Month: March 2016

Simulated Atmosphere of a Hot Gas Giant

Posted on by Trina

The turbulent atmosphere of a hot, gaseous planet known as HD 80606b is shown in this simulation based on data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzer measured the whole heating cycle of this planet, determining its coolest (less than 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and hottest (2,000 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures. via NASA http://ift.tt/22HDjDz

Haze Layers Above Pluto

Posted on by Trina

This image of haze layers above Pluto’s limb was taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. About 20 haze layers are seen; the layers have been found to typically extend horizontally over hundreds of kilometers, but are not strictly parallel to the surface. via NASA http://ift.tt/1MpKPpM

Last Sunrise From a Year in Space

Posted on by Trina

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared a series of five sunrise photographs on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, as he prepared to depart the space station and return to Earth aboard a Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft. Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov are scheduled to undock their Soyuz at 8:02 p.m. EST and land at 11:25 p.m. via NASA http://ift.tt/1LSMWSJ

Hubble’s Blue Bubble

Posted on by Trina

The distinctive blue bubble appearing to encircle WR 31a is a Wolf–Rayet nebula — an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other gases. Created when speedy stellar winds interact with the outer layers of hydrogen ejected by Wolf–Rayet stars, these nebulae are frequently ring-shaped or spherical. via NASA http://ift.tt/1oEvGez

Flying Through the Aurora’s Green Fog

Posted on by Trina

Expedition 46 crew member Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA) shared a stunning image of a glowing aurora taken on Feb. 23, 2016, from the International Space Station. Peake wrote, “The @Space_Station just passed straight through a thick green fog of #aurora…eerie but very beautiful. #Principia” via NASA http://ift.tt/1Qyiuyk