few days later, look for the Moon with Jupiter on Jan. 5 in the west, and with Mars and Venus on Jan. 29 in the east. Venus is now appearing in the morning after being "the Evening Star" in 2021, and Mars is returning to the skies after its solar conjunction last fall, where it passed behind the Sun as seen from Earth.
Listen in for more skywatching tips from NASA!
Credit: NASA
Producer: Preston Dyches
Here be dragons 🐉
As we get ready for the new year, we're continuing to make space travel more reliable and less expensive—with the help of our commercial partners. In 2021, our first SpaceX crew rotation flight to the International Space Station (Crew-1) safely splashed down on Earth after 168 days in orbit, and two more Commercial Crew missions lifted off to open new frontiers on our orbiting laboratory. Next up: Crew-4, currently scheduled to launch in April 2022.
In this image, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour is seen departing the ISS on November 8, 2021, with four astronauts from NASA, JAXAJP, and the EuropeanSpaceAgency preparing to return home after their successful six-month Crew-2 mission.
Credit: NASA
As we get ready for the new year, we're continuing to make space travel more reliable and less expensive—with the help of our commercial partners. In 2021, our first SpaceX crew rotation flight to the International Space Station (Crew-1) safely splashed down on Earth after 168 days in orbit, and two more Commercial Crew missions lifted off to open new frontiers on our orbiting laboratory. Next up: Crew-4, currently scheduled to launch in April 2022.
In this image, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour is seen departing the ISS on November 8, 2021, with four astronauts from NASA, JAXAJP, and the EuropeanSpaceAgency preparing to return home after their successful six-month Crew-2 mission.
Credit: NASA