Category: NASA

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NASA Captures Amazing New Images of the Universe That Almost Look Photoshopped

There are so many secrets of our universe that we still haven’t figured out yet. We get a little bit closer every day – and these images from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory are definitely a giant leap in the right direction.

Since 1999, the flagship X-ray telescope has produced over 23 trillion bytes of data. Thanks to the giant orbiting fixture, tons of magical, awe-inspiring images have come our way.

Here’s the latest drop from NASA that’s sure to blow the minds of even the most pessimistic of us.

Eta Carinae

Photo Credit: NASA/CXC

Eta Carinae is a volatile system in our Milky Way galaxy. Previous eruptions from these two stars once created a ring of incredibly hot gas spanning 2.3 light years in diameter. That’s some pretty serious firepower.

Researchers are keeping track of which stars are up next to transform into supernovas – stars that suddenly become super bright due to a recent catastrophic explosion. This pair is likely high up on that list.

Helix Nebula

Photo Credit: NASA/CXC

This image was created using data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Telescope, and NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer. The reason it takes so many sources to create one image? Each telescope is detects different elements of the Helix Nebula – so putting the data together provides a more accurate picture of the nebula’s moving parts.

This particular image is around 4 light years in diameter – or roughly 24 trillion miles long.

Cartwheel Galaxies

Photo Credit: NASA/CXC

Galaxies like the one above are formed when collisions alter star formations. The hot gas distributed from this particular collision drags on for over 150,000 light years. That’s a distance that we cannot even begin to understand on Earth.

Messier 82

Photo Credit: NASA/CXC

Messier 82, or M82, is giving scientists a glimpse into the process of star formation.

Here’s more about the image from NASA:

X-rays from Chandra (appearing as blue and pink) show gas in outflows about 20,000 light years long that has been heated to temperatures above ten million degrees by repeated supernova explosions.

Optical light data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (red and orange) shows the galaxy.

This incredible album of images is seriously out of this world. The vast expanse of the universe gives me a little bit of hope during this super dark time. It helps remind me that there are things out there far bigger than our own tiny existence here on planet Earth. Plus, it’s comforting to look at other planets in the solar system and realize that – as it stands – Earth is still pretty hospitable.

If you’re feeling down about climate change, check out these dire photos from Venus. They’re sure to help you appreciate the greenery around us that we take for granted.

What are some of your favorite photos from space? Share them with us in the comments below!

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This Corned Beef Sandwich Made an Illicit Trip Into Space

This tale begins with astronaut John Young. The 9th person to walk on the moon, Young enjoyed the longest career of any astronaut before – or after – him at NASA, flying 6 space missions in over 42 years of service.

Yeah. I know.

He flew his first mission in 1985, the 3rd Gemini mission. He and fellow astronaut Gus Grissom named their craft “Molly Brown,” after the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and when NASA suggested that they change it – no need to worry about crashing into the sea, after all – they said fine, they would call it “Titanic” instead.

The “Molly Brown” was the last crew-named spacecraft to lift off on NASA’s watch.

What NASA officials didn’t know was that Young wasn’t done causing trouble in 1985. Not even close.

Before the flight, Young’s friend Walter Schirra gave him a corned beef sandwich, and Young decided to stick it in his pocket and take it along.

You know, just to see what would happen.

He surprised Grissom with it, and his partner took a few bites before the sandwich started to fall apart.

NASA wasn’t happy, because the crumbs from the sandwich could have caused trouble with the ship’s mechanics, though everything turned out fine.

At least, they did until Congress got wind of the situation – they were upset because taxpayer money had been spent on “official food” that was supposed to be evaluated.

Image Credit: NASA

Spoiler alert: a few bites of cold corned beef did not spoil anyone’s appetite.

Young was reprimanded, NASA implemented new rules as far as what astronauts could bring on flights, and Young was reportedly peeved that his stupid sandwich got more attention than all of the hard work and achievements of the men on board.

I guess that’s what you get when you fly by the seat of your corned beef-laden pants.

He died in 2018 at the ripe old age of 87.

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This Fluffy Galaxy Captured by the Hubble Telescope’s Camera Is Truly Amazing

Space is full of different shapes, sizes, and colors. There’s the vibrant blue of Earth’s oceans, the cheese-like exterior of the moon, the octopus-esque tentacles of galaxies — the list goes on and on.

Scientists also use the word “flocculent” to describe some galaxies, including one recently captured by the camera on the NASA?ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Translated into English, flocculent basically means fluffy.

Yes, that’s right, the world’s pre-eminent researchers and scientists just described a galaxy as fluffy! And just look at how adorable this fluffy little guy really is:

Photo Credit: ESA/Hubble & Nasa, J. Lee and the Phangs-Hst Team

This striking photograph shows a galaxy that goes by the name NGC 2275. It’s far, far away from us here on Earth, located 67 million light-years away. It’s situated within the Cancer constellation.

NASA noted its “delicate, feathery nature,” which you can see super clearly from this crisp image. Those spiral arms are made up of millions of young stars, contrasted with lanes of dark space dust. The stars are young and hot, which makes them appear blue.

According to NASA….

“Complexes of these hot, blue stars are thought to trigger star formation in nearby gas clouds.

The overall feather-like spiral patterns of the arms are then formed by shearing of the gas clouds as the galaxy rotates.”

The space agency says that the fluffiness also indicates relatively quiet star formation in the galaxy.

NASA says,

“There is virtually no star formation in the central part of the galaxy, which is dominated by an unusually large and relatively empty galactic bulge, where all the gas was converted into stars long ago.”

How cool is that? The Hubble telescope has really opened up our ability to analyze and understand space, including these interesting little details.

What’s your favorite element of space? Do you have a particular planet or feature that you’re particularly partial to for some reason?

We’d love to hear from you!

Let us know in the comments!

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NASA Will Name Its Headquarters After Its First Black Woman Engineer

This is great!

NASA is taking “one giant leap for mankind” by honoring the first black woman engineer in its history.

The organization is naming its headquarters in Washington, D.C. after Mary W. Jackson, one of the “hidden figures” who helped the United States blast off into space decades ago.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The move comes amidst a growing awareness and protests against racism and police brutality. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said naming the building after Jackson is just one more step in bringing these “hidden” figures come out of the shadows and into the light.

“Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology.

(The building) appropriately sits on ‘Hidden Figures Way,’ a reminder that Mary is one of many incredible and talented professionals in NASA’s history who contributed to this agency’s success. Hidden no more, we will continue to recognize the contributions of women, African Americans and people of all backgrounds who have made NASA’s successful history of exploration possible.”

Jackson got her start at NASA working at Langley’s Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in the early 1950s. At the time, she worked in a segregated division — the West Area Computing Unit. She earned degrees in math and physical sciences in 1942 and held positions as a bookkeeper, math teacher and U.S. Army secretary before starting her career in aerospace.

Photo Credit: NASA

At Langley, Jackson was one of the “human computers” who worked at the agency, aka a research mathematician. She advanced in her career at NASA, conducting experiments in a 60,000-horsepower wind tunnel.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

On the recommendation of her supervisor, she entered a special training program to become an engineer (it’s worth noting that she had to get special permission to join white students in the program). She later became NASA’s first blake female engineer.

She retired in 1985 and died in 2005. In 2019, Congress posthumously awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal.

Now, she’s also being bestowed with yet another honor: the name of NASA headquarters. Whenever anyone visits or makes plans to visit the building, they’ll be reminded of her enduring legacy.

What do you think of this move by NASA?

Let us know in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

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15 Memes About the Broomstick Challenge

Internet fads come and go – some are destined for lasting greatness, others are doomed to become obscure punchlines.

Luckily, the internet is forever, so even the more niche trends get permanently archived, like in this #BroomstickChallenge compilation.

This all started, apparently, with a viral twitter video claiming that “NASA said” your broom could stand up on its own today only (because…gravity? I guess?).

For the record, that’s not how anything works. Getting a broom to stand up on its own is just a balancing trick, and no special circumstances are required.

But it was one of those ideas that creates an itch in the human brain. A feeling of “That’s dumb…I wanna try it.”  And thus… a meme was born.

Enjoy how people made fun of other people on the internet.

1. Twitter got in on the fun

2. Then historians chimed in

3. Retail employees everywhere were deeply annoyed

4. The “Nobody:” meme got used in a big way

5. Demons were summoned

6. Interventions were held

7. Walmarts were ruined

Source: someecards

8. The 1% sneered at us

Source: someecards

9. Salem was unimpressed

Source: someecards

10. People were distracted

Source: someecards

11. Judgement was passed

Source: someecards

12. Some good came of it all

Source: someecards

13. Contrarians talked about how they weren’t talking about it

Source: someecards

14. Classics were invoked

Source: someecards

15. Reality peeked back in

Source: someecards

Where does the #BroomstickChallenge rank in the great memes of history?

Tell us your scholarly opinion in the comments.

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