The target beneath the tool turret at the end of the rover’s robotic arm in this image from NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is “Private John Potts.” It lies high on the southern side of “Marathon Valley,” which slices through the western rim of Endeavour Crater. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January[Read More…]
Space
A Planetary Quintet is Dancing Across the Skies
Early risers have an opportunity to see five naked-eye planets in pre-dawn skies during late January and continuing through late February. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech CALIFONIA–(ENEWSPF)–January 22, 2016. Well, it’s not quite like the song about the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but our solar system is experiencing an uncommon lineup[Read More…]
Most Luminous Galaxy Is Ripping Itself Apart
This artist’s rendering shows a galaxy called W2246-0526, the most luminous galaxy known. New research suggests there is turbulent gas across its entirety, the first example of its kind. Credits: NRAO/AUI/NSF; Dana Berry / SkyWorks; ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 15, 2016. In a far-off galaxy, 12.4 billion light-years from Earth,[Read More…]
Saturn the Mighty
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 11, 2016. It is easy to forget just how large Saturn is, at around 10 times the diameter of Earth. And with a diameter of about 72,400 miles (116,500 kilometers), the planet simply dwarfs its retinue of moons. One of those satellites, Tethys (660 miles or 1,062 kilometers[Read More…]
Particles ‘Go with the Flow’ on Pluto’s Surface
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 8, 2016. Scientists from NASA’s New Horizons mission have combined data from two instruments to create this composite image of Pluto’s informally named Viking Terra area. The combined data includes pictures taken by the spacecraft’s Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14, 2015, from a[Read More…]
NASA’s Chandra Finds Supermassive Black Hole Burping Nearby
Galaxy NGC 5195 Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Texas/E.Schlegel et al; Optical: NASA/STScI Read full caption Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 5, 2016. Evidence for powerful blasts produced by a giant black hole has been discovered using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is one of the nearest supermassive black holes to Earth that is[Read More…]
How to Catch a Glimpse of a New Year’s Comet
This icy, dirty snowball from the outer solar system, known formally as C/2013 US10 (Catalina), rounded the sun last month and is now headed for its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 17. The comet poses no threat to Earth, as it will pass a comfortable 67 million miles (108[Read More…]
Rare Full Moon on Christmas Day
How the moon will appear on Christmas, 2015. Credits: NASA/Goddard/Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 24, 2015.Not since 1977 has a full moon dawned in the skies on Christmas. But this year, a bright full moon will be an added gift for the holidays. December’s full moon, the last of the[Read More…]
Radar Images of a Christmas-Eve Asteroid: An Early Gift for Astronomers
These images of an asteroid that is at least 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) long were taken on Dec. 17, 2015, (left) and Dec. 22 (right) by scientists using NASA’s 230-foot (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California. This asteroid, named 2003 SD2020, will safely fly past Earth on Thursday,[Read More…]
Hubble Sees the Force Awakening in a Newborn Star
Baltimore, MD-(ENEWSPF)- Just in time for the release of the movie “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has photographed what looks like a cosmic, double-bladed lightsaber. In the center of the image, partially obscured by a dark, Jedi-like cloak of dust, a newborn star shoots twin[Read More…]
