Cloudy with a chance of glow ❇️ ⁣ ⁣ An aurora dances in Earth's atmosphere as the International Space Station (@ISS) soared 260 miles (418 km) above Utah during orbital nighttime. Auroras are brilliant ribbons of light weaving across Earth's northern or southern polar regions. These natural light shows are caused by magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles). Energetic charged particles from these events are carried from the Sun by the solar wind.⁣ ⁣ This is your time to shine: Aurorasaurus.org is the first citizen science project that aggregates relatively rare sightings of the Northern and Southern Lights in order to improve real-time tracking and understanding of the beautiful phenomenon. The Aurorasaurus project allows the public (that’s you!) to enter their observations of aurora through their website, as well as on a mobile application platform, in order to better characterize their frequency, location, and rare visual characteristics. ⁣ ⁣ Image description: Earth’s surface is pictured below the aurora’s green haze, in an image taken from the International Space Station. Lights dot Earth’s surface from underneath a sheet of clouds. Portions of the space station are seen in the right hand corner of the image. ⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA⁣ ⁣ #NASA #ISS #InternationalSpaceStation #AuroraBorealis #Aurora #Space #Sky #Glow

Far out. ✌️ ⁣ ⁣ Our @NASAChandraXray and @NASAWebb telescopes joined forces to capture the most distant black hole yet seen in X-rays. This black hole lies 13.2 billion light-years from Earth. This means we're viewing it 470 million years after the big bang, when the universe was only 3% of its present age.⁣ ⁣ The data show that this black hole was born massive – with an estimated mass falling between 10 and 100 million Suns. This result suggests that some of the first supermassive black holes in the universe formed from huge clouds of gas.⁣ ⁣ Image descriptions:⁣ 1) The composite image shows data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope. Tiny white, purple, and red celestial objects densely dot a sea of black space. A neon purple X-ray gas cloud washes over the center.⁣ ⁣ 2) The second image is the same as the first, but just to the right of the image's center is a small square that highlights the ancient black hole. In the top left corner of the image lies two zoomed-in views of this black hole as seen by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. ⁣ ⁣ Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/Ákos Bogdán; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare & K. Arcand⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #Chandra #Xray #JWST #BlackHole #Telescope #Universe #Astronomy

Opposites attract.⁣ ⁣ All eyes are on Jupiter after reaching opposition, which occurs when the planet and the Sun are on opposite sides of the sky. Captured here in ultraviolet wavelengths, @NASAHubble views the gas giant in hues of blue, pink, and purple, invisible to the human eye. Scientists use ultraviolet wavelengths to further study Jupiter’s storm systems, mapping deep water clouds that define Jupiter’s atmosphere.⁣⁣ ⁣ Clouds on stormy Jupiter are far taller than scientists predicted, with some dipping 60 miles (100 km) below the cloud tops – the iconic Great Red Spot (here in ultraviolet blue) extends over 200 miles (350 km) below its highest peaks.⁣⁣ ⁣ Image description: The planet Jupiter with its cloud bands seen in shades of pink, rusty red, blue, and purple. The Great Red Spot is a deep navy blue, surrounded by bands and swirls of pink, and light blue.⁣⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Wong (University of California - Berkeley); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)⁣⁣ ⁣ #Hubble #NASA #Jupiter #SolarSystem #Space #Ultraviolet

Turn on, tune in, and space out to relaxing music and ultra-high-definition visuals of the cosmos, from the surface of Mars to a Uranian sunset.⁣ ⁣ “Space Out” Episode 1 drops Nov 8 on NASA+. nasa.gov/plus⁣ ⁣ #Space #Visuals #NASA #Streaming

November's a great month for stargazing! The Leonid meteor shower, which features bright shooting stars with long trails, will peak overnight on Nov. 17. Find a dark spot away from shining lights and look straight up at the sky for your best chance to spot a few. November will also feature a full moon on the 27th, as well as opportunities to spot Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Watch our monthly "What's Up" video guide for the latest skywatching tips and tricks: science.nasa.gov/skywatching Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech⁣ #NASA #Space #Astronomy #Stargazing #Skywatchers #Meteor #ShootingStar #Leonid #WhatsUp

Oh Dinkinesh, you are marvelous. 💫⁣ ⁣ On Nov. 1, our #LucyMission flew by the first of 10 asteroids in its planned 12-year mission. And it turns out that asteroid Dinkinesh is actually a party of two. ⁣ ⁣ This is why we explore. These images were captured while zooming by Dinkinesh at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s) from 270 miles away (430 km) and reveal that the main belt asteroid, originally estimated to be one half-mile-wide asteroid, is made up of two asteroids of different sizes. From a preliminary analysis of these first images, the team estimates that the larger body is about 0.5 miles (790 m) at its widest, while the smaller is about 0.15 miles (220 m) in size.⁣ ⁣ Dinkinesh, meaning “you are marvelous,” is the Amharic name for Lucy, the ancient hominid discovered in Ethiopia for which our spacecraft is named. Dinkinesh truly lived up to its name.⁣ ⁣ The flyby was a test of Lucy’s terminal tracking systems, which Lucy passed with flying colors. The team will use the data from this encounter to prepare for the next close-up look at an asteroid, the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, in 2025. ⁣ ⁣ Image descriptions:⁣ 1) Two asteroids against black space. The larger is a diamond-shaped gray dusty rock lit from the right. The smaller, mostly spherical rock is visible behind the larger’s lower right edge.⁣ ⁣ 2) An animation of several images taken 13 seconds apart depicting the smaller asteroid passing from left to right behind the larger, spinning asteroid. The apparent motion of the two asteroids is due to the motion of the spacecraft as it flew past at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s).⁣ ⁣ Credit:NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/ASU⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #Asteroids #Asteroid #Discovery #Lucy #Spacecraft #SpaceRocks

We launch more than rockets. This month, we launch our new streaming service, NASA+. nasa.gov/plus ⁣ ⁣ No subscription required.⁣ No ads. No cost. Family friendly! ⁣ Emmy-winning live shows ⁣ Original series ⁣ On most major platforms⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA⁣ ⁣ #Space #Astronomy #Science #STEM #NASA

Wouldn't you like to see something strange? 🎃⁣ ⁣ Active regions on the Sun combined to look something like a jack-o-lantern’s face on Oct. 8, 2014. The image was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, which watches the Sun at all times from its orbit in space.⁣ The active regions in this image appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy. They are markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona. This image blends together two sets of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths at 171 and 193 Ångströms, typically colorized in gold and yellow, to create a Halloween-like appearance.⁣ ⁣ 👻 Dressing up for Halloween? Post your costume with #NASACostume for a chance to be reposted!⁣ ⁣ Image description: The Sun is surrounded by a plain black background. Bursts of light from active regions create the shape of a jack-o-lantern’s face – including glowing golden eyes and a mouth. ⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/SDO⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #Sun #Halloween #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Heliophysics #Halloween #Spooky

If you got it, haunt it ⁣ ⁣ A pulsar wind nebula resembles a ghostly hand in a composite image captured by @NASAChandraXray and the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The pulsar, a fast spinning dense neutron star, can be seen as a bright white spot near the base of the palm. The new combination with IXPE reveals the magnetic field “bones” of this remarkable structure. IXPE observed this pulsar, MSH 15-52, for 17 days which is the longest it has looked at any single object since it launched in December 2021. ⁣ ⁣ The second image shows the magnetic field map in MSH 15-52. In this image, short straight lines represent IXPE polarization measurements, mapping the direction of the local magnetic field. Orange “bars” mark the most precise measurements, followed by cyan and blue bars with less precise measurements. The complex field lines follow the `wrist', 'palm' and 'fingers' of the hand, and probably help define the extended finger-like structures.⁣ ⁣ The amount of polarization — indicated by bar length — is remarkably high, reaching the maximum level expected from theoretical work. To achieve that strength, the magnetic field must be very straight and uniform, meaning there is little turbulence in those regions of the pulsar wind nebula.⁣ ⁣ Image description: ⁣ 1- A composite image of a pulsar wind nebula, which strongly resembles a ghostly purple hand with sparkling fingertips. The three longest fingertips of the hand-shape point toward our upper right, or 1:00 on a clock face. There, a small, mottled, orange and yellow cloud appears to sparkle or glow like embers. This orange cloud is part of the remains of the supernova explosion that created the pulsar. The backdrop of stars was captured in infrared light. ⁣ 2- The second image is the same as the first, this time with magnetic field vectors in orange, cyan and blue. Their placement follows the structure of the hand, indicating the precision of measurements.⁣ ⁣ Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./R. Romani et al. (Chandra); NASA/MSFC (IXPE); Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DECaPS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #chandra #Xray #Telescope #Astronomy #Spooky #Halloween

I wanna dance with somebody 💃⁣ ⁣ This dance between two galaxies captured by @NASAHubble. Interacting gravitationally toward one another, these galaxies lie about 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Tucana. ⁣ ⁣ The interacting galaxy pair is known as Arp-Madore, which is a collection of peculiar galaxies. What is peculiar about this group? There are actually three galaxies, not just two. If you look at the smaller galaxy’s upper arm on the lower right corner of the image, you can spot the knot-like structure. As seen from Earth’s perspective, astronomers have found it challenging to differentiate whether an object in space is one, or multiple objects, or lying in front of another. Astronomers discovered the third knot-like galaxy by analyzing the speed and direction which revealed that the redshift, the wavelength of light is seen “shifted” towards the red part of the spectrum making it its own entity. ⁣ ⁣ Image description: Two spiral galaxies. Each glows brightly in the center, where a bar stretches from side to side. The upper one is rounder, and its arms form two thin rings. The lower galaxy is flatter and its arms make one outer ring; a dusty knot atop its upper arm marks out a third object. Gravity is pulling gas and dust together where the galaxies come close. A number of small galaxies surround them on a black background.⁣ ⁣ Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/ DOE/ FNAL/ NOIRLab/ NSF/ AURA; Acknowledgement: L. Shatz⁣ ⁣ #Galaxy #Dance #Space #NASA #Hubble #Telescope #Astronomy #Stars ⁣

We find magnetic fields very attractive 🧲⁣ ⁣ This image shows supernova remnant SN 1006. It combines data from our Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and @nasachandraxray. The red, green, and blue elements reflect low, medium, and high energy X-rays. The IXPE data, which measure the polarization of the X-ray light, is show in purple in the upper left corner, with the addition of lines representing the outward movement of the remnant’s magnetic field.⁣ ⁣ Researchers say the results show a connection between the magnetic fields and the remnants high-energy particle outflow. Mapping these magnetic field structures of supernova remnants at higher energies with enhanced detail and accuracy enables us to better understand the processes driving the acceleration of these particles.⁣ ⁣ SN 1006 is about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the Lupus constellation. It is the remains of a massive explosion which occurred with when two white dwarfs merged or when a white dwarf pulled too much mass from a companion star – creating what is thought to be the brightest stellar event recorded in history.⁣ ⁣ Image description: The debris from an exploded star resembles a mottled red ball of churning fire against a softer backdrop of stars. The supernova remnant appears to be encircled by a gauzy blue and white ring that is most prominent at our lower right and upper left. This structure is markedly different from other rounded supernova remnants. At the upper lefthand corner, a labeled section of SN 1006 is highlighted in a blue-tinted circle. Within this circle, only the outer ring of the supernova remnant is shown, not the mottled red stellar material churning inside. This ring is part of the supernova's expanding blast wave, which has been observed in X-ray light by both Chandra and IXPE. Magnetic field lines are illustrated in the circle as spiky, white lines, pointing mostly upwards and toward the left. The backdrop of stars was captured in infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope.⁣ ⁣ Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO (Chandra); NASA/MSFC/Nanjing Univ./P. Zhou et al. (IXPE); IR: NASA/JPL/Caltech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J.Schmidt⁣ #NASA #Space #Supernova

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance 🎶⁣ ⁣ Look to the sky on Saturday, Oct. 28, to see October’s full moon make an appearance at 4:24 p.m. EDT (2024 UTC). Named the Hunter’s Moon, this full moon will be joined by a planetary companion, as Jupiter will appear to its lower left, making it an excellent opportunity for skywatchers to view around the globe.⁣ ⁣ The earliest written use of the term “Hunter’s Moon” is from 1710, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. October’s full moon has many other names – Algonquin tribes in the now northeastern U.S. called it the Dying Grass Moon, Travel Moon, and Blood or Sanguine Moon because of autumn’s falling leaves.⁣ ⁣ Image description: The full moon is captured by an @ISS crewmember as the International Space Station orbits 253 miles (405 km) above the Indian Ocean. The Moon appears bright gray in the upper left of the photo surrounded by the blackness of space. Earth and it’s atmosphere appear in shades of blue, stretching from the bottom center to the top left corner of the image. White and gray clouds carpet Earth’s surface.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA⁣ ⁣ #Moon #October #Jupiter #FullMoon #Space #NASA