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ESA's Test-Bed Telescope 2, located at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, looks out over the Atacama Desert at sunset.
Pretty in pink, the Test-Bed Telescope 2, located at ESOÕs La Silla Observatory in Chile, looks out over the Atacama Desert at sunset. The Moon can be seen rising in the left of the image.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
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Beauty From Chaos
Appearing within the boundless darkness of space, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescopevïs snapshot of NGC 34 looks more like an otherworldly, bioluminescent creature from the deep oceans than a galaxy. Lying in the constellation Cetus (The Sea Monster), the galaxyvïs outer region appears almost translucent, pinpricked with stars and strange wispy tendrils. The main cause for this galaxyvïs odd appearance lies in its past. If we were able to reverse time by a few million years, we would see two beautiful spiral galaxies on a direct collision course. When these galaxies collided into one another, their intricate patterns and spiral arms were permanently disturbed. This image shows the galaxy's bright centre, a result of this merging event that has created a burst of new star formation and lit up the surrounding gas. As the galaxies continue to intertwine and become one, NGC 34vïs shape will become more like that of an peculiar galaxy, devoid of any distinct shape.vä In the vastness of space, collisions between galaxies are quite rare events, but they can be numerous in mega-clusters containing hundreds or even thousands of galaxies.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
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Daily Life In Kolkata, India
A person walks past a mural of Chandrayaan 3 in Kolkata, India, on May 11, 2025. (Photo by Sudipta Das/NurPhoto) -
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Daily Life In Kolkata, India
A person walks past a mural of Chandrayaan 3 in Kolkata, India, on May 11, 2025. (Photo by Sudipta Das/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
The United States Flag (''Old Glory'') flies above the Crew 10 Flag at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto) -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
The United States Flag (''Old Glory'') flies above the Crew 10 Flag at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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NASA Spacex Crew 10 Launch To ISS
Crew 10 launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) in Kennedy Space Center, United States, on March 14, 2025, at 1903 HRS EST (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto). -
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Crew 10 Launch
From left to right: Russian Cosmonaut Kiril Peskov, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and JAXA astronaut Takusha Onishi participate in the traditional astronaut walkout. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
Astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Commander and Pilot of the Crew 10 mission, react to family members and NASA authorities before leaving the launch pad after the traditional astronaut walkout. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
Astronaut Anne McClain, Commander of the Crew 10 mission, reacts to her family during the traditional walkout before leaving for the launch pad. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
Astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Commander and Pilot of the Crew 10 mission, react to family members and NASA authorities before leaving the launch pad after the traditional astronaut walkout. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_182534123_NUR
Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_182534116_NUR
Crew 10 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
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Hubble’s Views of M13 (2010) and M3 (2019)
To investigate the physics underpinning white dwarf evolution, astronomers compared cooling white dwarfs in two massive collections of stars: the globular clusters M3 and M13. These two clusters share many physical properties such as age and metallicity but the populations of stars which will eventually give rise to white dwarfs are different. This makes M3 and M13 together a perfect natural laboratory in which to test how different populations of white dwarfs cool.Credit: ESA / eyevine
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Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Meets Tim Peake
20/04/2022. London, United Kingdom. The Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi meets British Astronaut Tim Peake at the Department for Education. Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street / eyevine
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Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Meets Tim Peake
20/04/2022. London, United Kingdom. The Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi meets British Astronaut Tim Peake at the Department for Education. Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street / eyevine
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Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Meets Tim Peake
20/04/2022. London, United Kingdom. The Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi meets British Astronaut Tim Peake at the Department for Education. Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street / eyevine
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DUKAS_135064367_EYE
Washington, US
RELATED
To celebrate the recent data release from Landsat 9, this week we take a closer look at a part of Washington state Ð the northwesternmost state of the US Ð through the lens of Landsat 9.
Zoom in to see this image at its full 30 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more about the features in it.
Data from Landsat 9, which was launched in September 2021, is now publicly available for users and researchers across the world. The satellite will continue the programmeÕs critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the land resources needed to sustain human life.
A partnership between NASA and the US Geological Survey, the satellite carries two science instruments, the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2). The OLIÐ2 captures observations of the EarthÕs surface in visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared bands, and TIRS-2 measures thermal infrared radiation, or heat, emitted from EarthÕs surface.
This false-colour image, captured on 12 February 2022 by Landsat 9, has been processed using the satelliteÕs near-infrared channel. This channel is frequently used to highlight vegetation, which is particularly evident in the lower half of the image. Fields that are currently cultivated can be seen in bright red, while unvegetated areas appear in green and brown. Circular shapes, predominantly in the bottom-left, are centre-pivot irrigation fields Ð where equipment rotates around a central pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers. Washington is a leading agricultural state, with the top crops being apples, milk, potatoes and wheat.
Columbia River, the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, is visible in the top of the image in black. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows through Washington and Oregon, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is one of the worldÕs greatest sources of hydroelectric power and, with its tributaries, represents a thi
USGS/NASA Landsat/ESA / eyevine -
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Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana are featured in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission. These two large African lakes that were included in a new study published today in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters. According to the studyÕs main findings, lakes at lower latitudes such as these are anticipated to experience the greatest increase in severe lake heatwaves.
Credit: Copernicus Sentinel (2021), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine
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Copernicus Sentinel (2021), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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Cygnus cargo spacecraft
Cygnus-17 cargo craft captured by ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer aboard the International Space Station when flying over Earth and arriving to the Station on 21 February 2022 after its launch on 19 February 2022 carrying science and supplies for the crew of Expedition 66.
Credit: ESA/NASA-M.Maurer; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / eyevine
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ESA/NASA-M.Maurer; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / eyevine -
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Snow-washed Greece
Rare snowfall over Greece may be the new normal.
For the second year in a row, Greece experienced unprecedented amounts of snow, blanketing the country in white. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took this birdÕs eye view of the town of Chalcis, along the Euboean Gulf, from the International Space Station in early February.
He posted to social media, noting, ÒIn keeping with its national colours, wintry Greece presented itself in blue and white.Ó
Storm Elpida swept across Greece and also parts of Turkey, causing mass disruption to the Mediterranean country known more for white-sand beaches and whitewashed homes than snow.
While hard to deny the beauty of the white and blue landscape of this image, it is a grim reminder of the effects of climate change on the planet. Especially when compared to photos of wildfires in Greece in the summer of 2021, imaged by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet during his Alpha mission.
Like satellites watching Earth from above, astronauts are also observers of a rapidly changing Earth. Photos taken by astronauts complement satellite data but also serve another vital role: climate advocacy to the general public.
Matthias is doing important science on board the International Space Station for his Cosmic Kiss mission and is active on social media to share the benefits and the warnings.
A pretty picture like this says a thousand words on how humans are interacting with and affecting our surroundings. We can be both in awe of the beauty and the reality of the situation. The question is: what will we do about it?
Credit: ESA/NASA-M.Maurer / eyevine
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The devil’s in the detail
Chaotic mounds, wind-sculpted ripples and dust devil tracks: this image shows a fascinating and otherworldly landscape near Hooke Crater in MarsÕ southern highlands.
The image was taken by the CaSSIS camera onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on 1 February 2021, and shows part of Argyre Planitia, centred at 46.2¡S/318.3¡E.
This type of scenery is similar to Ôchaotic terrainÕ: a kind of broken, disrupted terrain seen across Mars where haphazard groups of variously sized and shaped rocks Ð irregular knobs, conical mounds, ridges, flat-topped hills known as mesas Ð clump together, often enclosed within depressions. There are around 30 regions of chaotic terrain defined on Mars (see ESA Mars Express views of Ariadnes Colles, Pyrrhae Regio, and Iani Chaos for just a small sample); while this small patch has not been defined as one of these, its appearance is certainly chaotic.
Perhaps the most striking feature here is the wispy, snaking tendrils stretching out across the frame. These dark traces of past activity were caused by dust devils, whirlwinds of dust that occur on both Mars and Earth when warm air rises quickly into cooler air. These devils leave tracks on a planetÕs surface as they travel through dusty landscapes. The tracks here appear to have a north-south orientation, indicating a possible local wind pattern.
The bluish tinge to the dust devil tracks seen here is a result of the three filters that were combined to create this image; while not representative of what an observer would see with the naked eye, these filters produce a colour infrared image with greater sensitivity to variations in surface mineralogy.
TGO arrived at Mars in 2016 and began its full science mission in 2018. The spacecraft is not only returning spectacular images like this one, but also providing the best ever inventory of the planetÕs atmospheric gases, and mapping the planetÕs surface for water-rich locations. It will also provide data relay ser
ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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Lignite surface mines in Germany
Images of the Inden and Hambach lignite surface mines in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, as seen from the International Space Station. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer posted these images to his social media channels on 10 February 2022 with the caption: "Due to the fact that Germany has been covered in clouds since I've been up here, there hasn't been much to see so far. But a few days ago, there were landmarks jumping into my view: the Inden and Hambach lignite surface mines. Nearby is also the Garzweiler mine which so incredibly deep and wide that that small planes can fly through this huge pit below ground level. A most prominent feature of how humans change our planet."
Credit: ESA/NASA-M.Maurer; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / eyevine
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New eruption at Krakatoa Volcano
A new eruption started at the Anak Krakatoa, or Krakatau, volcano on Rakata Island in Indonesia on 3 February 2022, as seen in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. The eruption prompted the Anak Krakatau Volcano Observatory to raise the aviation colour code to orange.
The eruption started at around 16:15 local time, with a thick column of gas, with possible volcanic ash content, rising to around 200 m above the crater.
Credit: Copernicus Sentinel data (2022), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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Hubble captures a peculiar galactic pair
This striking image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases Arp 298, a stunning pair of interacting galaxies. Arp 298 Ñ which comprises the two galaxies NGC 7469 and IC 5283 Ñ lies roughly 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The larger of the two galaxies pictured here is the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7469, and IC 5283 is its diminutive companion. NGC 7469 is also host to an active, supermassive black hole and a bright ring of star clusters.
The ÒArpÓ in this galaxy pairÕs name signifies that they are listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies compiled by the astronomer Halton Arp. The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies is a roguesÕ gallery of weird and wonderful galaxies containing peculiar structures, featuring galaxies exhibiting everything from segmented spiral arms to concentric rings. This interacting galaxy pair is a familiar sight for Hubble Ñ a portrait of the merging galaxies in Arp 298 was published in 2008.
This image of Arp 298 contains data from three separate Hubble proposals. By combining observations from three proposals, Arp 298 is captured in glorious detail in seven different filters from two of HubbleÕs instruments Ñ the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
The process of planning Hubble observations starts with a proposal Ñ a detailed plan of what an astronomer intends to observe and their scientific motivation for doing so. Once a year, these proposals are gathered and judged in a gruelling review process which assess their scientific merit and feasibility. Fewer than 20% of the proposed observations in any given year will make it through this process and be approved, which makes observing time with Hubble highly prized indeed.
This system will be one of the first galaxies observed with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope as part of the Director's Discretionary Early Release Science Programs in Summer 2022.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Evans, R. Chandar; CC BY 4.0 / eyevi
ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Evans, R. Chandar; CC BY 4.0 / eyevine -
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Athens under snow
An unusual snowstorm has blanketed parts of Turkey and Greece, causing power cuts and chaos on the roads and flight cancellations. These two satellite images, from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, show Athens: the image on the left was captured on 25 January and the image on the right is from 20 January. Just five days apart, the difference that this severe Mediterranean snowstorm has made to the Greek capital is clear to see. Heavy snow fell here for more than 12 hours on 24 January, leaving thousands of motorists stranded on the Attiki Odos motorway, with those not rescued having to cope with temperatures as low as –14°C as night fell. The Greek government declared a two-day public holiday after the snowstorm.
The storm has also caused similar chaos in Turkey. And, remarkably beaches in Antalya have seen snow for the first time in 29 years.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission. Each satellite carries a high-resolution camera that images Earth’s surface in 13 spectral bands. Together they cover all Earth’s land surfaces, large islands, inland and coastal waters every five days at the equator.
Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine
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contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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Solar Orbiter’s view of Comet Leonard in visible light
A composite of Comet Leonard images captured 15-16 December in visible light by the Metis instrument onboard the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The comet transited across the field of view with its dust and ion tails pointing towards the instrument.
Credit: ESA/Solar Orbiter/Metis Team / eyevine
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ESA/Solar Orbiter/Metis Team / eyevine -
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The beauty of the Sun seen from space
Image of a sunset or sunrise seen from the International Space Station. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer captured and posted this image to his social channels on 23 January 2022 with the caption:
He posted this to his social channels on 20 January 2022 with the caption: "The beauty of a sunset / sunrise. This thin layer of atmosphere is what makes our planet unique and provides the basis for all life. From space it seems more fragile, prone, unguarded and vulnerable than the scent of perfume."
Credit: ESA/NASA; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / eyevine
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ESA/NASA; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / eyevine -
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Crater tree rings
This feature could easily be mistaken for a tree stump with characteristic concentric rings. It’s actually an impressive birds-eye view into an ice-rich impact crater on Mars. Tree rings provide snapshots of Earth’s past climate and, although formed in a very different way, the patterns inside this crater reveal details of the Red Planet’s history, too.
The image was taken by the CaSSIS camera onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on 13 June 2021 in the vast northern plains of Acidalia Planitia, centred at 51.9°N/326.7°E.
The interior of the crater is filled with deposits that are probably water-ice rich. It is thought that these deposits were laid down during an earlier time in Mars’ history when the inclination of the planet’s spin axis allowed water-ice deposits to form at lower latitudes than it does today. Just like on Earth, Mars’ tilt gives rises to seasons, but unlike Earth its tilt has changed dramatically over long periods of time.
One of the notable features in the crater deposits is the presence of quasi-circular and polygonal patterns of fractures. These features are likely a result of seasonal changes in temperature that cause cycles of expansion and contraction of the ice-rich material, eventually leading to the development of fractures.
Understanding the history of water on Mars and if this once allowed life to flourish is at the heart of ESA’s ExoMars missions. TGO arrived at Mars in 2016 and began its full science mission in 2018. The spacecraft is not only returning spectacular images, but also providing the best ever inventory of the planet’s atmospheric gases with a particular emphasis on geologically and biologically important gases, and mapping the planet’s surface for water-rich locations. It will also provide data relay services for the second ExoMars mission comprising the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok platform, when it arrives on Mars in 2023. The rover will explore a region of Mars though
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Matthias and ROBert in Cupola
On 27 January 2021, just after the arrival of PLAYMOBIL’s robotic genius, ROBert, at the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took the opportunity to give his robot friend a guided tour of the Station - here they are in the Station's Cupola module.
Credit: ESA/PlayMobil / eyevine
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ESA/PlayMobil / eyevine -
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Beaming with science
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station farewelled over 2000 kg of scientific experiments and hardware on Sunday 23 January as a cargo Dragon spacecraft began its return to Earth.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer captured the resupply vehicle in all its glory as it departed the orbital outpost at 15:40 GMT/16:40 CET. It splashed down approximately 29 hours later off the coast of Florida, USA.
The SpaceX spacecraft arrived at the Space Station just before Christmas, bringing new experiments alongside Christmas treats. It returned with a bellyful of science, including several European experiments that were quickly transported to NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and other items that flew with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet during his Alpha mission.
Among the experiments were an investigation into the effect of microgravity on resting muscle tone known as Myotones, cell cultures for the Cytoskeleton experiment that looks at how human cells behave in weightlessness, and a new device called Thermo-Mini for continually monitoring core body temperature that you might have seen Matthias sporting on Station.
It also transported cargo relating to Microage, which uses synthetic muscle cells to study muscle degradation aboard the International Space Station, the Blob educational experiment that saw students replicate space research in the classroom using a naturally occurring slime mould, and equipment for the Multiscale Boiling experiment Rubi.
The next resupply vehicle to fly to the Station is a Northrop Grumman Cygnus, expected to be launched no earlier than 19 February 2022. In the meantime, the astronauts of Expedition 66 continue their busy schedule of science and operations in orbit. See Matthias Maurer’s Cosmic Kiss mission page for the latest news.
Credit: ESA/NASA-M.Maurer / eyevine
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The Medusae Fossae formation
This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows part of what is possibly the largest single source of dust on Mars: a wind-sculpted feature known as the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). The MFF is remarkably extensive – it is the largest sedimentary deposit on the planet and stretches out discontinuously for more than 5000 km, covering an area about the size of India.
This image comprises data gathered by ESA’s Mars Express using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 14 May 2021. The colour image was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC. The ground resolution is approximately 19 m/pixel and the images are centred at about 192°E/2°N. North is to the right.
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine
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ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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The Medusae Fossae formation
This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows part of what is possibly the largest single source of dust on Mars: a wind-sculpted feature known as the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). The MFF is remarkably extensive – it is the largest sedimentary deposit on the planet and stretches out discontinuously for more than 5000 km, covering an area about the size of India.
This image comprises data gathered by ESA’s Mars Express using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 14 May 2021. The colour image was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC. The ground resolution is approximately 19 m/pixel and the images are centred at about 192°E/2°N. North is to the right.
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / eyevine -
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Ariane 6 lower stage at Europe's Spaceport
The the first lower stage of ESA’s next-generation Ariane 6 launch vehicle has been installed on the assembly line at Europe’s Spaceport behind the upper stage. It is now time to join the two to create the central core of Ariane 6 in readiness for the first combined tests on the launch pad.
The arrival from Europe of Ariane 6’s central core in French Guiana is a major milestone and an exciting step forward in the path to first flight as it allows combined tests to start. From arrival to hot-firing tests on the launch pad, operational procedures will mimic an Ariane 6 launch campaign.
The lower stage is from ArianeGroup’s Les Mureaux site in France. Fitted with an additional two or four solid rocket boosters it is designed to power Ariane 6 in the first phase of flight, delivering about 135 tonnes of thrust in vacuum. The core stage is powered by the liquid-fuelled Vulcain 2.1 – an upgraded engine derived from Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2.
The Ariane 6 upper stage, built in ArianeGroup’s Bremen factory in Germany, allows Ariane 6 to reach a range of orbits on a single mission to deliver more payloads.
These two stages arrived by boat in French Guiana on 17 January 2022.
The upcoming tests verify all the interfaces and functions between the Ariane 6 launch vehicle and ground facilities of the new Ariane 6 launch complex at the spaceport. Reaching this phase of activities is the result of intense preparation by ESA and its partners in Europe and at Europe’s Spaceport.
Credit: P BAUDON/ESA/CNES/Arianespace / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
P BAUDON/ESA/CNES/Arianespace / eyevine -
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New location, same ASIM
The first-of-its-kind complement of instruments dubbed the ‘space storm hunter’ hangs out in its new location outside the International Space Station in this image taken by on of the Station’s external cameras.
The Atmosphere–Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM for short, measures electric events in Earth’s upper atmosphere with cameras, photometers and X- and gamma-ray detectors.
Last week ASIM was switched off and moved by robotic arm to another spot outside the Columbus module to make room for an American payload. Now in its new location, the instrument is being activated and so far things are going well.
From its new vantage point, just next to its current one, ASIM is pointing in a different direction, slightly more towards the horizon instead of straight down. This will help researchers work out how much the atmosphere at different altitudes influences the processes of electrical discharges. It’s like viewing a firework display: one can enjoy the shapes more from the side than if one is just below the display!
Though designed to look for electrical discharges born in stormy weather conditions in Earth’s upper atmosphere, ASIM recently detected a unique gamma-ray burst from outer space.
The spurt turned out to be from an explosive giant flare from a magnetar located 10 million light-years away in a distant galaxy. Magnetars are a special type of neutron star – the collapsed core of what was once a supergiant star. This fortuitous observation was published in the December issue of Nature magazine.
ASIM was built by Danish company Terma, the Danish Technical University, the University of Bergen in Norway and the University of Valencia in Spain for the European Space Agency.
Credit: ESA/NASA / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA/NASA / eyevine -
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Ariane 6 upper stage at Europe's Spaceport
The central core of ESA’s new generation Ariane 6 launch vehicle arrived by boat in French Guiana from Europe on 18 January 2022. This enables combined tests at Europe’s Spaceport where Ariane 6 parts will come together on the launch pad for the first time.
Ariane 6’s central core comprises a lower stage and upper stage. The lower stage is from ArianeGroup’s Les Mureaux site in France; the upper stage is from ArianeGroup’s Bremen factory in Germany.
Upon arrival by boat at Pariacabo harbour, two containers were transported by road to the new Ariane 6 launch vehicle assembly building – part of the Ariane 6 launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport. Here, the rocket stages were unpacked and installed on the assembly line machinery for integration, to form the Ariane 6 central core. After this, they will be used in ‘combined’ tests which will verify all the interfaces and functions between the Ariane 6 launch vehicle and ground facilities at the spaceport.
From arrival to hot-firing tests on the launch pad, operational procedures will follow as closely as possible those for any Ariane 6 launch campaign.
Credit: P BAUDON/ESA/CNES/Arianespace / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
P BAUDON/ESA/CNES/Arianespace / eyevine -
