Hubble Views Final Stages of a Star’s Life

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

Aug. 30, 2019

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 5307, a planetary nebula that lies about 10,000 light-years from Earth. It can be seen in the constellation Centaurus (the Centaur), which can be seen primarily in the southern hemisphere. A planetary nebula is the final stage of a Sun-like star. As such, planetary nebulas allow us a glimpse into the future of our own solar system. A star like our Sun will, at the end of its life, transform into a red giant. Stars are sustained by the nuclear fusion that occurs in their core, which creates energy. The nuclear fusion processes constantly try to rip the star apart. Only the gravity of the star prevents this from happening.

At the end of the red giant phase of a star, these forces become unbalanced. Without enough energy created by fusion, the core of the star collapses in on itself, while the surface layers are ejected outward. After that, all that remains of the star is what we see here: glowing outer layers surrounding a white dwarf star, the remnants of the red giant star’s core.

This isn’t the end of this star’s evolution though — those outer layers are still moving and cooling. In just a few thousand years they will have dissipated, and all that will be left to see is the dimly glowing white dwarf.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

http://www.spacetelescope.org/

Text Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA/Karl Hille/Image, Animation,  Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Wade et al.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA's Multiple Views of Hurricane Dorian from Space

NASA - CloudSat / Calipso Mission patch / NASA - EOS AIRS Mission patch.

 August 30, 2019

Image above: Three images of Hurricane Dorian, as seen by a trio of NASA's Earth-observing satellites Aug. 27-29, 2019. The data sent by the spacecraft revealed in-depth views of the storm, including detailed heavy rain, cloud height and wind. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Several instruments and spacecraft from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have eyes on Hurricane Dorian, capturing different types of data from the storm.

Image above: An infrared image of Hurricane Dorian, as seen by the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite at 1:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. PDT) on Aug. 29, 2019. The large purple areas are cold clouds, carried high into the atmosphere by deep thunderstorms. Blue and green show warmer areas with less rain clouds, while orange and red represent mostly cloud-free air. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), aboard the Aqua satellite, senses emitted infrared and microwave radiation from Earth. The information is used to map such atmospheric phenomena as temperature, humidity, and cloud amounts and heights. In the AIRS imagery of Dorian, captured during the afternoon (local time) of Aug. 29, 2019, the large purple area indicates very cold clouds carried high into the atmosphere by deep thunderstorms. These clouds are also associated with heavy rainfall. Blue and green indicate warmer areas with shallower rain clouds, while the orange and red areas represent mostly cloud-free air.

Image above: Hurricane Dorian off the coast of Puerto Rico, as seen by the small satellite TEMPEST-D on Aug 28, 2019 (local time). The colors in the image reveal the heavy rain and moisture inside the storm. The least intense areas of rainfall are shown in green and most intense are yellow and pink. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

In the second image, TEMPEST-D - a weather-observing satellite the size of a cereal box - captured imagery of Hurricane Dorian off the coast of Puerto Rico in the early morning hours (local time) of Aug. 28, 2019. At a vantage point 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the storm, the CubeSat used its miniaturized radio-wave-based instrument to see through the clouds, revealing areas with heavy rain and moisture being pulled into the storm. The green colors show moisture spiraling into the storm's center, and the yellow to pink colors correspond to the most intense rainfall. TEMPEST-D - short for Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Demonstration - is an experiment in shrinking weather satellites to a size that makes them inexpensive enough to be produced in multiples. The goal is eventual real-time storm coverage with many small satellites that can track storms around the world.

NASA’s CloudSat Images Dorian in 3D

NASA's CloudSat satellite provided a 3D animation after passing over Dorian, still a tropical storm at the time, near Puerto Rico. CloudSat uses an advanced cloud-profiling radar that "slices" through clouds, enabling us to see their height, their different layers and the areas where the heavier bands of rain are found within the storm system. The animation shows Dorian when it had maximum sustained winds of 52 mph (84 kph) with some cloud tops extending about 9 miles (15 kilometers) into the atmosphere. The colors represent the size of water or ice droplets inside the storm: Deep red and pink indicate larger droplets with areas of moderate and heavy rainfall.

NASA collects data from space, air, land and sea to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future.

AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), provides a 3D look at Earth's weather and climate. Launched into Earth orbit in 2002, the AIRS and AMSU instruments are managed by JPL under contract to NASA. TEMPEST-D is a technology-demonstration mission led by Colorado State University and managed by JPL in partnership with Blue Canyon Technologies and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The mission is sponsored by NASA's Earth Ventures program and managed by the Earth Science Technology Office. The radiometer instrument was built by JPL and employs high-frequency microwave amplifier technology developed by Northrop Grumman. CloudSat is also managed by JPL, which developed the radar instrument, with hardware contributions from the Canadian Space Agency. Colorado State University provides scientific leadership and science data processing and distribution.

JPL is managed by Caltech in Pasadena for NASA.

More information about these missions is available here:

https://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/tempest-d.php

https://cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/home

More information about NASA's Disasters Program is available here:

https://disasters.nasa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/JPL/Arielle Samuelson/Esprit Smith.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Swiss researchers discover an volcanic exomoon

Astrophysics - Exoplanets logo.

August 30, 2019

The discovery lava planet is an extreme version of the moon of Jupiter Io, the most volcanically active celestial body of our solar system.

Image above: The volcanic moon around the exoplanet 550 Wasp 49-b looks a lot like the moon of Jupiter, Io.

An international team led by the University of Bern announces the probable discovery of a volcanic moon around the exoplanet 550 Wasp 49-b. It is 550 light-years from Earth.

According to the description of the researchers in "The Astrophysical Journal," this lava planet is an extreme version of the moon of Jupiter Io, the most volcanically active celestial body in our solar system.

With its lava surface, it could look like the volcanic planet where the final duel of "Star Wars, episode III" takes place, but in more spectacular. It orbits indeed around a hot giant planet that goes around its sun in just three days, said the alma mater Bern in a statement.

Wasp 49-b is in the Hare constellation, south of Orion. Scientists were put on the track of this moon after detecting large amounts of sodium gas. It is a consequence of its extreme volcanism.

This is the first time a rocky moon has been discovered beyond our solar system. Further research is needed to confirm this, the authors note.

Related links:

The Astrophysical Journal: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X

INSPIRE HEP - WASP-42 b and WASP-49 b: two new transiting sub-Jupiters: http://inspirehep.net/record/1114412/plots

University of Bern (Unibe): https://www.unibe.ch/index_eng.html

Image, Text, Credits: AFP/Unibe/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Space Biology Research as Preps Begin for Japan Cargo Mission

ISS - Expedition 60 Mission patch.

August 29, 2019

The Expedition 60 crew focused on a variety of biomedical research and life science activities aboard the International Space Station today. The astronauts are still cleaning up after last week’s spacewalk while preparing for an upcoming Japanese cargo mission.

Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan spent Thursday morning collecting their blood, urine and saliva samples. The samples are being processed and analyzed for the Fluid Shifts study. The long-running research explores vascular changes including head and eye pressure caused by living in microgravity.

Image above: An camera on the International Space Station captured views of Hurricane Dorian as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico. Image Credit: NASA.

Morgan moved on and continued organizing a multitude of tools used during a spacewalk last week to install a new commercial crew docking port. During the afternoon, he joined astronaut Luca Parmitano for eye pressure measurements using a tonometer.

Hague set up a 3D camera in the Harmony module and videotaped a cinematic virtual reality experience of himself at work for Earth audiences. He finally tested a communications panel that will send commands to Japan’s HTV-8 cargo craft planned to arrive at the station in mid-September. The HTV-8 will deliver new batteries for the station’s Port-6 truss power channels.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch checked on mice studied in space for their genetic similarity to humans and potential therapeutic insights. She also discussed with a nutritionist on the ground how the food aboard the orbiting lab affects her appetite.

International Space Station (ISS). Image Credit: NASA

Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Alexander Skvortsov explored microbes in the Russian side of the station to learn how to fight space viruses and spacecraft contamination. The duo then continued unpacking cargo from the Soyuz MS-14 spaceship that arrived Monday night.

Another crew ship, the Soyuz MS-15, is being processed for its launch to the station on Sept. 25. Commander Oleg Skripochka will lead Flight Engineer Jessica Meir and Spaceflight Participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori on a six-hour ride to their new home in space. The new trio along with their backups began two days of qualification exams today.

Related links:

Expedition 60: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition60/index.html

Fluid Shifts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1126

Spacewalk: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/spacewalks

Harmony module: https://cms.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/harmony

Virtual reality experience: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877v

Food aboard the orbiting lab: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562

Space viruses: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/biology/27.html

Spacecraft contamination: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/biology/22.html

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

OSIRIS-REx’s Final Four Sample Site Candidates in 3D

NASA - OSIRIS-REx Mission logo.

Aug. 29, 2019

This animated flyover of each of the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu, selected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, was produced using close-range data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), an instrument contributed by the Canadian Space Agency. It illustrates the location of each site on Bennu, the topography of each site, and the potential sampling regions that the spacecraft will target, which are 10 meters in diameter.

OSIRIS-REx’s Final Four Sample Site Candidates in 3D

Video above: This animated flyover of each of the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu, selected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, was produced using close-range data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), an instrument contributed by the Canadian Space Agency. Video Credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDA.

The laser altimeter on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, contributed by the Canadian Space Agency, has produced the highest resolution topographic maps ever of any planetary body. These maps of asteroid Bennu provide three-dimensional, detailed views of the OSIRIS-REx mission’s final four candidate sample collection sites, which are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey and Sandpiper.

OLA is equipped with two lasers and uses a steerable mirror to rapidly scan the asteroid’s surface to produce detailed images of boulders, craters and other geological features. OLA collected scans using its low-energy laser transmitter (LELT) during the spacecraft’s low altitude orbit – approximately 700 meters above Bennu’s surface. The LELT is designed to fire 10,000 light pulses per second at the asteroid, and three-dimensional terrain models of the four sites were produced using these light pulses.

OSIRIS-REx probe. Image Credit: NASA

High-resolution maps of the four potential sample sites will allow the OSIRIS-REx team to assess the safety and accessibility of each region, locate landmarks that will help the spacecraft navigate during sample collection and identify areas of fine-grained material compatible with OSIRIS-REx’s sampling mechanism. These maps will be crucial for selecting the final two sample collection sites in December.

OLA’s LELT will continue to gather Bennu data in tandem with the other instruments on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The final selection of a primary and backup sample collection site will be announced in December 2019, and sample collection is scheduled for the latter half of 2020.

Related article:

NASA Mission Selects Final Four Site Candidates for Asteroid Sample Return
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/08/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site.html

Related link:

OSIRIS-REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/osiris-rex/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Karl Hille/Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, by Nancy Neal Jones.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Estimates Heavy Rainfall in Hurricane Dorian

NASA & JAXA - Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) patch / NASA - EOS Terra Mission patch.

Aug. 29, 2019

Dorian (Atlantic Ocean)

Hurricane Dorian is packing heavy rain as it moves toward the Bahamas as predicted by NOAA’s NHC or National Hurricane Center. NASA analyzed the storm and found heavy rainfall in the storm.

Image above: This image shows estimated rainfall accumulations for the region affected by Hurricane Dorian over the 24 hour period of Aug.27 11:59 UTC to Aug. 28 11:59 UTC. The imagery was generated using the Integrated Multi-satEllite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) “early run” product. The data indicates that up to 120 mm (4.72 inches) of rainfall accumulated in certain regions during the 24 hour period. Image Credits: NASA/Jacob Reed.

NASA has the ability to peer under the “hood” or clouds of a tropical cyclone and estimate the rainfall rates occurring. After looking into Dorian’s clouds, imagery was generated using the Integrated Multi-satEllite Retrievals for GPM or IMERG “early run” product, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. IMERG uses a constellation of satellites united by the GPM Core Observatory to provide global observations of Earth’s precipitation every 30 minutes.

IMERG estimated rainfall accumulations for the region affected by Hurricane Dorian over the 24 hour period of August 27 at (7:59 a.m. EDT) 11:59 UTC to August 28 at (7:59 a.m. EDT) 11:59 UTC. “The data indicates that up to 120 mm (4.72 inches) of rainfall accumulated in certain regions during the 24 hour period,” said Jacob Reed of NASA Disasters Program, GPM at NASA Goddard.

NHC said that Dorian is expected to produce the following rainfall accumulations this weekend into early next week: The central Bahamas…2 to 4 inches, isolated 6 inches; the northwestern Bahamas and coastal sections of the Southeastern United States…4 to 8 inches, isolated 12 inches. This rainfall may cause life-threatening flash flood.

Image above: On Aug. 28, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite provided a visible image of Dorian as it became a hurricane near St. Thomas and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Image Credits: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).

On Aug. 29 at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), NOAA’s NHC said the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 20.5 degrees north and longitude 66.6 degrees west. That puts Dorian’s center about 150 miles (240 km) north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and about 425 miles (685 km) east-southeast of the southeastern Bahamas.

Dorian is moving toward the northwest near 13 mph (20 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue through Friday.  A west-northwestward motion is forecast to begin Friday night and continue into the weekend.

Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph (140 kph) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane on Friday. The minimum central pressure based on earlier Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter data is 991 mb (29.27 inches).

NHC said “On this track, Dorian should move over the Atlantic well east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and on Friday, and approach the northwestern Bahamas on Saturday.”

Interests in the northwestern and central Bahamas should monitor the progress of Dorian. Swells are likely to begin affecting the east-facing shores of the Bahamas and the southeastern United States coast during the next few days.  These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

- Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GPM/main/index.html

- EOS Terra: https://terra.nasa.gov/

For updated forecasts, visit NOAA’s NHC: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, by Rob Gutro.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA's ECOSTRESS Detects Amazon Fires from Space

ISS - ECOSTRESS Mission logo.

August 29, 2019

Image above: ECOSTRESS imagery of fires burning in the Bolivian Amazon on Aug. 23, 2019. Red areas show regions hotter than the sensor was designed to measure (approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit, or 104 degrees Celsius). Dark wispy areas indicate thick smoke. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) captured imagery of fires in the Amazon regions of Brazil and Bolivia on Aug. 23, 2019.

The red areas in the images - in eastern Bolivia and northern Brazil - are where surface temperatures exceeded the maximum measurable temperature of the instrument's sensor (approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit, or 104 degrees Celsius), highlighting the burning areas along the fire fronts. The dark, wispy areas indicate thick smoke - thick enough to obscure much of the fire from view. The measurements cover areas of about 77 by 77 yards (70 by 70 meters) each, or about the size of a football field.

Image above: ECOSTRESS imagery of fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon on Aug. 23, 2019. Red areas show regions hotter than the sensor was designed to measure (approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit, or 104 degrees Celsius). Dark wispy areas indicate thick smoke. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The primary mission of ECOSTRESS is to measure the temperature of plants from the vantage point of the International Space Station. However, it can also detect other heat-related phenomena like heat waves, volcanoes and fires. Due to the space station's unique orbit, ECOSTRESS acquires imagery of the same areas at different times of day as it passes by overhead - instead of crossing over each area at the same time of day like satellites in some other orbits do. This is particularly important when trying to acquire cloud-free imagery over perennially cloudy areas like the Amazon.

 International Space Station (ISS). Image Credit: NASA

ECOSTRESS launched to the space station on June 29, 2018. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, built and manages the ECOSTRESS mission for the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. ECOSTRESS is an Earth Venture Instrument mission; the program is managed by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

More information about ECOSTRESS is available here: https://ecostress.jpl.nasa.gov

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/JPL/Esprit Smith.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch