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In the bright light of Antarctica's summer sun, a NASA mission launched its first 18 science balloons between Dec. 27, 2013, and Feb. 2, 2014. BARREL, or the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses, plans to launch 20 balloons in total to help unravel the mysterious radiation belts, two gigantic donuts of particles that surround Earth. Once launched, each balloon travels in a wide circle around the South Pole for up to three weeks, so that a handful of balloons can be up at any one time. Circling the pole, the balloons fly through the foot point of where Earth's magnetic fields descend down to the ground. Instruments on the balloons observe electrons traveling down from space along these fields. By coordinating with NASA's Van Allen Probes – two spacecraft orbiting high above -- the team hopes to determine what occurrence in the belts correlates to occasional bursts of electrons that can precipitate down toward Earth. Such information will ultimately help scientists understand -- and predict changes -- in the Van Allen radiation belts. This image is of a BARREL balloon launch at Halley Research Station on Jan. 30, 2014. Image Credit: NASA/BARREL/David Milling #nasa #balloon #southpole #antactica #ice #snow #earth #science #radiation; -
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover reached the edge of a dune on Jan. 30 and photographed the valley on the other side, to aid assessment of whether to cross the dune. Curiosity is on a southwestward traverse of many months from an area where it found evidence of ancient conditions favorable for microbial life to its long-term science destination on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Based on analysis of images taken from orbit by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a location dubbed "Dingo Gap" was assessed as a possible gateway to a favorable route for the next portion of the traverse. A dune across Dingo Gap is about 3 feet (1 meter) high, tapered off at both sides of the gap between two low scarps. Curiosity reached the eastern side of the dune on Jan. 30 and returned images that the rover team is using to guide decisions about upcoming drives. Image credit: NASA #mars #nasa #space #spaceimages #msl #curiosity #marscuriosity #marsrovers #planets #redplanet #solarsystem #nofilter; -
While the origin of life remains mysterious, scientists are finding more and more evidence that material created in space and delivered to Earth by comet and meteor impacts could have given a boost to the start of life. Some meteorites supply molecules that can be used as building blocks to make certain kinds of larger molecules that are critical for life. Researchers have analyzed carbon-rich meteorites (carbonaceous chondrites) and found amino acids, which are used to make proteins. Proteins are among the most important molecules in life, used to make structures like hair and skin, and to speed up or regulate chemical reactions. They have also found components used to make DNA, the molecule that carries the instructions for how to build and regulate a living organism, as well as other biologically important molecules like nitrogen heterocycles, sugar-related organic compounds, and compounds found in modern metabolism. Picture here is the equipment used by NASA Goddard's Astrobiology Analytical Lab to analyze very small samples. On the right is the nanoelectrospray emitter, which gives sample molecules an electric charge and transfers them to the inlet of the mass spectrometer (left), which identifies the molecules by their mass. This technology and the laboratory techniques that the Goddard lab develops to apply it to analyze meteorites will be valuable for future sample-return missions since the amount of sample likely will be limited. Image Credit: Michael Callahan #lab #laboratory #nasagoddard #meteorite #meteor #science #labtest #technology #tech #astrobiology; -
Round and Round - Just as Saturn's famous hexagonal shaped jet stream encircles the planet's north pole, the rings encircle the planet, as seen from Cassini's position high above. Around and around everything goes! This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 43 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Nov. 23, 2013 using a spectral filter that preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute #nasa #space #saturn #planets #astronomy #science #cassini #spacecraft; -
Game over & so is #SupernovaSunday. We hope you enjoyed it! This highly distorted supernova remnant may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy. The composite image combines X-rays from Chandra (blue and green), radio data from the Very Large Array (pink), and infrared data from the Palomar Observatory (yellow). Most supernova explosions that destroy massive stars are generally symmetrical. In the W49B supernova, however, it appears that the material near its poles was ejected at much higher speeds than that at its equator. There is also evidence that the explosion that produced W49B left behind a black hole and not a neutron star like most other supernovas. X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/L.Lopez et al.; Infrared: Palomar; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #biggame;
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The scoreboard may not be lighting up, but this artist's illustration shows what the brightest supernova ever recorded, known as SN 2006gy, may have looked like. The fireworks-like material (white) shows the explosive death of an extremely massive star. Before it exploded, the star expelled the lobes of cool gas (red). As the material from the explosion crashes into the lobes, it heats the gas in a shock front (green, blue and yellow) and pushes it backward. CREDIT: NASA #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame #supernovasunday; -
In honor of the Super Bowl Half Time Show and Bruno Mars… well, here’s Mars. Mosaic of the Syrtis Major hemisphere of Mars projected into a point perspective, a view similar to that which one would see from a spacecraft. The viewer's distance is 2,000 kilometers above the surface of the planet. This mosaic is composed of about 100 red and violet filter Viking Orbiter images. The images were acquired in 1980 during early northern summer on Mars. IMAGE CREDIT: NASA #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #biggame #supernovasunday #mars #brunomars #planets; -
No worries, #SuperBowl fans, this is an artist depiction of a neutron star, which is the densest object astronomers can observe directly, crushing half a million times Earth's mass into a sphere about 12 miles across, or similar in size to Manhattan Island, as shown in this illustration. A neutron star is the crushed core of a massive star that ran out of fuel, collapsed under its own weight, and exploded as a supernova. A neutron star can spin as fast as 43,000 times per minute and boast a magnetic field a trillion times stronger than Earth's. Matter within a neutron star is so dense a teaspoonful would weigh about a billion tons on Earth. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center #nasa #space#astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova#stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame; -
Big game and big shock waves on #SupernovaSunday! Supernova Remnant G266.2-1.2 was produced by the explosion of a massive star in the Milky Way galaxy. A Chandra observation of this supernova remnant reveals the presence of extremely high-energy particles produced as the shock wave from this explosion expands into interstellar space. In this image, the X-rays from Chandra (purple) have been combined with optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey (red, green, and blue). A supernova happens where there is a change in the core, or center, of a star. Having too much matter causes the star to explode, resulting in a supernova. Also, a supernova can occur at the end of a single star’s lifetime. As the star runs out of nuclear fuel, some of its mass flows into its core. Eventually, the core is so heavy that it cannot withstand its own gravitational force. The core collapses, which results in the giant explosion of a supernova. The sun is a single star, but it does not have enough mass to become a supernova. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Morehead State Univ/T.Pannuti et al, Optical: DSS #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame; -
It’s #SupernovaSunday, and like a veteran player during the big game, there’s a lot to learn from aged supernova remnants. This image combines data from four different space telescopes to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of the oldest documented example of a supernova, called RCW 86. The Chinese witnessed the event in 185 A.D., documenting a mysterious "guest star" that remained in the sky for eight months. By studying the X-ray and infrared data together, astronomers were able to determine that the cause of the explosion witnessed nearly 2,000 years ago was a Type Ia supernova, in which an otherwise-stable white dwarf, or dead star, was pushed beyond the brink of stability when a companion star dumped material onto it. Furthermore, scientists used the data to solve another mystery surrounding the remnant -- how it got to be so large in such a short amount of time. By blowing a wind prior to exploding, the white dwarf was able to clear out a huge "cavity," a region of very low-density surrounding the system. The explosion into this cavity was able to expand much faster than it otherwise would have. RCW 86 is approximately 8,000 light-years away. At about 85 light-years in diameter, it occupies a region of the sky in the southern constellation of Circinus that is slightly larger than the full moon. Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO & ESA; Infared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/B. Williams (NCSU) #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame;
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On this #SupernovaSunday, explore a youthful 'star wreck.’ While performing an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions, NASA's Swift satellite uncovered the previously unknown remains of a shattered star. Designated G306.3–0.9 after the coordinates of its sky position, the new object ranks among the youngest-known supernova remnants in our Milky Way galaxy. It is the blue object on the bottom left of this image. Astronomers estimate that a supernova explosion occurs once or twice a century in the Milky Way. The expanding blast wave and hot stellar debris slowly dissipate over hundreds of thousands of years, eventually mixing with and becoming indistinguishable from interstellar gas. This image places G306.3–0.9 in context with star-formation regions in southern Centaurus. Chandra X-ray observations (blue), Spitzer infrared data (red, cyan), and radio observations (purple) from the Australia Telescope Compact Array are merged in this composite. The image is one degree across, which corresponds to 450 light-years at the remnant's estimated distance. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Michigan/M. Reynolds et al; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Radio: CSIRO/ATNF/ATCA #nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame; -
While waiting for the big game, learn a little about stellar explosions on this #SupernovaSunday! This beautiful image shows a glowing horseshoe-shaped cloud of hot gas against a backdrop of thousands of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy. Observations with Chandra (X-ray/blue) and Hubble (optical/pink & purple) were used to make this composite image of N132D, a supernova remnant that was produced by the explosion of a massive star. The explosion sent shock waves rumbling through interstellar space at speeds of several million miles per hour. These shock waves, analogous to the sonic boom produced by supersonic motion of an airplane, produce sudden, large changes in pressure, and temperature behind the waves. The X-ray glow in this image is produced primarily by shock wave heating of interstellar gas to temperatures of about 10 million degrees Celsius. The horseshoe shape may have been caused by the uneven distribution of interstellar gas around the site of the explosion. The star that exploded as a supernova to produce N132D was probably more than 20 times as massive as the Sun. Credit: X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Optical: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) #nasa #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova#stars #hst #hubble #biggame #chandra #galaxy #xray; -
Have a crab feast this #SupernovaSunday! The Crab Nebula is the wreckage of an exploded star whose light reached Earth in 1054. It is one of the most studied objects in the sky. At the heart of an expanding gas cloud lies what's left of the original star's core, a superdense neutron star that spins 30 times a second. All of the Crab's high-energy emissions are thought to be the result of physical processes that tap into this rapid spin. This view of the Crab Nebula in visible light comes from the Hubble Space Telescope and spans 12 light-years. The supernova remnant, located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, is among the best-studied objects in the sky. Credit: NASA/ESA/ASU/J. Hester #nasa #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #hst #hubble #biggame; -
Super Bowl Sunday? For us, it’s #SupernovaSunday! Today, we’ll post information & images about the stellar explosions known as supernovas. A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space. Supernovas are often seen in other galaxies. But supernovas are difficult to see in our own Milky Way galaxy because dust blocks our view. This image is of Cassiopeia A, among the best-studied supernova remnants. This image blends data from NASA's Spitzer (red), Hubble (yellow), and Chandra (green and blue) observatories. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/CXC/SAO #nasa #earth #earthobs #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #hst #hubble #chandra; -
Metlife Stadium from Space! On Feb. 2, 2014, the National Football League will hold its first outdoor Super Bowl at a northern, cold-weather stadium. The Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite acquired this view of Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Jan. 30, 2014. In the image, the south end of the stadium casts a long winter shadow over the field. Metlife is part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which includes the Meadowlands Racetrack (horse racing) and the Izod Center. A crust of snow, ice, and salt make the surrounding parking lots appear gray. IMAGE CREDIT: NASA #nasa #earth #earthobs #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #nj #winter #weather #nasaeo #stadium #meadowlands #sports #nfl;
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