Latest news with #Ayers
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- The Irish Sun
From remarkable ‘red lightning sprite' to once-in-a-lifetime comet – 7 breathtaking snaps captured by Nasa astronauts
FROM roiling storms, rare comets and volcanic eruptions, there is lots to see aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Fortunately, astronauts are not only equipped with suites of scientific instruments, but cameras too - so we at home can enjoy the view as well. Advertisement 7 A red lightning sprite was captured during a storm near the Texas-Mexico border Credit: Nichole Ayers/NASA Lightning sprite Nasa astronaut Nichole Ayers caught a phenomenon known as a sprite near the Texas-Mexico border from the ISS, some 250 miles above Earth. 'Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the US this morning, I caught this sprite," Ayers wrote on X earlier this month. "Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. "We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms." Advertisement READ MORE ON SPACE Ayers snapped the picture with a Nikon Z9 using a 50mm lens (f/1.2, ¼ sec, ISO 6400) as part of a time-lapse set up in the Cupola - the domed window module on board the ISS. "It takes planning, timing, and a lot of pictures to capture such a rare phenomenon," she added. 7 Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Credit: Don Pettit/NASA 7 The icy comet seen alongside aurora Credit: SWNS Advertisement Once-in-a-lifetime comet Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - dubbed the 'once-in-a-lifetime comet' - was photographed by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit from the ISS last autumn. Scientists at the Royal Astronomical Society dubbed it the "comet of the century" because of its brightness and rarity. Most read in Science The icy comet won't be visible on Earth again for another 80,000 years - making the sighting particularly rare. 7 These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena Credit: Nasa Advertisement Aurora meets airglow Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake shared this snap or aurora - or Northern Lights - dancing near Earth's airglow in 2016. In his whopping 340 days in space, Kelly was able to provide some stunning images of Earth seen from above. These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena. The wavy green, red-topped wisps of aurora borealis appear to intersect the faint red-yellow band of airglow. Advertisement Though they appear at similar altitudes, aurora and airglow are different. Nighttime airglow - also known as nightglow - is a type of chemiluminescence that occurs all around the Earth, all the time. This is where light is emitted from chemical interactions between oxygen, nitrogen, and other molecules in the upper atmosphere. Auroras, on the other hand, are caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere. Advertisement 7 The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023 Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang and Lauren Dauphin 'Devil horned' volcano While technically snapped by data visualisers at Nasa's Earth Observatory, this "devilish" Russian volcano was captured spitting out a 1,000-mile-long stream of smoke into Earth's atmosphere. The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023. It was during an active eruption phase of the volcano, known as Klyuchevskoy or sometimes Klyuchevskaya Sopka - an area home to more than 300 volcanoes. Advertisement The two-pronged devil horns depict twin lava flows spewing out of the volcanoes mouth. 7 Astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006 Credit: NASA Spacewalk The ISS has been orbiting Earth for nearly three decades, after first launching in November 1998. Astronauts have conducted 275 spacewalks since the station opened - one of the riskiest jobs an astronaut will ever undertake. Advertisement Backdropped by New Zealand and the Cook Strait in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006. Their job was to support the construction of the orbital outpost, and proved the source of quite the stellar image. 7 False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details Credit: Don Pettit/X Ganges river The Ganges river, the world's largest river delta, was photographed in near-infrared from the ISS by Pettit. Advertisement The ISS utilises near-infrared imagery for various scientific purposes, including atmospheric studies and Earth observation. It is key to capturing images of the Earth's airglow, clouds, and other surface features during nighttime. The end result are incredible false-colour images that show Earth in a completely new light. False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details. Advertisement These details are either things that cannot be seen by the human eye - or aspects that may be obscured in true colour images, such as healthy vegetation or different soil types. All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- Scottish Sun
From remarkable ‘red lightning sprite' to once-in-a-lifetime comet – 7 breathtaking snaps captured by Nasa astronauts
The icy comet won't be visible on Earth again for another 80,000 years - making the sighting particularly rare STARRY EYED From remarkable 'red lightning sprite' to once-in-a-lifetime comet – 7 breathtaking snaps captured by Nasa astronauts Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FROM roiling storms, rare comets and volcanic eruptions, there is lots to see aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Fortunately, astronauts are not only equipped with suites of scientific instruments, but cameras too - so we at home can enjoy the view as well. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 A red lightning sprite was captured during a storm near the Texas-Mexico border Credit: Nichole Ayers/NASA Lightning sprite Nasa astronaut Nichole Ayers caught a phenomenon known as a sprite near the Texas-Mexico border from the ISS, some 250 miles above Earth. 'Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the US this morning, I caught this sprite," Ayers wrote on X earlier this month. "Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. "We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms." Ayers snapped the picture with a Nikon Z9 using a 50mm lens (f/1.2, ¼ sec, ISO 6400) as part of a time-lapse set up in the Cupola - the domed window module on board the ISS. "It takes planning, timing, and a lot of pictures to capture such a rare phenomenon," she added. 7 Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Credit: Don Pettit/NASA 7 The icy comet seen alongside aurora Credit: SWNS Once-in-a-lifetime comet Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - dubbed the 'once-in-a-lifetime comet' - was photographed by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit from the ISS last autumn. Scientists at the Royal Astronomical Society dubbed it the "comet of the century" because of its brightness and rarity. The icy comet won't be visible on Earth again for another 80,000 years - making the sighting particularly rare. 7 These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena Credit: Nasa Aurora meets airglow Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake shared this snap or aurora - or Northern Lights - dancing near Earth's airglow in 2016. In his whopping 340 days in space, Kelly was able to provide some stunning images of Earth seen from above. These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena. The wavy green, red-topped wisps of aurora borealis appear to intersect the faint red-yellow band of airglow. Though they appear at similar altitudes, aurora and airglow are different. Nighttime airglow - also known as nightglow - is a type of chemiluminescence that occurs all around the Earth, all the time. This is where light is emitted from chemical interactions between oxygen, nitrogen, and other molecules in the upper atmosphere. Auroras, on the other hand, are caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere. 7 The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023 Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang and Lauren Dauphin 'Devil horned' volcano While technically snapped by data visualisers at Nasa's Earth Observatory, this "devilish" Russian volcano was captured spitting out a 1,000-mile-long stream of smoke into Earth's atmosphere. The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023. It was during an active eruption phase of the volcano, known as Klyuchevskoy or sometimes Klyuchevskaya Sopka - an area home to more than 300 volcanoes. The two-pronged devil horns depict twin lava flows spewing out of the volcanoes mouth. 7 Astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006 Credit: NASA Spacewalk The ISS has been orbiting Earth for nearly three decades, after first launching in November 1998. Astronauts have conducted 275 spacewalks since the station opened - one of the riskiest jobs an astronaut will ever undertake. Backdropped by New Zealand and the Cook Strait in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006. Their job was to support the construction of the orbital outpost, and proved the source of quite the stellar image. 7 False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details Credit: Don Pettit/X Ganges river The Ganges river, the world's largest river delta, was photographed in near-infrared from the ISS by Pettit. The ISS utilises near-infrared imagery for various scientific purposes, including atmospheric studies and Earth observation. It is key to capturing images of the Earth's airglow, clouds, and other surface features during nighttime. The end result are incredible false-colour images that show Earth in a completely new light. False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details. These details are either things that cannot be seen by the human eye - or aspects that may be obscured in true colour images, such as healthy vegetation or different soil types. All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet How many moons does Mercury have? What colour is Venus? How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet How big is Jupiter? How many moons does Saturn have? Does Uranus have rings? How many moons does Neptune have? How big is Pluto? How hot is the Sun?
Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Forecasters hand-wring over tariffs, but the economy's still doing fine
American consumers are spending freely, unemployment filings are low and executives feel more optimistic about business prospects. Why it matters: A trade war-stunted economy remains something forecasters hand-wring about, but it's not the reality on the ground. Economic activity wrapped the second quarter on stronger footing, with consumers spending plenty after a tariff front-loading shopping spree earlier this year. It doesn't look like an economic boom time, but it's also not the stagnation that looked possible just months earlier. Driving the news: Retail sales, which aren't adjusted for inflation, rose by 0.6% in June — more than double the increase that economists anticipated. That came after a sharp pullback in May, when retail sales fell by nearly a full percentage point. It raised fears about a heightened sense of caution among consumers. Spending increased in all but three categories: department stores, furniture retailers and electronics stores. Sales at gasoline stations were flat. Miscellaneous retailers (a group that includes florists, pet supply stores and more), auto dealerships and home improvement stores saw the biggest increase in sales. What they're saying:"Delayed tariff price increases and steady income growth continue to fuel spending despite weak survey data indicating building concerns by households," Nationwide senior economist Ben Ayers wrote in a note. "The strong June for retail sales should support a solid rebound for real GDP growth in the second quarter," Ayers added — but warned that "tariff uncertainty hangs over the outlook." Zoom out: The data follows further confirmation that aggregate layoffs remain low, after a spike in filings earlier this year that stoked concern about weaker labor market trends. Filings for unemployment benefits fell by 7,000 last week to 221,000, the fifth straight week of declines. Survey results from the Philadelphia Fed district — including Delaware and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania — showed manufacturers anticipate more hiring and growth over the next six months. The intrigue: The Atlanta Fed GDPNow reading shows 2.6% growth in the second quarter, helped by normalizing imports after a first-quarter rush. Reality check: The economy is not out of the woods, especially as continued trade tensions threaten higher prices for consumers. The Philadelphia Fed survey showed forecasts for stronger activity came alongside expectations of higher prices paid and received. Import prices for consumer goods rose 0.4% in June, the largest one-month increase in over a year. That is before the tariff effect, for which the data does not account. Continued unemployment filings — that is, those collecting benefits for multiple weeks — rose to 1.96 million in early July, ticking up from the previous week, pointing to sluggish hiring for those who do lose their jobs.
United News of India
5 days ago
- Health
- United News of India
Muscle, exercise studies to maintain crew health in Space
Chennai, July 17 (UNI) After the safe splashdown of four member AX-4 crew, including Indian astronaut Shubhansu Shukla, following their 18-day stay in the orbital platform, NASA today said maintaining muscles and monitoring astronaut health in space were the top research subjects aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Expedition 73 crew also replaced critical life support hardware and serviced a variety of experimental gear. The lack of gravity weighing down on a human living in space contributes to muscle loss since it takes much less effort to move around in weightlessness. Spaceflight crews exercise daily for two hours to counteract space-caused muscle atrophy and bone loss to stay healthy in microgravity and remain in shape for the eventual return to Earth. Scientists are studying electrical muscle stimulation in combination with exercising in space to improve muscle function, reduce workout times, and design lighter exercise equipment. NASA Flight Engineers Nichole Ayers and Jonny Kim joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module on Wednesday for the muscle study that may benefit future long-duration space flights as well as patients on Earth with mobility issues. Ayers wore electrodes that sent electrical signals to her legs as Kim operated the biomedical equipment that also recorded how her muscles responded. Next, Ayers removed the electrodes then wore a sensor-packed headband and vest collecting her heart and breathing rate as she worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device that mimics free weights on Earth and then pedaled on an exercise cycle. Researchers will use the health data to continuously adjust crew exercise plans and improve aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning in microgravity. Ayers and Kim later assisted NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain as she replaced a catalytic reactor in the Tranquility module. The catalytic reactor introduces oxygen into the station's water processor assembly and oxidizes organic material in the wastewater. Station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) helped the trio conclude the maintenance work as he reinstalled hardware removed in Tranquility so the crew could access the advanced life support components. Onishi began his day in the Kibo laboratory module troubleshooting and inspecting combustion research hardware in the Multipurpose Small Payload Rack. Onishi then replaced a device, the Microgravity Measurement Apparatus, that measures the vibrations Kibo experiences due to astronaut activities and spacecraft dockings that may affect sensitive science experiments. Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Kirill Peskov also participated in an exercise study as they took turns jogging on the Zvezda service module's treadmill for a fitness evaluation. Doctors will use the data to determine a crew member's energy requirements to stay fit in space and ensure readiness for strenuous activities such as spacewalks and the return to Earth's gravity. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritskiy started his shift cleaning ventilation systems and smoke detectors. He then trained to perform medical procedures on the orbital outpost including eye checks, needle injections, injury treatments, and more. The Progress 91 cargo craft docked to the rear port of Zvezda fired its engines for nearly 12 minutes on Wednesday. The reboost lifts the space station's orbit to the correct altitude for the approach and docking of the Progress 93 cargo craft planned for September. UNI GV 1755
NDTV
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Explained: How A Hair Cut In Space Differs From One On Earth
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has made history by becoming the first Indian to get a haircut in microgravity, while living aboard his home away from home at the International Space Station. Captain Shukla had spent nearly 30 days in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center as his flight repeatedly got postponed from the first announced date of May 29 to finally lifting off on June 25. This is why American astronaut, Nichol Ayers gave him a haircut when he was in space. Many astronauts who stay for long durations in space also get haircuts. So, that is a normal thing. But how does a haircut in space even work? Is it a lot different from one on Earth? Turns out, not really! In space, hair doesn't fall, it floats Getting a haircut in space is not very different from getting a haircut on earth. The only difference is in space, when the hair has been cut, it can fly all over the place. So, one needs a vacuum cleaner, which pulls in the hair that is being cut. Just like how bread is not allowed in space because crumbs can float, hair too needs to be managed carefully. No shower after haircut In India, especially for men, a post-haircut bath is almost necessary. But at the ISS, the astronauts cannot take a bath as there is no running water available. So, astronauts usually do a dry cleaning of their body using soap and wet towels. No Hair Stylists in Space Unlike Earth, one does not have a hairstylist at the International Space Station. It is a fellow astronaut who is doing the haircuts. So, no hairstyles. American astronaut Nichole Ayers was seen giving Shukla a rare hairdo in space. Astronaut Ayers remarked, "We said goodbye to our Ax4 friends today. I was just reminiscing about the haircuts from last weekend. After a long quarantine, I think it was nice for them. We joked about how I might have a future in the haircutting business when I get back on Earth, but the reviews are still out." Ayers is a Major in the US Air Force and has spent 122 days in space. She has conducted spacewalks totalling about six hours. This would probably make her the most qualified hair stylist Shukla would ever get in his life.
