哈勃望远镜探测到危险的舞蹈

哈勃望远镜探测到危险的舞蹈

ByNASA中文

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features two interacting galaxies that are so intertwined, they have a collective name – Arp 91. Their delicate galactic dance takes place more than 100 million light-years from Earth. The two galaxies comprising Arp 91 have their own names: the lower galaxy, which looks like a bright spot, is NGC 5953, and the oval-shaped galaxy to the upper right is NGC 5954. In reality, both of them are spiral galaxies, but their shapes appear very different because of their orientation with respect to Earth. 这张NASA/ESA哈勃太空望远镜的图片展示了两个相互作用的星系，它们交织在一起，有一个共同的名字——Arp 91。它们微妙的星系之舞发生在距离地球1亿多光年的地方。组成Arp 91的两个星系都有自己的名字：下面的星系，看起来像一个亮点，是NGC 5953，右上方的椭圆形星系是NGC 5954。实际上，这两个星系都是螺旋星系，但是由于它们相对于地球的方向不同，因此它们的形状看起来非常不同。 Arp 91 provides a particularly vivid example of galactic interaction. NGC 5953 is clearly tugging at NGC 5954, which looks like it is extending one spiral arm downward. The immense…

哈勃望远镜近距离观察其31周年图像

哈勃望远镜近距离观察其31周年图像

ByNASA中文

Credits: ESA/Hubble and NASA, A. Nota, C. Britt This comparison of two images shows puffing dust bubbles and an erupting gas shell – the final acts of a monster star’s life. 这两张图片的对比显示了膨胀的尘埃气泡和喷发的气体外壳——这是一颗巨型恒星生命的最后一幕。 These new views showcase the dual nature of the star AG Carinae, which was the target of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s 31st anniversary image in April 2021. This new perspective is the result of Hubble’s observations of the star in 2020 and 2014, along with others captured by the telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in 1994. 这些新图像展示了船底座AG这颗恒星的双重性质双重性质，这是NASA/ESA哈勃太空望远镜在2021年4月拍摄的31周年纪念照片的目标。这一新的视角是哈勃望远镜在2020年和2014年对这颗恒星进行观测的结果，以及1994年由该望远镜的广角行星照相机2拍摄的其他照片。 The first image showcases details of ionized hydrogen and nitrogen emissions from the expanding shell of the nebula (seen here in red). In the second image, the color blue delineates the distribution of dust…

为STEM领域的下一代女性铺平道路

为STEM领域的下一代女性铺平道路

ByNASA中文

On Women’s Equality Day, NASA celebrates the women who are breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations. In this image, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman (1925-2018), NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and “the Mother of Hubble,” visits the Space Telescope Operations Control Center at the Goddard Space Flight Center on March 31, 2017, and meets with some women from the Hubble Space Telescope project. Left to right: Beverly Serrano, Morgan Van Arsdall, Nancy Grace Roman, Olivia Lupie, Padi Boyd, and Erin Kisliuk. The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, a mission concept to answer vital questions in both exoplanet detection and dark energy research, was renamed the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in her honor. Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on Aug. 26 each year…

环状星系AM 0644-741

环状星系AM 0644-741

ByNASA中文

2021年7月28日 Ring Galaxy AM 0644-741 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Jonathan Lodge Explanation: The rim of the large blue galaxy at the right is an immense ring-like structure 150,000 light years in diameter composed of newly formed, extremely bright, massive stars. AM 0644-741 is known as a ring galaxy and was caused by an immense galaxy collision. When galaxies collide, they pass through each other and their individual stars rarely come into contact. The large galaxy’s ring-like shape is the result of the gravitational disruption caused by a small intruder galaxy passing through it. When this happens, interstellar gas and dust become compressed, causing a wave of star formation to move out from the impact point like a ripple across the surface of…

哈勃太空望远镜在木卫三中发现水蒸气的第一个证据

哈勃太空望远镜在木卫三中发现水蒸气的第一个证据

ByNASA中文

天文学家首次在木星的卫星木卫三的大气中发现了水蒸气的证据。这种水蒸气是在木卫三表面的冰升华时形成的，也就是说，从固体变成气体。 科学家们利用NASA哈勃太空望远镜新的档案数据集，做出了这一发现，发表在《自然天文学》杂志上。 这张照片展示了1996年NASA哈勃太空望远镜观测到的木星卫星木卫三。木卫三位于5亿英里(超过6亿公里)之外，哈勃可以跟踪卫星上的变化，并在紫外和近红外波长揭示其他特征。天文学家现在利用哈勃望远镜提供的新的档案数据集，首次揭示了木星卫星木卫三大气中存在水蒸气的证据，这是由于水蒸气从卫星的冰面热逸出而来。 影像来源：NASA, ESA, John Spencer (SwRI Boulder) 此前的研究提供了间接证据，表明太阳系最大的卫星木卫三含有的水比地球上所有的海洋都要多。然而，那里的温度非常低，表面的水被冻结成固体。木卫三的海洋位于地壳以下约100英里处；因此，水汽并不代表这片海洋的蒸发。 天文学家重新审视了过去20年的哈勃观测数据，发现了这个水蒸气的证据。 1998年，哈勃太空望远镜成像光谱仪首次拍摄了木卫三的紫外线图像，显示了被称为极光带的带电气体的彩色条带，并提供了进一步的证据，证明木卫三具有弱磁场。 这些紫外观察的相似性可以用分子氧(O2)的存在来解释。但一些观测到的特征与纯氧大气的预期排放不符。与此同时，科学家得出结论，这种差异可能与氧原子(O)浓度较高有关。 作为支持NASA2018年朱诺任务的大型观测项目的一部分，瑞典斯德哥尔摩KTH皇家理工学院的洛伦兹·罗斯（Lorenz Roth）领导的团队开始用哈勃望远镜测量原子氧的含量。该团队的分析结合了两个仪器的数据：2018年哈勃的宇宙起源光谱仪和1998至2010年太空望远镜成像光谱仪（STIS）的存档图像。 令他们惊讶的是，与最初对1998年数据的解释相反，他们发现在木卫三的大气层中几乎没有任何原子氧。这意味着对于这些紫外极光图像中的明显差异，一定有另一种解释。 罗斯和他的团队随后进一步观察了紫外线图像中极光的相对分布。木卫三的表面温度在一天中变化强烈，在赤道附近的中午，它可能变得足够温暖，以至于冰面释放（或升华）一些少量水分子。事实上，紫外线图像中感知到的差异与木卫三大气中可能存在的水的位置直接相关。 1998年，哈勃太空望远镜成像光谱仪拍摄了木卫三的第一批紫外线图像，揭示了观测到的木卫三大气层排放物的一种特殊模式。卫星上的极光带与地球和其他有磁场的行星上观测到的极光椭圆形有点相似。这是木卫三有永久磁场的证据。紫外线观测中的相似之处被解释为分子氧的存在。这种差异当时被解释为原子氧的存在，它产生的信号对一种紫外线颜色的影响要大于另一种。 影像来源：NASA, ESA, Lorenz Roth (KTH) “到目前为止，只有分子氧被观察到，”罗斯解释说。“这是带电粒子侵蚀冰表面时产生的。我们现在测量的水蒸气来自于冰的升华，由水蒸气从温暖的冰区热逃逸引起。” 这一发现为欧空局（European Space Agency）即将开展的任务JUICE（JUpiter ICy moons Explorer的缩写）增添了期待。JUICE是欧空局2015-2025年宇宙愿景计划中的第一个大型任务。计划于2022年发射，2029年抵达木星，它将用至少三年的时间对木星及其最大的三颗卫星进行详细观测，特别是调查木卫三作为一个行星体是否是潜在的栖息地。 木卫三被确定为详细调查的对象，因为它为分析一般冰雪世界的性质、演变和潜在的可居住性提供了一个天然的实验室，它在伽利略卫星系统中发挥的作用，以及它与木星及其环境的独特磁和等离子体相互作用。 罗斯补充说:“我们的结果可以为JUICE仪器团队提供有价值的信息，这些信息可能被用来完善他们的观测计划，以优化航天器的使用。” 现在，NASA的朱诺号任务正在仔细观察木卫三，并于最近发布了这颗冰冷卫星的新图像。自2016年以来，朱诺号一直在研究木星及其环境，也被称为木星系。 天文学家利用美国宇航局哈勃太空望远镜的新数据和档案数据集，发现了木星的卫星木卫三大气层中的水蒸气证据。水蒸气的存在是由于来自卫星冰面的水分子的热激发。以前的研究已经提供了间接的证据，证明木卫三上的水比地球上所有的海洋都多。然而，那里的温度是如此之低，以至于表面的水会冻结，海洋大约位于地壳以下100英里。 视频来源：NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center 了解木星系并阐明它的历史，从它的起源到可能出现的宜居环境，将使我们更好地了解气态巨行星及其卫星如何形成和演变。此外，还有望在类似木星的系外行星系统的可居住性方面有新的认识。 哈勃太空望远镜是NASA和ESA之间的一个国际合作项目。位于马里兰州格林贝尔特的NASA戈达德太空飞行中心负责管理该望远镜。位于马里兰州巴尔的摩市的太空望远镜科学研究所（STScI）负责哈勃望远镜的科学操作。STScI由位于华盛顿特区的天文学研究大学协会为NASA运营。 参考来源： https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/hubble-finds-first-evidence-of-water-vapor-at-jupiter-s-moon-ganymede

哈勃望远镜瞥见一对星系二人组

哈勃望远镜瞥见一对星系二人组

ByNASA中文

Two enormous galaxies capture your attention in this spectacular image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is more simply named UGC 2665. Both galaxies lie approximately 350 million light-years from Earth, and they both form part of the huge Perseus galaxy cluster. Perseus is an important figure in Greek mythology, renowned for slaying Medusa the Gorgon – who is herself famous for the unhappy reason that she was cursed to have living snakes for hair. Given Perseus’s impressive credentials, it seems appropriate that the galaxy cluster is one of the biggest objects in the known universe, consisting of…

哈勃望远镜观测到了一个由红、白、蓝组成的星团

哈勃望远镜观测到了一个由红、白、蓝组成的星团

ByNASA中文

This image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts the open star cluster NGC 330, which lies around 180,000 light-years away inside the Small Magellanic Cloud. The cluster – which is in the constellation Tucana (the Toucan) – contains a multitude of stars, many of which are scattered across this striking image. Because star clusters form from a single primordial cloud of gas and dust, all the stars they contain are roughly the same age. This makes them useful natural laboratories for astronomers to learn how stars form and evolve. This image uses observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and incorporates data from two very different astronomical investigations. The first aimed to understand why stars in star clusters appear to evolve differently from…

哈勃影像：猎户座星云

哈勃影像：猎户座星云

ByNASA中文

2021年06月29日 Orion Nebula: The Hubble View Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Francisco Javier Pobes Serrano Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion Nebula. Also known as M42, the nebula’s glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away. The Orion Nebula offers one of the best opportunities to study how stars are born partly because it is the nearest large star-forming region, but also because the nebula’s energetic stars have blown away obscuring gas and dust clouds that would otherwise block our view – providing an intimate look at a range of ongoing stages of starbirth and evolution. The featured image of the Orion Nebula is among the sharpest…

哈勃望远镜拍摄的令人眼花缭乱的动态二人组

哈勃望远镜拍摄的令人眼花缭乱的动态二人组

ByNASA中文

A cataclysmic cosmic collision takes center stage in this image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The image features the interacting galaxy pair IC 1623, which lies around 275 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (the Whale). The two galaxies are in the final stages of merging, and astronomers expect a powerful inflow of gas to ignite a frenzied burst of star formation in the resulting compact starburst galaxy. This interacting pair of galaxies is a familiar sight; Hubble captured IC 1623 in 2008 using two filters at optical and infrared wavelengths on the Advanced Camera for Surveys. This image incorporates data from Wide Field Camera 3, and combines observations taken in eight filters spanning infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths to reveal the finer…

哈勃拍摄到一个迷人的螺旋星系

哈勃拍摄到一个迷人的螺旋星系

ByNASA中文

This image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 5037, in the constellation of Virgo. First documented by William Herschel in 1785, the galaxy lies about 150 million light-years away from Earth. Despite this distance, we can see the delicate structures of gas and dust within the galaxy in extraordinary detail. This detail is possible using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), whose combined exposures created this image. WFC3 is a very versatile camera, as it can collect ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light, thereby providing a wealth of information about the objects it observes. WFC3 was installed on Hubble by astronauts in 2009, during Servicing Mission 4 (SM4). SM4 was Hubble’s final Space Shuttle servicing mission, expected to prolong Hubble’s life for at least another five years….