NASA | Common News Update

Jun102018 by adminNo Comments

NASA shares new Hubble image of blue-threaded galaxy

June 8 (UPI) -- A new Hubble image, shared this week by NASA, offers one of the best views yet of the nearby active galaxy IC4870. The galaxy is nicely framed by foreground stars and background stars. In the middle, positioned 28 million light-years from Hubble's lens, is IC 4870. The active galaxy is a Seyfert galaxy, which boast extremely bright nuclei, similar to quasars. They are some of the most luminous objects in the sky. Surrounding the bright center are streaks of electric blue gas, molecular clouds fueling the births of new stars. Hubble has imaged IC 4870 as part of previous surveys of nearby active galaxies -- galaxies that are actively forming new stars -- but has yet to produce such a clear and captivating photo of the galaxy. By imaging the active nuclei of nearby galaxies...

Jun62018 by adminNo Comments

NASA engineers use gold to redirect excess heat from James Webb Telescope

Science

June 5 (UPI) -- Engineers at NASA have found a way to redirect excess heat from the James Webb Telescope's most sensitive instruments. The telescope's four instruments are contained within the integrated science instrument module, or ISIM, which sits behind the array's main mirror. These sensitive instruments could be damaged or disrupted by excess heat, so scientists had to find a way to redirect thermal energy away from the ISIM. As detailed in a mission update published Tuesday by NASA, engineers are currently installing gold baffles that will channel thermal radiation away from the instruments and out into space. Gold also helps the telescope's mirrors direct infrared light toward the ISIM. "Gold has a very high reflectivity in the infrared spectrum range, so it is ideal for directin...

Jun22018 by adminNo Comments

Methane ice dunes found on Pluto by Nasa spacecraft

Science

Scientists say they have found evidence of dunes of frozen methane on Pluto. The research, which is published in the journal Science, suggests that the distant world is more dynamic than previously thought. Pluto's atmosphere was believed to be too thin to create the features familiar in deserts on Earth.The findings come from analysis of the startling images sent back by Nasa's New Horizons mission, which flew close to Pluto in July 2015.After an epic trek through the Solar System that took nearly a decade, New Horizons sped by at a speed of 58,536 km/h (36,373 mph), gathering data as it passed.In their study, the researchers explain how they studied pictures of a plain known as Sputnik Planitia, parts of which are covered with ...

May292018 by adminNo Comments

NASA satellites aid study of relativistic particles

Science

May 29 (UPI) -- New data collected by NASA satellites suggest local acceleration explains most of the relativistic particles found in the Van Allen radiation belts circling Earth. After analyzing data collected by NASA's Van Allen Probes and the agency's THEMIS satellites, scientists determined electromagnetic waves called chorus waves are responsible for accelerating particles in the Van Allen belts to relativistic speeds. When recorded, the wave's pattern produces a chirping sound that recalls the chorus of a songbird. According to the new research, the waves steadily push ions and electrons found in the belt into higher and higher speeds. By developing models that better explain the propagation of high-energy particles inside the radiation belts, scientists can better predict space we...

May212018 by adminNo Comments

NASA spacecraft swings by moon, snaps 200,000 stars

Technology

NASA's new planet-hunting spacecraft has successfully completed a flyby around the moon - snapping a photograph revealing more than 200,000 stars along the way. The picture is the first taken since the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) lifted off from Cape Canaveral in April on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.TESS completed its lunar flyby on 17 May and the science team completed a two-second test exposure using one of the spacecraft's four cameras. Image: The new NASA image shows 200,000 stars It is centred on the southern hemisphere constellation Centaurus and reveals more than 200,000 stars.The picture is just the beginning for NASA, as TESS is expected to cover 400 times as much sky during its mission to search...