Latest news with #RosetteNebula
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
NASA Drops Stunning New Images To Honor Hubble's 35th — And Looks Ahead
Exactly 35 years ago this week, the Hubble Space Telescope was released from the Space Shuttle Discovery cargo hatch. After a stuttering start, it became one of humankind's most treasured inventions, sending back images after jaw-dropping images and revealing the universe as it really is. To celebrate its 35th anniversary, NASA has published four spectacular new images. In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's launch into orbit, ... More astronomers aimed the legendary telescope at a selection of photogenic space targets, stretching from inside our solar system to the nebulae found in interstellar space, to far-flung galaxies. The four new images published this week to celebrate its birthday are of Mars, planetary nebula NGC 2899, the Rosette Nebula and barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335. All images use the latest image processing techniques that weren't available when the data was originally collected. According to NASA, Hubble has made more than 1.7 million observations of about 55,000 celestial objects, creating more than 400 terabytes of data. Its observations have been used by scientists to write over 22,000 scientific papers. The four new images follow a steady stream of newly processed Hubble images published last week, including new versions of Hubble classics NGC 346, the Sombrero Galaxy and the iconic Eagle Nebula. Planetary nebula NGC 2899, one of the Hubble Space Telescope's 35th Anniversary images. 'Hubble opened a new window to the universe when it launched 35 years ago,' said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a press statement. 'Its stunning imagery inspired people across the globe, and the data behind those images revealed surprises about everything from early galaxies to planets in our own solar system.' NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured in exquisite detail galaxy NGC 5335 for one of its 35th ... More Anniversary images. It wasn't a great start for Hubble. Its first images were blurry — a result of an unexpected flaw in its eight-foot diameter primary mirror — which was fixed in 1993 by NASA astronauts. Further servicing missions followed until 2009. That final servicing mission left it with six gyroscopes — the tech that allows it to accurately point at objects — but a series of glitches last year left it with just one working gyro. It's now slower and less flexible than before (it can no longer study Venus, for example, or the moon) — but, for now, it's still usable. Dark clouds in the Rosette Nebula, one of the Hubble Space Telescope's 35th Anniversary images. It's ... More 100 light-years across and located 5,200 light-years from the sun. Hubble was designed to last for 15 years. 'The fact that it is still operating today is a testament to the value of our flagship observatories and provides critical lessons for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which we plan to be serviceable in the spirit of Hubble,' said Domagal-Goldman. There are plans for a successor — the Habitable Worlds Observatory — a large ultraviolet, optical and infrared space telescope to replace Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope. It will be designed to seek out signs of life beyond our solar system — identifying and examining Earth-like planets orbiting other stars to determine if they could show signs of hosting life — as well as be a general purpose observatory with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution. HWO will be NASA's next flagship astrophysics mission after the $3.5-billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch by May 2027, though NASA said yesterday it wants it to launch as early as October 2026.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
NASA releases stunning photos of planets, far-flung galaxies to mark Hubble anniversary
On April 24, 1990, all 24,000 pounds of the Hubble Space Telescope were tucked away inside the Discovery space shuttle when it launched into space. Thirty-five years later, NASA says Hubble has proven to have "opened a new window to the universe," with more than 1.6 million observations to date filled with compelling and surprising images of galaxies, planets and our own solar system. To celebrate the anniversary milestone, NASA has released stunning photos taken by the telescope in its decades among the stars. Among them is an image of Mars, taken 61 million miles from Earth. "Thin water-ice clouds, revealed by Hubble's unique ultraviolet capability, give the Red Planet a frosty appearance," Hubble said along with the photo on social media. A photo of Mars taken by Hubble NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI) In a news release commemorating Hubble's decades around the sun, NASA said the telescope "is a glowing success story of America's technological prowess, unyielding scientific curiosity, and a reiteration of our nation's pioneering spirit." "Its stunning imagery inspired people across the globe, and the data behind those images revealed surprises about everything from early galaxies to planets in our own solar system," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The fact that it is still operating today is a testament to the value of our flagship observatories, and provides critical lessons for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which we plan to be serviceable in the spirit of Hubble." Another image captured by Hubble shows the nebula NGC 2899, which NASA's Hubble account on X described as being "sculpted by the outflow of radiation and stellar winds from a 40,000-degree-Fahrenheit dying star at its center." An image of planetary nebula NGC 2899 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Hubble has looked at roughly 55,000 astronomical targets during its time in space, resulting in over 22,000 scientific papers as of February. Aside from the James Webb Space Telescope, it has contributed to the biggest dataset for a NASA astrophysics mission, with over 400 terabytes of data. Among the observations it has captured are planetary seasons, black hole jets traveling at nearly the speed of light, stellar convulsions, asteroid collisions and expanding supernova bubbles. One of those observations, a portion of the star-forming Rosette Nebula, shows dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust. An image showing a small portion of the Rosette Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Hubble's ability to capture the cosmos isn't just visually stunning, but has provided numerous scientific breakthroughs. Before the telescope's launch, telescopes grounded on Earth couldn't see as far into space, limiting estimates for the age of the universe and knowledge of space in general. Hubble was able to capture deep field images that showed galaxies dating back to the early universe, allowing scientists to precisely measure the universe's expansion. Using the telescope, scientists were also able to determine that supermassive black holes are common among galaxies and measure the atmospheres of exoplanets — and it even contributed to the discovery of dark energy. An image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
What's On
11-02-2025
- Science
- What's On
12 of the most stunning pictures of outer space taken from the UAE
To infinity and beyond (into outer space)… As Buzz Lightyear would say. Outer space is a fascinating concept – somewhere in between time and how we perceive it, where the secrets of our universe and origins lie. The community of astronomy enthusiasts is vast and passionate in the UAE, and the results of that are some stunning visuals taken from the corner different corners of the country. Find here, some of the very best. Horsehead Nebula Location: The UAE Credit: Yousef Al Qasimi Cardiac Nebula IC1805 Location: Abu Dhabi Credit: Majid Saqr Al-Qasimi M33 Location: Al Ain Credit: Abdullah Al-Aryani The Moon Location: Dubai Credit: Majid bin Saqr Al-Qasimi The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Location: The UAE Credit: Yousef Al Qasimi Rosette Nebula Location: The UAE Credit: Tamim Al-Tamimi The Milky Way Location: Southern UAE Credit: Mohammad Al-Marzouqi C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) Location: Abu Dhabi Credit: Majid Saqr Al-Qasimi Messier Al-Boud galaxy M81 and Siqar M82 Location: Razin Credit: Majid Saqr Al-Qasimi Perseid Meteor Shower Location: The UAE desert Credit: Yousef Al Qasimi and Abdullah Al Qasim Cone nebula NGC 2264 Location: Al Ain Credit: Abdullah Al-Aryani The Moon Location: Sharjah Credit: Aisha Faisal El-Hamar Follow the space chasers here: @alqasmyi, @__amas__, @msaqer_, @m_3sh8ae, @ @alqasim96, @falak_ae Images: Socials > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
