Celestia Star Maps

On April 8, 2024, you can experience a breathtaking celestial event — a total solar .

On April 8, 2024, you can experience a breathtaking celestial event — a total solar . Not in the eclipse path? You can experience it with us on plus.nasa.gov.

Tune in to our media briefing at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 UTC) on March 26 to learn more: go.nasa.gov/4aIJdJN

📷 This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a densely packed field of stars, on a background of dust, gas and light from more distant objects.

📷 This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a densely packed field of stars, on a background of dust, gas and light from more distant objects.

The stars take up so much of the view that it's hard to realise that you're actually looking at a galaxy (called ESO 245-5)!

In fact, the band of stars here is the bar of the galaxy👇

🔗https://esahubble.org/images/potw2406a/

A breathtaking celestial event is happening soon…
Mark your calendars for the total solar crossing North America on April 8.

A breathtaking celestial event is happening soon…

Mark your calendars for the total solar crossing North America on April 8. Here are a few differences between the 2024 eclipse and the one in 2017. https://go.nasa.gov/42nCDoR

Because of its proximity and our perspective here on Earth, the Sun appears to be about 14 thousand trillion times brighter than UGC 11105, even though UGC 11105 is an entire galaxy!

We know some days you may not feel as bright as the others, much like this image of galaxy UGC 11105 from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. But never forget the magnitude of your light still shines even when others can’t quite see it.

Because of its proximity and our perspective here on Earth, the Sun appears to be about 14 thousand trillion times brighter than UGC 11105, even though UGC 11105 is an entire galaxy!

Astronomers have different ways of quantifying how bright celestial objects are. Apparent magnitude is one of those methods. It describes how bright an object appears to an observer on Earth, which is not the same thing as measuring how bright an object actually is; or its intrinsic brightness. Apparent magnitude depends heavily on an object’s proximity to Earth.

Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3HLJFKO

The two brightest stars in this image are young variable stars, stars that change in brightness over time. Those periodic changes, however, aren’t the only events that those stars are causing.

The two brightest stars in this image are young variable stars, stars that change in brightness over time. Those periodic changes, however, aren’t the only events that those stars are causing.

V633 Cassiopeiae, the star nearest to the center of the Hubble Space Telescope image, fired off salvos of energetic gas toward its surroundings. Those outflows collided into the colder gas and dust, and created Herbig-Haro objects.

Two of them, designated HH 161 and HH 164, form parts of the horseshoe-shaped loop. The second star to the bottom left of the image, V376 Cassiopeiea, has created its own Herbig-Haro object, HH 162, in the same way. As these stars continue to evolve, they will eventually stabilize and stop firing these jets of gas.

Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA; Gilles Chapdelaine.

This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope features a galaxy known as UGC 5189A, once home to a star’s explosive death called a supernova.

Returning to the scene can give us valuable information. 🔎

This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope features a galaxy known as UGC 5189A, once home to a star’s explosive death called a supernova. Even after supernovae fade astronomers can study the environment to learn more about the causes and effects of these intense events. The conditions that triggered supernovae, how they affect the gas and dust around them, and details on the stellar remnants they leave behind can reveal important details.

Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3vHUkn3

The next crewed mission to the International Space Station.

From left, are Alexander Grebenkin, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps.

The next crewed mission to the station, SpaceX , will be introduced from NASA's Johnson Space Center live on NASA TV at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday. Have questions? . Watch here… https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/

From left, are Alexander Grebenkin, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps.

This was one of only 100 known polar-ring galaxies when it was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1999. The cause of the unusual arrangement was not completely understood, but suspected to be the result of two galaxies colliding.

This was one of only 100 known polar-ring galaxies when it was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1999. The cause of the unusual arrangement was not completely understood, but suspected to be the result of two galaxies colliding.

Gas from the smaller galaxy would have been stripped off and captured by the larger galaxy, forming a new ring of dust, gas, and stars, which orbit the inner galaxy almost at right angles to the old disk. Discover more: https://bit.ly/3RKlke9

This image was captured as part of a study which found that the brightest galaxies within galaxy clusters wobble relative to the cluster’s centre of mass.

Our features wobbling galaxies! 🫨

This image was captured as part of a study which found that the brightest galaxies within galaxy clusters wobble relative to the cluster’s centre of mass. This contradicted the theory that these bright galaxies return to a ‘relaxed’ state after the turbulence of a merger – and might hint at unknown properties of dark matter.

Read more about it here: https://ow.ly/sIGM50QrAfP

📷 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration , ESA - European Space Agency , J. Lotz (STScI), M. Postman (STScI), J. Richard (CRAL) and J.-P. Kneib (LAM), T. Lauer (NOAO), S. Perlmutter (UC Berkeley, LBNL), A. Koekemoer (STScI), A. Riess (STScI/JHU), J. Nordin (LBNL, UC Berkeley), D. Rubin (Florida State), C. McCully (Rutgers University) and the CLASH Team

Located in the deep darkness of space is a planetary nebula known as Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula due to its resemblance to the aquatic animal.

Located in the deep darkness of space is a planetary nebula known as Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula due to its resemblance to the aquatic animal.

Though stingrays in Earth’s oceans bury themselves in sand and have periods of inactivity, the Hubble Space Telescope revealed in 1996 that this nebula is undergoing rapid change. The star in the center is responsible for the bulbous, transparent plumes of gas that are being pushed toward the image’s edges.

Each color represents a different element present at this still-evolving scene. The bright blue oval surrounding the star is hydrogen, while the green veiny wisps of material are oxygen. Toward the nebula’s curvy exterior are red areas, representing nitrogen.

The Stingray nebula is located over 18,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ara: https://bit.ly/3RqVfzc

There are 11 people from eight nationalities living and working on the International Space Station right now, orbiting some 400 km about our heads.

It's a full house in space. 🏠

There are 11 people from eight nationalities living and working on the International Space Station right now, orbiting some 400 km about our heads.

Marcus Wandt from Sweden 🇸🇪 joined Andreas Mogensen from Denmark 🇩🇰 last Saturday, and they have been very busy since then. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

https://esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/01/Full_house