ASTRONOMY

2022-07-28 23:44:44 Just passing by…

The galactic pair NGC 3314 might look like they’re colliding, but they’re tens of millions of light-years apart and moving in different directions.

It’s just our perspective that makes them appear aligned in this #HubbleClassic image: https://go.nasa.gov/3PJjIxk

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2022-07-24 12:07:47 Mirror mirror, out in space…

Near the center of this week’s new #HubbleFriday image is a galaxy and its mirror image – a result of spacetime warping due to gravitational lensing! A third, distorted image of the galaxy appears as a bridge between them.

Gravitational lensing happens when the mass of an enormous cosmic object – such as a galaxy cluster – curves spacetime and causes the path of light from distant objects to visibly bend around it. This can result in duplicate images like we see here, or as the background object appearing as an arc or ring.

But an important component is gravitational lensing’s ability to magnify the light from background objects that would otherwise be too distant or faint to see, which allows us a glimpse into the early universe.

Image credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Rigby

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2022-07-24 12:02:00 This isn’t an explosion, but an echo!

In this timelapse of Hubble images, a burst of light from the bizarre star V838 Monocerotis is spreading into space and reflecting off of surrounding shells of dust.

V838 Monocerotis is located about 20,000 light-years away.

Music credit: “Tale of Time,” Markus Gleissner [BMI], KTSA Publishing, Universal Production Music

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2022-07-24 11:59:57 Happy #MoonDay!

Did you know Hubble has observed our Moon? Here’s a shot of the crater Copernicus.

Hubble can resolve features as small as 280 feet across.

Image credits: John Caldwell (York University, Ontario), Alex Storrs (STScI), and NASA

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2022-07-19 19:20:22 Open / Comment

2022-07-19 19:18:54 NGC 5256 is composed of two colliding galaxies—a chaotic interaction. The centers of both galaxies are known as active galactic nuclei (AGN), which means they are compact and bright.

This object is also known as Markarian 266, which places it in a class of galaxies called Markarian galaxies. Markarian galaxies have nuclei that emit massive amounts of ultraviolet light when compared to more ordinary galaxies.

The merging galaxies in NGC 5256 funnel gas into the two, central black holes, and also trigger new star formation, adding to the significant amount of infrared light is produced.

Colliding galaxies such as these offer a very interesting look at how the energies of galaxies rise and fall, forming their eventual character as they merge into one.

Credit : NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University).

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2022-07-19 19:17:12 Oh my stars!

Check out Hubble’s view of the Carina Nebula, followed by NASAWebb’s glimpse! The two are different because the telescopes are looking at different wavelengths of light.

Webb’s infrared sensitivity unveils more stars, peering through gauzier regions of cosmic dust!

Hubble’s visible-light vision shows data collected by two of its science instruments. Data taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys in 2006 isolated light emitted by hydrogen; data taken in 2008 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 isolated light emitted by sulfur and oxygen gas. To create a color composite, the data from the sulfur filter are represented by red, from the oxygen filter by blue, and from the hydrogen filter by green.

Video credit : Katrina Jackson

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2022-07-19 19:14:52 Open / Comment

2022-07-13 05:49:12 The infrared universe unfolds: This James Webb Space Telescope’s full-color image reveals the Cosmic Cliffs, showing detail of a dynamic star-forming region in the Carina Nebula.

Clouds of gas and dust appear like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening, towering about 7 light-years high. These peaks are in fact dense areas resisting erosion from above, where hot young stars are blasting them with radiation. The “steam” that appears to rise from the top of the ridge is actually the less-dense heated dust and ionized gas streaming away from the nebula, caught in the midst of transformation.

The scene, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera, includes hundreds of never-before-seen young stars that are hidden from view when observed in visible light. The near-infrared light from these young stars is able to pass through the nebula’s veils of gas and dust to reach Webb.

Very early star formation is difficult to capture because, for an individual star, this period only lasts roughly 50,000 to 100,000 years. But Webb’s sensitivity and precise spatial resolution have captured it in unprecedented detail, revealing outflows from protostars still embedded in their natal cloud, and bubbles being blown by just-emerged newborns, starting to carve out their own place.

Credit : NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.

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2022-07-13 05:41:01 Galactic interactions are chaotic cosmic events that result in many examples of different phenomena.

Groups of interacting galaxies that are close to us, like Stephan’s Quintet shown here, offer an opportunity to study many of these phenomena. In fact, Stephan’s Quintet is a fantastic laboratory for studying processes fundamental to all galaxies.

The James Webb Space Telescope, with its ability to see in the near- and mid-infrared wavelength range, provides a new look into the activities of supermassive black holes and star formation. The top-most galaxy in the group, NGC 7319, contains a black hole, which is about 24 million times the mass of our sun and puts out light energy equivalent to 40 billion Suns. This energy can heat surrounding dust and gas, fueling winds and outflows.

Credit : NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.

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