保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
In this image from June 2002, astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz works with a grapple fixture during a spacewalk on the STS-111 mission to perform work on the International Space Station. The first spacewalk of the mission began with the installation of a power and data grapple fixture (PDGF) for the station’s robotic arm on the complex’s P6 truss....
2020年9月21日 Omega Sunrise Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Antonio Sendra Explanation: Capturing this sunrise required both luck and timing. First and foremost, precise timing was needed to capture a sailboat crossing right in front of a rising Sun. Additionally, by a lucky coincidence, the background Sun itself appears unusual — it looks like the Gr...
2020年9月20日 Breaking Distant Light Image Credit: VIMOS, VLT, ESO Explanation: In the distant universe, time appears to run slowly. Since time-dilated light appears shifted toward the red end of the spectrum (redshifted), astronomers are able to use cosmological time-slowing to help measure vast distances in the universe. Featured, the light from distant galax...
2020年9月19日 Orion in Depth Illustration Credit & Copyright: Ronald Davison Explanation: Orion is a familiar constellation. The apparent positions of its stars in two dimensions create a well-known pattern on the bowl of planet Earth’s night sky. Orion may not look quite so familiar in this 3D view though. The illustration reconstructs the relative ...
This latest image of Jupiter, taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on Aug. 25, 2020, was captured when the planet was 406 million miles from Earth. Hubble’s sharp view is giving researchers an updated weather report on the monster planet’s turbulent atmosphere, including a remarkable new storm brewing, and a cousin of the famous Great Red Spot region geari...
NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the United States on Sep. 15, 2020, showing the fires in the West, the smoke from those fires drifting over the country, several hurricanes converging from different angles, and Hurricane Sally making landfall. Red points in the west note areas that are significantly higher in temperature than the...
2020年9月18日 Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller Explanation: (xxxedit and linkxxx) Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries, some 100 million light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy. Also known as NGC 772, the island universe is over ...
2020年9月17日 Solar Cycle 25 Has Begun Image Credit: NASA, SDO Explanation: The general trend of monthly sunspot data now confirms that the minimum of the approximately 11 year cycle of solar activity occurred in December 2019, marking the start of Solar Cycle 25. That quiet Sun, at minimum activity, appears on the right of this split hemispherical view. In con...
Dr. Frank Rubio was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty in August 2017 and having completed the initial astronaut candidate training is now eligible for a mission assignment. The Florida native graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1998 and earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Un...
2020年9月16日 Gravel Ejected from Asteroid Bennu Image Credit: NASA’s GSFC, U. Arizona, OSIRIS-REx Lockheed Martin Explanation: Why does asteroid Bennu eject gravel into space? No one is sure. The discovery, occurring during several episodes by NASA’s visiting OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, was unexpected. Leading ejection hypotheses include impacts by Sun-...