svs.gsfc.nasa.gov
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Submitted URL: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Effective URL: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Submission: On December 04 via api from US — Scanned from CH
Effective URL: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Submission: On December 04 via api from US — Scanned from CH
Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM
GET /search
<form id="navbar_search_form" class="ps-0 ps-md-2" role="search" action="/search" method="get">
<div class="input-group flex-nowrap w-100">
<input type="text" id="navbar_search_box" class="form-control ckempty border border-end-0 text-light bg-dark border-light" name="search" value="" placeholder="Search..." aria-label="Search...">
<label for="navbar_search_box" class="visually-hidden"> Search </label>
<button id="navbar_search_box_clear" type="reset" class="btn btn-primary border-start-0 border border-end-0 pe-1 bg-dark border-light" title="Clear search text" aria-label="Clear search text" onclick="$('#navbar_search_box').val('')">
<span class="bi bi-backspace text-light" aria-hidden="true"> </span>
</button>
<button id="navbar_search_box_submit" type="submit" title="Search!" aria-label="Search!" class="btn btn-primary border border-start-0 pe-3 bg-dark border-light">
<span class="bi bi-search text-light" aria-hidden="true"> </span>
</button>
</div>
</form>GET
<form id="rec_rel_form" method="get" class="position-relative vstack gap-1">
<h2 class="mb-0"> Recently released </h2>
<div class="w-100">
<button class="btn btn-sm btn-primary me-auto" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#rec_rel_form_filter_list" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="rec_rel_form_filter_list">
<span class="bi bi-funnel-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span> Filters <span class="bi bi-chevron-compact-down" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
<button id="rec_rel_form_filter_reset_button" type="button" title="Clear filters" class="btn btn-sm btn-danger filter-reset-button" style="display: none;">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg" aria-hidden="true"></span> Clear filters </button>
<div id="rec_rel_form_filter_list" class="collapse w-100 pt-1 gap-2">
<ul class="list-unstyled hstack align-items-start flex-wrap gap-2 mb-0 w-100" aria-label="Gallery filters">
<div id="rec_rel_form_filter_nsc" class="filter">
<li class="hstack gap-2 flex-shrink-0 w-100">
<div class="vr"></div>
<div class="vstack" style="max-width: 100%">
<div class="hstack gap-2">
<h3 class="fs-6 mb-1">NASA Science category</h3>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-small mb-1 p-0 border-0" data-bs-toggle="tooltip" data-bs-trigger="focus" data-bs-html="true"
data-bs-title="This filter narrows down results based on what NASA Science category they are tagged with.">
<span class="bi bi-question-circle" title="Filter help"></span>
</button>
</div>
<ul class="list-unstyled hstack gap-1 mb-0 flex-wrap">
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
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data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-globe-americas me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Earth </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
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</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
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<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_nsc_3522" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-moon-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Planets & Moons </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
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<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
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<li class="btn-group position-relative">
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<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_nsc_3521" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-sun-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Sun </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
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<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
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<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_nsc_3523" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-stars me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Universe </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
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</li>
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<div id="rec_rel_form_filter_rtype" class="filter">
<li class="hstack gap-2 flex-shrink-0 w-100">
<div class="vr"></div>
<div class="vstack" style="max-width: 100%">
<div class="hstack gap-2">
<h3 class="fs-6 mb-1">Page type</h3>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-small mb-1 p-0 border-0" data-bs-toggle="tooltip" data-bs-trigger="focus" data-bs-html="true" data-bs-title="This filter narrows down results based on what type of content they are.">
<span class="bi bi-question-circle" title="Filter help"></span>
</button>
</div>
<ul class="list-unstyled hstack gap-1 mb-0 flex-wrap">
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
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<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_11" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-play-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Animation </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
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<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_15" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-camera-reels-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> B-Roll </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_40" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="40" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_40" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-images me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Gallery </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_13" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="13" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_13" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-grid-3x2-gap-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Hyperwall Visual </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_14" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="14" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_14" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-diagram-2-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Infographic </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_16" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="16" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_16" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-hand-index-thumb-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Interactive </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_12" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="12" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_12" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-person-video me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Produced Video </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
<li class="btn-group position-relative">
<input id="rec_rel_form_rtype_10" type="checkbox" name="rtype" value="10" class="filter-input filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-input btn-check" data-initial-selected="True" data-filter-min-count="1" checked="">
<label class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary rounded" for="rec_rel_form_rtype_10" style="margin: -1px; padding: 5px 40px 5px 9px" title="Show results that *only* match this filter"
data-checked-title="Show results that *only* match this filter" data-unchecked-title="Include results that match this filter">
<span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Visualization </label>
<button class="filter-list-of-choices-multicheck-with-x-clear btn btn-sm btn-primary border-0 bg-transparent position-absolute end-0" type="button" title="Exclude results that match this filter"
style="margin: -1px; padding: 6px 9px 6px 9px; z-index: 2; ">
<span class="bi bi-x-lg text-light" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</button>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
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</ul>
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<div id="rec_rel_form_results" class="card-gallery-ajax-wrapper">
<input type="hidden" id="rec_rel_form_results_var_can_load" value="true">
<input type="hidden" id="rec_rel_form_results_var_is_loading" value="false" class="card-gallery-ajax-trigger">
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<input type="hidden" id="rec_rel_form_results_var_params" value="">
<div class="position-relative" style="height: 480px; width: 100%">
<div id="rec_rel_form_results_results" style="">
<div class="position-relative">
<ul id="rec_rel_form_results_gallery" class="gallery card-gallery gap-2 list-unstyled">
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<!-- Items -->
<!-- Card card_search_result_40529 -->
<li id="card_search_result_40529" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_40529_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/gallery/air-quality-dashboard/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/images/gallery/AirQualityDashboard/ActiveFires_SuomiNPP.png" alt="" style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 40529 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-images me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span> Gallery
</span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_40529_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_40529_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/gallery/air-quality-dashboard/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
Air Quality Dashboard
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> December 4, 2024 </span><span class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_40529_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 7;"> NASA's fleet of Earth observing satellites monitor our planet's
oceans, biosphere, and atmosphere. Instruments onboard satellites observe air pollutants around the world. The data collected are used by air quality experts and researchers studying the impact of air pollution on human health. ||
Air Quality Dashboard || Overview || NASA's fleet of Earth observing satellites monitor our planet's oceans, biosphere, and atmosphere. Instruments onboard satellites observe air pollutants around the world. The data collected are
used by air quality experts and researchers studying the impact of air pollution on human health. || Worldview Satellite Observations - First Cycle || The first cycle of the Earth Now dashboard shows a set of near real-time
satellite observations, provided by NASA's Worldview team. These satellite data products are generally captured within the previous three hours and are created in an expedited manner to support forecasting and monitoring of
natural hazards and disasters, to assess air quality and support agricultural needs, to facilitate improved weather prediction, and to help ensure homeland security. While the displayed NASA satellite missions were originally
designed for scientific research, they have been adapted to also support time sensitive applications through NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability (LANCE). || Active fires detected by Suomin NPP satellite ||
ActiveFires_SuomiNPP.png (1432x2716) [3.5 MB] || Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) by Aura satellite || NitrogenDioxideAura.png (1432x2716) [5.0 MB] || Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) by Suomi NPP || AerosolOpticalDepth_Suomi.png
(1432x2716) [4.1 MB] || Models: Air Quality || Predictions of air pollution are created using complex models that combine information about weather and the emissions, transformation, and transport of chemical species and
particles. The Goddard Earth Observing System Composition Forecasting (GEOS-CF) system is a research model maintained by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office to help scientists understand the causes and impact of air
pollution. It is one of the highest resolution and most detailed models of its kind in the world, made possible through ongoing collaborations between NASA and university scientists. GEOS-CF tracks the concentrations of hundreds
of gas phase chemical species and dozens of types of particles characterized by their composition and size. It is used by a wide variety of stakeholders around the world to develop new methods for improving local predictions,
understanding the impact of pollution on human health, and improving the quality of NASA satellite datasets. || 5151: Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 || 5152: Near surface Ozone (O3) || 5153: Carbon Monoxide (CO) || 5154: Nitrogen
Oxides (NOx) || Revolutionizing our understanding with NASA's TEMPO mission || NASA’s TEMPO, or Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, is the first space-based instrument designed to continuously measure air quality
above North America with the resolution of a few square miles. TEMPO uses visible sunlight to take hourly scans of North America's atmosphere and can not see pollution below clouds or at night || 5175: TEMPO - Nitrogen Dioxide Air
Pollution Over ... || 4810: Reductions in Pollution Associated with Decr... || 5107: Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Washingto... || Air Quality Index for DC || no_preview_web_black.png (320x180) [6.9 KB] || Side Circles
|| Eyes on Earth: Aqua satellite || EyesOnEarth_Aqua.png (2152x2158) [2.6 MB] || Eyes on Earth: Aura Satellte || EyesOnEarth_Aura.png (2152x2158) [3.1 MB] || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_40529_body_link_button" href="/gallery/air-quality-dashboard/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
Go to this page <span class="bi bi-chevron-right mx-2" aria-hidden="true"></span></a>
</div>
</li>
<!-- Card card_search_result_14723 -->
<li id="card_search_result_14723" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_14723_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14723/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014723/pace-pax-thumb_print.jpg" alt="Music: "Changing Seasons," "Magnetism," "Autumn Shower," "Elegance," "Near Our Home," "Hope for Tomorrow," "Drop of Water," "North Winds," "Prelude and Transition," Universal Production Music.Complete transcript available." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 14723 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-person-video me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Produced Video </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_14723_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_14723_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/14723/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
PACE Scientists Take to the Sea and Air (and Really High Air)
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 29, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Earth" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Earth"><span class="bi bi-globe-americas" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_14723_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Music: "Changing Seasons," "Magnetism," "Autumn Shower,"
"Elegance," "Near Our Home," "Hope for Tomorrow," "Drop of Water," "North Winds," "Prelude and Transition," Universal Production Music.Complete transcript available. || pace-pax-thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [186.5 KB] ||
pace-pax-thumb.png (2560x1440) [2.6 MB] || pace-pax-thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [91.0 KB] || pace-pax-thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.srt [18.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.vtt
[17.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.webm (3840x2160) [114.9 MB] || PACE-PAX_final.mp4 (3840x2160) [690.6 MB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [35.0 GB] || || 14723 || PACE Scientists Take to the Sea and
Air (and Really High Air) || Music: "Changing Seasons," "Magnetism," "Autumn Shower," "Elegance," "Near Our Home," "Hope for Tomorrow," "Drop of Water," "North Winds," "Prelude and Transition," Universal Production Music.Complete
transcript available. || pace-pax-thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [186.5 KB] || pace-pax-thumb.png (2560x1440) [2.6 MB] || pace-pax-thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [91.0 KB] || pace-pax-thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB]
|| PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.srt [18.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.vtt [17.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.webm (3840x2160) [169.3 MB] || PACE-PAX_final.mp4 (3840x2160) [690.6 MB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.mov
(3840x2160) [35.0 GB] || Life Support for ER-2 Pilots (Optimized for Instagram Reels)Music: "Emotional Grid," "Lift Me Up Higher," "You Say It's Over," Universal Production Music. || ER-2_thumb.png (562x1008) [1002.5 KB]
|| ER-2_thumb_print.jpg (1024x1836) [329.3 KB] || ER-2_thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [83.9 KB] || ER-2_thumb_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || ER2_Life_Support_Reel.mp4 (1080x1920) [110.8 MB] ||
ER2_Life_Support.en_US.srt [2.4 KB] || ER2_Life_Support.en_US.vtt [2.3 KB] || Earth || airborne || California || Field Campaign || Location || Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS)
as Producer || Elizabeth C. Wilk (eMITS) as Producer || Grace Weikert (eMITS) as Producer || Elizabeth C. Wilk (eMITS) as Videographer || Grace Weikert (eMITS) as Videographer || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Videographer || Ryan
Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Writer || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Editor || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Narrator || Kirk Knobelspiesse (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ivona Cetinic (Morgan State University) as Scientist || Brian Cairns
(NASA/GSFC GISS) as Scientist || Jeremy Werdell (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Animator || Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC) as Visualizer || Kel Elkins (USRA) as Visualizer || Kirk Knobelspiesse (NASA/GSFC) as
Interviewee || Ivona Cetinic (Morgan State University) as Interviewee || Brian Cairns (NASA/GSFC GISS) as Interviewee || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_14723_body_link_button" href="/14723/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
Go to this page <span class="bi bi-chevron-right mx-2" aria-hidden="true"></span></a>
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5411 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5411" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5411_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5411/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005411/20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5411 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5411_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5411_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5411/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An M6.5 flare from Active Region 13854 - October 19, 2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 28, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5411_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13854 launches an M6.5 flare on October 19, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the
classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5411 || An M6.5 flare
from Active Region 13854 - October 19, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records
imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13854 launches an M6.5
flare on October 19, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares.
The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. ||
20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg (1024x1024) [567.8 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_searchweb.png (320x180) [95.1 KB] ||
20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [81.4 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] ||
AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg
(1024x1024) [322.0 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [14.2 MB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [209.2 MB] ||
Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [209.0 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13854
(on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg (1024x1024) [602.5 KB] ||
20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [50.8 MB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] ||
20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes,
especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the
image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets
scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of
this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the
computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_000303_print.jpg
(1024x95) [15.5 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet
Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO -
Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer ||
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_5411_body_link_button" href="/5411/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5403 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5403" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5403_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5403/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005403/20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5403 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5403_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5403_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5403/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An X1.8 flare from Active Region 13848 - October 9, 2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 27, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5403_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.Active Region 13848 launches an X1.8 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares:
What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5403 || An X1.8 flare from Active Region 13848 - October 9, 2024 || Solar
Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at
wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13848 launches an X1.8 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information
on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13848
(in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024) [565.5 KB] ||
20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_searchweb.png (320x180) [97.6 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4
(1024x1024) [131.3 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048)
[2.1 GB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.1 GB] || Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. ||
20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024) [319.5 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.8 MB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [298.8 MB] || Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [297.6 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF
[256.0 KB] || Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024)
[608.5 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [68.2 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes,
especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the
image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets
scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of
this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the
computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_000301_print.jpg
(1024x95) [15.5 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet
Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO -
Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer ||
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_5403_body_link_button" href="/5403/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5406 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5406" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5406_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5406/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005406/20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5406 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5406_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5406_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5406/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An M7.7 flare from Active Region 13842 - October 9, 2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 27, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5406_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13842 launches an M7.7 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the
classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5406 || An M7.7 flare
from Active Region 13842 - October 9, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery
in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13842 launches an M7.7 flare on
October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The
point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. ||
20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg (1024x1024) [560.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_searchweb.png (320x180) [96.0 KB] ||
20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [79.7 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] ||
AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg
(1024x1024) [313.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [13.3 MB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [205.0 MB] ||
20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [205.6 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13842
(on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg (1024x1024) [608.2 KB] ||
20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [46.7 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] ||
20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes,
especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the
image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets
scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of
this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the
computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_000291_print.jpg
(1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet
Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO -
Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer ||
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_5406_body_link_button" href="/5406/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
Go to this page <span class="bi bi-chevron-right mx-2" aria-hidden="true"></span></a>
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5420 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5420" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5420_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5420/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005420/20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5420 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5420_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5420_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5420/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An M7.2 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 30,2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 27, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5420_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 launches an M7.2 flare. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to
Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5420 || An M7.2 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 30,2024 || Solar Dynamics
Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths
normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 launches an M7.2 flare. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar
flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left
quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. ||
20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [481.7 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_searchweb.png (320x180) [90.3 KB] ||
20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_thm.png (80x40) [7.0 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [62.7 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [128.0 KB] ||
AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [128.0 KB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.2 GB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [1.2 GB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve
the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [313.3 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [13.3 MB] ||
20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [200.6 MB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [201.8 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] ||
AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF
deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [594.7 KB] ||
20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [44.3 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] ||
20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes,
especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the
image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets
scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of
this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the
computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_000306_print.jpg
(1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet
Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO -
Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer ||
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_5420_body_link_button" href="/5420/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
Go to this page <span class="bi bi-chevron-right mx-2" aria-hidden="true"></span></a>
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5413 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5413" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5413_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5413/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005413/20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5413 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5413_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5413_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5413/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An X1.8 & M9.5 flare from Active Region 13873 - October 26, 2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 27, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5413_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.Double flares launch from the same active region (AR 13873) less than an hour apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry for M9.5 @ 2024-10-26T06:23 TAI and X1.8 @
2024-10-26T07:19 TAI.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied
to some of this imagery. || || 5413 || An X1.8 & M9.5 flare from Active Region 13873 - October 26, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the
Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Double flares launch
from the same active region (AR 13873) less than an hour apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry for M9.5 @ 2024-10-26T06:23 TAI and X1.8 @ 2024-10-26T07:19 TAI.For more information on the classification of
solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left
limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. ||
20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [492.3 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_searchweb.png (320x180) [87.8 KB] ||
20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [121.9 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.0 GB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [2.0 GB] || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to
improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [307.5 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.0 MB] ||
20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [307.8 MB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [307.9 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF
deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [601.1 KB] ||
20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [66.5 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes,
especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the
image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets
scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of
this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the
computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_000312_print.jpg
(1024x95) [15.7 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet
Imaging || Heliophysics || Multiple solar flares || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth
Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger
(eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
</div><a id="card_search_result_5413_body_link_button" href="/5413/" title="Go to this page" class="flex-shrink-0 btn btn-outline-primary border-0 bg-transparent w-100 mt-auto py-0" tabindex="-1">
Go to this page <span class="bi bi-chevron-right mx-2" aria-hidden="true"></span></a>
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<!-- Card card_search_result_5421 -->
<li id="card_search_result_5421" class="card-gallery-card card flex-shrink-0 rounded overflow-hidden position-relative p-0 m-0 bg-gray-300" style="width: 320px; max-width: 80vw; flex: none;"><!-- Header -->
<div id="card_search_result_5421_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5421/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005421/20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 5421 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
class="position-absolute bottom-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-top-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"><span class="bi bi-pie-chart-fill me-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5421_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
<h3 id="card_search_result_5421_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5421/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
An X2.0 and M9.4 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 31, 2024
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 27, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5421_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 presents a 'double whammy' of two strong flares (X 2.0 and M9.4) only about 30 minutes apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entries for X2.0 (peak @
2024-10-31T21:20) and M9.4 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:54).For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function
correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5421 || An X2.0 and M9.4 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 31, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to
obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them
from space.Active Region 13878 presents a 'double whammy' of two strong flares (X 2.0 and M9.4) only about 30 minutes apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entries for X2.0 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:20) and M9.4
(peak @ 2024-10-31T21:54).For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been
applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to
these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [484.3 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_searchweb.png
(320x180) [90.3 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_thm.png (80x40) [6.9 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [93.9 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped
[256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.8 GB] ||
Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.8 GB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom
filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [320.7 KB] ||
20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.7 MB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [309.3 MB] || Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [310.4 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an
X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. ||
20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [595.4 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [67.0 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] ||
AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components.
These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a
measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered
over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process
which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you
are using. || slate_Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_000305_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.1 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona ||
Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Multiple solar flares || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 ||
Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman
(Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5412/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005412/20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg" alt="Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
<div id="card_search_result_5412_body" class="card-body vstack gap-1 p-2" style="height: 270px;"><!-- Title -->
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An X3.3 flare from Active Region 13869 - October 24, 2024
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 26, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_5412_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous
orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we
need to observe them from space.Active region 13869 launches an X3.3 flare on October 24, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares:
What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5412 || An X3.3 flare from Active Region 13869 - October 24, 2024 ||
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at
wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active region 13869 launches an X3.3 flare on October 24, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more
information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. ||
Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around
the flare location. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [496.4 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_searchweb.png (320x180) [86.8 KB] ||
20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_thm.png (80x40) [6.6 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [109.6 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.9 GB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4
(2048x2048) [1.9 GB] || Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the
contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [317.1 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [21.1 MB] ||
20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [296.1 MB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [295.7 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] ||
AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution
has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [602.2 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4
(1024x1024) [68.6 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048)
[1.6 GB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia),
have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and
dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of
bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution
(Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make
sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_000302_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates
[256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active
Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] ||
AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET
Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14707/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014707/Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml.png" alt="XRISM’s Resolve instrument has captured the most detailed X-ray spectrum yet acquired of Cygnus X-3. Peaks indicate X-rays emitted by ionized gases, and valleys form where the gases absorb X-rays; many lines are also shifted to both higher and lower energies by gas motions. Top: The full Resolve spectrum, from 2 to 8 keV (kiloelectron volts), tracks X-rays with thousands of times the energy of visible light. Some lines are labeled with the names of the elements that produced them, such as sulfur, argon, and calcium, along with Roman numerals that refer to the number of electrons these atoms have lost. Bottom: A zoom into a region of the spectrum often dominated by features produced by transitions in the innermost electron shell (K shell) of iron atoms. These features form when the atoms interact with high-energy X-rays or electrons and respond by emitting a photon at energies between 6.4 and 7 keV. These details, clearly visible for the first time with XRISM’s Resolve instrument, will help astronomers refine their understanding of this unusual system.Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM CollaborationAlt text: XRISM Resolve X-ray spectrum of Cygnus X-3 Image description: Two graphs appear on a dark blue background. The text at the top reads “XRISM Resolve Spectrum of Cygnus X-3.” The top graph, which takes up the upper third of the image, has a lighter blue background that darkens from top to bottom, an even brighter squiggly line that arcs across the graph, and yellow text such as “Sulfur XV” and Calcium XX.” X-ray brightness increases from bottom to top, and X-ray energy (measured in thousands of electron volts, or keV) increases from left to right. An orange box labeled “Area of detail” surrounds a series of peaks and valleys near the right end and identifies the region shown in the bottom graph. The lower chart is labeled “Iron K-alpha region” and shows prominent emission and absorption features produced by iron. " style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
class="position-absolute top-0 start-0 badge bg-dark bg-opacity-75 fs-6 fw-normal rounded-0" style="border-bottom-right-radius: var(--bs-border-radius) !important;"> ID: 14707 </span><!-- Type badge --><span
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XRISM's Resolve Instrument Gazes into Cygnus X-3
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 25, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14707_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary system consisting of a
compact object (likely a black hole) and a Wolf-Rayet star. This artist's concept shows one interpretation of the system. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates two gas components: a heavy background outflow, or wind,
produced by the massive star and a turbulent structure — perhaps a wake carved into the wind — located close to the orbiting companion. As shown here, a black hole's gravity captures some of the wind into an accretion disk around
it, and the disk's orbital motion sculpts a path (yellow arc) through the streaming gas. During strong outbursts, the companion emits jets of particles moving near the speed of light, seen here extending above and below the black
hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterAlt text: Illustration of the Cygnus X-3 systemImage description: On a cloudy reddish background, a bright blue-white circle — a representation of a hot, bright, massive star — sits
near the center. Wisps of blue-white border its edges, and many lines of similar color radiate from it. In the foreground at about 4 o’clock lies a yellowish ring with a black hole in its center. From the ring trails a diffuse
yellow arc, sweeping from right to left and exiting at the bottom of the illustration. Extending above and below the black hole are two blue-white triangles representing particle jets. || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K.jpg (3840x2160)
[505.1 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.5 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_web.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] ||
Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || || 14707 || XRISM's Resolve Instrument Gazes into Cygnus X-3 || Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary system consisting of a compact object (likely a black hole) and a
Wolf-Rayet star. This artist's concept shows one interpretation of the system. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates two gas components: a heavy background outflow, or wind, produced by the massive star and a turbulent
structure — perhaps a wake carved into the wind — located close to the orbiting companion. As shown here, a black hole's gravity captures some of the wind into an accretion disk around it, and the disk's orbital motion sculpts a
path (yellow arc) through the streaming gas. During strong outbursts, the companion emits jets of particles moving near the speed of light, seen here extending above and below the black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
CenterAlt text: Illustration of the Cygnus X-3 systemImage description: On a cloudy reddish background, a bright blue-white circle — a representation of a hot, bright, massive star — sits near the center. Wisps of blue-white
border its edges, and many lines of similar color radiate from it. In the foreground at about 4 o’clock lies a yellowish ring with a black hole in its center. From the ring trails a diffuse yellow arc, sweeping from right to left
and exiting at the bottom of the illustration. Extending above and below the black hole are two blue-white triangles representing particle jets. || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K.jpg (3840x2160) [505.1 KB] ||
Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.5 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_web.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_thm.png (80x40)
[6.1 KB] || The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has captured the most detailed portrait yet of gases flowing within Cygnus X-3, one of the most studied sources in the X-ray sky.Cygnus X-3
is a binary that pairs a rare type of high-mass star with a compact companion — likely a black hole. The components are so close they complete an orbit in just 4.8 hours.The star makes the system especially intriguing. It's a
Wolf-Rayet star, a type that has evolved to the point where strong outflows called stellar winds strip gas from the star’s surface and drive it outward. The compact object sweeps up and heats some of this gas, causing it to emit
X-rays.XRISM (pronounced “crism”) is led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, along with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). NASA and JAXA developed the mission’s microcalorimeter
spectrometer instrument, named Resolve. Observing Cygnus X-3 for 18 hours in late March, Resolve acquired a high-resolution spectrum that allows astronomers to better understand the complex gas dynamics operating there. These
include outflowing gas produced by a hot, massive star, its interaction with the compact companion, and a turbulent region that may represent a wake produced by the companion as it orbits through the outrushing gas. Cygnus X-3 is
thought to lie about 32,000 light-years away in the direction of the northern constellation Cygnus. While thick dust clouds in our galaxy’s central plane obscure the system's visible light, the binary has been studied in radio,
infrared, and gamma-ray light, as well as in X-rays. The system is immersed in the star’s streaming gas, which is illuminated and ionized by X-rays from the compact companion. The gas both emits and absorbs X-rays, and many of the
spectrum’s prominent peaks and valleys incorporate both aspects. Yet a simple attempt at understanding the spectrum comes up short because some of the features appear to be in the wrong place. That’s because the rapid motion of
the gas displaces these features from their normal laboratory energies due to the Doppler effect. Absorption valleys typically shift up to higher energies, indicating gas moving toward us at speeds of up to 930,000 mph (1.5
million kph). Emission peaks shift down to lower energies, indicating gas moving away from us at slower speeds. Some spectral features displayed much stronger absorption valleys than emission peaks. The reason for this imbalance,
the team concludes, is that the dynamics of the stellar wind allow the moving gas to absorb a broader range of X-ray energies emitted by the companion. The detail of the XRISM spectrum, particularly at higher energies rich in
features produced by ionized iron atoms, allowed the scientists to disentangle these effects. || XRISM’s Resolve instrument has captured the most detailed X-ray spectrum yet acquired of Cygnus X-3. Peaks indicate X-rays emitted by
ionized gases, and valleys form where the gases absorb X-rays; many lines are also shifted to both higher and lower energies by gas motions. Top: The full Resolve spectrum, from 2 to 8 keV (kiloelectron volts), tracks X-rays with
thousands of times the energy of visible light. Some lines are labeled with the names of the elements that produced them, such as sulfur, argon, and calcium, along with Roman numerals that refer to the number of electrons these
atoms have lost. Bottom: A zoom into a region of the spectrum often dominated by features produced by transitions in the innermost electron shell (K shell) of iron atoms. These features form when the atoms interact with
high-energy X-rays or electrons and respond by emitting a photon at energies between 6.4 and 7 keV. These details, clearly visible for the first time with XRISM’s Resolve instrument, will help astronomers refine their
understanding of this unusual system.Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM CollaborationAlt text: XRISM Resolve X-ray spectrum of Cygnus X-3 Image description: Two graphs appear on a dark blue background. The text at the top reads “XRISM
Resolve Spectrum of Cygnus X-3.” The top graph, which takes up the upper third of the image, has a lighter blue background that darkens from top to bottom, an even brighter squiggly line that arcs across the graph, and yellow text
such as “Sulfur XV” and Calcium XX.” X-ray brightness increases from bottom to top, and X-ray energy (measured in thousands of electron volts, or keV) increases from left to right. An orange box labeled “Area of detail” surrounds
a series of peaks and valleys near the right end and identifies the region shown in the bottom graph. The lower chart is labeled “Iron K-alpha region” and shows prominent emission and absorption features produced by iron. ||
Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml.png (1028x800) [177.3 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_print.jpg (1024x796) [153.9 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_full_2160.png (2775x2160) [599.8 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_searchweb.png (320x180)
[39.3 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_web.png (320x249) [49.5 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_thm.png (80x40) [3.9 KB] || For More Information || See
<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/xrism/nasa-jaxa-xrism-mission-looks-deeply-into-hidden-stellar-system/">NASA.gov</a> || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Binary || Black Hole || Space || Spectrum || Star || Universe ||
X-ray || XRISM || XRISM || Astrophysics Stills || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Illustrator || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Graphics
|| Tim Kallman (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ralf Ballhausen (University of Maryland College Park) as Scientist || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14726/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014726/1-_EXCITE_Launch_searchweb.png" alt="The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) mission prepares for launch via a scientific balloon in this photograph taken on Aug. 31, 2024, at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts
Alt text: A large vehicle hosts a telescope.
Image description: A large vehicle stands in the center as dawn breaks over a desert landscape. The vehicle has a long arm extending forward. At the end of the arm dangles a shiny silver telescope. The top is conical, and various rectangular structures are attached to the bottoms and sides. The vehicle has lights along the arm that illuminate the telescope. There’s a truck parked to the vehicle’s left. In the distance, the sky is orange at the horizon, shading from purple to blue at the top of the image. There is a line of streaky clouds across the center." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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EXCITE 2024: Launch and Recovery
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 25, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14726_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> On August 31, 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared
TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete
an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of
Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both the north and south poles, although flights over Antarctica allow
for longer-duration flights at a latitude optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || || 14726 || EXCITE 2024: Launch and Recovery || On August 31, 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team
conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once
every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s
atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both the north and south poles, although flights over Antarctica allow for
longer-duration flights at a latitude optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) mission prepares for launch via a scientific balloon in this photograph taken on Aug.
31, 2024, at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A large vehicle hosts a telescope. Image description: A large vehicle stands in the center as dawn breaks
over a desert landscape. The vehicle has a long arm extending forward. At the end of the arm dangles a shiny silver telescope. The top is conical, and various rectangular structures are attached to the bottoms and sides. The
vehicle has lights along the arm that illuminate the telescope. There’s a truck parked to the vehicle’s left. In the distance, the sky is orange at the horizon, shading from purple to blue at the top of the image. There is a line
of streaky clouds across the center. || 1-<em>EXCITE_Launch.jpg (8192x4765) [21.6 MB] || 1-_EXCITE_Launch_searchweb.png (320x180) [79.9 KB] || 1-_EXCITE_Launch_thm.png (80x40) [15.4 KB] || The EXCITE team stands in
front of the telescope the morning of launch. From left to right: Lee Bernard (Arizona State University), Annalies Kleyheeg (Brown University), Greg Tucker (Brown University), Steve Maher (Science Systems and Applications,
Inc./NASA), Peter Nagler (NASA), Tim Rehm (Brown University), Khing Klangboonkrong, Kyle Helson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County/NASA), and Javier Romualdez (StarSpec Technology).Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt
text: A group of people stand in front of a large vehicle carrying a telescope.Image description: Nine people in reflective vests and hard hats stand in front of a large vehicle carrying a shiny silver telescope. The group has
five on the left and four on the right, so the bottom part of the telescope is visible between them. The telescope has a conical top, with a section cut out for a cylinder, which is the telescope tube. The body is boxy and has
rectangular panels attached to the bottom. The vehicle holding it has a long arm that extends forward. The sky in the background is dark. || 2</em>-<em>EXCITE_Team.jpg (5720x3813) [4.5 MB] || Big Bill, shown here carrying
EXCITE, is a special vehicle designed to launch scientific balloons. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A large vehicle hoists a telescope.Image description: Under a dark sky, a large white vehicle with two enormous front
tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle, toward the left of the image. The words “Big Bill” are written along the side of the vehicle, under a cab for the driver.
The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. Two people in
hard hats stand near the telescope, and another stands further away, on the left side of the image. A large white hanger with red letters spelling “NASA” on the side is in the background. ||
3</em>-<em>EXCITE_loaded_on_Big_Bill.jpg (8192x5464) [33.6 MB] || Once Big Bill is in position, the CSBF team rolls out a drop cloth for the scientific balloon to protect it from damage — the balloon material is about as
thick as the material of a sandwich bag. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A large vehicle hoists a telescope.Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver
telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom
that extend slightly in front of the telescope. A long white drop cloth extends from behind the vehicle into the distance. People in reflective vests and hard hats stand along the length of the cloth. The dawn sky is just
beginning to brighten. || 4</em>-<em>EXCITE_on_Flight_Line.jpg (6620x4413) [8.6 MB] || Klangboonkrong, Romualdez, and Rehm look on as the CSBF team fill’s EXCITE’s 39-million-cubic-foot scientific balloon with helium, which
took about an hour.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Three people wait while a scientific balloon inflates in the background.Image description: Two men in reflective vests stand and watch a large balloon inflating in
the distance. The man on the right wears a baseball cap and turns to look at the other man. The balloon is framed in between them. To their right, a woman in glasses and a reflective vest sits with her legs crossed on the
ground. She’s looking up at the men. The sky is golden, with a thin layer of clouds near the top of the image. || 5</em>-<em>EXCITE_Balloon_Inflates.jpg (6297x4198) [5.0 MB] || Watch the launch of the scientific balloon
carrying EXCITE.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts Video description: A large balloon lifts from the ground with a loud rippling noise. The camera follows it as it launches into a partly cloudy sky just after dawn. The video then cuts
to a large vehicle reversing to release a shiny silver telescope at the other end of the balloon’s long cable. The video cuts to another shot of the balloon and telescope rising into the sky. An unseen crowd claps and cheers. ||
EXCITE_Launch_Vertical_Video.00090_print.jpg (1024x1820) [199.9 KB] || EXCITE_Launch_Vertical_Video.mp4 (1080x1920) [96.5 MB] || After launch, the EXCITE team monitored and operated the telescope from the ground.
Klangboonkrong faces the camera. Facing away, from left to right, are Rehm, Romualdez, and Maher.Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Four people sit in front of computers in the corner of a hangar. Image description: Three
people sit at a collection of tables in the corner of a hangar, looking at computer screens. In the background, three men in blue shirts sit at a table along a wall. Their backs are to the camera. A woman in a blue shirt faces
the camera and sits at another table. She has a notebook in front of her. The tables are cluttered with snacks, equipment, safety gear, sloth plushies, and other odds and ends. || 6</em>-<em>EXCITE_Team_After_Launch.jpg
(7981x4946) [20.8 MB] || EXCITE landed safely by parachute south of Holbrook, Arizona, on the side of a steep. hill.Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: A telescope lists to the right on the side of steep hill.Image
description: A shiny silver telescope lists to the right on the side of a steep hill. The telescope is centered in the image and is surrounded by short shrubby trees interspersed with patches of brown earth. In the distance,
more hills and valleys are visible. || 7</em>-<em>EXCITE_Lands.jpg (7952x5304) [58.3 MB] || The balloon facility's Daniel Seegmiller and Tyler Barnard helped protect the telescope with a tarp while the team waited for a
helicopter to remove it from its landing spot. Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: Two men examine a large telescope.Image description: Two men examine a large shiny silver telescope. The telescope is listing slightly to the left
on the side of a steep hill. It has a slightly oblong rhombus shape. The men stand to the right of the telescope. The man on the left wears jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt and a black baseball cap. He has his hands on his
hips. The man on the right wears jeans, a green T-shirt and a blue baseball cap. He points at the telescope. The landscape is full of small, shrub-like bushes and trees interspersed with patches of brown dirt. The background
reveals the telescope is in a valley, with a partly cloudy sky peaking over the top of the line of the hill. || 8</em>-_EXCITE_Recovery.jpg (7952x5304) [42.5 MB] || Watch a helicopter carry EXCITE out of a remote area after
a scientific balloon flight. Credit: NASA/Daniel SeegmillerVideo description: This video shows a landscape dominated by scrubby vegetation with a few tall pine trees. A helicopter is audible, but not visible for the first second.
Then the camera zooms in to show it. It’s white and carries a telescope at the end of a long cable. || EXCITE_Helicopter_Recovery.00300_print.jpg (1024x1820) [495.5 KB] || EXCITE_Helicopter_Recovery.mp4 (540x960)
[7.6 MB] || This image shows the curvature of the Earth from 130,000 feet. It was taken remotely by a camera on EXCITE. The red blob at the top of the frame is the parachute. Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: A glimpse of the
curvature of the Earth from EXCITE. Image description: In this photograph, Earth’s curvature dominates the frame. It’s on the right side, and the sky is streaked with blue clouds. The black of space is on the left. The camera sits
in between two shiny silver structures visible in the foreground. The top one on the left is boxy. The one on the bottom is a mostly flat surface. A red blob appears at the top of the image. || EXCITEs_View_from_Space.jpg
(1600x900) [111.0 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) as Photographer
|| Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5428/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005428/Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_print.jpg" alt="A wide-view tour of the final phases of Parker Solar Probe, from the last Venus flyby on November 6, 2024 to the closest perihelion on December 24, 2024." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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Parker Solar Probe Towards its Ultimate Perihelion
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 25, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Sun" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Sun"><span class="bi bi-sun-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_5428_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Parker Solar Probe is making its final planned orbits around the
Sun.On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed it's final Venus gravity assist maneuver, passing within 233 miles (376 kilometers) of Venus' surface. The flyby adjusted Parker's trajectory into its final
orbital configuration, bringing the spacecraft to within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles from the solar surface on December 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human-made object has been to the Sun. || || 5428 || Parker Solar
Probe Towards its Ultimate Perihelion || Parker Solar Probe is making its final planned orbits around the Sun.On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed it's final Venus gravity assist maneuver, passing
within 233 miles (376 kilometers) of Venus' surface. The flyby adjusted Parker's trajectory into its final orbital configuration, bringing the spacecraft to within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles from the solar surface on
December 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human-made object has been to the Sun. || A wide-view tour of the final phases of Parker Solar Probe, from the last Venus flyby on November 6, 2024 to the closest perihelion on
December 24, 2024. || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_print.jpg (1024x576) [93.9 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_searchweb.png
(320x180) [61.5 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_thm.png (80x40) [3.9 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.WideView.HD1080_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [35.4 MB] || WideView
[256.0 KB] || WideView [256.0 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [107.2 MB] ||
Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [242 bytes] || A chase-camera view of the final phases of Parker Solar Probe, from the last Venus flyby on November 6, 2024 to the
closest perihelion on December 24, 2024. || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01590_print.jpg (1024x576) [92.8 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.ChaseView.HD1080_p30.mp4 (1920x1080)
[48.2 MB] || ChaseView [256.0 KB] || ChaseView [256.0 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [152.3 MB] ||
Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [232 bytes] || Sun || Corona || Heliophysics || Hyperwall || Parker Solar Probe || Solar Wind || Venus || Parker Solar Probe || DE 431 || Tom
Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Joy Ng (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || </p>
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Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts
Alt text: A man looks at a large telescope in a hangar.
Image description: A crane suspends a shiny silver telescope in a large hangar at night. The top is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. The background shows the hangar is full of equipment, and the foreground shows the outside of the building. There are orange cones in front of the hanger doors. A person in a reflective vest and hard hat stands to the left of the open doors." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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EXCITE 2024: Payload Prep
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 25, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14725_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 7;"> In August 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared
TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete
an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of
Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both Arctic and Antarctic, with the latter offering longer duration
flights optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || || 14725 || EXCITE 2024: Payload Prep || In August 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from
NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the
thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple
infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both Arctic and Antarctic, with the latter offering longer duration flights optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. ||
NASA Goddard astrophysicist Kyle Helson looks at EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) as it dangles from the ceiling of a hangar at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.Credit:
NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man looks at a large telescope in a hangar. Image description: A crane suspends a shiny silver telescope in a large hangar at night. The top is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The
body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. The background shows the hangar is full of equipment, and the foreground shows the outside of the
building. There are orange cones in front of the hanger doors. A person in a reflective vest and hard hat stands to the left of the open doors. || EXCITE_Telescope.jpg (7598x4877) [20.5 MB] || EXCITE_Telescope_searchweb.png
(320x180) [77.6 KB] || EXCITE_Telescope_thm.png (80x40) [15.8 KB] || Every fall, CSBF launches multiple missions like EXCITE from the Fort Sumner Municipal Airport, shown here. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text:
Two hangars rise above an arid landscape.Image description: Two metal buildings stand in an arid landscape. The sky is a dusty blue, shading to white at the horizon and takes up the top two-thirds of the image. The lower third is
occupied by the two buildings. The first, an aircraft hangar, is long and gray with a domed top. The second building, to the right of the first, is smaller but taller. It’s white with “NASA” written in red on the side. In the
foreground are brown grasses and scrubby green bushes. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00007.jpg (6720x4480) [4.1 MB] || Fort Sumner is home to wildlife like scorpions, tarantulas, and jack rabbits.Credit: NASA/Jeanette
KazmierczakAlt text: A jack rabbit sits on a pebbly road. Image description: A long-eared brown and white jack rabbit looks alertly at the camera. Both ears are extended above its head. It’s seated to the right side of a brown
dirt road. To the left of the road are long brown and green grasses. To the right are trees. Out-of-focus buildings are visible in the distance. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00008.jpg (6290x4193) [5.3 MB] || Tim Rehm, a
graduate student at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, installs a protective lid over the opening of EXCITE’s telescope. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man works on a telescope in a hangar. Image
description: A man in a blue shirt and an orange and camo baseball cap uses a small wrench to install a plastic cover over the opening of a telescope. He’s standing behind and to the right of the telescope and is visible from the
waist up. The telescope is a shiny silver cylinder with a black knob in the middle inside a white metal frame. Coils of black cable rest on the front of the frame. Text on a white metal structure beneath the telescope, at lower
right, reads "Danger, Pinch Point." The man and the telescope are inside a large white hangar. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00001.jpg (6105x4069) [3.7 MB] || Annalies Kleyheeg, a graduate student at Brown, attaches one of the
radiator panels EXCITE uses to shed heat produced by its cryocooler. Rehm and Helson assist.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A woman attaches a part to a telescope with assistance from two men. Image description: A woman
in a cream cardigan and blue baseball cap attaches a shiny silver rectangular panel to a telescope. The image is framed so she stands between two men with their backs to the camera, with the panel in between them. The man on the
left wears a yellow reflective vest and a camo baseball hat. The man on the right wears a black T-shirt. The woman only rises to the halfway point of the telescope. The telescope, in the background, is a shiny silver cylinder in a
rhombus-shaped base with white boxes attached to the side. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00003.jpg (6607x4405) [7.7 MB] || Lee Bernard, a graduate student at Arizona State University in Tempe, connects an LED light so the team
can read a thermometer inside the gondola via a camera feed during flight. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man uses a hot air gun to solder two wires.Image description: A bearded man wearing a red-and-blue plaid shirt
and glasses holds what looks like a black hairdryer — a hot air gun. He’s on the right side of the image, with his head tilted toward the camera. The hot air gun is also tilted toward the camera, with the interior visible and
glowing orange. The man holds two attached wires in front of the hot air gun with his other hand. The white wall in the background is covered in a large-gauge wire mesh and has several outlets attached. ||
EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00002_print.jpg (1024x682) [319.2 KB] || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00002.JPG (6720x4480) [6.6 MB] || Peter Nagler, EXCITE’s principal investigator, carefully attaches steel weights to the top of
the telescope to balance it. EXCITE is so stable once balanced that it can hold a steady gaze on a U.S. quarter coin from 60 miles away. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man attaches weights to a telescope in a hangar.
Image description: A bearded man in a black T-shirt, a tan baseball hat, and blue gloves grins while he works on a shiny silver telescope. The camera is looking up at him, so he’s only visible from the waist up behind the
telescope. His left hand is lifted, and his right hand holds the screw attaching a large weight to the cylinder of the telescope. He’s in a large white hangar. The telescope rests in a metal frame with many wires and other pieces
of electrical equipment attached. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00005.jpg (6049x4033) [6.4 MB] || Khing Klangboonkrong, a Brown graduate student, covers EXCITE with single-sided aluminized Mylar. The material reflects sunlight
to keep the telescope from getting too hot when it reaches 130,000 feet. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A woman works on a telescope in a hangar. Image description: A woman in a navy T-shirt, white baseball cap, and
purple gloves places shiny foil-like material on a large telescope. The image is framed so she’s only visible from the waist up. The telescope partially obscures the arm closest to the camera. The telescope is a shiny silver
cylinder that has wires and other electrical equipment attached. It’s inside a large white hangar. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00006.jpg (6405x4270) [8.0 MB] || Helson and Rehm play catch during a break in Fort Sumner.
Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Two men play catch in an arid landscape. Image description: Two men play catch in an arid landscape. The closest man is on the left side of the image, standing in the shadow of a building
out of frame. He’s wearing khaki shorts, a black T-shirt, and has a baseball glove on his left hand. Further away, on the right side of the image, is a man in jeans, a gray T-shirt, and an orange baseball cap. He’s standing on one
foot, having just thrown a baseball, which hovers between the two men. They’re standing on a large concrete pad. In the distance, the landscape is green and brown, with darker dots of green along the horizon. The sky is blue and
clouds are visible near the horizon. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00004.jpg (6603x4402) [3.4 MB] || A vehicle called Big Bill picks up EXCITE so facility personnel can attach crash pads, ballast, and antennas. Credit:
NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A vehicle hoists a telescope in front of a hangar. Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The vehicle is on the right
side of the image. A man in a reflective vest and a hard hat stands on the right side of the tire. On the side of the vehicle, the word “Bill” is visible. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle. It holds the telescope
at the end of a cable. The telescope has a conical top, with the left side cut open. The base is rhombus-shaped. Rectangular panels are attached to the bottom of the telescope on the left side. Four cardboard squares are attached
to the four corners of the base. Behind the telescope is a large white hangar. The camera is placed so it’s looking up at the scene, with the Sun peeking out from behind the hangar. || EXCITE_Compatibility_Test-3.jpg (5472x3648)
[11.5 MB] || Away from the hangar, engineers run a test called compatibility to ensure EXCITE can communicate with the tower at the Fort Sumner airport during flight.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Figures in
safety gear stand around a vehicle hoisting a telescope. Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle.
The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. A half circle of
orange cones outlines a safety perimeter under the telescope and in front of the vehicle. A group of eight people in reflective vests and hard hats cluster in front of the vehicle. They’re all standing on a large concrete pad. The
sky in the background is clear and blue. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00011.jpg (6581x4387) [4.2 MB] || Garrison Breeding and Peter Calhoun, Peraton, Inc. members of the balloon facility team, smile for the camera during
EXCITE’s compatability test. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two men stand on the platform of a large vehicle. Image description: Two men in hard hats and yellow-and-orange reflective vests stand on a metal platform
surrounded by metal bars. The man on the left points at the camera and has his other arm around the shoulder of the other man. The platform sits above the spoke attaching two enormous wheels of a large vehicle. Part of one wheel
is visible on the left side of the image. A large metal arm extends across the middle of the platform and out of frame. The sky in the background is clear and blue. || EXCITE_Compatibility_2-6.jpg (5464x8192) [25.3 MB] ||
EXCITE dangles a few inches off the ground during a series of tests called night pointings to help calibrate the telescope ahead of flights. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A telescope dangles from the ceiling of a
hangar at night. Image description: At night, a large shiny silver telescope dangles from the ceiling of a large white hanger. It’s framed by the hangar’s doors. The hangar is lit within by a dim red light, and white and green
lights on the telescope stand out in the gloom. A line of orange cones stretches in front of the open hangar doors. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two
shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00009.jpg (6091x4061) [4.2 MB] || Rehm, Klangboonkrong, and StarSpec Technology’s Javier Romualdez
look at the readout from EXCITE during a night pointing exercise. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Three people look at a computer screen in a dark room. Image description: Three people look at a computer screen in a
dark room. A seated man on the left side of the image wears a dark T-shirt and a reflective vest. He’s poised to write something down in a notebook. Behind him and to his right stands a second man in a dark shirt and khaki pants.
His arms are crossed. To their right is a seated woman in a light blue T-shirt. Her left hand covers her mouth, and her right hand is on the computer’s mouse. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00010.jpg (6422x4281) [4.8 MB] ||
During one night pointing exercise, EXCITE locked on to Beta Herculis, the brightest star in the constellation Hercules. The image on the left is out of focus. The image on the right is in focus.Credit: NASA/EXCITE teamAlt text:
Two snapshots of a star in infrared light. The left is out of focus, and the left is in focus. Image description: This image shows two snapshots of the same star. The snapshot on the left shows a large, blurry, orange,
donut-shaped object in a black square. The square is in a white grid space with four rows. The snapshot on the right shows a much smaller orange dot on the right side of a black square. It’s also embedded in a grid space, but with
five rows. || BetaHerc.jpg (1037x374) [59.0 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower
Management, Inc.) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14650/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014600/a014650/EXCITE_Detector-15_print.jpg" alt="The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) infrared detector, shown here, is a flight candidate from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) instrument. Engineers mounted it to a copper base ahead of installing into to the mission’s spectrometer assembly. The detector allows EXCITE to collect spectroscopic measurements from 1 to 4 microns — the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts
Alt text: EXCITE’s infrared detector on a lab bench
Image description: A blue-gloved hand rests on a tabletop. One finger is placed on the copper base of an infrared detector. The detector is a purple square set within two silver triangles. A rectangular brown circuit board runs along the top. In the background are yellow- and red-handled screwdrivers and a black-and-white fan, all out of focus." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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EXCITE 2024: Infrared Detector and Spectrometer
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 25, 2024 </span><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14650_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) is designed to
study atmospheres around exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, during long-duration scientific balloon trips over Antarctica.These images, taken in July 2024, show Peter Nagler and Nat DeNigris preparing EXCITE’s infrared
detector and installing it into the mission’s spectrometer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. At the time, the EXCITE team was gearing up for a test flight in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. || || 14650 ||
EXCITE 2024: Infrared Detector and Spectrometer || EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) is designed to study atmospheres around exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, during long-duration scientific balloon trips
over Antarctica.These images, taken in July 2024, show Peter Nagler and Nat DeNigris preparing EXCITE’s infrared detector and installing it into the mission’s spectrometer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland. At the time, the EXCITE team was gearing up for a test flight in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. || The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) infrared detector, shown here, is a flight candidate from NASA’s James Webb
Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) instrument. Engineers mounted it to a copper base ahead of installing into to the mission’s spectrometer assembly. The detector allows EXCITE to collect spectroscopic
measurements from 1 to 4 microns — the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: EXCITE’s infrared detector on a lab benchImage description: A blue-gloved hand rests on a tabletop.
One finger is placed on the copper base of an infrared detector. The detector is a purple square set within two silver triangles. A rectangular brown circuit board runs along the top. In the background are yellow- and red-handled
screwdrivers and a black-and-white fan, all out of focus. || EXCITE_Detector-15.jpg (8192x5464) [32.6 MB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_print.jpg (1024x683) [401.0 KB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_searchweb.png (320x180) [83.1 KB]
|| EXCITE_Detector-15_web.png (320x213) [93.0 KB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_thm.png (80x40) [19.6 KB] || Peter Nagler, EXCITE’s principal investigator, carefully screws the mission’s detector into place in a cleanroom at
NASA Goddard. Engineer Nat DeNigris assists. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people sit around a blue-topped table. They both wear white clean suits and blue
gloves. The man on the left is in profile, the other person is seen from behind. The man leans over a small, reflective purple square. The square is set within two silver-colored triangles mounted on a copper base. He is using a
small screwdriver to attach something to the purple square. || EXCITE_Detector-02.jpg (7123x4746) [21.5 MB] || Nagler and DeNigris attach EXCITE’s infrared detector to its support structure. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt
text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves are seated at a blue-topped table in a lab. They face each other, leaning over the table and resting their hands on the
surface. Between them is a reflective purple square resting on a copper base. It’s held up on either side by silver triangles. The person on the left holds a bracket attached to the purple square. The person on the right holds a
wrench and is attaching one of the silver triangles to the side of the purple square. || EXCITE_Detector-06.jpg (8192x5464) [29.1 MB] || Nagler and DeNigris adjust the position of EXCITE’s infrared detector. Credit:
NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves sit at a blue-topped table in a lab. The man in the background uses one hand to adjust a
reflective purple square held upright on a copper base by two silver-colored triangles. Screwdrivers and bags are strewn across the rest of the table. The engineer in the foreground is out of focus and seen from behind. ||
EXCITE_Detector-13.jpg (8192x5464) [28.5 MB] || Nagler tightens a screw on the framework holding EXCITE’s detector. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man works on EXCITE’s detector.Image description: A man in a white
clean suit and blue gloves sits at a table in a lab. He rests one hand on the table, holding the copper base of an infrared detector. The detector is a reflective purple square held vertically by a silver bracket. The man uses a
small screw driver on the top of the detector. || EXCITE_Detector-16.jpg (5464x8192) [27.1 MB] || Nagler carefully lowers a cover over the detector. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man works on EXCITE’s detector in a
lab. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves sit at a blue-topped table in a lab. On the left, a man lowers a black box over a reflective purple square on a copper base. The second person sits on the
right, mostly out of frame. Screwdrivers and plastic bags are scattered across the rest of the table. || EXCITE_Detector-10.jpg (5451x3632) [12.0 MB] || EXCITE’s detector is protected by a black metal case. The two filters at
the front — the team calls them “goggles” — allow infrared light from the spectrometer to reach the detector inside. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: The EXCITE detector’s protective cover Image description: A black box rests
on a blue-topped table. On one side are two knobs with lenses. They look like a pair of eyes or goggles. The box has a copper base. Behind it, out of focus, are plastic bags and wires. || EXCITE_Detector-01.jpg (8192x5464)
[27.6 MB] || EXCITE’s spectrometer, shown here, bounces incoming infrared light off several mirrors and through a prism into the detector. The prism splits the light into two channels, each of which goes through one eye of
the “goggles” on the detector cover. Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts Alt text: EXCITE’s spectrometer rests on a lab bench. Image description: EXCITE’s spectrometer rests on top of a shiny silver base in a lab. The spectrometer is a
black circle with several black vertical pieces set at different angles. The spectrometer has copper brackets around the edge attaching it to the silver base. There’s one square copper platform set inside the black circle. In the
background, it’s clear that the spectrometer is sitting on a blue-topped table. A pair of blue-gloved hands rests on the table. || EXCITE_Cornagraph.jpg (5472x3648) [11.8 MB] || Nagler shows off the detector inside its black
housing before installing it into the spectrometer assembly. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man holds a small black box. Image description: A man in a white clean suit and blue gloves holds a small black box in front of
his body. The box has copper plates on the top and bottom and fits in one of his hands. The side of the box facing the camera has two knobs with lenses that look like a pair of goggles. A red wire attaches the box to a connector.
A black spiral cord dangles from the hand holding the connector. To the left of the man is a circular silver base holding a black and copper device. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-2.jpg (5472x3648) [11.3 MB] || Nagler installs EXCITE’s
infrared detector into the mission’s spectrometer. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man lowers a small box onto a black and copper plate. Image description: A man on the right side of the image uses one hand to lower a black
box with copper top and bottom plates onto a black and coper circle. The circle has several vertical black pieces, like dominoes. The man is wearing a white clean suit and blue gloves. The arm lowering the box is extended across
his body, between him and the camera, obscuring the lower portion of his face. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-4.jpg (5472x3648) [11.7 MB] || Nagler adjusts the detector’s position in the EXCITE spectrometer. Credit: NASA/Sophia
RobertsAlt text: A man in a lab works on a piece of equipment. Image description: A man in a white clean suit and blue gloves stands in a lab. He uses one hand to adjust a box on a black and copper device made up of a circular
base and several vertical domino-like pieces. The device rests on a silver cylinder on top of a larger assembly of blue and silver circles and cylinders. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-10.jpg (3648x5472) [10.2 MB] || Universe || Ast ||
Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) as Producer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland
College Park) as Science writer || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14720/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014720/YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360.jpg" alt="View the entire sky with the microwave eyes of NASA’s COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite in this immersive video. COBE took the first baby picture of the universe, revealing slight temperature variations when the cosmos was just 380,000 years old. This image shows the entire sky using four years of observations by COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, and its center is marked by a white X. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we see today. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time.(This video is formatted for 360-degree use.)Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Meetings in Underwater Ruins,” Philippe Andre Vandenhende [SACEM], Olivier Louis Perrot [SACEM] and Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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COBE All-Sky Map 360 Video With Narration
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 22, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14720_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> View the entire sky with the microwave eyes of NASA’s COBE
(Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite in this immersive video. COBE took the first baby picture of the universe, revealing slight temperature variations when the cosmos was just 380,000 years old. This image shows the entire sky
using four years of observations by COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, and its center is marked by a white X. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The
fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we see today. After stripping
away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light
in the universe — for the first time.(This video is formatted for 360-degree use.)Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Meetings in Underwater Ruins,” Philippe Andre Vandenhende [SACEM], Olivier Louis Perrot [SACEM]
and Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360.jpg (1280x720) [235.1 KB] ||
YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.8 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_thm.png (80x40) [9.2 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.srt [4.7 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.vtt
[4.4 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Good.mp4 (8192x4096) [131.8 MB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Best.mp4 (8192x4096) [503.2 MB] || || 14720 || COBE All-Sky Map 360 Video With Narration || View the entire sky with the
microwave eyes of NASA’s COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite in this immersive video. COBE took the first baby picture of the universe, revealing slight temperature variations when the cosmos was just 380,000 years old.
This image shows the entire sky using four years of observations by COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, and its center is marked by a white X. Red indicates hotter
regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we
see today. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave
background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time.(This video is formatted for 360-degree use.)Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Meetings in Underwater Ruins,” Philippe Andre Vandenhende [SACEM],
Olivier Louis Perrot [SACEM] and Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360.jpg (1280x720)
[235.1 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.8 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_thm.png (80x40) [9.2 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.srt [4.6 KB] ||
14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.4 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Good.mp4 (8192x4096) [131.8 MB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Best.mp4 (8192x4096) [503.2 MB] || This image shows the entire sky as viewed by four
years of data from the Differential Microwave Radiometer instrument on NASA’s COBE mission. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy,
COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background the oldest light in the universe for the first time. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, with the galactic center at
image center. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have
given rise to the structures we see today.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || dmr_ilc_s9.png (2048x1024) [355.2 KB] || dmr_ilc_s9_print.jpg (1024x512) [99.7 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || COBE || Cosmic
Background || Cosmic Origins || Microwaves || Space || Universe || Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) || Astrophysics Features || Astrophysics Stills || Astrophysics Visualizations || Narrated Movies || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as
Producer || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || David Leisawitz (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5416/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005416/comp.0120_print.jpg" alt="The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight. South is up." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
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<h3 id="card_search_result_5416_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/5416/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
Moon Phase and Libration, 2025 South Up
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 22, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Planets%20%26%20Moons" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Planets & Moons"><span class="bi bi-moon-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5416_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a
JSON file or as a text file. || || 5416 || Moon Phase and Libration, 2025 South Up || || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || Click on the image to download a high-resolution
version with feature labels and additional graphics. Hover over the image to reveal the animation frame number, which can be used to locate and download the corresponding frame from any of the animations on this page, including
unlabeled high-resolution Moon images.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2025, at hourly intervals. Until
the end of 2025, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series:Moon Phase and Libration GalleryLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon
since the summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially
evident in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like
those from LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is
compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the
zodiac constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of
the Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position
angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far),
differ by as much as 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent
Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often
surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial south is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the southern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a
southern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a north-up version of this page.) || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and
sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight. South is up. || comp.0120_print.jpg (1024x576)
[126.2 KB] || comp.0120_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.9 KB] || comp.0120_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [71.5 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080)
[146.1 MB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [24.0 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [509.0 MB] ||
phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [15.2 GB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [193 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes music, supplemental graphics that
display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight.Music
provided by Universal Production Music: "Dying Star," "Intergalactic Travel," and "Distant Worlds" – Timoth James CornickThis video can also be viewed on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || music_s.0120_print.jpg (1024x576)
[131.9 KB] || Phases_South_Up_2025_captions.en_US.srt [40 bytes] || Phases_South_Up_2025_captions.en_US.vtt [53 bytes] || Phases_South_Up_2025.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.6 GB] || Phases_South_Up_2025.mp4.hwshow
[186 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The vertical (portrait) aspect ratio is targeted for viewing on mobile devices. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit,
subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites. || comp.0121_print.jpg (1024x1820) [327.9 KB] ||
phases_2025_fancy_s_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [140.4 MB] || v1 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. This is an alternate portrait aspect version that may be more suitable for
some social media posts. || comp.0122_print.jpg (1024x1820) [235.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_s_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [107.7 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_s_music_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [671.9 MB] || v2
[512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The higher-resolution frames include an alpha channel, and the EXR frames are HDR (high dynamic range). The .mov file is a ProRes 4444 movie
with alpha. || moon.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [54.9 KB] || phases_2025_plain_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [94.6 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [41.6 MB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain
[512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || 216x216_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 730x730_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_plain_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [11.2 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160)
[373.9 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [31.1 GB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [193 bytes] || The Moon's Orbit || The orbit of the Moon in 2025, viewed from the south pole of the
ecliptic, with the vernal equinox to the right. The sizes of the Earth and Moon are exaggerated. || orbit.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [125.4 KB] || moon_orbit_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1080x1080) [31.5 MB] || 420x420_1x1_30p
[512.0 KB] || 850x850_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 1080x1080_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || From this birdseye view, it's somewhat easier to see that the phases of the Moon are an effect of the changing angles of the Sun, Moon and
Earth. The Moon is full when its orbit places it in the middle of the night side of the Earth. First and Third Quarter Moon occur when the Moon is along the day-night line on the Earth. The Sun's direction is indicated by the
yellow arrow.The view here is perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, called the ecliptic. The teal-colored ring is the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, which is tilted about five degrees to the
ecliptic. The thickness of the ring shows the range of the Moon's distance, and the darker half is the part above (north of) the ecliptic. The two points where the orbit crosses the ecliptic are the ascending and descending nodes.
Also labeled are the perigee and apogee, the points along the orbit that are nearest to and farthest from Earth.The First Point of Aries is at the 3 o'clock position in the image. The Sun is in this direction at the March equinox.
You can check this by freezing the animation at around the 1:03 mark, or by freezing the full animation with the time stamp near March 20. This direction serves as the zero point for both ecliptic longitude and right ascension.The
south pole of the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the 12 o'clock position at the top of the image. The tilt of the Earth is important for understanding why the north pole of the Moon seems to swing back and forth. In the full
animation, watch both the orbit and the "gyroscope" Moon in the lower left. The widest swings happen when the Moon is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. When the Moon is at the 3 o'clock position, the ground we're standing
on is tilted to the left when we look at the Moon. At the 9 o'clock position, it's tilted to the right. The tilt itself doesn't change. We're just turned around, looking in the opposite direction. || An animated diagram of the
subsolar and sub-Earth points for 2025. The Moon's north pole, equator, and meridian are indicated. The frames include an alpha channel. || globe.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [112.8 KB] || subpnts_2025_s_960p30.mp4 (960x960)
[37.3 MB] || 640x640_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 320x320_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 960x960_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || The subsolar and sub-Earth points are the locations on the Moon's surface where the Sun or the Earth are
directly overhead, at the zenith. A line pointing straight up at one of these points will be pointing toward the Sun or the Earth. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk as observed from the Earth.In
the animation, the blue dot is the sub-Earth point, and the yellow cone is the subsolar point. The lunar latitude and longitude of the sub-Earth point is a measure of the Moon's libration. For example, when the blue dot moves to
the left of the meridian (the line at 0 degrees longitude), an extra bit of the Moon's eastern limb is rotating into view, and when it moves above the equator, a bit of the far side beyond the south pole becomes visible.At any
given time, half of the Moon is in sunlight, and the subsolar point is in the center of the lit half. Full Moon occurs when the subsolar point is near the center of the Moon's disk. When the subsolar point is somewhere on the far
side of the Moon, observers on Earth see a crescent phase. || An animated diagram of the Moon's distance from the Earth for 2025. The sizes and distances are true to scale, and the lighting and Earth tilt are correct. The frames
include an alpha channel. || dist.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [7.6 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [2.1 MB] || moon_distance_2025_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [1.3 MB] || distance [512.0 KB] ||
distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [6.2 MB] || moon_distance_2025_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [631.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow
[194 bytes] || The Moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle. The orbit is slightly elliptical, and because of that, the Moon's distance from the Earth varies between 28 and 32 Earth diameters, or about 356,400 and
406,700 kilometers. In each orbit, the smallest distance is called perigee, from Greek words meaning "near earth," while the greatest distance is called apogee. The Moon looks largest at perigee because that's when it's closest to
us.The animation follows the imaginary line connecting the Earth and the Moon as it sweeps around the Moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it's easy to see the variation in the Moon's distance. Both the distance and the sizes of
the Earth and Moon are to scale in this view. In the HD-resolution frames, the Earth is 50 pixels wide, the Moon is 14 pixels wide, and the distance between them is about 1500 pixels, on average.Note too that the Earth appears to
go through phases just like the Moon does. For someone standing on the surface of the Moon, the Sun and the stars rise and set, but the Earth doesn't move very much in the sky. It goes through a monthly sequence of phases as the
Sun angle changes. The phases are the opposite of the Moon's. During New Moon here, the Earth is full as viewed from the Moon. || Feature labels. Crater labels appear when the center of the crater is within 20 degrees of the
terminator (the day-night line). They are on the western edge of the crater during waxing phases (before Full Moon) and to the east during waning phases. Mare, sinus, and lacus features are labeled when in sunlight. Apollo landing
site labels are always visible. The frames include an alpha channel. || label.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [14.7 KB] || moon_labels_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.1 MB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels
[512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || moon_labels_2025_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [92.2 MB] || moon_labels_2025_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [192 bytes] || The Named PhasesThe following is a gallery containing examples of
each of the Moon phases that have names in English. New, full, and quarter phases occur on specific days, while crescent and gibbous phases are the transitions between these points and span multiple days. The quarters are so named
because they occur when the Moon is one fourth or three fourths of the way through its cycle of phases. Many people find this confusing, though, since visually they are half moons. It might be helpful to remember that the visible
half of the Moon's disk is really only one quarter of its spherical surface. || Waxing crescent. Visible toward the northwest in early evening. || phase_waxing_crescent.2028_print.jpg (1024x1024) [134.5 KB] ||
phase_waxing_crescent.2028.tif (3240x3240) [10.7 MB] || First quarter. Visible high in the northern sky in early evening. || phase_first_quarter.2091_print.jpg (1024x1024) [157.2 KB] || phase_first_quarter.2091.tif
(3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Waxing gibbous. Visible to the northeast in early evening, up for most of the night. || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158_print.jpg (1024x1024) [163.6 KB] || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158.tif (3240x3240)
[9.3 MB] || Full Moon. Rises at sunset, high in the sky around midnight. Visible all night. || phase_full.1571_print.jpg (1024x1024) [184.6 KB] || phase_full.1571.tif (3240x3240) [9.4 MB] || Waning gibbous. Rises
after sunset, high in the sky after midnight, visible to the northwest after sunrise. || phase_waning_gibbous.2403_print.jpg (1024x1024) [193.0 KB] || phase_waning_gibbous.2403.tif (3240x3240) [11.0 MB] || Third quarter.
Rises around midnight, visible to the north after sunrise. || phase_third_quarter.1755_print.jpg (1024x1024) [162.4 KB] || phase_third_quarter.1755.tif (3240x3240) [11.2 MB] || Waning crescent. Low to the east before
sunrise. || phase_waning_crescent.1810_print.jpg (1024x1024) [131.1 KB] || phase_waning_crescent.1810.tif (3240x3240) [11.5 MB] || New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same
geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many lunar and
lunisolar calendars. || phase_new.1933_print.jpg (1024x1024) [91.8 KB] || phase_new.1933.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Planets & Moons || Albedo || Elevation data || HDTV || Hyperwall || Laser Altimeter || LOLA || LRO
|| LROC || Lunar || Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter || Lunar Surface || Lunar Topography || LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) || LRO - Animations || The Moon || DEM (Digital Elevation Map) [LRO: LOLA] || DE421 (JPL DE421) || LROC
WAC Color Mosaic (Natural Color Hapke Normalized WAC Mosaic) [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: LRO Camera] || Ernie Wright (USRA) as Visualizer || Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Producer
|| </p>
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<div id="card_search_result_5415_header" class="position-relative">
<!-- Image topper --><a href="/5415/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a000000/a005400/a005415/comp.0120_print.jpg" alt="The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria, and other albedo features in sunlight." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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Visualization </span></div><!-- Body -->
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Moon Phase and Libration, 2025
</a></h3>
<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 22, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Planets%20%26%20Moons" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Planets & Moons"><span class="bi bi-moon-fill" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
class="vr"></span></div>
<div class="overflow-hidden">
<p id="card_search_result_5415_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a
JSON file or as a text file. || || 5415 || Moon Phase and Libration, 2025 || || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || Click on the image to download a high-resolution version
with feature labels and additional graphics. Hover over the image to reveal the animation frame number, which can be used to locate and download the corresponding frame from any of the animations on this page, including unlabeled
high-resolution Moon images.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2025, at hourly intervals. Until the end of
2025, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series:Moon Phase and Libration GalleryLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon since the
summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially evident
in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like those from
LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is compressed into
24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the zodiac
constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the
Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position
angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far),
differ by as much as 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent
Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often
surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial north is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the northern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a
northern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a south-up version of this page.) || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and
sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria, and other albedo features in sunlight. || comp.0120_print.jpg (1024x576)
[114.9 KB] || comp.0120_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.2 KB] || comp.0120_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [72.1 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [146.9 MB]
|| fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [24.2 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [512.4 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mov
(3840x2160) [15.1 GB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [191 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes music, supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit,
subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight.Music provided by Universal
Production Music: "Shine a Light," "Space and Time," and "Spiralling Stars" – Timothy James CornickThis video can also be viewed on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || music.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [109.9 KB] ||
Phases_North_Up_2025_captions.en_US.srt [40 bytes] || Phases_North_Up_2025_captions.en_US.vtt [53 bytes] || Phases_North_Up_2025.mp4 (3840x2160) [421.2 MB] || Phases_North_Up_2025.mp4.hwshow [186 bytes] || The
phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The vertical (portrait) aspect ratio is targeted for viewing on mobile devices. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth
points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites. || comp.0121_print.jpg (1024x1820) [325.7 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920)
[141.2 MB] || v1 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. This is an alternate portrait aspect version that may be more suitable for some social media posts. || comp.0122_print.jpg
(1024x1820) [232.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [107.5 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_music_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [98.2 MB] || v2 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for
2025, at hourly intervals. The higher-resolution frames include an alpha channel, and the EXR frames are HDR (high dynamic range). The .mov file is a ProRes 4444 movie with alpha. || moon.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [54.8 KB]
|| phases_2025_plain_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [95.0 MB] || phases_2025_plain_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [41.7 MB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || exr [512.0 KB] ||
216x216_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 730x730_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_plain_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [11.2 MB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [374.8 MB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mov (3840x2160)
[31.1 GB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [191 bytes] || The Moon's Orbit || The orbit of the Moon in 2025, viewed from the north pole of the ecliptic, with the vernal equinox to the right. The sizes of the Earth
and Moon are exaggerated. || orbit.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [124.8 KB] || moon_orbit_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1080x1080) [35.9 MB] || 420x420_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 850x850_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 1080x1080_1x1_30p
[512.0 KB] || From this birdseye view, it's somewhat easier to see that the phases of the Moon are an effect of the changing angles of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The Moon is full when its orbit places it in the middle of the
night side of the Earth. First and Third Quarter Moon occur when the Moon is along the day-night line on the Earth. The Sun's direction is indicated by the yellow arrow.The view here is perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's
orbit around the Sun, called the ecliptic. The teal-colored ring is the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, which is tilted about five degrees to the ecliptic. The thickness of the ring shows the range of the Moon's
distance, and the darker half is the part below (south of) the ecliptic. The two points where the orbit crosses the ecliptic are the ascending and descending nodes. Also labeled are the perigee and apogee, the points along the
orbit that are nearest to and farthest from Earth.The First Point of Aries is at the 3 o'clock position in the image. The Sun is in this direction at the March equinox. You can check this by freezing the animation at around the
1:03 mark, or by freezing the full animation with the time stamp near March 20. This direction serves as the zero point for both ecliptic longitude and right ascension.The north pole of the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the
12 o'clock position at the top of the image. The tilt of the Earth is important for understanding why the north pole of the Moon seems to swing back and forth. In the full animation, watch both the orbit and the "gyroscope" Moon
in the lower left. The widest swings happen when the Moon is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. When the Moon is at the 3 o'clock position, the ground we're standing on is tilted to the left when we look at the Moon. At the
9 o'clock position, it's tilted to the right. The tilt itself doesn't change. We're just turned around, looking in the opposite direction. || An animated diagram of the subsolar and sub-Earth points for 2025. The Moon's north
pole, equator, and meridian are indicated. The frames include an alpha channel. || globe.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [112.8 KB] || moon_subpnts_2025_960p30.mp4 (960x960) [37.5 MB] || 960x960_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] ||
640x640_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 320x320_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || The subsolar and sub-Earth points are the locations on the Moon's surface where the Sun or the Earth are directly overhead, at the zenith. A line pointing
straight up at one of these points will be pointing toward the Sun or the Earth. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk as observed from the Earth.In the animation, the blue dot is the sub-Earth point,
and the yellow cone is the subsolar point. The lunar latitude and longitude of the sub-Earth point is a measure of the Moon's libration. For example, when the blue dot moves to the left of the meridian (the line at 0 degrees
longitude), an extra bit of the Moon's western limb is rotating into view, and when it moves above the equator, a bit of the far side beyond the north pole becomes visible.At any given time, half of the Moon is in sunlight, and
the subsolar point is in the center of the lit half. Full Moon occurs when the subsolar point is near the center of the Moon's disk. When the subsolar point is somewhere on the far side of the Moon, observers on Earth see a
crescent phase. || An animated diagram of the Moon's distance from the Earth for 2025. The sizes and distances are true to scale, and the lighting and Earth tilt are correct. The frames include an alpha channel. ||
dist.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [7.9 KB] || moon_distance_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [2.2 MB] || moon_distance_2025_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [1.3 MB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance
[512.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [6.3 MB] || moon_distance_2025_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [655.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [192 bytes] || The Moon's orbit around the Earth
isn't a perfect circle. The orbit is slightly elliptical, and because of that, the Moon's distance from the Earth varies between 28 and 32 Earth diameters, or about 356,400 and 406,700 kilometers. In each orbit, the smallest
distance is called perigee, from Greek words meaning "near earth," while the greatest distance is called apogee. The Moon looks largest at perigee because that's when it's closest to us.The animation follows the imaginary line
connecting the Earth and the Moon as it sweeps around the Moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it's easy to see the variation in the Moon's distance. Both the distance and the sizes of the Earth and Moon are to scale in this
view. In the HD-resolution frames, the Earth is 50 pixels wide, the Moon is 14 pixels wide, and the distance between them is about 1500 pixels, on average.Note too that the Earth appears to go through phases just like the Moon
does. For someone standing on the surface of the Moon, the Sun and the stars rise and set, but the Earth doesn't move very much in the sky. It goes through a monthly sequence of phases as the Sun angle changes. The phases are the
opposite of the Moon's. During New Moon here, the Earth is full as viewed from the Moon. || Feature labels. Crater labels appear when the center of the crater is within 20 degrees of the terminator (the day-night line). They are
on the western edge of the crater during waxing phases (before Full Moon) and to the east during waning phases. Mare, sinus, and lacus features are labeled when in sunlight. Apollo landing site labels are always visible. The
frames include an alpha channel. || label.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [14.5 KB] || moon_labels_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.1 MB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] ||
moon_labels_2025_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [92.3 MB] || moon_labels_2025_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [190 bytes] || The Named PhasesThe following is a gallery containing examples of each of the Moon phases that have names in
English. New, full, and quarter phases occur on specific days, while crescent and gibbous phases are the transitions between these points and span multiple days. The quarters are so named because they occur when the Moon is one
fourth or three fourths of the way through its cycle of phases. Many people find this confusing, though, since visually they are half moons. It might be helpful to remember that the visible half of the Moon's disk is really only
one quarter of its spherical surface. || Waxing crescent. Visible toward the southwest in early evening. || phase_waxing_crescent.2028_print.jpg (1024x1024) [134.5 KB] || phase_waxing_crescent.2028.tif (3240x3240)
[10.7 MB] || First quarter. Visible high in the southern sky in early evening. || phase_first_quarter.2091_print.jpg (1024x1024) [157.2 KB] || phase_first_quarter.2091.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Waxing gibbous.
Visible to the southeast in early evening, up for most of the night. || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158_print.jpg (1024x1024) [163.6 KB] || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158.tif (3240x3240) [9.3 MB] || Full Moon. Rises at sunset, high
in the sky around midnight. Visible all night. || phase_full.1571_print.jpg (1024x1024) [184.7 KB] || phase_full.1571.tif (3240x3240) [9.4 MB] || Waning gibbous. Rises after sunset, high in the sky after midnight,
visible to the southwest after sunrise. || phase_waning_gibbous.2403_print.jpg (1024x1024) [192.9 KB] || phase_waning_gibbous.2403.tif (3240x3240) [11.0 MB] || Third quarter. Rises around midnight, visible to the south
after sunrise. || phase_third_quarter.1755_print.jpg (1024x1024) [162.4 KB] || phase_third_quarter.1755.tif (3240x3240) [11.2 MB] || Waning crescent. Low to the east before sunrise. ||
phase_waning_crescent.1810_print.jpg (1024x1024) [131.1 KB] || phase_waning_crescent.1810.tif (3240x3240) [11.5 MB] || New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric
ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many lunar and lunisolar
calendars. || phase_new.1933_print.jpg (1024x1024) [91.8 KB] || phase_new.1933.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Planets & Moons || Albedo || Elevation data || HDTV || Hyperwall || Laser Altimeter || LOLA || LRO || LROC
|| Lunar || Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter || Lunar Surface || Lunar Topography || LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) || LRO - Animations || The Moon || DEM (Digital Elevation Map) [LRO: LOLA] || DE421 (JPL DE421) || LROC WAC Color
Mosaic (Natural Color Hapke Normalized WAC Mosaic) [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: LRO Camera] || Ernie Wright (USRA) as Visualizer || Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Producer || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14721/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014721/Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2.jpg" alt="Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its name.
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Music: “In a Conundrum,” Pip Heywood [PRS], Universal Production Music“Spinning Particles,” Christian Telford [ASCAP] and Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi [ASCAP], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available." style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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<h3 id="card_search_result_14721_body_title" class="flex-shrink-0 mb-0 fs-5"><a href="/14721/" title="Go to this page" class="link-unstyled card-title overflow-hidden mb-0" tabindex="-1" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;">
What's In A Name? NASA's Swift Mission
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 20, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14721_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its
name.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “In a Conundrum,” Pip Heywood [PRS], Universal Production Music“Spinning Particles,” Christian Telford [ASCAP] and Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi [ASCAP], Universal Production
MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2.jpg (1280x720) [308.5 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_searchweb.png (320x180) [103.9 KB] ||
Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_thm.png (80x40) [9.3 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Good.mp4 (1920x1080) [199.2 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Best.mp4 (1920x1080) [883.1 MB] ||
14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.srt [3.7 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.vtt [3.5 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.6 GB] || || 14721 || What's In
A Name? NASA's Swift Mission || Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its name.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “In a Conundrum,” Pip Heywood [PRS], Universal Production Music“Spinning
Particles,” Christian Telford [ASCAP] and Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi [ASCAP], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2.jpg (1280x720)
[308.5 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_searchweb.png (320x180) [103.9 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_thm.png (80x40) [9.3 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Good.mp4 (1920x1080) [199.2 MB] ||
14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Best.mp4 (1920x1080) [883.1 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.srt [3.7 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.vtt [3.5 KB] ||
14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.6 GB] || After two decades in space, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is performing better than ever thanks to a new operational strategy implemented
earlier this year. Since its launch on Nov. 20, 2004, the spacecraft has made great scientific strides in exploring gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.Gamma-ray bursts occur all over the sky without
warning, with about one a day detected on average. Astronomers generally divide these bursts into two categories. Long bursts produce an initial pulse of gamma rays for two seconds or more and occur when the cores of massive stars
collapse to form black holes. Short bursts last less than two seconds and are caused by the mergers of dense objects like neutron stars.Originally called the Swift Observatory for its ability to quickly point at cosmic events,
like gamma-ray bursts, the mission team renamed the spacecraft in 2018 after its first principal investigator Neil Gehrels.Swift uses several methods for orienting and stabilizing itself in space.Sensors that detect the Sun’s
location and the direction of Earth’s magnetic field provide the spacecraft with a general sense of its location. Then, a device called a star tracker looks at stars and tells the spacecraft how to maneuver to keep the observatory
precisely pointed at the same position during long observations.Swift uses three spinning gyroscopes, or gyros, to carry out those moves along three axes. The gyros were designed to align at right angles to each other, but once in
orbit the mission team discovered they were slightly misaligned. The flight operations team developed a strategy where one of the gyros worked to correct the misalignment while the other two pointed Swift to achieve its science
goals.The team wanted to be ready in case one of the gyros failed, however, so in 2009 they developed a plan to operate Swift using just two. Any change to the way a telescope operates once in space carries risk, however. Since
Swift was working well, the team sat on their plan for 15 years.Then, in July 2023, one of Swift’s gyros began working improperly. Because the telescope couldn’t hold its pointing position accurately, observations got
progressively blurrier until the gyro failed entirely in March 2024. The team was able to quickly shift to the new operational strategy, and the spacecraft is now performing better than ever. || For More Information || See
<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/swift/nasas-swift-reaches-20th-anniversary-in-improved-pointing-mode">NASA.gov</a> || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Black Hole || Blazar || Galaxy || Gamma Ray Burst || Neutron Star
|| Pulsar || Space || Star || Supernova || Swift || Universe || X-ray || Swift || Astrophysics Features || Narrated Movies || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as
Science writer || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Narrator || Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (eMITS) as Animator || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College
Park) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Editor || Brad Cenko (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Regina Caputo (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/11738/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a011700/a011738/Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail.png" alt="Click the download button to select from a range of sizes.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center" style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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Infographic: NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 20, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_11738_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> This infographic summarizes key aspects of NASA's Swift mission,
from its instruments to scientific results gleaned from 20 years of operations. Swift is still going strong, and the observatory remains a key part of NASA’s strategy to monitor the changing sky with multiple telescopes using
different approaches for studying the cosmos.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterClick the ownload button to select from a range of sizes. || Swift_20_Infographic_Quarter.jpg (1550x1991) [1.2 MB] ||
Swfit_20_Poster_CMYK.jpg (6200x7965) [19.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg (6200x7965) [7.4 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.png (6200x7965) [34.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.jpg (3100x3983) [3.2 MB]
|| Swift_20_Infographic_Half.png (3100x3983) [10.5 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg.dzi [178 bytes] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg_files [4.0 KB] || || 11738 || Infographic: NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift
Observatory || This infographic summarizes key aspects of NASA's Swift mission, from its instruments to scientific results gleaned from 20 years of operations. Swift is still going strong, and the observatory remains a key part of
NASA’s strategy to monitor the changing sky with multiple telescopes using different approaches for studying the cosmos.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterClick the ownload button to select from a range of sizes. ||
Swift_20_Infographic_Quarter.jpg (1550x1991) [1.2 MB] || Swfit_20_Poster_CMYK.jpg (6200x7965) [19.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg (6200x7965) [7.4 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.png (6200x7965)
[34.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.jpg (3100x3983) [3.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.png (3100x3983) [10.5 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg.dzi [178 bytes] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg_files
[4.0 KB] || Click the download button to select from a range of sizes.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center || Swift_Infographic_Small.png (1500x1942) [10.6 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Small.jpg (1500x1942)
[1.1 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Small_print.jpg (1024x1325) [433.8 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail.png (1280x720) [4.3 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_print.jpg (1024x576) [212.5 KB] ||
Swift_Infographic_Full.png (6000x7765) [72.3 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Full.jpg (6000x7765) [5.7 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.png (3000x3883) [31.1 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.jpg (3000x3883) [3.1 MB] ||
Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [90.4 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_web.png (320x180) [90.4 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [7.7 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Small.tif
(1500x1941) [22.2 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.tif (3000x3883) [88.9 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Full.tif (6000x7765) [266.6 MB] || This image and those that follow are drawings of the Swift spacecraft provided by
Orbital Space Sciences Corporation. Units are in inches.Credit: Orbital Space Science Corp. || Swift_envelope_1.png (1244x710) [281.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_1_print.jpg (1024x584) [93.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_1_web.png
(320x182) [33.7 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_2.png (947x783) [183.9 KB] || Swift_envelope_2_print.jpg (1024x846) [103.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_2_web.png (320x264)
[35.4 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_3.png (955x564) [91.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_3_print.jpg (1024x604) [60.9 KB] || Swift_envelope_3_web.png (320x188) [20.6 KB] ||
Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_4.png (540x748) [143.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_4_print.jpg (1024x1418) [135.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_4_web.png (320x443) [61.9 KB] || Same as
above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_5.png (1119x552) [207.7 KB] || Swift_envelope_5_print.jpg (1024x505) [68.2 KB] || Swift_envelope_5_web.png (320x157) [28.2 KB] || Same as above.Credit:
Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_6.png (691x697) [218.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_6_print.jpg (1024x1032) [144.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_6_web.png (320x322) [67.2 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space
Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_7.png (673x715) [248.0 KB] || Swift_envelope_7_print.jpg (1024x1087) [161.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_7_web.png (320x339) [78.0 KB] || For More Information || See
<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/swift/nasas-swift-reaches-20th-anniversary-in-improved-pointing-mode/">NASA.gov</a> || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Black Hole || Blazar || Galaxy || Gamma Ray Burst || Neutron Star
|| Pulsar || Space || Star || Supernova || Swift || Universe || X-ray || Swift || Astrophysics Stills || Swift 10th Anniversary (Produced by: Robert Crippen) || Scott Wiessinger (USRA) as Producer || Scott Wiessinger (USRA) as
Design || Francis Reddy (Syneren Technologies) as Design || Francis Reddy (Syneren Technologies) as Writer || Brad Cenko (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Regina Caputo (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || </p>
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<!-- Image topper --><a href="/14715/" title="Go to this page" class="card-img-top bg-dark"><div class="ratio ratio-16x9"><img src="/vis/a010000/a014700/a014715/COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_print.jpg" alt="COBE is suspended without its shield and solar panels in a NASA Goddard clean room. The white structure at the top of the spacecraft is a dewar that at launch contained nearly 175 gallons (660 liters) of liquid helium to provide a stable ultracold (457° F below zero or –272° C) environment for the instruments. The liquid helium enabled cryogenic operations for 306 days, allowing the FIRAS and DIRBE instruments to completely map the sky with superlative sensitivity. FIRAS precisely measured the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background and DIRBE measured the cosmic infrared background for the first time.Credit: National Archives (255-CC-89-HC-288)" style="object-fit: cover" loading="lazy"></div></a><!-- ID Badge --><span
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COBE Celebrates 35th Launch Anniversary
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<div class="hstack list-unstyled gap-2 hide-last-vr"><!-- Release date --><span class="card-text"> November 18, 2024 </span><span
class="vr"></span><!-- NASA Science categories --><a href="/search/?nasa_science_categories=Universe" class="link-primary" tabindex="-1" title="NASA Science Category: Universe"><span class="bi bi-stars" aria-hidden="true"></span></a><span
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<p id="card_search_result_14715_body_description" class="text-clamp card-text mb-0" style="display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 6;"> Technicians work on the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer)
spacecraft in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The mission launched into an Earth orbit in 1989 to make an all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe.
The conical silver shield protects the scientific instruments from direct radiation from the Sun and Earth, isolates them from radio-frequency interference from the spacecraft transmitters and terrestrial sources, and provides
thermal isolation for a dewar containing liquid helium coolant.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_in_gfsc_clean_room_1.jpg (1629x1600) [552.8 KB] || || 14715 || COBE Celebrates 35th Launch Anniversary || Technicians work
on the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) spacecraft in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The mission launched into an Earth orbit in 1989 to make an all-sky map of the cosmic microwave
background, the oldest light in the universe. The conical silver shield protects the scientific instruments from direct radiation from the Sun and Earth, isolates them from radio-frequency interference from the spacecraft
transmitters and terrestrial sources, and provides thermal isolation for a dewar containing liquid helium coolant.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_in_gfsc_clean_room_1.jpg (1629x1600) [552.8 KB] || The COBE (Cosmic
Background Explorer) satellite, launched Nov. 18, 1989, studied the origin and dynamics of the universe, including the theory that the universe originated in a hot, dense state and expanded and cooled to its present form, a
process called the big bang.One consequence of a hot origin for the universe is that a faint echo of radiation emitted by the original fireball should still fill the cosmos. In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of the Bell
Telephone Laboratories, using a sensitive microwave antenna in Holmdel, New Jersey, found an unexplained noise in their data. It came from all parts of the sky with equal intensity. This radiation, an echo of the original
fireball, is called the CMB (cosmic microwave background).COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer showed for the first time that the CMB had an intrinsic anisotropy, meaning that intensity changes varied by 1 part in 100,000 from
place to place. These tiny variations show how matter and energy were distributed when the universe was very young. Later, through processes still poorly understood, the variations developed into the large-scale structures we see
in the universe today. COBE had produced the first baby picture of the cosmos.The mission's Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer instrument measured the CMB spectrum with a precision of 0.03%, demonstrating for the first time
that it closely matches that of a blackbody — a perfect emitter and absorber — with a temperature of 2.725 K (about 454.8 degrees below zero Fahrenheit or –270.4 Celsius). This observation agrees well with predictions of the
remnant glow from a cosmos originating in a hot big bang.The Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment mapped absolute sky brightness from 1.25 microns to 240 microns and succeeded in detecting the cosmic infrared background. This
cosmic core sample contains the cumulative emissions of stars and galaxies dating back to the epoch when they first began to form. These measurements constrain models of the history of star formation and the buildup of elements
heavier than hydrogen, including those composing living organisms.COBE investigators John Mather and George Smoot were awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics for their work. COBE was retired on Dec. 23, 1993. || An artist’s
concept of the COBE satellite in orbit with spacecraft elements identified. An unlabeled version is also available.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center || COBE_satellite_diagram.jpg (2500x2448) [2.6 MB] ||
COBE_satellite_diagram_no_labels.jpg (3000x3529) [4.8 MB] || The COBE spacecraft undergoes cleaning in a NASA Goddard clean room before being shipped for final integration prior to launch. Credit: NASA/Peter M. Baltzell ||
COBE_final_integration_1989.jpg (2880x3534) [1.3 MB] || COBE is suspended without its shield and solar panels in a NASA Goddard clean room. The white structure at the top of the spacecraft is a dewar that at launch contained
nearly 175 gallons (660 liters) of liquid helium to provide a stable ultracold (457° F below zero or –272° C) environment for the instruments. The liquid helium enabled cryogenic operations for 306 days, allowing the FIRAS and
DIRBE instruments to completely map the sky with superlative sensitivity. FIRAS precisely measured the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background and DIRBE measured the cosmic infrared background for the first time.Credit:
National Archives (255-CC-89-HC-288) || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_print.jpg (1024x1193) [450.1 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2.jpg (4389x5114) [7.0 MB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_searchweb.png (320x180)
[114.7 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_thm.png (80x40) [18.0 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2.tif (4389x5114) [128.5 MB] || The Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer instrument precisely measured the spectrum of
the cosmic microwave background, showing that it matched a blackbody — a perfect emitter and absorber — with a temperature of 2.725 K, providing strong support for a hot cosmic origin.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team ||
cobe_CMB_spectrum.jpg (1538x1217) [253.9 KB] || After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer
data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time. This image shows the entire sky using two years of observations; the central plane of our
galaxy runs across the middle. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. These variations represent an imprint of the density
contrast in the early universe, variations thought to have given rise to the structures that populate the universe today.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_2_yr_anisotropy_map.jpg (2879x1503) [944.0 KB] || This artist's
concept shows COBE's original design, when it was to be launched as part of a space shuttle mission. During the hiatus in shuttle launches following the 1986 Challenger disaster, COBE was reconfigured to allow launch on an
expendable Delta booster. COBE's diameter and mass were reduced by half. Other changes included deployable solar panels and a conical radiation shield that would unfold in orbit.Credit: NASA || COBE_original_design_art.jpg
(1538x1080) [245.0 KB] || From the archives: COBE launches into orbit on Nov. 18, 1989.Credit: NASAComplete transcript available. || G1999-005_COBE_Launch.07440_print.jpg (1024x576) [85.8 KB] || G1999-005_COBE_Launch.mp4
(1280x720) [302.0 MB] || COBE_Launch.en_US.srt [4.1 KB] || COBE_Launch.en_US.vtt [3.9 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || COBE || Cosmic Background || Cosmic Origins || Infrared || Microwaves || Space ||
Spacecraft || Universe || David Leisawitz (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || </p>
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Scientific Visualization Studio * Galleries * Help Search NASA SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION STUDIO Rendering of CO2 concentration over the eastern United States (#5196) Visualization of PACE orbiting the earth, drawing swathes of color behind it. (PACE Gallery) Rendering of the OSIRIS-REx mission entering Earth's atmosphere (#20381) Ocean currents of the Gulf Stream. (#11003) NASA's Earth Information Center, located in the east lobby of the NASA Headquarters building. Simulation of black hole jets coming from the centers of galaxies. (#14217) LIDAR view of Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest. (#4624) Solar flares coming off of the Sun. (#14202) Rendering of NASA's LRO orbiting the Moon. (#20369) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENTLY RELEASED Filters Clear filters NASA SCIENCE CATEGORY * Earth * Planets & Moons * Sun * Universe PAGE TYPE * Animation * B-Roll * Gallery * Hyperwall Visual * Infographic * Interactive * Produced Video * Visualization * ID: 40529 Gallery AIR QUALITY DASHBOARD December 4, 2024 NASA's fleet of Earth observing satellites monitor our planet's oceans, biosphere, and atmosphere. Instruments onboard satellites observe air pollutants around the world. The data collected are used by air quality experts and researchers studying the impact of air pollution on human health. || Air Quality Dashboard || Overview || NASA's fleet of Earth observing satellites monitor our planet's oceans, biosphere, and atmosphere. Instruments onboard satellites observe air pollutants around the world. The data collected are used by air quality experts and researchers studying the impact of air pollution on human health. || Worldview Satellite Observations - First Cycle || The first cycle of the Earth Now dashboard shows a set of near real-time satellite observations, provided by NASA's Worldview team. These satellite data products are generally captured within the previous three hours and are created in an expedited manner to support forecasting and monitoring of natural hazards and disasters, to assess air quality and support agricultural needs, to facilitate improved weather prediction, and to help ensure homeland security. While the displayed NASA satellite missions were originally designed for scientific research, they have been adapted to also support time sensitive applications through NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability (LANCE). || Active fires detected by Suomin NPP satellite || ActiveFires_SuomiNPP.png (1432x2716) [3.5 MB] || Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) by Aura satellite || NitrogenDioxideAura.png (1432x2716) [5.0 MB] || Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) by Suomi NPP || AerosolOpticalDepth_Suomi.png (1432x2716) [4.1 MB] || Models: Air Quality || Predictions of air pollution are created using complex models that combine information about weather and the emissions, transformation, and transport of chemical species and particles. The Goddard Earth Observing System Composition Forecasting (GEOS-CF) system is a research model maintained by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office to help scientists understand the causes and impact of air pollution. It is one of the highest resolution and most detailed models of its kind in the world, made possible through ongoing collaborations between NASA and university scientists. GEOS-CF tracks the concentrations of hundreds of gas phase chemical species and dozens of types of particles characterized by their composition and size. It is used by a wide variety of stakeholders around the world to develop new methods for improving local predictions, understanding the impact of pollution on human health, and improving the quality of NASA satellite datasets. || 5151: Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 || 5152: Near surface Ozone (O3) || 5153: Carbon Monoxide (CO) || 5154: Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) || Revolutionizing our understanding with NASA's TEMPO mission || NASA’s TEMPO, or Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, is the first space-based instrument designed to continuously measure air quality above North America with the resolution of a few square miles. TEMPO uses visible sunlight to take hourly scans of North America's atmosphere and can not see pollution below clouds or at night || 5175: TEMPO - Nitrogen Dioxide Air Pollution Over ... || 4810: Reductions in Pollution Associated with Decr... || 5107: Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Washingto... || Air Quality Index for DC || no_preview_web_black.png (320x180) [6.9 KB] || Side Circles || Eyes on Earth: Aqua satellite || EyesOnEarth_Aqua.png (2152x2158) [2.6 MB] || Eyes on Earth: Aura Satellte || EyesOnEarth_Aura.png (2152x2158) [3.1 MB] || Go to this page * ID: 14723 Produced Video PACE SCIENTISTS TAKE TO THE SEA AND AIR (AND REALLY HIGH AIR) November 29, 2024 Music: "Changing Seasons," "Magnetism," "Autumn Shower," "Elegance," "Near Our Home," "Hope for Tomorrow," "Drop of Water," "North Winds," "Prelude and Transition," Universal Production Music.Complete transcript available. || pace-pax-thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [186.5 KB] || pace-pax-thumb.png (2560x1440) [2.6 MB] || pace-pax-thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [91.0 KB] || pace-pax-thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.srt [18.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.vtt [17.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.webm (3840x2160) [114.9 MB] || PACE-PAX_final.mp4 (3840x2160) [690.6 MB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [35.0 GB] || || 14723 || PACE Scientists Take to the Sea and Air (and Really High Air) || Music: "Changing Seasons," "Magnetism," "Autumn Shower," "Elegance," "Near Our Home," "Hope for Tomorrow," "Drop of Water," "North Winds," "Prelude and Transition," Universal Production Music.Complete transcript available. || pace-pax-thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [186.5 KB] || pace-pax-thumb.png (2560x1440) [2.6 MB] || pace-pax-thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [91.0 KB] || pace-pax-thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.srt [18.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_vid.en_US.vtt [17.0 KB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.webm (3840x2160) [169.3 MB] || PACE-PAX_final.mp4 (3840x2160) [690.6 MB] || PACE-PAX_final_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [35.0 GB] || Life Support for ER-2 Pilots (Optimized for Instagram Reels)Music: "Emotional Grid," "Lift Me Up Higher," "You Say It's Over," Universal Production Music. || ER-2_thumb.png (562x1008) [1002.5 KB] || ER-2_thumb_print.jpg (1024x1836) [329.3 KB] || ER-2_thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [83.9 KB] || ER-2_thumb_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || ER2_Life_Support_Reel.mp4 (1080x1920) [110.8 MB] || ER2_Life_Support.en_US.srt [2.4 KB] || ER2_Life_Support.en_US.vtt [2.3 KB] || Earth || airborne || California || Field Campaign || Location || Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Producer || Elizabeth C. Wilk (eMITS) as Producer || Grace Weikert (eMITS) as Producer || Elizabeth C. Wilk (eMITS) as Videographer || Grace Weikert (eMITS) as Videographer || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Videographer || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Writer || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Editor || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Narrator || Kirk Knobelspiesse (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ivona Cetinic (Morgan State University) as Scientist || Brian Cairns (NASA/GSFC GISS) as Scientist || Jeremy Werdell (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ryan Fitzgibbons (eMITS) as Animator || Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC) as Visualizer || Kel Elkins (USRA) as Visualizer || Kirk Knobelspiesse (NASA/GSFC) as Interviewee || Ivona Cetinic (Morgan State University) as Interviewee || Brian Cairns (NASA/GSFC GISS) as Interviewee || Go to this page * ID: 5411 Visualization AN M6.5 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13854 - OCTOBER 19, 2024 November 28, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13854 launches an M6.5 flare on October 19, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5411 || An M6.5 flare from Active Region 13854 - October 19, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13854 launches an M6.5 flare on October 19, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg (1024x1024) [567.8 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_searchweb.png (320x180) [95.1 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000303_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [81.4 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg (1024x1024) [322.0 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [14.2 MB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [209.2 MB] || Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [209.0 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13854 (on the right limb of the disk) launches an M6.5 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000303_print.jpg (1024x1024) [602.5 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [50.8 MB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241019_AR13854M65_AIA.0131A_000303_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.5 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5403 Visualization AN X1.8 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13848 - OCTOBER 9, 2024 November 27, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13848 launches an X1.8 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5403 || An X1.8 flare from Active Region 13848 - October 9, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13848 launches an X1.8 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024) [565.5 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_searchweb.png (320x180) [97.6 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000301_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [131.3 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.1 GB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.1 GB] || Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024) [319.5 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.8 MB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [298.8 MB] || Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [297.6 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13848 (in the center of the disk) launches an X1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000301_print.jpg (1024x1024) [608.5 KB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [68.2 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || 20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241009_AR13848X18_AIA.0131A_000301_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.5 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5406 Visualization AN M7.7 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13842 - OCTOBER 9, 2024 November 27, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13842 launches an M7.7 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || || 5406 || An M7.7 flare from Active Region 13842 - October 9, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.In a last flash before rotating over the limb, active region 13842 launches an M7.7 flare on October 9, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery. || Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg (1024x1024) [560.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_searchweb.png (320x180) [96.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped.000291_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [79.7 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.4 GB] || Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg (1024x1024) [313.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [13.3 MB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [205.0 MB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [205.6 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13842 (on the lower right limb of the disk) launches an M7.7 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000291_print.jpg (1024x1024) [608.2 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [46.7 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || 20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241009_AR13842M77_AIA.0131A_000291_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5420 Visualization AN M7.2 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13878 - OCTOBER 30,2024 November 27, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 launches an M7.2 flare. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5420 || An M7.2 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 30,2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 launches an M7.2 flare. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [481.7 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_searchweb.png (320x180) [90.3 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000306_thm.png (80x40) [7.0 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [62.7 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [128.0 KB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.2 GB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.2 GB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [313.3 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [13.3 MB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [200.6 MB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [201.8 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an M 7.2 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000306_print.jpg (1024x1024) [594.7 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [44.3 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [128.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [128.0 KB] || 20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.1 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241030_AR13878M72_AIA.0131A_000306_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [128.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [128.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5413 Visualization AN X1.8 & M9.5 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13873 - OCTOBER 26, 2024 November 27, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Double flares launch from the same active region (AR 13873) less than an hour apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry for M9.5 @ 2024-10-26T06:23 TAI and X1.8 @ 2024-10-26T07:19 TAI.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5413 || An X1.8 & M9.5 flare from Active Region 13873 - October 26, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Double flares launch from the same active region (AR 13873) less than an hour apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry for M9.5 @ 2024-10-26T06:23 TAI and X1.8 @ 2024-10-26T07:19 TAI.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [492.3 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_searchweb.png (320x180) [87.8 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000312_thm.png (80x40) [6.8 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [121.9 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.0 GB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [2.0 GB] || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [307.5 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.0 MB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [307.8 MB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [307.9 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13873 (near the lower left limb of the disk) launches an M 9.5 and X 1.8 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000312_print.jpg (1024x1024) [601.1 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [66.5 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || 20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241026_AR13873X18_AIA.0131A_000312_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.7 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Multiple solar flares || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5421 Visualization AN X2.0 AND M9.4 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13878 - OCTOBER 31, 2024 November 27, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 presents a 'double whammy' of two strong flares (X 2.0 and M9.4) only about 30 minutes apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entries for X2.0 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:20) and M9.4 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:54).For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5421 || An X2.0 and M9.4 flare from Active Region 13878 - October 31, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active Region 13878 presents a 'double whammy' of two strong flares (X 2.0 and M9.4) only about 30 minutes apart. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entries for X2.0 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:20) and M9.4 (peak @ 2024-10-31T21:54).For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [484.3 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_searchweb.png (320x180) [90.3 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000305_thm.png (80x40) [6.9 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [93.9 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.8 GB] || Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.8 GB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [320.7 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [20.7 MB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [309.3 MB] || Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [310.4 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13878 (in the upper left quadrant of the disk) launches an X2.0 and M 9.4 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000305_print.jpg (1024x1024) [595.4 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [67.0 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || 20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241031_AR13878X20_AIA.0131A_000305_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.1 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Multiple solar flares || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 5412 Visualization AN X3.3 FLARE FROM ACTIVE REGION 13869 - OCTOBER 24, 2024 November 26, 2024 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active region 13869 launches an X3.3 flare on October 24, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || || 5412 || An X3.3 flare from Active Region 13869 - October 24, 2024 || Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.Active region 13869 launches an X3.3 flare on October 24, 2024. For more details, see the Space Weather Database entry.For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to some of this imagery. || Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 131 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has not been applied to these images to reduce the dark artifacting around the flare location. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [496.4 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_searchweb.png (320x180) [86.8 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped.000302_thm.png (80x40) [6.6 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [109.6 MB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Time.noPSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Frames.noPSF [256.0 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_noPSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.9 GB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A.noPSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.9 GB] || Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 171 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [317.1 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [21.1 MB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [296.1 MB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0171A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [295.7 MB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || Active Region 13869 (on the lower left limb of the disk) launches an X 3.3 flare in this view through the SDO AIA 304 ångstrom filter. PSF deconvolution has been applied to these images to improve the contrast of structures on the disk. || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped.000302_print.jpg (1024x1024) [602.2 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_1024p30.mp4 (1024x1024) [68.6 MB] || AIA.0304A-Time.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF [256.0 KB] || AIA.0304A-Frames.PSF_stamped [256.0 KB] || 20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A_PSF_stamped_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0304A.PSF_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [1.6 GB] || What is the PSF (Point Spread-Function)?Many telescopes, especially reflecting telescopes such as the ones used on SDO (Wikipedia), have internal structures that support various optical components. These components can result in incoming light being scattered to other parts of the image. This can appear in the image as a faint haze, brightening dark areas and dimming bright areas. The point-spread function (Wikipedia) is a measure of how light that would normally be received by a single camera pixel, gets scattered onto other pixels. This is often seen as the "spikes" seen in images of bright stars. For SDO, it manifests as a double-X shape centered over a bright flare (see Sun Emits Third Solar Flare in Two Days). The effect of this scattered light can be computed, and removed, by a process called deconvolution (Wikipedia). This is often a very compute-intensive process which can be sped up by using a computers graphics-processing unit (GPU) for the computation. || Time slates for the multiple movies above, for custom compositing. Make sure to match the event and frame tag for the SDO frames you are using. || slate_Flares_20241024_AR13869X33_AIA.0131A_000302_print.jpg (1024x95) [15.8 KB] || AIA.0304A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0171A-Slates [256.0 KB] || AIA.0131A-Slates [256.0 KB] || Sun || Corona || Coronal Mass Ejections || Earth Science || EUV Imaging || Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging || Heliophysics || Point-Spread-Function (PSF) || SDO || Solar Active Regions || Solar Activity || Solar Cycle 25 || Solar Dynamics Observatory || Solar Flares || Space Weather || Sun-earth Interactions || SDO || SDO - Footage || AIA 304 (304 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 171 (171 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || AIA 131 (131 Filter) [SDO: AIA] || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 14707 Produced Video XRISM'S RESOLVE INSTRUMENT GAZES INTO CYGNUS X-3 November 25, 2024 Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary system consisting of a compact object (likely a black hole) and a Wolf-Rayet star. This artist's concept shows one interpretation of the system. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates two gas components: a heavy background outflow, or wind, produced by the massive star and a turbulent structure — perhaps a wake carved into the wind — located close to the orbiting companion. As shown here, a black hole's gravity captures some of the wind into an accretion disk around it, and the disk's orbital motion sculpts a path (yellow arc) through the streaming gas. During strong outbursts, the companion emits jets of particles moving near the speed of light, seen here extending above and below the black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterAlt text: Illustration of the Cygnus X-3 systemImage description: On a cloudy reddish background, a bright blue-white circle — a representation of a hot, bright, massive star — sits near the center. Wisps of blue-white border its edges, and many lines of similar color radiate from it. In the foreground at about 4 o’clock lies a yellowish ring with a black hole in its center. From the ring trails a diffuse yellow arc, sweeping from right to left and exiting at the bottom of the illustration. Extending above and below the black hole are two blue-white triangles representing particle jets. || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K.jpg (3840x2160) [505.1 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.5 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_web.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || || 14707 || XRISM's Resolve Instrument Gazes into Cygnus X-3 || Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary system consisting of a compact object (likely a black hole) and a Wolf-Rayet star. This artist's concept shows one interpretation of the system. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates two gas components: a heavy background outflow, or wind, produced by the massive star and a turbulent structure — perhaps a wake carved into the wind — located close to the orbiting companion. As shown here, a black hole's gravity captures some of the wind into an accretion disk around it, and the disk's orbital motion sculpts a path (yellow arc) through the streaming gas. During strong outbursts, the companion emits jets of particles moving near the speed of light, seen here extending above and below the black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterAlt text: Illustration of the Cygnus X-3 systemImage description: On a cloudy reddish background, a bright blue-white circle — a representation of a hot, bright, massive star — sits near the center. Wisps of blue-white border its edges, and many lines of similar color radiate from it. In the foreground at about 4 o’clock lies a yellowish ring with a black hole in its center. From the ring trails a diffuse yellow arc, sweeping from right to left and exiting at the bottom of the illustration. Extending above and below the black hole are two blue-white triangles representing particle jets. || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K.jpg (3840x2160) [505.1 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.5 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_web.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has captured the most detailed portrait yet of gases flowing within Cygnus X-3, one of the most studied sources in the X-ray sky.Cygnus X-3 is a binary that pairs a rare type of high-mass star with a compact companion — likely a black hole. The components are so close they complete an orbit in just 4.8 hours.The star makes the system especially intriguing. It's a Wolf-Rayet star, a type that has evolved to the point where strong outflows called stellar winds strip gas from the star’s surface and drive it outward. The compact object sweeps up and heats some of this gas, causing it to emit X-rays.XRISM (pronounced “crism”) is led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, along with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). NASA and JAXA developed the mission’s microcalorimeter spectrometer instrument, named Resolve. Observing Cygnus X-3 for 18 hours in late March, Resolve acquired a high-resolution spectrum that allows astronomers to better understand the complex gas dynamics operating there. These include outflowing gas produced by a hot, massive star, its interaction with the compact companion, and a turbulent region that may represent a wake produced by the companion as it orbits through the outrushing gas. Cygnus X-3 is thought to lie about 32,000 light-years away in the direction of the northern constellation Cygnus. While thick dust clouds in our galaxy’s central plane obscure the system's visible light, the binary has been studied in radio, infrared, and gamma-ray light, as well as in X-rays. The system is immersed in the star’s streaming gas, which is illuminated and ionized by X-rays from the compact companion. The gas both emits and absorbs X-rays, and many of the spectrum’s prominent peaks and valleys incorporate both aspects. Yet a simple attempt at understanding the spectrum comes up short because some of the features appear to be in the wrong place. That’s because the rapid motion of the gas displaces these features from their normal laboratory energies due to the Doppler effect. Absorption valleys typically shift up to higher energies, indicating gas moving toward us at speeds of up to 930,000 mph (1.5 million kph). Emission peaks shift down to lower energies, indicating gas moving away from us at slower speeds. Some spectral features displayed much stronger absorption valleys than emission peaks. The reason for this imbalance, the team concludes, is that the dynamics of the stellar wind allow the moving gas to absorb a broader range of X-ray energies emitted by the companion. The detail of the XRISM spectrum, particularly at higher energies rich in features produced by ionized iron atoms, allowed the scientists to disentangle these effects. || XRISM’s Resolve instrument has captured the most detailed X-ray spectrum yet acquired of Cygnus X-3. Peaks indicate X-rays emitted by ionized gases, and valleys form where the gases absorb X-rays; many lines are also shifted to both higher and lower energies by gas motions. Top: The full Resolve spectrum, from 2 to 8 keV (kiloelectron volts), tracks X-rays with thousands of times the energy of visible light. Some lines are labeled with the names of the elements that produced them, such as sulfur, argon, and calcium, along with Roman numerals that refer to the number of electrons these atoms have lost. Bottom: A zoom into a region of the spectrum often dominated by features produced by transitions in the innermost electron shell (K shell) of iron atoms. These features form when the atoms interact with high-energy X-rays or electrons and respond by emitting a photon at energies between 6.4 and 7 keV. These details, clearly visible for the first time with XRISM’s Resolve instrument, will help astronomers refine their understanding of this unusual system.Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM CollaborationAlt text: XRISM Resolve X-ray spectrum of Cygnus X-3 Image description: Two graphs appear on a dark blue background. The text at the top reads “XRISM Resolve Spectrum of Cygnus X-3.” The top graph, which takes up the upper third of the image, has a lighter blue background that darkens from top to bottom, an even brighter squiggly line that arcs across the graph, and yellow text such as “Sulfur XV” and Calcium XX.” X-ray brightness increases from bottom to top, and X-ray energy (measured in thousands of electron volts, or keV) increases from left to right. An orange box labeled “Area of detail” surrounds a series of peaks and valleys near the right end and identifies the region shown in the bottom graph. The lower chart is labeled “Iron K-alpha region” and shows prominent emission and absorption features produced by iron. || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml.png (1028x800) [177.3 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_print.jpg (1024x796) [153.9 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_full_2160.png (2775x2160) [599.8 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_searchweb.png (320x180) [39.3 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_web.png (320x249) [49.5 KB] || Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml_thm.png (80x40) [3.9 KB] || For More Information || See NASA.gov || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Binary || Black Hole || Space || Spectrum || Star || Universe || X-ray || XRISM || XRISM || Astrophysics Stills || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Illustrator || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Graphics || Tim Kallman (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Ralf Ballhausen (University of Maryland College Park) as Scientist || Go to this page * ID: 14726 Produced Video EXCITE 2024: LAUNCH AND RECOVERY November 25, 2024 On August 31, 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both the north and south poles, although flights over Antarctica allow for longer-duration flights at a latitude optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || || 14726 || EXCITE 2024: Launch and Recovery || On August 31, 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both the north and south poles, although flights over Antarctica allow for longer-duration flights at a latitude optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) mission prepares for launch via a scientific balloon in this photograph taken on Aug. 31, 2024, at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A large vehicle hosts a telescope. Image description: A large vehicle stands in the center as dawn breaks over a desert landscape. The vehicle has a long arm extending forward. At the end of the arm dangles a shiny silver telescope. The top is conical, and various rectangular structures are attached to the bottoms and sides. The vehicle has lights along the arm that illuminate the telescope. There’s a truck parked to the vehicle’s left. In the distance, the sky is orange at the horizon, shading from purple to blue at the top of the image. There is a line of streaky clouds across the center. || 1-EXCITE_Launch.jpg (8192x4765) [21.6 MB] || 1-_EXCITE_Launch_searchweb.png (320x180) [79.9 KB] || 1-_EXCITE_Launch_thm.png (80x40) [15.4 KB] || The EXCITE team stands in front of the telescope the morning of launch. From left to right: Lee Bernard (Arizona State University), Annalies Kleyheeg (Brown University), Greg Tucker (Brown University), Steve Maher (Science Systems and Applications, Inc./NASA), Peter Nagler (NASA), Tim Rehm (Brown University), Khing Klangboonkrong, Kyle Helson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County/NASA), and Javier Romualdez (StarSpec Technology).Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A group of people stand in front of a large vehicle carrying a telescope.Image description: Nine people in reflective vests and hard hats stand in front of a large vehicle carrying a shiny silver telescope. The group has five on the left and four on the right, so the bottom part of the telescope is visible between them. The telescope has a conical top, with a section cut out for a cylinder, which is the telescope tube. The body is boxy and has rectangular panels attached to the bottom. The vehicle holding it has a long arm that extends forward. The sky in the background is dark. || 2-EXCITE_Team.jpg (5720x3813) [4.5 MB] || Big Bill, shown here carrying EXCITE, is a special vehicle designed to launch scientific balloons. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A large vehicle hoists a telescope.Image description: Under a dark sky, a large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle, toward the left of the image. The words “Big Bill” are written along the side of the vehicle, under a cab for the driver. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. Two people in hard hats stand near the telescope, and another stands further away, on the left side of the image. A large white hanger with red letters spelling “NASA” on the side is in the background. || 3-EXCITE_loaded_on_Big_Bill.jpg (8192x5464) [33.6 MB] || Once Big Bill is in position, the CSBF team rolls out a drop cloth for the scientific balloon to protect it from damage — the balloon material is about as thick as the material of a sandwich bag. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A large vehicle hoists a telescope.Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. A long white drop cloth extends from behind the vehicle into the distance. People in reflective vests and hard hats stand along the length of the cloth. The dawn sky is just beginning to brighten. || 4-EXCITE_on_Flight_Line.jpg (6620x4413) [8.6 MB] || Klangboonkrong, Romualdez, and Rehm look on as the CSBF team fill’s EXCITE’s 39-million-cubic-foot scientific balloon with helium, which took about an hour.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Three people wait while a scientific balloon inflates in the background.Image description: Two men in reflective vests stand and watch a large balloon inflating in the distance. The man on the right wears a baseball cap and turns to look at the other man. The balloon is framed in between them. To their right, a woman in glasses and a reflective vest sits with her legs crossed on the ground. She’s looking up at the men. The sky is golden, with a thin layer of clouds near the top of the image. || 5-EXCITE_Balloon_Inflates.jpg (6297x4198) [5.0 MB] || Watch the launch of the scientific balloon carrying EXCITE.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts Video description: A large balloon lifts from the ground with a loud rippling noise. The camera follows it as it launches into a partly cloudy sky just after dawn. The video then cuts to a large vehicle reversing to release a shiny silver telescope at the other end of the balloon’s long cable. The video cuts to another shot of the balloon and telescope rising into the sky. An unseen crowd claps and cheers. || EXCITE_Launch_Vertical_Video.00090_print.jpg (1024x1820) [199.9 KB] || EXCITE_Launch_Vertical_Video.mp4 (1080x1920) [96.5 MB] || After launch, the EXCITE team monitored and operated the telescope from the ground. Klangboonkrong faces the camera. Facing away, from left to right, are Rehm, Romualdez, and Maher.Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Four people sit in front of computers in the corner of a hangar. Image description: Three people sit at a collection of tables in the corner of a hangar, looking at computer screens. In the background, three men in blue shirts sit at a table along a wall. Their backs are to the camera. A woman in a blue shirt faces the camera and sits at another table. She has a notebook in front of her. The tables are cluttered with snacks, equipment, safety gear, sloth plushies, and other odds and ends. || 6-EXCITE_Team_After_Launch.jpg (7981x4946) [20.8 MB] || EXCITE landed safely by parachute south of Holbrook, Arizona, on the side of a steep. hill.Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: A telescope lists to the right on the side of steep hill.Image description: A shiny silver telescope lists to the right on the side of a steep hill. The telescope is centered in the image and is surrounded by short shrubby trees interspersed with patches of brown earth. In the distance, more hills and valleys are visible. || 7-EXCITE_Lands.jpg (7952x5304) [58.3 MB] || The balloon facility's Daniel Seegmiller and Tyler Barnard helped protect the telescope with a tarp while the team waited for a helicopter to remove it from its landing spot. Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: Two men examine a large telescope.Image description: Two men examine a large shiny silver telescope. The telescope is listing slightly to the left on the side of a steep hill. It has a slightly oblong rhombus shape. The men stand to the right of the telescope. The man on the left wears jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt and a black baseball cap. He has his hands on his hips. The man on the right wears jeans, a green T-shirt and a blue baseball cap. He points at the telescope. The landscape is full of small, shrub-like bushes and trees interspersed with patches of brown dirt. The background reveals the telescope is in a valley, with a partly cloudy sky peaking over the top of the line of the hill. || 8-_EXCITE_Recovery.jpg (7952x5304) [42.5 MB] || Watch a helicopter carry EXCITE out of a remote area after a scientific balloon flight. Credit: NASA/Daniel SeegmillerVideo description: This video shows a landscape dominated by scrubby vegetation with a few tall pine trees. A helicopter is audible, but not visible for the first second. Then the camera zooms in to show it. It’s white and carries a telescope at the end of a long cable. || EXCITE_Helicopter_Recovery.00300_print.jpg (1024x1820) [495.5 KB] || EXCITE_Helicopter_Recovery.mp4 (540x960) [7.6 MB] || This image shows the curvature of the Earth from 130,000 feet. It was taken remotely by a camera on EXCITE. The red blob at the top of the frame is the parachute. Credit: NASA/Kyle HelsonAlt text: A glimpse of the curvature of the Earth from EXCITE. Image description: In this photograph, Earth’s curvature dominates the frame. It’s on the right side, and the sky is streaked with blue clouds. The black of space is on the left. The camera sits in between two shiny silver structures visible in the foreground. The top one on the left is boxy. The one on the bottom is a mostly flat surface. A red blob appears at the top of the image. || EXCITEs_View_from_Space.jpg (1600x900) [111.0 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Go to this page * ID: 5428 Visualization PARKER SOLAR PROBE TOWARDS ITS ULTIMATE PERIHELION November 25, 2024 Parker Solar Probe is making its final planned orbits around the Sun.On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed it's final Venus gravity assist maneuver, passing within 233 miles (376 kilometers) of Venus' surface. The flyby adjusted Parker's trajectory into its final orbital configuration, bringing the spacecraft to within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles from the solar surface on December 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human-made object has been to the Sun. || || 5428 || Parker Solar Probe Towards its Ultimate Perihelion || Parker Solar Probe is making its final planned orbits around the Sun.On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed it's final Venus gravity assist maneuver, passing within 233 miles (376 kilometers) of Venus' surface. The flyby adjusted Parker's trajectory into its final orbital configuration, bringing the spacecraft to within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles from the solar surface on December 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human-made object has been to the Sun. || A wide-view tour of the final phases of Parker Solar Probe, from the last Venus flyby on November 6, 2024 to the closest perihelion on December 24, 2024. || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_print.jpg (1024x576) [93.9 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_searchweb.png (320x180) [61.5 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01170_thm.png (80x40) [3.9 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.WideView.HD1080_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [35.4 MB] || WideView [256.0 KB] || WideView [256.0 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [107.2 MB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelion.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [242 bytes] || A chase-camera view of the final phases of Parker Solar Probe, from the last Venus flyby on November 6, 2024 to the closest perihelion on December 24, 2024. || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.HD1080.01590_print.jpg (1024x576) [92.8 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.ChaseView.HD1080_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [48.2 MB] || ChaseView [256.0 KB] || ChaseView [256.0 KB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [152.3 MB] || Sentinels2024.ParkerPerihelionV2.HAE.AU.clockSlate.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [232 bytes] || Sun || Corona || Heliophysics || Hyperwall || Parker Solar Probe || Solar Wind || Venus || Parker Solar Probe || DE 431 || Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) as Visualizer || Joy Ng (eMITS) as Producer || Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Technical support || Go to this page * ID: 14725 Produced Video EXCITE 2024: PAYLOAD PREP November 25, 2024 In August 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both Arctic and Antarctic, with the latter offering longer duration flights optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || || 14725 || EXCITE 2024: Payload Prep || In August 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team conducted a test flight of their telescope from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.EXCITE's goal is to study atmospheres around hot Jupiters, gas giant exoplanets that complete an orbit once every one to two days and have temperatures in the thousands of degrees.The telescope is designed fly to about 132,000 feet (40 kilometers) via a scientific balloon filled with helium. That takes it above 99.5% of Earth’s atmosphere. At that altitude, it can observe multiple infrared wavelengths with little interference. In the future, EXCITE could take observations over both Arctic and Antarctic, with the latter offering longer duration flights optimum for observing planets for their entire orbit. || NASA Goddard astrophysicist Kyle Helson looks at EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) as it dangles from the ceiling of a hangar at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man looks at a large telescope in a hangar. Image description: A crane suspends a shiny silver telescope in a large hangar at night. The top is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. The background shows the hangar is full of equipment, and the foreground shows the outside of the building. There are orange cones in front of the hanger doors. A person in a reflective vest and hard hat stands to the left of the open doors. || EXCITE_Telescope.jpg (7598x4877) [20.5 MB] || EXCITE_Telescope_searchweb.png (320x180) [77.6 KB] || EXCITE_Telescope_thm.png (80x40) [15.8 KB] || Every fall, CSBF launches multiple missions like EXCITE from the Fort Sumner Municipal Airport, shown here. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Two hangars rise above an arid landscape.Image description: Two metal buildings stand in an arid landscape. The sky is a dusty blue, shading to white at the horizon and takes up the top two-thirds of the image. The lower third is occupied by the two buildings. The first, an aircraft hangar, is long and gray with a domed top. The second building, to the right of the first, is smaller but taller. It’s white with “NASA” written in red on the side. In the foreground are brown grasses and scrubby green bushes. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00007.jpg (6720x4480) [4.1 MB] || Fort Sumner is home to wildlife like scorpions, tarantulas, and jack rabbits.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A jack rabbit sits on a pebbly road. Image description: A long-eared brown and white jack rabbit looks alertly at the camera. Both ears are extended above its head. It’s seated to the right side of a brown dirt road. To the left of the road are long brown and green grasses. To the right are trees. Out-of-focus buildings are visible in the distance. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00008.jpg (6290x4193) [5.3 MB] || Tim Rehm, a graduate student at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, installs a protective lid over the opening of EXCITE’s telescope. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man works on a telescope in a hangar. Image description: A man in a blue shirt and an orange and camo baseball cap uses a small wrench to install a plastic cover over the opening of a telescope. He’s standing behind and to the right of the telescope and is visible from the waist up. The telescope is a shiny silver cylinder with a black knob in the middle inside a white metal frame. Coils of black cable rest on the front of the frame. Text on a white metal structure beneath the telescope, at lower right, reads "Danger, Pinch Point." The man and the telescope are inside a large white hangar. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00001.jpg (6105x4069) [3.7 MB] || Annalies Kleyheeg, a graduate student at Brown, attaches one of the radiator panels EXCITE uses to shed heat produced by its cryocooler. Rehm and Helson assist.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A woman attaches a part to a telescope with assistance from two men. Image description: A woman in a cream cardigan and blue baseball cap attaches a shiny silver rectangular panel to a telescope. The image is framed so she stands between two men with their backs to the camera, with the panel in between them. The man on the left wears a yellow reflective vest and a camo baseball hat. The man on the right wears a black T-shirt. The woman only rises to the halfway point of the telescope. The telescope, in the background, is a shiny silver cylinder in a rhombus-shaped base with white boxes attached to the side. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00003.jpg (6607x4405) [7.7 MB] || Lee Bernard, a graduate student at Arizona State University in Tempe, connects an LED light so the team can read a thermometer inside the gondola via a camera feed during flight. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man uses a hot air gun to solder two wires.Image description: A bearded man wearing a red-and-blue plaid shirt and glasses holds what looks like a black hairdryer — a hot air gun. He’s on the right side of the image, with his head tilted toward the camera. The hot air gun is also tilted toward the camera, with the interior visible and glowing orange. The man holds two attached wires in front of the hot air gun with his other hand. The white wall in the background is covered in a large-gauge wire mesh and has several outlets attached. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00002_print.jpg (1024x682) [319.2 KB] || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00002.JPG (6720x4480) [6.6 MB] || Peter Nagler, EXCITE’s principal investigator, carefully attaches steel weights to the top of the telescope to balance it. EXCITE is so stable once balanced that it can hold a steady gaze on a U.S. quarter coin from 60 miles away. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A man attaches weights to a telescope in a hangar. Image description: A bearded man in a black T-shirt, a tan baseball hat, and blue gloves grins while he works on a shiny silver telescope. The camera is looking up at him, so he’s only visible from the waist up behind the telescope. His left hand is lifted, and his right hand holds the screw attaching a large weight to the cylinder of the telescope. He’s in a large white hangar. The telescope rests in a metal frame with many wires and other pieces of electrical equipment attached. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00005.jpg (6049x4033) [6.4 MB] || Khing Klangboonkrong, a Brown graduate student, covers EXCITE with single-sided aluminized Mylar. The material reflects sunlight to keep the telescope from getting too hot when it reaches 130,000 feet. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A woman works on a telescope in a hangar. Image description: A woman in a navy T-shirt, white baseball cap, and purple gloves places shiny foil-like material on a large telescope. The image is framed so she’s only visible from the waist up. The telescope partially obscures the arm closest to the camera. The telescope is a shiny silver cylinder that has wires and other electrical equipment attached. It’s inside a large white hangar. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00006.jpg (6405x4270) [8.0 MB] || Helson and Rehm play catch during a break in Fort Sumner. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Two men play catch in an arid landscape. Image description: Two men play catch in an arid landscape. The closest man is on the left side of the image, standing in the shadow of a building out of frame. He’s wearing khaki shorts, a black T-shirt, and has a baseball glove on his left hand. Further away, on the right side of the image, is a man in jeans, a gray T-shirt, and an orange baseball cap. He’s standing on one foot, having just thrown a baseball, which hovers between the two men. They’re standing on a large concrete pad. In the distance, the landscape is green and brown, with darker dots of green along the horizon. The sky is blue and clouds are visible near the horizon. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00004.jpg (6603x4402) [3.4 MB] || A vehicle called Big Bill picks up EXCITE so facility personnel can attach crash pads, ballast, and antennas. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A vehicle hoists a telescope in front of a hangar. Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The vehicle is on the right side of the image. A man in a reflective vest and a hard hat stands on the right side of the tire. On the side of the vehicle, the word “Bill” is visible. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle. It holds the telescope at the end of a cable. The telescope has a conical top, with the left side cut open. The base is rhombus-shaped. Rectangular panels are attached to the bottom of the telescope on the left side. Four cardboard squares are attached to the four corners of the base. Behind the telescope is a large white hangar. The camera is placed so it’s looking up at the scene, with the Sun peeking out from behind the hangar. || EXCITE_Compatibility_Test-3.jpg (5472x3648) [11.5 MB] || Away from the hangar, engineers run a test called compatibility to ensure EXCITE can communicate with the tower at the Fort Sumner airport during flight.Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Figures in safety gear stand around a vehicle hoisting a telescope. Image description: A large white vehicle with two enormous front tires uses a long arm to lift a shiny silver telescope. The arm extends along and in front of the vehicle. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. A half circle of orange cones outlines a safety perimeter under the telescope and in front of the vehicle. A group of eight people in reflective vests and hard hats cluster in front of the vehicle. They’re all standing on a large concrete pad. The sky in the background is clear and blue. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00011.jpg (6581x4387) [4.2 MB] || Garrison Breeding and Peter Calhoun, Peraton, Inc. members of the balloon facility team, smile for the camera during EXCITE’s compatability test. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two men stand on the platform of a large vehicle. Image description: Two men in hard hats and yellow-and-orange reflective vests stand on a metal platform surrounded by metal bars. The man on the left points at the camera and has his other arm around the shoulder of the other man. The platform sits above the spoke attaching two enormous wheels of a large vehicle. Part of one wheel is visible on the left side of the image. A large metal arm extends across the middle of the platform and out of frame. The sky in the background is clear and blue. || EXCITE_Compatibility_2-6.jpg (5464x8192) [25.3 MB] || EXCITE dangles a few inches off the ground during a series of tests called night pointings to help calibrate the telescope ahead of flights. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: A telescope dangles from the ceiling of a hangar at night. Image description: At night, a large shiny silver telescope dangles from the ceiling of a large white hanger. It’s framed by the hangar’s doors. The hangar is lit within by a dim red light, and white and green lights on the telescope stand out in the gloom. A line of orange cones stretches in front of the open hangar doors. The top of the telescope is conical, with a section cut out for a cylinder. The body is rhombus-shaped and has two shiny rectangular panels attached to the bottom that extend slightly in front of the telescope. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00009.jpg (6091x4061) [4.2 MB] || Rehm, Klangboonkrong, and StarSpec Technology’s Javier Romualdez look at the readout from EXCITE during a night pointing exercise. Credit: NASA/Jeanette KazmierczakAlt text: Three people look at a computer screen in a dark room. Image description: Three people look at a computer screen in a dark room. A seated man on the left side of the image wears a dark T-shirt and a reflective vest. He’s poised to write something down in a notebook. Behind him and to his right stands a second man in a dark shirt and khaki pants. His arms are crossed. To their right is a seated woman in a light blue T-shirt. Her left hand covers her mouth, and her right hand is on the computer’s mouse. || EXCITE_Launch_Preparation00010.jpg (6422x4281) [4.8 MB] || During one night pointing exercise, EXCITE locked on to Beta Herculis, the brightest star in the constellation Hercules. The image on the left is out of focus. The image on the right is in focus.Credit: NASA/EXCITE teamAlt text: Two snapshots of a star in infrared light. The left is out of focus, and the left is in focus. Image description: This image shows two snapshots of the same star. The snapshot on the left shows a large, blurry, orange, donut-shaped object in a black square. The square is in a white grid space with four rows. The snapshot on the right shows a much smaller orange dot on the right side of a black square. It’s also embedded in a grid space, but with five rows. || BetaHerc.jpg (1037x374) [59.0 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Photographer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Go to this page * ID: 14650 Produced Video EXCITE 2024: INFRARED DETECTOR AND SPECTROMETER November 25, 2024 EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) is designed to study atmospheres around exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, during long-duration scientific balloon trips over Antarctica.These images, taken in July 2024, show Peter Nagler and Nat DeNigris preparing EXCITE’s infrared detector and installing it into the mission’s spectrometer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. At the time, the EXCITE team was gearing up for a test flight in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. || || 14650 || EXCITE 2024: Infrared Detector and Spectrometer || EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) is designed to study atmospheres around exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, during long-duration scientific balloon trips over Antarctica.These images, taken in July 2024, show Peter Nagler and Nat DeNigris preparing EXCITE’s infrared detector and installing it into the mission’s spectrometer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. At the time, the EXCITE team was gearing up for a test flight in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. || The EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) infrared detector, shown here, is a flight candidate from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) instrument. Engineers mounted it to a copper base ahead of installing into to the mission’s spectrometer assembly. The detector allows EXCITE to collect spectroscopic measurements from 1 to 4 microns — the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: EXCITE’s infrared detector on a lab benchImage description: A blue-gloved hand rests on a tabletop. One finger is placed on the copper base of an infrared detector. The detector is a purple square set within two silver triangles. A rectangular brown circuit board runs along the top. In the background are yellow- and red-handled screwdrivers and a black-and-white fan, all out of focus. || EXCITE_Detector-15.jpg (8192x5464) [32.6 MB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_print.jpg (1024x683) [401.0 KB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_searchweb.png (320x180) [83.1 KB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_web.png (320x213) [93.0 KB] || EXCITE_Detector-15_thm.png (80x40) [19.6 KB] || Peter Nagler, EXCITE’s principal investigator, carefully screws the mission’s detector into place in a cleanroom at NASA Goddard. Engineer Nat DeNigris assists. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people sit around a blue-topped table. They both wear white clean suits and blue gloves. The man on the left is in profile, the other person is seen from behind. The man leans over a small, reflective purple square. The square is set within two silver-colored triangles mounted on a copper base. He is using a small screwdriver to attach something to the purple square. || EXCITE_Detector-02.jpg (7123x4746) [21.5 MB] || Nagler and DeNigris attach EXCITE’s infrared detector to its support structure. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves are seated at a blue-topped table in a lab. They face each other, leaning over the table and resting their hands on the surface. Between them is a reflective purple square resting on a copper base. It’s held up on either side by silver triangles. The person on the left holds a bracket attached to the purple square. The person on the right holds a wrench and is attaching one of the silver triangles to the side of the purple square. || EXCITE_Detector-06.jpg (8192x5464) [29.1 MB] || Nagler and DeNigris adjust the position of EXCITE’s infrared detector. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: Two people work on EXCITE’s detector. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves sit at a blue-topped table in a lab. The man in the background uses one hand to adjust a reflective purple square held upright on a copper base by two silver-colored triangles. Screwdrivers and bags are strewn across the rest of the table. The engineer in the foreground is out of focus and seen from behind. || EXCITE_Detector-13.jpg (8192x5464) [28.5 MB] || Nagler tightens a screw on the framework holding EXCITE’s detector. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man works on EXCITE’s detector.Image description: A man in a white clean suit and blue gloves sits at a table in a lab. He rests one hand on the table, holding the copper base of an infrared detector. The detector is a reflective purple square held vertically by a silver bracket. The man uses a small screw driver on the top of the detector. || EXCITE_Detector-16.jpg (5464x8192) [27.1 MB] || Nagler carefully lowers a cover over the detector. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man works on EXCITE’s detector in a lab. Image description: Two people in white clean suits and blue gloves sit at a blue-topped table in a lab. On the left, a man lowers a black box over a reflective purple square on a copper base. The second person sits on the right, mostly out of frame. Screwdrivers and plastic bags are scattered across the rest of the table. || EXCITE_Detector-10.jpg (5451x3632) [12.0 MB] || EXCITE’s detector is protected by a black metal case. The two filters at the front — the team calls them “goggles” — allow infrared light from the spectrometer to reach the detector inside. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: The EXCITE detector’s protective cover Image description: A black box rests on a blue-topped table. On one side are two knobs with lenses. They look like a pair of eyes or goggles. The box has a copper base. Behind it, out of focus, are plastic bags and wires. || EXCITE_Detector-01.jpg (8192x5464) [27.6 MB] || EXCITE’s spectrometer, shown here, bounces incoming infrared light off several mirrors and through a prism into the detector. The prism splits the light into two channels, each of which goes through one eye of the “goggles” on the detector cover. Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts Alt text: EXCITE’s spectrometer rests on a lab bench. Image description: EXCITE’s spectrometer rests on top of a shiny silver base in a lab. The spectrometer is a black circle with several black vertical pieces set at different angles. The spectrometer has copper brackets around the edge attaching it to the silver base. There’s one square copper platform set inside the black circle. In the background, it’s clear that the spectrometer is sitting on a blue-topped table. A pair of blue-gloved hands rests on the table. || EXCITE_Cornagraph.jpg (5472x3648) [11.8 MB] || Nagler shows off the detector inside its black housing before installing it into the spectrometer assembly. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man holds a small black box. Image description: A man in a white clean suit and blue gloves holds a small black box in front of his body. The box has copper plates on the top and bottom and fits in one of his hands. The side of the box facing the camera has two knobs with lenses that look like a pair of goggles. A red wire attaches the box to a connector. A black spiral cord dangles from the hand holding the connector. To the left of the man is a circular silver base holding a black and copper device. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-2.jpg (5472x3648) [11.3 MB] || Nagler installs EXCITE’s infrared detector into the mission’s spectrometer. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man lowers a small box onto a black and copper plate. Image description: A man on the right side of the image uses one hand to lower a black box with copper top and bottom plates onto a black and coper circle. The circle has several vertical black pieces, like dominoes. The man is wearing a white clean suit and blue gloves. The arm lowering the box is extended across his body, between him and the camera, obscuring the lower portion of his face. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-4.jpg (5472x3648) [11.7 MB] || Nagler adjusts the detector’s position in the EXCITE spectrometer. Credit: NASA/Sophia RobertsAlt text: A man in a lab works on a piece of equipment. Image description: A man in a white clean suit and blue gloves stands in a lab. He uses one hand to adjust a box on a black and copper device made up of a circular base and several vertical domino-like pieces. The device rests on a silver cylinder on top of a larger assembly of blue and silver circles and cylinders. || EXCITE_Cornagraph-10.jpg (3648x5472) [10.2 MB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Balloon || Exoplanet || Scientific Instruments || Space || Universe || Astrophysics Stills || Sophia Roberts (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) as Producer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Go to this page * ID: 14720 Produced Video COBE ALL-SKY MAP 360 VIDEO WITH NARRATION November 22, 2024 View the entire sky with the microwave eyes of NASA’s COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite in this immersive video. COBE took the first baby picture of the universe, revealing slight temperature variations when the cosmos was just 380,000 years old. This image shows the entire sky using four years of observations by COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, and its center is marked by a white X. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we see today. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time.(This video is formatted for 360-degree use.)Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Meetings in Underwater Ruins,” Philippe Andre Vandenhende [SACEM], Olivier Louis Perrot [SACEM] and Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360.jpg (1280x720) [235.1 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.8 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_thm.png (80x40) [9.2 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.srt [4.7 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.4 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Good.mp4 (8192x4096) [131.8 MB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Best.mp4 (8192x4096) [503.2 MB] || || 14720 || COBE All-Sky Map 360 Video With Narration || View the entire sky with the microwave eyes of NASA’s COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite in this immersive video. COBE took the first baby picture of the universe, revealing slight temperature variations when the cosmos was just 380,000 years old. This image shows the entire sky using four years of observations by COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, and its center is marked by a white X. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we see today. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time.(This video is formatted for 360-degree use.)Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Meetings in Underwater Ruins,” Philippe Andre Vandenhende [SACEM], Olivier Louis Perrot [SACEM] and Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360.jpg (1280x720) [235.1 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.8 KB] || YTframe_Design_hybrid_COBE_360_thm.png (80x40) [9.2 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.srt [4.6 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.4 KB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Good.mp4 (8192x4096) [131.8 MB] || 14720_COBE_360_Narrated_Best.mp4 (8192x4096) [503.2 MB] || This image shows the entire sky as viewed by four years of data from the Differential Microwave Radiometer instrument on NASA’s COBE mission. After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background the oldest light in the universe for the first time. The central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle, with the galactic center at image center. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. They represent density variations in the early universe thought to have given rise to the structures we see today.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || dmr_ilc_s9.png (2048x1024) [355.2 KB] || dmr_ilc_s9_print.jpg (1024x512) [99.7 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || COBE || Cosmic Background || Cosmic Origins || Microwaves || Space || Universe || Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) || Astrophysics Features || Astrophysics Stills || Astrophysics Visualizations || Narrated Movies || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || David Leisawitz (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Go to this page * ID: 5416 Visualization MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION, 2025 SOUTH UP November 22, 2024 || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || || 5416 || Moon Phase and Libration, 2025 South Up || || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || Click on the image to download a high-resolution version with feature labels and additional graphics. Hover over the image to reveal the animation frame number, which can be used to locate and download the corresponding frame from any of the animations on this page, including unlabeled high-resolution Moon images.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2025, at hourly intervals. Until the end of 2025, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series:Moon Phase and Libration GalleryLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon since the summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially evident in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like those from LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the zodiac constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far), differ by as much as 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial south is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the southern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a southern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a north-up version of this page.) || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight. South is up. || comp.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [126.2 KB] || comp.0120_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.9 KB] || comp.0120_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [71.5 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [146.1 MB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [24.0 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [509.0 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [15.2 GB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [193 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes music, supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight.Music provided by Universal Production Music: "Dying Star," "Intergalactic Travel," and "Distant Worlds" – Timoth James CornickThis video can also be viewed on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || music_s.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [131.9 KB] || Phases_South_Up_2025_captions.en_US.srt [40 bytes] || Phases_South_Up_2025_captions.en_US.vtt [53 bytes] || Phases_South_Up_2025.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.6 GB] || Phases_South_Up_2025.mp4.hwshow [186 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The vertical (portrait) aspect ratio is targeted for viewing on mobile devices. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites. || comp.0121_print.jpg (1024x1820) [327.9 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_s_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [140.4 MB] || v1 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. This is an alternate portrait aspect version that may be more suitable for some social media posts. || comp.0122_print.jpg (1024x1820) [235.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_s_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [107.7 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_s_music_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [671.9 MB] || v2 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The higher-resolution frames include an alpha channel, and the EXR frames are HDR (high dynamic range). The .mov file is a ProRes 4444 movie with alpha. || moon.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [54.9 KB] || phases_2025_plain_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [94.6 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [41.6 MB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || 216x216_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 730x730_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_plain_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [11.2 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [373.9 MB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [31.1 GB] || phases_2025_plain_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [193 bytes] || The Moon's Orbit || The orbit of the Moon in 2025, viewed from the south pole of the ecliptic, with the vernal equinox to the right. The sizes of the Earth and Moon are exaggerated. || orbit.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [125.4 KB] || moon_orbit_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1080x1080) [31.5 MB] || 420x420_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 850x850_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 1080x1080_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || From this birdseye view, it's somewhat easier to see that the phases of the Moon are an effect of the changing angles of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The Moon is full when its orbit places it in the middle of the night side of the Earth. First and Third Quarter Moon occur when the Moon is along the day-night line on the Earth. The Sun's direction is indicated by the yellow arrow.The view here is perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, called the ecliptic. The teal-colored ring is the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, which is tilted about five degrees to the ecliptic. The thickness of the ring shows the range of the Moon's distance, and the darker half is the part above (north of) the ecliptic. The two points where the orbit crosses the ecliptic are the ascending and descending nodes. Also labeled are the perigee and apogee, the points along the orbit that are nearest to and farthest from Earth.The First Point of Aries is at the 3 o'clock position in the image. The Sun is in this direction at the March equinox. You can check this by freezing the animation at around the 1:03 mark, or by freezing the full animation with the time stamp near March 20. This direction serves as the zero point for both ecliptic longitude and right ascension.The south pole of the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the 12 o'clock position at the top of the image. The tilt of the Earth is important for understanding why the north pole of the Moon seems to swing back and forth. In the full animation, watch both the orbit and the "gyroscope" Moon in the lower left. The widest swings happen when the Moon is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. When the Moon is at the 3 o'clock position, the ground we're standing on is tilted to the left when we look at the Moon. At the 9 o'clock position, it's tilted to the right. The tilt itself doesn't change. We're just turned around, looking in the opposite direction. || An animated diagram of the subsolar and sub-Earth points for 2025. The Moon's north pole, equator, and meridian are indicated. The frames include an alpha channel. || globe.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [112.8 KB] || subpnts_2025_s_960p30.mp4 (960x960) [37.3 MB] || 640x640_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 320x320_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 960x960_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || The subsolar and sub-Earth points are the locations on the Moon's surface where the Sun or the Earth are directly overhead, at the zenith. A line pointing straight up at one of these points will be pointing toward the Sun or the Earth. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk as observed from the Earth.In the animation, the blue dot is the sub-Earth point, and the yellow cone is the subsolar point. The lunar latitude and longitude of the sub-Earth point is a measure of the Moon's libration. For example, when the blue dot moves to the left of the meridian (the line at 0 degrees longitude), an extra bit of the Moon's eastern limb is rotating into view, and when it moves above the equator, a bit of the far side beyond the south pole becomes visible.At any given time, half of the Moon is in sunlight, and the subsolar point is in the center of the lit half. Full Moon occurs when the subsolar point is near the center of the Moon's disk. When the subsolar point is somewhere on the far side of the Moon, observers on Earth see a crescent phase. || An animated diagram of the Moon's distance from the Earth for 2025. The sizes and distances are true to scale, and the lighting and Earth tilt are correct. The frames include an alpha channel. || dist.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [7.6 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [2.1 MB] || moon_distance_2025_s_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [1.3 MB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [6.2 MB] || moon_distance_2025_s_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [631.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [194 bytes] || The Moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle. The orbit is slightly elliptical, and because of that, the Moon's distance from the Earth varies between 28 and 32 Earth diameters, or about 356,400 and 406,700 kilometers. In each orbit, the smallest distance is called perigee, from Greek words meaning "near earth," while the greatest distance is called apogee. The Moon looks largest at perigee because that's when it's closest to us.The animation follows the imaginary line connecting the Earth and the Moon as it sweeps around the Moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it's easy to see the variation in the Moon's distance. Both the distance and the sizes of the Earth and Moon are to scale in this view. In the HD-resolution frames, the Earth is 50 pixels wide, the Moon is 14 pixels wide, and the distance between them is about 1500 pixels, on average.Note too that the Earth appears to go through phases just like the Moon does. For someone standing on the surface of the Moon, the Sun and the stars rise and set, but the Earth doesn't move very much in the sky. It goes through a monthly sequence of phases as the Sun angle changes. The phases are the opposite of the Moon's. During New Moon here, the Earth is full as viewed from the Moon. || Feature labels. Crater labels appear when the center of the crater is within 20 degrees of the terminator (the day-night line). They are on the western edge of the crater during waxing phases (before Full Moon) and to the east during waning phases. Mare, sinus, and lacus features are labeled when in sunlight. Apollo landing site labels are always visible. The frames include an alpha channel. || label.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [14.7 KB] || moon_labels_2025_s_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.1 MB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || moon_labels_2025_s_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [92.2 MB] || moon_labels_2025_s_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [192 bytes] || The Named PhasesThe following is a gallery containing examples of each of the Moon phases that have names in English. New, full, and quarter phases occur on specific days, while crescent and gibbous phases are the transitions between these points and span multiple days. The quarters are so named because they occur when the Moon is one fourth or three fourths of the way through its cycle of phases. Many people find this confusing, though, since visually they are half moons. It might be helpful to remember that the visible half of the Moon's disk is really only one quarter of its spherical surface. || Waxing crescent. Visible toward the northwest in early evening. || phase_waxing_crescent.2028_print.jpg (1024x1024) [134.5 KB] || phase_waxing_crescent.2028.tif (3240x3240) [10.7 MB] || First quarter. Visible high in the northern sky in early evening. || phase_first_quarter.2091_print.jpg (1024x1024) [157.2 KB] || phase_first_quarter.2091.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Waxing gibbous. Visible to the northeast in early evening, up for most of the night. || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158_print.jpg (1024x1024) [163.6 KB] || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158.tif (3240x3240) [9.3 MB] || Full Moon. Rises at sunset, high in the sky around midnight. Visible all night. || phase_full.1571_print.jpg (1024x1024) [184.6 KB] || phase_full.1571.tif (3240x3240) [9.4 MB] || Waning gibbous. Rises after sunset, high in the sky after midnight, visible to the northwest after sunrise. || phase_waning_gibbous.2403_print.jpg (1024x1024) [193.0 KB] || phase_waning_gibbous.2403.tif (3240x3240) [11.0 MB] || Third quarter. Rises around midnight, visible to the north after sunrise. || phase_third_quarter.1755_print.jpg (1024x1024) [162.4 KB] || phase_third_quarter.1755.tif (3240x3240) [11.2 MB] || Waning crescent. Low to the east before sunrise. || phase_waning_crescent.1810_print.jpg (1024x1024) [131.1 KB] || phase_waning_crescent.1810.tif (3240x3240) [11.5 MB] || New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many lunar and lunisolar calendars. || phase_new.1933_print.jpg (1024x1024) [91.8 KB] || phase_new.1933.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Planets & Moons || Albedo || Elevation data || HDTV || Hyperwall || Laser Altimeter || LOLA || LRO || LROC || Lunar || Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter || Lunar Surface || Lunar Topography || LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) || LRO - Animations || The Moon || DEM (Digital Elevation Map) [LRO: LOLA] || DE421 (JPL DE421) || LROC WAC Color Mosaic (Natural Color Hapke Normalized WAC Mosaic) [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: LRO Camera] || Ernie Wright (USRA) as Visualizer || Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Producer || Go to this page * ID: 5415 Visualization MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION, 2025 November 22, 2024 || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || || 5415 || Moon Phase and Libration, 2025 || || The data in the table for all of 2025 can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file. || Click on the image to download a high-resolution version with feature labels and additional graphics. Hover over the image to reveal the animation frame number, which can be used to locate and download the corresponding frame from any of the animations on this page, including unlabeled high-resolution Moon images.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2025, at hourly intervals. Until the end of 2025, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series:Moon Phase and Libration GalleryLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon since the summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially evident in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like those from LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the zodiac constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far), differ by as much as 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial north is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the northern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a northern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a south-up version of this page.) || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria, and other albedo features in sunlight. || comp.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [114.9 KB] || comp.0120_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.2 KB] || comp.0120_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [72.1 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [146.9 MB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || fancy [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [24.2 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [512.4 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [15.1 GB] || phases_2025_fancy_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [191 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes music, supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria and other albedo features in sunlight.Music provided by Universal Production Music: "Shine a Light," "Space and Time," and "Spiralling Stars" – Timothy James CornickThis video can also be viewed on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || music.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [109.9 KB] || Phases_North_Up_2025_captions.en_US.srt [40 bytes] || Phases_North_Up_2025_captions.en_US.vtt [53 bytes] || Phases_North_Up_2025.mp4 (3840x2160) [421.2 MB] || Phases_North_Up_2025.mp4.hwshow [186 bytes] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The vertical (portrait) aspect ratio is targeted for viewing on mobile devices. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites. || comp.0121_print.jpg (1024x1820) [325.7 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [141.2 MB] || v1 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. This is an alternate portrait aspect version that may be more suitable for some social media posts. || comp.0122_print.jpg (1024x1820) [232.8 KB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [107.5 MB] || phases_2025_fancy_v2_music_1920p30.mp4 (1080x1920) [98.2 MB] || v2 [512.0 KB] || The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. The higher-resolution frames include an alpha channel, and the EXR frames are HDR (high dynamic range). The .mov file is a ProRes 4444 movie with alpha. || moon.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [54.8 KB] || phases_2025_plain_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [95.0 MB] || phases_2025_plain_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [41.7 MB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || plain [512.0 KB] || exr [512.0 KB] || 216x216_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 730x730_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || phases_2025_plain_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [11.2 MB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [374.8 MB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [31.1 GB] || phases_2025_plain_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [191 bytes] || The Moon's Orbit || The orbit of the Moon in 2025, viewed from the north pole of the ecliptic, with the vernal equinox to the right. The sizes of the Earth and Moon are exaggerated. || orbit.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [124.8 KB] || moon_orbit_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1080x1080) [35.9 MB] || 420x420_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 850x850_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 1080x1080_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || From this birdseye view, it's somewhat easier to see that the phases of the Moon are an effect of the changing angles of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The Moon is full when its orbit places it in the middle of the night side of the Earth. First and Third Quarter Moon occur when the Moon is along the day-night line on the Earth. The Sun's direction is indicated by the yellow arrow.The view here is perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, called the ecliptic. The teal-colored ring is the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, which is tilted about five degrees to the ecliptic. The thickness of the ring shows the range of the Moon's distance, and the darker half is the part below (south of) the ecliptic. The two points where the orbit crosses the ecliptic are the ascending and descending nodes. Also labeled are the perigee and apogee, the points along the orbit that are nearest to and farthest from Earth.The First Point of Aries is at the 3 o'clock position in the image. The Sun is in this direction at the March equinox. You can check this by freezing the animation at around the 1:03 mark, or by freezing the full animation with the time stamp near March 20. This direction serves as the zero point for both ecliptic longitude and right ascension.The north pole of the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the 12 o'clock position at the top of the image. The tilt of the Earth is important for understanding why the north pole of the Moon seems to swing back and forth. In the full animation, watch both the orbit and the "gyroscope" Moon in the lower left. The widest swings happen when the Moon is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. When the Moon is at the 3 o'clock position, the ground we're standing on is tilted to the left when we look at the Moon. At the 9 o'clock position, it's tilted to the right. The tilt itself doesn't change. We're just turned around, looking in the opposite direction. || An animated diagram of the subsolar and sub-Earth points for 2025. The Moon's north pole, equator, and meridian are indicated. The frames include an alpha channel. || globe.0120_print.jpg (1024x1024) [112.8 KB] || moon_subpnts_2025_960p30.mp4 (960x960) [37.5 MB] || 960x960_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 640x640_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || 320x320_1x1_30p [512.0 KB] || The subsolar and sub-Earth points are the locations on the Moon's surface where the Sun or the Earth are directly overhead, at the zenith. A line pointing straight up at one of these points will be pointing toward the Sun or the Earth. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk as observed from the Earth.In the animation, the blue dot is the sub-Earth point, and the yellow cone is the subsolar point. The lunar latitude and longitude of the sub-Earth point is a measure of the Moon's libration. For example, when the blue dot moves to the left of the meridian (the line at 0 degrees longitude), an extra bit of the Moon's western limb is rotating into view, and when it moves above the equator, a bit of the far side beyond the north pole becomes visible.At any given time, half of the Moon is in sunlight, and the subsolar point is in the center of the lit half. Full Moon occurs when the subsolar point is near the center of the Moon's disk. When the subsolar point is somewhere on the far side of the Moon, observers on Earth see a crescent phase. || An animated diagram of the Moon's distance from the Earth for 2025. The sizes and distances are true to scale, and the lighting and Earth tilt are correct. The frames include an alpha channel. || dist.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [7.9 KB] || moon_distance_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [2.2 MB] || moon_distance_2025_720p30.mp4 (1280x720) [1.3 MB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || distance [512.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [6.3 MB] || moon_distance_2025_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [655.0 KB] || moon_distance_2025_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [192 bytes] || The Moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle. The orbit is slightly elliptical, and because of that, the Moon's distance from the Earth varies between 28 and 32 Earth diameters, or about 356,400 and 406,700 kilometers. In each orbit, the smallest distance is called perigee, from Greek words meaning "near earth," while the greatest distance is called apogee. The Moon looks largest at perigee because that's when it's closest to us.The animation follows the imaginary line connecting the Earth and the Moon as it sweeps around the Moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it's easy to see the variation in the Moon's distance. Both the distance and the sizes of the Earth and Moon are to scale in this view. In the HD-resolution frames, the Earth is 50 pixels wide, the Moon is 14 pixels wide, and the distance between them is about 1500 pixels, on average.Note too that the Earth appears to go through phases just like the Moon does. For someone standing on the surface of the Moon, the Sun and the stars rise and set, but the Earth doesn't move very much in the sky. It goes through a monthly sequence of phases as the Sun angle changes. The phases are the opposite of the Moon's. During New Moon here, the Earth is full as viewed from the Moon. || Feature labels. Crater labels appear when the center of the crater is within 20 degrees of the terminator (the day-night line). They are on the western edge of the crater during waxing phases (before Full Moon) and to the east during waning phases. Mare, sinus, and lacus features are labeled when in sunlight. Apollo landing site labels are always visible. The frames include an alpha channel. || label.0120_print.jpg (1024x576) [14.5 KB] || moon_labels_2025_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.1 MB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || labels [512.0 KB] || moon_labels_2025_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [92.3 MB] || moon_labels_2025_2160p30.mp4.hwshow [190 bytes] || The Named PhasesThe following is a gallery containing examples of each of the Moon phases that have names in English. New, full, and quarter phases occur on specific days, while crescent and gibbous phases are the transitions between these points and span multiple days. The quarters are so named because they occur when the Moon is one fourth or three fourths of the way through its cycle of phases. Many people find this confusing, though, since visually they are half moons. It might be helpful to remember that the visible half of the Moon's disk is really only one quarter of its spherical surface. || Waxing crescent. Visible toward the southwest in early evening. || phase_waxing_crescent.2028_print.jpg (1024x1024) [134.5 KB] || phase_waxing_crescent.2028.tif (3240x3240) [10.7 MB] || First quarter. Visible high in the southern sky in early evening. || phase_first_quarter.2091_print.jpg (1024x1024) [157.2 KB] || phase_first_quarter.2091.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Waxing gibbous. Visible to the southeast in early evening, up for most of the night. || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158_print.jpg (1024x1024) [163.6 KB] || phase_waxing_gibbous.2158.tif (3240x3240) [9.3 MB] || Full Moon. Rises at sunset, high in the sky around midnight. Visible all night. || phase_full.1571_print.jpg (1024x1024) [184.7 KB] || phase_full.1571.tif (3240x3240) [9.4 MB] || Waning gibbous. Rises after sunset, high in the sky after midnight, visible to the southwest after sunrise. || phase_waning_gibbous.2403_print.jpg (1024x1024) [192.9 KB] || phase_waning_gibbous.2403.tif (3240x3240) [11.0 MB] || Third quarter. Rises around midnight, visible to the south after sunrise. || phase_third_quarter.1755_print.jpg (1024x1024) [162.4 KB] || phase_third_quarter.1755.tif (3240x3240) [11.2 MB] || Waning crescent. Low to the east before sunrise. || phase_waning_crescent.1810_print.jpg (1024x1024) [131.1 KB] || phase_waning_crescent.1810.tif (3240x3240) [11.5 MB] || New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many lunar and lunisolar calendars. || phase_new.1933_print.jpg (1024x1024) [91.8 KB] || phase_new.1933.tif (3240x3240) [10.3 MB] || Planets & Moons || Albedo || Elevation data || HDTV || Hyperwall || Laser Altimeter || LOLA || LRO || LROC || Lunar || Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter || Lunar Surface || Lunar Topography || LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) || LRO - Animations || The Moon || DEM (Digital Elevation Map) [LRO: LOLA] || DE421 (JPL DE421) || LROC WAC Color Mosaic (Natural Color Hapke Normalized WAC Mosaic) [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: LRO Camera] || Ernie Wright (USRA) as Visualizer || Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.) as Producer || Go to this page * ID: 14721 Produced Video WHAT'S IN A NAME? NASA'S SWIFT MISSION November 20, 2024 Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its name.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “In a Conundrum,” Pip Heywood [PRS], Universal Production Music“Spinning Particles,” Christian Telford [ASCAP] and Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi [ASCAP], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2.jpg (1280x720) [308.5 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_searchweb.png (320x180) [103.9 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_thm.png (80x40) [9.3 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Good.mp4 (1920x1080) [199.2 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Best.mp4 (1920x1080) [883.1 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.srt [3.7 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.vtt [3.5 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.6 GB] || || 14721 || What's In A Name? NASA's Swift Mission || Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its name.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “In a Conundrum,” Pip Heywood [PRS], Universal Production Music“Spinning Particles,” Christian Telford [ASCAP] and Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi [ASCAP], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2.jpg (1280x720) [308.5 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_searchweb.png (320x180) [103.9 KB] || Swift_Name_20_Thumbnail2_thm.png (80x40) [9.3 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Good.mp4 (1920x1080) [199.2 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Best.mp4 (1920x1080) [883.1 MB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.srt [3.7 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_Captions.en_US.vtt [3.5 KB] || 14721_Swift20_WhatsInAName_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.6 GB] || After two decades in space, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is performing better than ever thanks to a new operational strategy implemented earlier this year. Since its launch on Nov. 20, 2004, the spacecraft has made great scientific strides in exploring gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.Gamma-ray bursts occur all over the sky without warning, with about one a day detected on average. Astronomers generally divide these bursts into two categories. Long bursts produce an initial pulse of gamma rays for two seconds or more and occur when the cores of massive stars collapse to form black holes. Short bursts last less than two seconds and are caused by the mergers of dense objects like neutron stars.Originally called the Swift Observatory for its ability to quickly point at cosmic events, like gamma-ray bursts, the mission team renamed the spacecraft in 2018 after its first principal investigator Neil Gehrels.Swift uses several methods for orienting and stabilizing itself in space.Sensors that detect the Sun’s location and the direction of Earth’s magnetic field provide the spacecraft with a general sense of its location. Then, a device called a star tracker looks at stars and tells the spacecraft how to maneuver to keep the observatory precisely pointed at the same position during long observations.Swift uses three spinning gyroscopes, or gyros, to carry out those moves along three axes. The gyros were designed to align at right angles to each other, but once in orbit the mission team discovered they were slightly misaligned. The flight operations team developed a strategy where one of the gyros worked to correct the misalignment while the other two pointed Swift to achieve its science goals.The team wanted to be ready in case one of the gyros failed, however, so in 2009 they developed a plan to operate Swift using just two. Any change to the way a telescope operates once in space carries risk, however. Since Swift was working well, the team sat on their plan for 15 years.Then, in July 2023, one of Swift’s gyros began working improperly. Because the telescope couldn’t hold its pointing position accurately, observations got progressively blurrier until the gyro failed entirely in March 2024. The team was able to quickly shift to the new operational strategy, and the spacecraft is now performing better than ever. || For More Information || See NASA.gov || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Black Hole || Blazar || Galaxy || Gamma Ray Burst || Neutron Star || Pulsar || Space || Star || Supernova || Swift || Universe || X-ray || Swift || Astrophysics Features || Narrated Movies || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Producer || Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Narrator || Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (eMITS) as Animator || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Visualizer || Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) as Editor || Brad Cenko (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Regina Caputo (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Go to this page * ID: 11738 Infographic INFOGRAPHIC: NASA'S NEIL GEHRELS SWIFT OBSERVATORY November 20, 2024 This infographic summarizes key aspects of NASA's Swift mission, from its instruments to scientific results gleaned from 20 years of operations. Swift is still going strong, and the observatory remains a key part of NASA’s strategy to monitor the changing sky with multiple telescopes using different approaches for studying the cosmos.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterClick the ownload button to select from a range of sizes. || Swift_20_Infographic_Quarter.jpg (1550x1991) [1.2 MB] || Swfit_20_Poster_CMYK.jpg (6200x7965) [19.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg (6200x7965) [7.4 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.png (6200x7965) [34.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.jpg (3100x3983) [3.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.png (3100x3983) [10.5 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg.dzi [178 bytes] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg_files [4.0 KB] || || 11738 || Infographic: NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory || This infographic summarizes key aspects of NASA's Swift mission, from its instruments to scientific results gleaned from 20 years of operations. Swift is still going strong, and the observatory remains a key part of NASA’s strategy to monitor the changing sky with multiple telescopes using different approaches for studying the cosmos.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterClick the ownload button to select from a range of sizes. || Swift_20_Infographic_Quarter.jpg (1550x1991) [1.2 MB] || Swfit_20_Poster_CMYK.jpg (6200x7965) [19.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg (6200x7965) [7.4 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.png (6200x7965) [34.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.jpg (3100x3983) [3.2 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Half.png (3100x3983) [10.5 MB] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg.dzi [178 bytes] || Swift_20_Infographic_Full.jpg_files [4.0 KB] || Click the download button to select from a range of sizes.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center || Swift_Infographic_Small.png (1500x1942) [10.6 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Small.jpg (1500x1942) [1.1 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Small_print.jpg (1024x1325) [433.8 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail.png (1280x720) [4.3 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_print.jpg (1024x576) [212.5 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Full.png (6000x7765) [72.3 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Full.jpg (6000x7765) [5.7 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.png (3000x3883) [31.1 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.jpg (3000x3883) [3.1 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [90.4 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_web.png (320x180) [90.4 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [7.7 KB] || Swift_Infographic_Small.tif (1500x1941) [22.2 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Half.tif (3000x3883) [88.9 MB] || Swift_Infographic_Full.tif (6000x7765) [266.6 MB] || This image and those that follow are drawings of the Swift spacecraft provided by Orbital Space Sciences Corporation. Units are in inches.Credit: Orbital Space Science Corp. || Swift_envelope_1.png (1244x710) [281.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_1_print.jpg (1024x584) [93.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_1_web.png (320x182) [33.7 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_2.png (947x783) [183.9 KB] || Swift_envelope_2_print.jpg (1024x846) [103.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_2_web.png (320x264) [35.4 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_3.png (955x564) [91.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_3_print.jpg (1024x604) [60.9 KB] || Swift_envelope_3_web.png (320x188) [20.6 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_4.png (540x748) [143.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_4_print.jpg (1024x1418) [135.8 KB] || Swift_envelope_4_web.png (320x443) [61.9 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_5.png (1119x552) [207.7 KB] || Swift_envelope_5_print.jpg (1024x505) [68.2 KB] || Swift_envelope_5_web.png (320x157) [28.2 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_6.png (691x697) [218.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_6_print.jpg (1024x1032) [144.1 KB] || Swift_envelope_6_web.png (320x322) [67.2 KB] || Same as above.Credit: Orbital Space Sciences Corp. || Swift_envelope_7.png (673x715) [248.0 KB] || Swift_envelope_7_print.jpg (1024x1087) [161.6 KB] || Swift_envelope_7_web.png (320x339) [78.0 KB] || For More Information || See NASA.gov || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || Black Hole || Blazar || Galaxy || Gamma Ray Burst || Neutron Star || Pulsar || Space || Star || Supernova || Swift || Universe || X-ray || Swift || Astrophysics Stills || Swift 10th Anniversary (Produced by: Robert Crippen) || Scott Wiessinger (USRA) as Producer || Scott Wiessinger (USRA) as Design || Francis Reddy (Syneren Technologies) as Design || Francis Reddy (Syneren Technologies) as Writer || Brad Cenko (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Regina Caputo (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Go to this page * ID: 14715 Produced Video COBE CELEBRATES 35TH LAUNCH ANNIVERSARY November 18, 2024 Technicians work on the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) spacecraft in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The mission launched into an Earth orbit in 1989 to make an all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe. The conical silver shield protects the scientific instruments from direct radiation from the Sun and Earth, isolates them from radio-frequency interference from the spacecraft transmitters and terrestrial sources, and provides thermal isolation for a dewar containing liquid helium coolant.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_in_gfsc_clean_room_1.jpg (1629x1600) [552.8 KB] || || 14715 || COBE Celebrates 35th Launch Anniversary || Technicians work on the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) spacecraft in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The mission launched into an Earth orbit in 1989 to make an all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe. The conical silver shield protects the scientific instruments from direct radiation from the Sun and Earth, isolates them from radio-frequency interference from the spacecraft transmitters and terrestrial sources, and provides thermal isolation for a dewar containing liquid helium coolant.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_in_gfsc_clean_room_1.jpg (1629x1600) [552.8 KB] || The COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite, launched Nov. 18, 1989, studied the origin and dynamics of the universe, including the theory that the universe originated in a hot, dense state and expanded and cooled to its present form, a process called the big bang.One consequence of a hot origin for the universe is that a faint echo of radiation emitted by the original fireball should still fill the cosmos. In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, using a sensitive microwave antenna in Holmdel, New Jersey, found an unexplained noise in their data. It came from all parts of the sky with equal intensity. This radiation, an echo of the original fireball, is called the CMB (cosmic microwave background).COBE’s Differential Microwave Radiometer showed for the first time that the CMB had an intrinsic anisotropy, meaning that intensity changes varied by 1 part in 100,000 from place to place. These tiny variations show how matter and energy were distributed when the universe was very young. Later, through processes still poorly understood, the variations developed into the large-scale structures we see in the universe today. COBE had produced the first baby picture of the cosmos.The mission's Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer instrument measured the CMB spectrum with a precision of 0.03%, demonstrating for the first time that it closely matches that of a blackbody — a perfect emitter and absorber — with a temperature of 2.725 K (about 454.8 degrees below zero Fahrenheit or –270.4 Celsius). This observation agrees well with predictions of the remnant glow from a cosmos originating in a hot big bang.The Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment mapped absolute sky brightness from 1.25 microns to 240 microns and succeeded in detecting the cosmic infrared background. This cosmic core sample contains the cumulative emissions of stars and galaxies dating back to the epoch when they first began to form. These measurements constrain models of the history of star formation and the buildup of elements heavier than hydrogen, including those composing living organisms.COBE investigators John Mather and George Smoot were awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics for their work. COBE was retired on Dec. 23, 1993. || An artist’s concept of the COBE satellite in orbit with spacecraft elements identified. An unlabeled version is also available.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center || COBE_satellite_diagram.jpg (2500x2448) [2.6 MB] || COBE_satellite_diagram_no_labels.jpg (3000x3529) [4.8 MB] || The COBE spacecraft undergoes cleaning in a NASA Goddard clean room before being shipped for final integration prior to launch. Credit: NASA/Peter M. Baltzell || COBE_final_integration_1989.jpg (2880x3534) [1.3 MB] || COBE is suspended without its shield and solar panels in a NASA Goddard clean room. The white structure at the top of the spacecraft is a dewar that at launch contained nearly 175 gallons (660 liters) of liquid helium to provide a stable ultracold (457° F below zero or –272° C) environment for the instruments. The liquid helium enabled cryogenic operations for 306 days, allowing the FIRAS and DIRBE instruments to completely map the sky with superlative sensitivity. FIRAS precisely measured the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background and DIRBE measured the cosmic infrared background for the first time.Credit: National Archives (255-CC-89-HC-288) || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_print.jpg (1024x1193) [450.1 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2.jpg (4389x5114) [7.0 MB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_searchweb.png (320x180) [114.7 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2_thm.png (80x40) [18.0 KB] || COBE_in_gsfc_clean_room_2.tif (4389x5114) [128.5 MB] || The Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer instrument precisely measured the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, showing that it matched a blackbody — a perfect emitter and absorber — with a temperature of 2.725 K, providing strong support for a hot cosmic origin.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || cobe_CMB_spectrum.jpg (1538x1217) [253.9 KB] || After stripping away foreground emission arising from dust, hot gas, and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields in our galaxy, COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer data revealed tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background — the oldest light in the universe — for the first time. This image shows the entire sky using two years of observations; the central plane of our galaxy runs across the middle. Red indicates hotter regions, blue colder. The fluctuations are extremely faint, varying by only 1 part in 100,000 from the average temperature. These variations represent an imprint of the density contrast in the early universe, variations thought to have given rise to the structures that populate the universe today.Credit: NASA/COBE Science Team || COBE_2_yr_anisotropy_map.jpg (2879x1503) [944.0 KB] || This artist's concept shows COBE's original design, when it was to be launched as part of a space shuttle mission. During the hiatus in shuttle launches following the 1986 Challenger disaster, COBE was reconfigured to allow launch on an expendable Delta booster. COBE's diameter and mass were reduced by half. Other changes included deployable solar panels and a conical radiation shield that would unfold in orbit.Credit: NASA || COBE_original_design_art.jpg (1538x1080) [245.0 KB] || From the archives: COBE launches into orbit on Nov. 18, 1989.Credit: NASAComplete transcript available. || G1999-005_COBE_Launch.07440_print.jpg (1024x576) [85.8 KB] || G1999-005_COBE_Launch.mp4 (1280x720) [302.0 MB] || COBE_Launch.en_US.srt [4.1 KB] || COBE_Launch.en_US.vtt [3.9 KB] || Universe || Ast || Astrophysics || COBE || Cosmic Background || Cosmic Origins || Infrared || Microwaves || Space || Spacecraft || Universe || David Leisawitz (NASA/GSFC) as Scientist || Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park) as Science writer || Go to this page NO RESULTS. AN ERROR OCCURRED. PLEASE RELOAD THIS PAGE AND TRY AGAIN. See more recently released visualizations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CURRENTLY POPULAR Filters Clear filters NASA SCIENCE CATEGORY * Earth * Planets & Moons * Sun * Universe PAGE TYPE * Animation * B-Roll * Gallery * Hyperwall Visual * Infographic * Interactive * Produced Video * Visualization NO RESULTS. AN ERROR OCCURRED. PLEASE RELOAD THIS PAGE AND TRY AGAIN. See more currently popular visualizations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE WAYS TO BROWSE Search By person By keyword By dataset -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR MISSION NASA Scientific Visualization Studio produces visualizations, animations, and images in order to promote a greater understanding of Earth and Space Sciences. We work closely with scientists — both within the NASA community, and within the broader academic research community — to create high-quality, data-backed visualizations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT US NASA Scientific Visualization Studio is based out of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), located in Greenbelt, Maryland. The core studio consists of a team of (approximately) 15 visualizers, some of whom have been working with the studio for almost 30 years. The SVS's visualizers specialize in a wide variety of disciplines — astronomy, planetary science, climatology, cartography, and 3D modeling (to name a few) — but are united by a common love of making science accessible. HISTORY NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio was founded by Jim Strong at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 1990. Jim would soon be joined in 1991 by visualizer Horace Mitchell, who would go on to head the department all the way until his retirement in 2019. The studio was originally founded to create visualizations to go alongside NASA research publications – which still constitute the vast majority of the studio’s work to this day. In the studio’s early days, much of our work focused on creating (near) real-time visualizations: grabbing data from NASA satellites, processing it as rapidly as possible, and producing high-quality, more digestible visualizations. By 1997, the studio’s focus shifted from real-time visualization technologies (that were primarily research-oriented) towards non-real-time, pre-rendered visualizations aimed towards public outreach. Around this time, the studio also began working closely with the NASA Public Affairs Office (now Office of Communications) to get our visualizations out to a wide variety of news outlets, film production companies, and academic institutions. By 2001, we had developed an extensive library of Betacam-SP tapes (NTSC) and needed a more easily-accessible way for the public to access our content. Thus, the SVS website was born. Since its inception, the SVS website has served as both a historical archive of our works and a place to keep up with the current research of NASA’s Earth and Space Science divisions. Around this time, the SVS also began working closely with our partner groups Conceptual Image Labs (CI Labs) and Goddard Media Studios (GMS) to publish a more diverse array of content. The website would formally begin hosting content from these two groups in 2006. Conceptual Image Labs focuses more on the artistic side of things – producing high-fidelity renders using film animation and visual design techniques. Where the SVS primarily focuses on making data-based visualizations, CI Labs puts more emphasis on conceptual visualizations – producing animations featuring NASA spacecraft, planetary observations, and simulations. Goddard Media Studios, on the other hand, is more focused towards public outreach – producing interviews, TV programs, and documentaries. GMS continues to be the main producers behind NASA TV, and as such, much of their content is aimed towards the general public. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the SVS experimented with a wide variety of nascent virtual reality technologies. The work from this time period would later be repurposed and spun off into the NASA Hyperwall project: a multi-screen, high-resolution, wall-sized display. The Hyperwall would later be adopted for NASA public outreach efforts: traveling around the world to various conferences and being used for museum exhibits, scientific presentations, and multimedia shows. The website would begin formally hosting NASA Hyperwall content in 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR CONTENT PARTNERS CONCEPTUAL IMAGE LAB (CI LABS) NASA's CI Lab is an award-winning studio with artists who work closely with astronomers, scientists and engineers to bring scientific theory, design and concepts to life in an accurate, yet visually compelling way. GODDARD MEDIA STUDIOS (GMS) With a passionate commitment for broadly sharing NASA’s bold research initiatives, The Goddard Media Studio tells stories like no one else in the universe. Fielding an impressive team of producers, animators, editors, and more, The Studio fuses hard science with exciting imagination to explain, translate, and ultimately inspire. SCIENTIFIC HYPERWALL PRESENTATIONS The Hyperwall is a big beautiful “wall" of high-definition screens used to display NASA’s latest and greatest data visualizations, images, videos, and other presentation material, and is a primary outreach platform for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Existing Hyperwall stories highlight themes in Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, and astrophysics. The Scientific Visualization Studio developed the Hyperwall software. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CAN I USE YOUR VISUALIZATIONS? All of our content is in the public domain (unless otherwise noted), meaning that it is free to download, use, and redistribute for whatever purposes you see fit. For more information, see NASA’s media usage guidelines. Note: some of our visualizations feature licensed music, which is not in the public domain. In these instances, the visualizations themselves are still in the public domain, meaning you're allowed to use them without the associated audio tracks. Individual visualizations will make note of this where applicable. WHAT FORMATS DO YOU RELEASE VISUALIZATIONS IN? * Videos – Primarily .mp4 and .webm. Some of our older content is also available in .mpg and .dv. * Frames – Most of our visualizations are accompanied by directories containing individual frames. These are generally released as .exr or .tiff. * Images – .jpg, .png, or .tiff. WHAT SOFTWARE DO YOU USE TO MAKE YOUR VISUALIZATIONS? The exact software used for visualizations varies from visualizer to visualizer, but here are some popular ones: * 3D modeling / animation – Maya, Houdini * Rendering – Pixar Renderman, SideFX Mantra * Scripting – Python / C / IDL / C++ Fun fact! We were very early adopters of Python. Some of our early visualizations (2000 ~ 2002) were written in Python 1.6. The SVS was also a fairly early adopter of Renderman. Our first Renderman visualization (released in 2002) was created using BMRT (Blue Moon Rendering Tools), a Renderman compliant renderer. Have a question not on this list? Please get in touch! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Policy and Important Notices Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Mark SubbaRao SVS Contact: Alex Kekesi Site Curator: Ella Kaplan Web Page Design: Ella Kaplan