Is It Too Late To Jump On The Pumpkin-everything Bandwagon?

Orions Belt and Sword over Teides Peak : The southern part of Orion, the famous constellation and mythical hunter, appears quite picturesque posing here over a famous volcano. Located in the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa, the snow-peaked Teide is one of the largest volcanoes on Earth. Lights from a group planning to summit Teide before dawn are visible below the volcanos peak. In this composite of exposures taken from the same location one night last month, the three iconic belt stars of Orion are seen just above the peak, while the famous Orion Nebula and the rest of Orions sword are visible beyond the volcanos left slope. Also visible in the long duration sky image are the Horsehead Nebula, seen as a dark indentation on the red emission nebula to the belts left, and the Flame Nebula, evident just above and to the right of the Horsehead. via NASA

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Fill your void

Our Flying Observatory Goes to New Zealand!

Our flying observatory, called SOFIA, carries a 100-inch telescope inside a Boeing 747SP aircraft. Scientists onboard study the life cycle of stars, planets (including Pluto’s atmosphere), the area around black holes and complex molecules in space. 

Heading South

Once each year our flying observatory, SOFIA, its team and instruments travel to the Southern Hemisphere to Christchurch, New Zealand. From there the team studies stars and other objects that cannot be seen while flying in the Northern Hemisphere.

What We Study

We often study star formation in our Milky Way Galaxy. But from the Southern Hemisphere we can also study the lifecycle of stars in two other galaxies called the Magellanic Clouds. The Magallenic Clouds have different materials in them, which changes how stars form in these galaxies. Scientists are studying these differences to better understand how the first stars in our universe formed.  

Home Away from Home

The observatory and its team use the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Antarctic Program facility at Christchurch International Airport. The Antarctic program’s off-season is June and July, so it’s an ideal time for us to use these facilities.

Another Blast of Winter

The Southern Hemisphere’s seasons are opposite from our own. When we are operating from Christchurch in June and July, it’s winter. This means that the nights are very long – ideal for our nighttime observing flights, which last approximately 10 hours.

Light Show

These observations often bring us so far south that the team onboard can see the Southern Lights, also called the Aurora Australis. This is the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, visible near the North Pole. Auroras are caused by particles from space hitting the atmosphere near Earth’s magnetic poles. Our scientists onboard SOFIA don’t study the aurora, but they do enjoy the view.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Flying Across The Universe Part 2 (From Top to Bottom: Cone Nebula, Omega Nebula, Carina Nebula, and Lupus 3)

(Part 1)

Credit: ESO.org

Vela Supernova Remnant : The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through this complex and beautiful skyscape. At the northwestern edge of the constellation Vela the telescopic frame is over 10 degrees wide, centered on the brightest glowing filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant, an expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. Light from the supernova explosion that created the Vela remnant reached Earth about 11,000 years ago. In addition to the shocked filaments of glowing gas, the cosmic catastrophe also left behind an incredibly dense, rotating stellar core, the Vela Pulsar. Some 800 light-years distant, the Vela remnant is likely embedded in a larger and older supernova remnant, the Gum Nebula via NASA

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The Atom: Part 4 of 5 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) Episode 6: Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still, Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey

Delicate Nature and Animal Embroidery by Emillie Ferris 

UK artist Emillie Ferris composes stunning embroidery illustrations of wildlife and nature into pendants and oval frames. Depicting delicate animals, such as butterflies, deers and rabbits, Ferris’ choice of wildlife subjects exist in the realms of an ethereal forest.

Her embroidery technique displays meticulous talent and detail to color, shape, as well as the texture of fur, which stands out against a clean off-white background. You can find more of her dainty designs at her Etsy shop!

NGC 5189.

Credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)