The astronauts aboard the ISS were amazed by the April 8 solar eclipse, just like the rest of us, and went crazy snapping photos from orbit.

They got some amazing views of the Moon's shadow sweeping across southern Canada & Maine, seen from 420 km (261 miles) above: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/with/53645140833 #space #eclipse #space #astronomy

This is the surface of a comet! Dust is swirling around the surface of Comet 67/P -- captured in 2016 by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, processing by Jacint Roger Perez.

Still one of the most remarkable scenes in space exploration.

#space #science #astronomy #ESA

Don’t fuck with moon dust. No seriously, do not fuck with moon dust.

Absent any moisture or atmosphere, millennia of asteroid impacts have turned lunar regolith (soil) into a fine powder of razor sharp, glass-like particles. What’s more, the solar wind imparts an electric charge on the dust, causing it to cling to any and every surface it touches through static electricity. On earth, sand tends to get smoother over time as wind and water tumble the grains about, eroding their sharpness. Not so on the moon – lunar dust is sharp and deadly. This is Not A Good Time if you’re an explorer looking to visit our celestial neighbor.

During Apollo, the astronauts faced a plethora of unexpected issues caused by dust. It clung to spacesuits and darkened them enough that exposure to sunlight overheated the life support systems. Dust got in suit joints and on suit visors, damaging them. It ate away layers of boot lining. It covered cameras. Upon returning to the cabin, astronauts attempting to brush it off damaged their suit fabric and sent the dust airborne, where it remained suspended in the air due to low gravity.

Inhaling moon dust causes mucus membranes to swell; every Apollo astronaut who stepped foot on the moon reported symptoms of “Lunar Hay Fever.” Sneezing, congestion, and a “smell of burnt gunpowder” took days to subside. Later Apollo missions even sent a special dust brush with the team to help clean each other and equipment. We don’t know exactly how dangerous the stuff is, but lunar regolith simulants suggest it might destroy lung and brain cells with long-term exposure. 1
In fact the dust is so nasty that it destroyed the vacuum seals of sample return containers. We no longer have any accurate samples of lunar dust, “Every sample brought back from the moon has been contaminated by Earth’s air and humidity […] The chemical and electrostatic properties of the soil no longer match what future astronauts will encounter on the moon.” 2
Whats worse, the solar-charged dust gets thrown up off the moon’s surface via electrostatic forces. The moon doesn’t technically have an atmosphere, but it does have a thin cloud of sharp dust itching to cling to anything it can find.

And it probably isn’t just the moon. “A 2005 NASA study listed 20 risks that required further study before humans should commit to a human Mars expedition, and ranked "dust" as the number one challenge.” 3
The coolest solution I’ve heard about in next-gen spacesuit design is a mesh of woven wires layered into the suit. When activated, the wire mesh would form an anti-static electric field that repels dust. Quite literally a force field. 4
#astronomy #apollo #moon #lunardust

You ever hear a fact that utterly blows your mind? That would be impossible to believe if there weren't photographic evidence?

Saturn's rings can be counted like rings on a treestump. They tell the story of the entire Saturn system's history.

What's more, they aren't rings, they are spirals. The gravitational mechanics of Saturn's rings work similarly to galactic arms, only wound more tightly.

The density waves that are formed by "shepherd moons" aren't one-directional, either. In one of the pics attached, the gravitational wake of the moon Daphnis can be seen throwing up waves perpendicular to the plane of the rings.

See sources for more detailed info
1 2 3 4 5
#astronomy #astrophysics #saturn #cassini

This is a three hour long #photo sequence I took in Jan 2019 during a total lunar #eclipse at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile

As the #Moon moves into the Earth's shadow it becomes red. When sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere, blue light is scattered away more efficiently than red light, which passes through almost unimpeded, like at #sunrise or #sunset.

From the Moon, you would see the Earth surrounded by a golden fiery ring.

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography

Phew! Thanks to new data from ESO's Very Large #Telescope, we now know that a white dwarf that was set for a close encounter with our Solar System in 29000 years isn't actually headed our way. Turns out that the intense magnetic field of the #star had biased the previous measurements of the approach speed. You're welcome everyone! 😉

We tell you everything in our latest ESO #blog: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/rogue-star/

#astrodon #astronomy #space #scicomm

ESOblog: Rogue star not heading for Solar System collision after all

Rogue star not heading for Solar System collision after all

^www.eso.org

Happy Halloween 🎃

Here are the pumpkins I carved this year: An active red dwarf star and its gas giant planet. I call it an exo-pumpkin.

#pumpkin #JackOLantern #halloween #Astrodon #astronomy

We have a new post in our Blog article series illuminating 🪔the #science background 👩🏻‍🔬 👨🏾‍🔬 of ##ESAEuclid 🛰️ and the techniques we'll employ for high-precision #cosmology: "Measuring the Universe with Baryon Acoustic Oscillations?"

👉 https://www.euclid-ec.org/measuring-the-universe-with-baryon-acoustic-oscillations/

#astrodon #astronomy #DarkEnergy #DarkMatter #space

Mars - #HopeMarsMission spotted an elongated cloud around Ascraeus Mons

Full size image: https://flic.kr/p/2oDddEZ

North Polar Cap ↖️
Timetag: 2021-07-10
Altitude: 33580 km
Raw Data from: https://sdc.emiratesmarsmission.a
Filters: f635+f546+f437 (f320UV used just to enhance a little bit the cloud around the Ascraeus Mons)

I love also Olympus and Arsia Mons on the Terminator!

#Mars #HopeProbe #Space #Spacetodon #Astrodon #Solarocks #Astronomy
Credit:
UAESA/MBRSC/HopeMarsMission/EXI/AndreaLuck

Galactic collisions result in a billion-year gravitational dance, as shown in this captivating supercomputer simulation. The simulation depicts the collision of two spiral galaxies and is complemented by actual images of galactic collisions at various stages captured by Hubble.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers
Source: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30686
#Astronomy #Space #Universe #AltText4Me