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We just released our newest images of an interstellar comet. Here's what you need to know. 3I/ATLAS, first discovered in July, is only the third object we've ever seen passing through our solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy. Its trajectory will take it no closer than 170 million miles from Earth—almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. Every observation our spacecraft and telescopes have made is consistent with 3I/ATLAS being a comet. Interstellar objects give us a unique opportunity to learn more about what solar systems beyond ours are made of, so astronomers have been keeping a close eye on comet 3I/ATLAS on its arc around our Sun. Though releasing data from our spacecraft was not an excepted activity during the recent lapse in government funding, we've still been studying the comet from our Lucy mission en route to the asteroid belt, our Sun-watching PUNCH satellites in low Earth orbit, and even our Perseverance rover on Mars! The first image in this carousel was taken from our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which observed 3I/ATLAS from a distance of 19 million miles on Oct. 2, 2025. Swipe on to see newly-released images, annotations, and diagrams from other space missions—and check the link in our bio to read more about our latest 3I/ATLAS discoveries. Image descriptions and credits are available in the comments. #NASA #3IATLAS #ATLAS #Space #Astronomy

11.20 04:19

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lizard 🦎 lizard 🦎 The Lacerta constellation (Latin for 'lizard') isn't the brightest in the night sky, but it's still full of spectacular sights when viewed through a telescope like @NASAHubble. The trail of lights on the right of this image is a galaxy known as NGC 7250, which contains billions of stars—but they all blend into the background (like a chameleon, perhaps?) compared to the single bright star just left of center. This is only possible because that star is 7,500 times closer to us than NGC 7250. Images like this are a good reminder that just because stars appear close in a constellation, this is only true from Earth's perspective. In actuality, the lights of the Lizard (or any other constellation) may actually be countless light-years away from each other. Image description: A large, bright star with eight diffraction spikes dominates this image, with many smaller stars and galaxies spread throughout the image. A number of blue and red stars from a more distant galaxy trail off to the star's right. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA #NASA #Space #Universe #Telescope #Lizard
Spider Nebula, Spider Nebula⁣ Does whatever a Spider Nebula does 🎵⁣ @NASAWebb was recently able to capture never-before-seen details of the very photogenic Red Spider Nebula. For the first time, we can see the full extent of the nebula’s lobes (in blue), and we can tell that the lobes are closed, bubble-like structures that each extend about 3 light-years.⁣ Planetary nebulae like this one are made when a Sun-like star reaches the end of its life. After ballooning into a red giant, the star then throws off its outer layers into space, revealing its white-hot core. Ultraviolet light from the central star causes the cast-off material to glow.⁣ Though we can only see one star – the central star – here, it’s possible that there is a companion star, too. Its presence could explain the nebula’s shape: the characteristic narrow waist and wide outflows.⁣ Image description: A multicolored nebula stands out against the star-studded background of space. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, lighting up the nearby dust. An elongated purple ‘S’ shape is centered on the heart of the nebula, while two blue lobes stretch diagonally outward to the edges of the image, making the entire structure look like a tilted hourglass.⁣ Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)⁣ #NASA #Webb #Telescope #Nebula #Stars #Space
No need to turn your phone – or yourself – upside down to appreciate the view!⁣ JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui snapped this photo of southern Europe from the @ISS as it orbited 261 miles above Earth. At left, the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy shines with the metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin and their surrounding suburbs.⁣ Space station crew have taken hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth over the years. Their photographs record how our home planet changes over time. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.⁣ Image description: Earth is a dark sphere with a glowing green border in this photo. We can only see one portion of it; in this photo’s orientation, we’re looking at the “bottom” of Earth’s sphere. City lights shine brightly at middle left; they are more dispersed throughout the rest of Earth that’s visible. Part of the space station is just barely visible at top left.⁣ Credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui⁣ #NASA #World #Europe #Space #Earth
Making history ✈️ On Oct. 28, 2025, our X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for the first time. Though this initial flight was subsonic - that is, slower than the speed of sound - the X-59 is designed to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce the sound of loud sonic booms to quieter sonic thumps.⁣ ⁣ For this first flight, NASA test pilot Nils Larson flew the X-59 up to an altitude of about 12,000 feet and an approximate top speed of 230 mph (370 kph), precisely as planned. These conditions allowed the team to conduct in-flight system and performance checks.⁣ ⁣ Next up for @NASAAero and the X-59? We’re prepping for a series of test flights where the plane will operate at higher altitudes and supersonic speeds. This phase will ensure the X-59 meets performance and safety expectations.⁣ ⁣ Image description: The X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off from Palmdale, California. The white and silver plane has a distinctive shape with a long, sharply pointed nose. The words "NASA" and "X-59" are on the body of the aircraft. There are hazy mountains in the distance.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Aeronautics #Aviation #Supersonic #Quiet #Flying
How much do you know about Messier 67? The Messier catalog, which includes some of the most fascinating astronomical objects visible in the Northern Hemisphere, was started by astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century. Today, there are 110 listed Messier objects—most of which are bright enough to be seen through a small telescope like the one you may have in your attic. That means that through a massive telescope, like our orbiting @NASAHubble observatory, Messier objects can really shine. Messier 67 (called M67 for short) is a collection of 500 stars that are loosely bound together by gravity. Unlike other "open clusters," M67 is unique for its advanced age—it's about 4 billion years old, the same age as our Sun—and for its location 1,500 light-years above the central plane of the Milky Way. This image is just a small portion of Messier 67, which is also known as the King Cobra Cluster and the Golden Eye Cluster. Image description: Bright stars with four diffraction spikes shine throughout this image, mostly in shades of blue and orange. A few dozen large stars are scattered throughout, with fainter points of light and a few small galaxies in the background. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Krist (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) #NASA #Space #Universe #Stars #67
Take some time to enjoy the universe. 6,500 light-years away from Earth, the dusty Pillars of Creation reach out into the cosmos like a giant hand. Young stars are forming within this region of the Eagle Nebula, some "only" a few hundred thousand years old. Our orbiting @NASAWebb telescope captured this view of the Pillars in 2022. Previous images from other telescopes, taken with visible light, were much more opaque—but Webb's near-infrared vision allows it to partially see through these pillars of gas and dust, revealing the stars within. Scientists are using these findings to understand how stars are born and develop into solar systems like our own. Image description: Layers of semi-opaque, rusty-red gas and dust reach out from the bottom left of the image, forming finger-like pillars that extend into the top right. Peeking through the layers of gas and dust is the background, set in shades of blue and littered with tiny yellow and blue stars. Many of the tips of the pillars appear tinged with what looks like lava. There are also tiny red dots at the edges of the pillars, which are newly-born stars. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI #NASA #Webb #Universe #Mindfulness
Pardon our dust 🤧⁣ @NASAHubble captured this starry, dusty scene out in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf galaxy situated about 160,000 light-years away. With a mass equal to 10–20% of the mass of the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the dozens of small galaxies that orbit our galaxy.⁣ The Large Magellanic Cloud is home to several massive stellar nurseries where gas clouds, like those strewn across this image, coalesce into new stars. This image shows a portion of the LMC’s second-largest star-forming region, where bright, young stars light up the gas clouds and sculpt clumps of dust with powerful ultraviolet radiation. Hubble observed this area roughly 20 years ago, but this latest observation focused on the dusty clouds that permeate the cluster, providing us with a new perspective on cosmic dust.⁣ Image description: Stars in a star cluster shine brightly blue, with four-pointed diffraction spikes radiating from them. The center shows a small, crowded group of stars while a larger group is partially visible on the right side of the image. The nebula is mostly thick, smoky clouds of gas, lit up in blue tones by the stars. Clumps of dust hover before and around the stars; they are mostly dark but lit around their edges where the starlight erodes them.⁣ Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray, J. Maíz Apellániz⁣ #NASA #Hubble #Stars #Galaxy #Universe
Are you in this photo? On Jan. 10, 2017, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station snapped this pic as the @ISS soared over the northeastern United States at night. Near the center is New York City, with the distinctive shape of Long Island trailing off to the right. Newark and New Jersey sit across the river to the left; Philadelphia is in the bottom-left corner and Hartford, CT is in the top-right. Interstate 95, which connects many of the cities in this image, is visible here as a thin bright line. (Check the coast of Connecticut if you don't see it at first.) Astronaut photos taken from the space station aren't just pretty pictures: they provide a unique perspective of our changing Earth, especially for hazards and natural disasters. And Earth isn't the only world they're studying—when Artemis II lifts off in early 2026, our four-member crew will capture pictures of the Moon as it's never been seen before. Image description: The bright lights of New England and the mid-Atlantic shine in this image taken from the International Space Station. The brightest concentrations are near the center and the bottom-left and top-right corners, but cities and towns fill most of the photo. The Atlantic Ocean takes up most of the bottom-right part of this image, with rivers and other bodies of water showing up as dark lines. Credit: NASA/Shane Kimbrough #NASA #Earth #SpaceStation #NYC #Philly #EarthAtNight
She’s different, but shines in her own way 🌞 In this photo of Uranus captured by @NASAHubble, its auroras are on full display. But unlike other members of the Solar System, the pair of auroras shine on Uranus’s left and right sides instead of at the top and bottom of the planet. This is because of how the magnetic poles of Uranus are oriented. Most planets in our Solar System – like Earth – have magnetic poles on opposite vertical ends of the planet, with some tilting slightly to the side. Uranus, however, is the maverick of the planetary family. Its magnetic poles sit on opposite horizontal ends of the planet, as if the planet was lying on its side. Auroras happen when energetic particles from the Sun collide with a planet’s magnetic shield, transferring their energy to particles in the planet’s atmosphere. When that built-up energy is released, it creates a light show emanating from the magnetic poles. Since Uranus has horizontal poles rather than vertical, its auroras appear on the left and right sides of the planet. Image description: The sky blue planet of Uranus is centered against black space, glowing with deep blue auroras on its right and left sides. One of its rings is visible as a faint, white circle around the planet. Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Lamy, L. Sromovsky #NASA #ESA #Uranus #Aurora #Planets #SolarSystem
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