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Retrieved 1 to 10 (of 847 total) images | Next Images » | Last Images »
| Galactic Fireworks (July 4, 2009) |
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Filaments of gas and dust stream across the center of the Milky Way galaxy in this new image from the European Southern Observatory. The center of the galaxy, which contains a supermassive black hole, is at center. The wisps of material also contain denser lumps that may give birth to stars. This image was made with infrared light, which is produced by relatively cold clouds of material. The red shows warmer regions, while the blue and green show cooler regions. [European Southern Observatory] |
| Hard Labor (June 30, 2009) |
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A giant star at the center of the Trifid Nebula is causing the vast cloud of gas and dust around it to fracture into smaller pockets, which are collapsing to form new stars. Lanes of dark dust cut across the nebula, which is colored pink by the glow of hydrogen atoms and blue by reflected starlight. The nebula is in the southern constellation Sagittarius, which is in good view on summer evenings. [Todd Boroson/NOAO/AURA/NSF] For more information, see our June 30 program. |
| (June 27, 2009) |
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A wide slice of Saturn's rings circles the giant planet in this image from the Cassini spacecraft. Only Cassini can see the rings from this angle right now because the rings are turned almost edge-on as seen from Earth. Saturn itself is in the upper left corner of the image. [NASA/JPL/SSI] For more information, see our June 27 program. |
| Settling In (June 22, 2009) |
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After a perfect launch on June 18, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (shown looking back at Earth in this artist's concept) entered orbit around the Moon on June 23. During one year of observations, it will scope out future landing sites, look for evidence of ice, and measure the radiation that strikes the Moon. [NASA] For more information, see the LRO homepage. |
| Three in a Row (June 17, 2009) |
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Mars and Venus line up near the crescent Moon in the east the next few mornings. All three are in good view an hour before sunrise, as this chart depicts. [Tim Jones] For more information, see our June 18 program. |
| Back to the Moon (June 15, 2009) |
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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, shown in this artist's concept, is scheduled for launch as early as June 18. It will study the lunar surface and magnetic and gravitational fields in great detail. A second craft, LCROSS, will share a ride to the Moon with LRO. LCROSS will slam into a crater near the south pole to see if it can blast out any frozen water. [NASA] |
| Lunar Sunrise (June 12, 2009) |
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The Sun begins to rise on the Moon in this picture from one of the Apollo missions. Tall mountains catch the sunlight first, casting long shadows across the landscape. Each lunar "day" lasts about a month, with about 14 Earth days of sunlight followed by 14 days of darkness. [NASA] For more information, see our June 12 program. |
| Rocketplane! (June 8, 2009) |
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The X-15, the first rocketplane, cruises above the California desert during a testflight. During almost 200 powered flights, the X-15 set records for altitude and speed that have been exceeded only by space missions. Lessons from the craft have been applied to the space shuttle and a new generational of commercial rocketplanes. The X-15 made its first, unpowered testflight in June 1959. [NASA/DFRC] For more information, see our June 8 program. |
| Stellar Hide-and-Seek (June 5, 2009) |
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Antares, the brightest star of Scorpius, peeks through a gap in the rings of Saturn in this view from the Cassini spacecraft. Scientists watch stars through the rings to help map the structure of the rings. From here on Earth, Antares appears near the almost-full Moon on the nights of June 5 and 5. It shines bright orange, so it is hard to miss even through the Moon's glare. [NASA/JPL/SSI] For more information, see our June 5 program. |
| RS Ophiuchi (June 1, 2009) |
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A disk of hot gas around a "dead" star explodes in this artist's concept. The illustration depicts the star system RS Ophiuchi. It consists of a red giant (right) and a white dwarf, which is the bare core of a once-normal star. The white dwarf's gravity steals gas from the red giant. When enough gas builds up, it triggers a powerful explosion, making the system shine thousands of times brighter. [David A. Hardy/PPARC] For more information, see our June 1 program. |
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