Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured remarkable new images of the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 4449.
This Hubble image illustrates NGC 4449, a galaxy of dwarf stars located roughly 12.5 million light years away within the Canes constellation. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/E. Sabbi/D. Calzetti/A. Aloisi.
NGC 4449 is situated about 12.5 million light years away in the constellation of Canes.
Also known as Caldwell 21, Leda 40973, or UGC 7592, this galaxy is approximately 20,000 light-years in age.
NGC 4449 was first identified by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1788.
This galaxy is part of the M94 Galaxy group and is in close proximity to the local group that contains our Milky Way.
“NGC 4449 is a dwarf galaxy, meaning it is significantly smaller than our Milky Way and contains fewer stars,” a Hubble astronomer remarked.
“However, its small size is deceptive; NGC 4449 is prolific in star formation.”
“This galaxy is referred to as a Starburst galaxy because it produces new stars at a rate much higher than would be expected for its size.”
“While most Starburst Galaxies primarily produce stars in their centers, NGC 4449 is scattered with bright young stars throughout its structure.”
Astronomers believe this global surge in star formation has resulted from interactions between NGC 4449 and its neighboring galaxies.
“Due to its proximity, NGC 4449 offers a valuable opportunity for Hubble to investigate how intergalactic interactions influence new star formation,” they noted.
The new color image of NGC 4449 is derived from Hubble observations utilizing the Advanced Cameras for Surveys (ACS) and the Widefield Camera 3 (WFC3) across the UV, near-infrared, and optical segments of the spectrum.
Seven filters were employed to capture various wavelengths, assigning different hues to each monochrome image linked to the specific filters.
“The Hubble images of NGC 4449 were previously released in 2007,” the researchers stated.
“This updated version includes several additional wavelengths of light gathered by Hubble through multiple observational programs.”
“These programs encompass groundbreaking science, ranging from exploring the history of star formation in NGC 4449 to mapping galaxies with the brightest, hottest, and most extensive stellar structures.”
Though it might not be as well-known as the Hubble Space Telescope or the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s Landsat 7 has significantly enhanced our understanding of our planet. For over 25 years, it has been capturing the stunning landscapes of Earth from space, documenting remarkable details of the planet’s ever-changing environment.
Launched in 1999 with an expected mission duration of only five years, Landsat 7 has instead emerged as one of the longest-running Earth observation missions in history. While it doesn’t gaze into distant galaxies, its instruments are focused on the vibrant, living surfaces of Earth instead.
From an altitude of 700 km (about 435 miles), it has produced vital data for scientific research and conservation, showcasing stunning images of dynamic deserts, glaciers, forests, and coastlines.
“[Landsat 7 has] been essential in tracking environmental changes such as natural disasters, deforestation, and urban expansion,” said David Applegate, former director of the US Geological Survey.
“It documented significant events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Australian wildfires from 2019 to 2020, and rapid urban growth across the globe.”
The Landsat 7’s primary sensor, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), captured in the clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Photo Credit: NASA/Raytheon
Landsat 7 is scheduled to retire this month after covering 6.1 billion km (3.8 billion miles) in space and capturing over 3 million images. A carefully planned shutdown will involve depleting its batteries, turning off the fuel line heater, and rendering the communications system silent permanently. For another 55 years, the satellite will drift silently above Earth before eventually re-entering the atmosphere and burning up.
As we bid farewell, we reflect on its lens and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our planet, revealing both the impacts of deforestation and the intricate patterns of continents.
Coral Reef Conservation
In the first year of the Landsat 7 mission, detailed images of coral reefs were gathered from around 900 locations worldwide. These vibrantly colored swirls depict atolls, enclosed coral reefs that typically surround a lagoon, often formed from eroded volcanic islands. Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Science Visualization Studio
Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
Guinea-Bissau, a small country in West Africa, showcases intricate patterns evident in the shallow waters along its coast, where silt from the Geba and other rivers is carried away by the Atlantic Ocean. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Siberia, Dragon Lake
Dragon Lake, formed by the Bratsk Reservoir along the Angara River in southern Siberia, Russia, is shown here frozen in winter. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Lena Delta, Siberia
The Lena River, approximately 4,500 km long, is among the largest rivers globally. The Lena Delta Reserve is the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia, serving as a sanctuary and breeding ground for many Siberian wildlife species. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
9/11, New York
This true-color image was captured on September 12, 2001, by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor on the Landsat 7 satellite shortly after the Twin Towers fell. Photo Credit: USGS/EROS
Comprehensive Continental Mosaic of Antarctica
A complete continental mosaic of Antarctica was constructed using images from Landsat 7. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Bolivian Deforestation
Once a vast expanse of lush vegetation, the Amazon rainforest is rapidly changing. This image demonstrates the significant deforestation occurring in Bolivia’s portion of the Amazon Basin, where loggers have carved extensive paths while ranchers have cleared areas for grazing. The bright red areas indicate healthy vegetation. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Icefall, Lambert Glacier, Antarctica
Lambert Glacier, the largest glacier in the world, features an ice waterfall that nourishes the glacier from the expansive ice sheets covering the plateau. The ice flows slowly, resembling water, descending about 1,300 feet (400 meters) to the underlying glacier. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
On April 20, 2010, a catastrophic oil spill followed an explosion at an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Efforts to contain the expanding oil slick began immediately. Landsat imagery provided by the US Geological Survey reveals the extent of the spill, with Landsat data being vital for monitoring its range and movement. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Westfjords, Iceland
The Westfjords are a series of peninsulas located in northwestern Iceland. Though they comprise less than one-eighth of the country’s land area, their rugged coastlines account for over half of Iceland’s total coastline. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
“Spilled Paint”: Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir
Resembling spilled paint, this image showcases a vibrant tapestry of landscapes in Iran’s largest desert, Dasht-e Kavir, or Great Salt Desert. It spans approximately 77,000 square kilometers (29,730 square miles) and consists of dry stream beds, desert plateaus, and salt marshes. Extreme temperatures and dramatic daily fluctuations, alongside severe storms, are characteristic of this harsh environment. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans
Following Hurricane Katrina, which led to severe flooding of up to 80% of New Orleans, Landsat 7 captured this image on September 15, 2005. Two and a half weeks post-hurricane, efforts were ongoing to siphon water back into Pontchartrain Lake, with pumps extracting approximately 380 cubic meters of water every second. Photo Credit: USGS/CEROS
Namib Naukluft National Park, Namibia
Namib Naukluft National Park is an ecological reserve in the Namib Desert, where coastal winds give rise to the world’s tallest dunes, which can reach 980 feet (300 meters). Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Vatnajökull Glacier Ice Cap, Iceland
This image features blue ice fingers breaking away from the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park, situated at the southern extremity of Europe’s largest ice cap. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
Uppsala Glacier Retreat in Argentina
Landsat images captured in 1986, 2001, and 2014 illustrate the retreat of the Uppsala Glacier. Photo credit: NASA
All previously observed images were captured from the Sun’s equatorial region. This is due to the fact that Earth, along with other planets and operational spacecraft, orbits the Sun in a flat disk known as the zodiac plane. By adjusting its orbit away from this plane, the ESA Solar Orbiter spacecraft unveils the Sun from an entirely new perspective.
A lower-half image of the Sun, highlighting a square area around its Antarctic. Captured in ultraviolet rays, it reveals hot gases in the Sun’s corona, glowing yellow as they extend outwards with threads and loops. Image credits: ESA/NASA/SOLAR ORBITER/EUI Team/D. Berghmans, Rob.
Professor Carol Mandel, ESA’s Director of Science, remarked:
“The Sun, being our closest star, is essential for life but can also disrupt modern power systems in space and on Earth. Therefore, understanding its mechanisms and predicting its behavior is crucial.”
“The new and unique perspectives provided by the Solar Orbiter mission signal the beginning of a new era in solar science.”
The images were captured by three different scientific instruments on the Solar Orbiter: Polarimetry and Helioseismology Imager (PHI), Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE).
“Initially, I was uncertain of what to anticipate from these observations. The solar pole is truly a Terra Incognita,” said Professor Sami Solanki, leader of the PHI team at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.
This collage shows the Antarctic of the Sun captured on March 16-17, 2025, as the solar orbiter observed from a 15° angle relative to the solar equator. This marked the first high-angle observation campaign just days before achieving its current maximum viewing angle of 17°. Image credits: ESA/NASA/Solar Orbiter/PHI/EUI/SPICE Team.
Each instrument on the Solar Orbiter observes the Sun differently.
PHI captures images of the Sun in visible light (top left) and maps its surface magnetic field (top center).
EUI images the Sun in ultraviolet light (top right), unveiling the corona, a multi-million-degree gas layer in the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
SPICE captures light from various temperatures of charged gases at the Sun’s surface, thereby revealing different layers of its atmosphere.
By analyzing and comparing observations from these three imaging instruments, we can understand how materials in the Sun’s outer layer move.
This could uncover unexpected patterns like polar vortices (swirling gases), reminiscent of those found around the poles of Venus and Saturn.
These innovative observations are crucial for understanding the solar magnetic field, particularly why it inverts every 11 years, aligning with peaks in solar activity.
Current predictive models for the 11-year solar cycle struggle to accurately forecast when and how the Sun will reach its peak activity.
One of the primary scientific discoveries from Solar Orbiter’s polar observations is that the solar magnetic field is currently disordered in the Antarctic region.
While traditional magnets exhibit defined Arctic and Antarctic poles, magnetic measurements from the PHI instrument demonstrate that both polarities exist in the Antarctic region of the Sun.
This phenomenon occurs only briefly during each solar cycle when the magnetic field is reversed at the solar maximum.
Following this reversal, a single polarity gradually takes over the solar pole.
After 5-6 years, the Sun reaches the minimum phase of its cycle, during which its magnetic field is most organized, resulting in the lowest activity levels.
“How this accumulation occurs is not fully understood, so the timing of the solar orbiter’s high latitude observations is remarkably advantageous for tracking the entire process,” noted Professor Solanki.
PHI’s perspective on the solar magnetic field contextualizes these measurements.
The intensity of color (red or blue) signifies the strength of the magnetic field along the line of sight from the solar orbiter to the Sun.
The strongest magnetic fields manifest as two bands flanking the solar equator.
Dark red and blue regions highlight areas of concentrated magnetic fields associated with solar spots on the Sun’s surface (photosphere).
Additionally, both the Antarctic and Arctic regions exhibit red and blue spots, indicating a complex, constantly evolving solar magnetic structure on a smaller scale.
Another noteworthy discovery from the Solar Orbiter comes from the SPICE instrument.
This imaging spectrograph analyzes light (spectral lines) emitted by specific chemical elements such as hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, neon, and magnesium, at known temperatures.
Over the last five years, SPICE has employed this method to uncover processes occurring in various layers of the Sun’s surface.
For the first time, the SPICE team was able to utilize precise spectral line tracing to measure the velocity of moving solar material.
This technique, known as “Doppler measurement,” is named after the effect observed with an ambulance siren as it approaches and recedes, causing a change in pitch.
The resulting velocity map illustrates the movement of solar material within specific solar layers.
“Measurements from high latitudes, made possible with the Solar Orbiter, will revolutionize solar physics,” stated Dr. Frederic Aucele, leader of the SPICE team at Paris Sacree University.
ESA & NASA/SOLAR ORBITER/PHI Team, J. Hirzberger (MPS)
Thanks to the groundbreaking Solar Orbiter spacecraft, I had my first glimpse of the Antarctic region of the Sun. These images and other observations aim to enhance our ability to predict solar activity.
Capturing an image of the solar poles requires the spacecraft to move away from the zodiac plane, affecting nearly all objects in the solar system, which orbit within the sun’s flat disk. The Solar Orbiter, a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency and NASA, achieved this milestone. Launched in 2020, it gradually adjusted its trajectory to reach an angle steep enough to reveal the previously unseen polar areas of the Sun.
ESA unveiled the initial image of the Sun’s Antarctic region taken in March, with the spacecraft positioned at 15 degrees below the zodiac plane and currently at 17 degrees beneath it.
Seeing this image for the first time was truly remarkable. Lucy Green from University College London, which contributed to developing the Solar Orbiter, remarked, “We felt privileged as these previously concealed areas became accessible to us.”
The Antarctic of the Sun seen at various wavelengths
ESA & NASA/SOLAR ORBITER/PHI, EUI, SPICE teams
The Solar Orbiter has also been using measurements of magnetic fields and high-energy radiation emerging from the Sun’s Antarctic region, data that ESA has now shared. Understanding the magnetic fields in this area is crucial for our comprehension of the solar cycle, which shows intensive activity roughly every 11 years, states Green. “To fully grasp the Sun as a star, we need to analyze the magnetic fields surrounding it. The magnetic regions at the poles are integral to this understanding.”
“It might seem paradoxical, but one of the most critical areas on the Sun for forecasting space weather on Earth is not visually appealing when seen from Earth: the solar poles,” says Matthew Owens from the University of Reading, UK.
“These new images provide unprecedented insights into regions near Antarctica. As the Solar Orbiter mission progresses, it will ascend to higher latitudes and provide even clearer views of the pole,” he remarks. Space weather forecasts depend on knowing the magnetic structure at the poles, especially during the Sun’s least active phases over the next three to four years, says Owens.
The Solar Orbiter has also offered us a look into the Sun’s Arctic, but ESA is awaiting the data’s return to Earth. In the meantime, you can explore the Arctic through an approximation crafted by ESA in 2018 using clever imaging techniques.
A new “coronal adaptive optics” system has been developed by astronomers at the NSF’s National Solar Observatory and New Jersey Institute of Technology to generate high-resolution images and films by eliminating atmospheric blurring.
This image captures a 16-minute time-lapse film that illustrates the formation and collapse of a complex plasma stream measuring approximately 100 km per 100 km in front of a coronal loop system. This marks the first observation of such flows, referred to as plasmoids, raising questions about the dynamics involved. The image, taken by a Good Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory with the new coronal adaptive optics system CONA, showcases hydrogen α light emitted by the solar plasma. While the image is artificially colored, it reflects the real color of hydrogen alpha light, with darker colors indicating bright light. Image credit: Schmidt et al. /njit /nso /aura /nsf.
The solar corona represents the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere, visible only during a total solar eclipse.
Astronomers have long been fascinated by its extreme temperatures, violent eruptions, and notable prominence.
However, Earth’s atmospheric turbulence has historically caused blurred images, obstructing the observation of the corona.
“Atmospheric turbulence, similar to the sun’s own dynamics, significantly degrades the clarity of celestial observations through telescopes. Fortunately, we have solutions,” stated Dr. Dark Schmidt, an adaptive optics scientist at the National Solar Observatory.
CONA, the adaptive optics system responsible for these advancements, corrects the atmospheric blurring affecting image quality.
This cutting-edge technology was funded by the NSF and implemented at the 1.6-meter Good Solar Telescope (GST) located at Big Bear Solar Observatory in California.
“Adaptive optics function similarly to autofocus and optical image stabilization technologies found in smartphone cameras, fixing atmospheric distortions rather than issues related to user instability,” explained Dr. Nicholas Golsix, optical engineer and lead observer at Big Bear Solar Observatory.
The second film depicts the rapid creation and collapse of a finely detailed plasma stream.
“These observations are the most detailed of their kind, highlighting features that were previously unobserved, and their nature remains unclear,” remarked Vasyl Yurchyshyn, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
“Creating an instrument that allows us to view the sun like never before is incredibly exciting,” Dr. Schmidt commented.
Another film captures the dynamic movements across the solar surface, influenced by solar magnetism.
“The new Collar Adaptive Optical System closes the gap from decades past, delivering images of coronal features with resolution down to 63 km. This is the theoretical limit achievable with the 1.6 m Good Solar Telescope,” Dr. Schmidt stated.
“This technological leap is transformative. Discoveries await as we improve resolution tenfold,” he emphasized.
The team’s findings are detailed in a published paper in today’s issue of Nature Astronomy.
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D. Schmidt et al. Observation of fine coronal structures with higher order solar adaptive optics. Nature Astronomy Published online on May 27, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41550-025-02564-0
Regulators overseeing online safety are pursuing the maximum fine of $450,000 against a man for publishing deepfake images of a well-known Australian woman on his website, marking a significant case in an Australian court.
The Esafety Commissioner has initiated legal action against Anthony Rotondo for his failure to remove “intimate images” of high-profile Australian women from the Deepfake Pornography site.
The federal courts maintain the confidentiality of the women’s real names.
The court learned that Rotondo initially defied the order while residing in the Philippines, prompting the committee to pursue legal action upon his return to Australia.
Rotondo had posted an image on Mrdeepfakes’ site.
In December 2023, Rotondo was fined after admitting to breaching the court’s order by failing to remove the image. He subsequently provided the password to delete the Deepfake image.
A representative from the Esafety Commissioner indicated that regulators are aiming for a fine between $400,000 and $450,000 for the violations of online safety law.
The spokesperson emphasized that the proposed penalty reflects the seriousness of the “significant impact on the targeted women.”
“This penalty aims to deter others from partaking in such harmful actions,” they stated.
Esafety highlighted that the creation and distribution of nonconsensual explicit deepfake images result in severe psychological and emotional harm for the victims.
The penalty hearing occurred on Monday, and the court has reserved its decision.
Additionally, federal legislation was passed in 2024, strengthening the fight against explicit deepfakes.
Esafiti Commissioner Julie Inman Grant during the Senate estimates. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP
In her introductory remarks to the Senate committee considering the bill last July, Esafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant noted that DeepFakes have surged by 550% since 2019, with 99% of such pornographic content featuring images of women and girls.
“Abuse involving deepfake images is not only on the rise, but it is also highly gendered and incredibly distressing for the victims,” Inman Grant stated.
“To my surprise, the number of open-source AI applications like this is rapidly increasing online, often available for free and easy to use for anyone with a smartphone.
“Thus, these apps present a low barrier for perpetrators, while the repercussions for the targets are devastating and often immeasurable.”
The “nudifice” app utilizing artificial intelligence to generate explicit sexual images of children is raising alarms, echoing concerns from English children’s commissioners amidst rising fears for potential victims.
Girls have reported refraining from sharing images of themselves on social media due to fears that generative AI tools could alter or sexualize their clothing. Although creating or disseminating sexually explicit images of children is illegal, the underlying technology remains legal, according to the report.
“Children express fear at the mere existence of this technology. They worry strangers, classmates, or even friends might exploit smartphones to manipulate them, using these specialized apps to create nude images,” a spokesperson stated.
“While the online landscape is innovative and continuously evolving, there’s no justifiable reason for these specific applications to exist. They have no rightful place in our society, and tools that enable the creation of naked images of children using deepfake technology should be illegal.”
De Souza has proposed an AI bill mandating that developers of generative AI tools address product functionalities, and has urged the government to implement an effective system for eliminating explicit deepfake images of children. This initiative should be supported by policy measures recognizing deep sexual abuse as a form of violence against women and girls.
Meanwhile, the report calls on Ofcom to ensure diligent age verification of nudification apps, and for social media platforms to restrict access to sexually explicit deepfake tools targeted at children, in accordance with online safety laws.
The findings revealed that 26% of respondents aged 13 to 18 had encountered deep, sexually explicit images of celebrities, friends, teachers, or themselves.
Many AI tools reportedly focus solely on female bodies, thereby contributing to an escalating culture of misogyny, the report cautions.
An 18-year-old girl conveyed to the commissioner:
The report highlighted cases like that of Mia Janin, who tragically died by suicide in March 2021, illustrating connections between deepfake abuse, suicidal thoughts, and PTSD.
In her report, De Souza stated that new technologies confront children with concepts they struggle to comprehend, evolving at a pace that overwhelms their ability to recognize the associated hazards.
The lawyer explained to the Guardian that this reflects a lack of understanding regarding the repercussions of actions taken by young individuals arrested for sexual offenses, particularly concerning deepfake experimentation.
Daniel Reese Greenhalgh, a partner at Cokerbinning law firm, noted that the existing legal framework poses significant challenges for law enforcement agencies in identifying and protecting abuse victims.
She indicated that banning such apps might ignite debates over internet freedom and could disproportionately impact young men experimenting with AI software without comprehension of the consequences.
Reece-Greenhalgh remarked that while the criminal justice system strives to treat adolescent offenses with understanding, previous efforts to mitigate criminality among youth have faced challenges when offenses occur in private settings, leading to unintended consequences within schools and communities.
Matt Hardcastle, a partner at Kingsley Napley, emphasized the “online youth minefield” surrounding access to illegal sexual and violent content, noting that many parents are unaware of how easily their children can encounter situations that lead to harmful experiences.
“Parents often view these situations from their children’s perspectives, unaware that their actions can be both illegal and detrimental to themselves or others,” he stated. “Children’s brains are still developing, leading them to approach risk-taking very differently.”
Marcus Johnston, a criminal lawyer focusing on sex crimes, reported working with an increasingly youthful demographic involved in such crimes, often without parental awareness of the issues at play. “Typically, these offenders are young men, seldom young women, ensnared indoors, while parents mistakenly perceive their activities as mere games,” he explained. “These offenses have emerged largely due to the internet, with most sexual crimes now taking place online, spearheaded by forums designed to cultivate criminal behavior in children.”
A government spokesperson stated:
“It is appallingly illegal to create, possess, or distribute child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images. Platforms of all sizes must remove this content or face significant fines as per online safety laws. The UK is pioneering the introduction of AI-specific child sexual abuse offenses, making it illegal to own, create, or distribute tools crafted for generating abhorrent child sexual abuse material.”
In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children at 0800 1111 and adults concerned about children can reach out at 0808 800 5000. The National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) supports adult survivors at 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents, and educators can contact the 1800 55 1800 helpline for children, or Braveheart at 1800 272 831. Adult survivors may reach the Blue Knot Foundation at 1300 657 380.
The asteroid called Donald Johansson was captured by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft during a flyby on April 20, 2025. On the closest approach, the spacecraft was at a distance of 960 km (600 miles).
Donald Johansson is a carbonaceous asteroid located in the inner region of the main asteroid belt.
It was discovered by American astronomer Shertebas at the Siding Spring Observatory on March 2, 1981.
Donald Johansson had previously observed a large brightness variation over a 10-day period, so some of the expectations of members of the Lucy team were confirmed when the first image showed what appeared to be an elongated contact binary.
However, researchers were surprised by the strange shape of the narrow neck that connects the two leaves.
“The asteroid Donald Johansson has an incredibly complex geology,” says Dr. Hallevison, principal investigator at Lucy, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute.
“A detailed study of complex structures reveals important information about the building blocks and collision processes that formed planets in the solar system.”
This image of the asteroid Donald Johansson was taken by Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (l’lorri) by the closest approach from a 1,100 km (660 miles) range. Image credits: NASA/GODDARD/SWRI/JOHNS HOPKINS APL/NOIRLAB.
From a preliminary analysis of the first available images collected by the spacecraft L’Lorri Imager, Donaldjohanson appears to be larger than originally estimated.
“In this first set of high-resolution images returned from the spacecraft, we cannot see a perfect asteroid because the asteroid is larger than the imager’s field of view,” the scientists explained.
“It takes up to a week for the team to downlink the rest of the encounter data from the spacecraft. This dataset provides a more complete image of the overall shape of the asteroid.”
“The NASA Headquarters researcher, Dr. Tom Staller, a scientist with the Lucy Program,” said:
“When Lucy reaches the Trojan asteroid, the chances that she may truly open a new window into the history of our solar system are immeasurable.”
Lucy’s first asteroid flyby target, Dinkinesch and Donald Johansson, are not the main science targets of the mission.
As planned, Dinkinesh Flyby was testing the mission’s system, but the encounter was a full dress rehearsal, with the team conducting a series of close observations to maximize data collection.
Data collected by Lucy’s other scientific instruments, the L’Ralph Color Imager and infrared spectrometers and L’TES thermal infrared spectrometers, will be acquired and analyzed over the next few weeks.
Lucy spacecraft will spend most of the rest of 2025 traveling through the main asteroid belt.
Lucy will encounter the mission’s first major target, the Jupiter Trojan Novel, in August 2027.
Harvard Medical School’s cutting-edge microscopes have the potential to revolutionize cancer detection and lifespan research. However, a scientist who developed computer scripts to extract maximum information from the images found herself in immigration detention for two months, jeopardizing significant scientific advancements.
The scientist in question is 30-year-old Russian-born Xenia Petrova, who worked at Harvard’s renowned Kirschner Institute until her arrest at Boston Airport in mid-February. Currently detained at the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, Petrova is fighting against deportation to Russia, where she fears persecution and imprisonment due to her participation in protests against the conflict in Ukraine.
The incident involving Petrova and the detention of scholars across the country have hindered American universities’ ability to attract and retain crucial talent, a concern raised by Petrova’s colleagues. In fields where expertise is highly specialized, the loss of talent could have grave global implications for the future of medicine and scientific discovery. Scientists and faculty members are contemplating leaving institutions nationwide out of fear that their visas may be revoked or impacted by immigration enforcement actions.
“It’s like a meat grinder,” Petrova, as per a person talking to NBC News from the Louisiana facility, described her situation. “We are all in this system, regardless of having a visa, green card, or a valid reason.”
Petrova’s first immigration court hearing in Louisiana is scheduled for Tuesday morning, where she expects more clarity on her asylum case. Dr. Leon Peshkin, a prominent research scientist at Harvard University’s Faculty of Systems Biology and Petrova’s supervisor, received a call from Customs and Border Protection on February 16, notifying him of Petrova’s detention at Logan International Airport for failing to declare a sample of frog embryos used in research.
International researchers are increasingly anxious about the Trump administration’s strict stance on illegal immigration, with concerns that these policies could deter other foreign scientists from coming to Harvard. Recent surveys indicate a significant portion of scientists are contemplating relocating to Europe or Canada due to actions taken by President Donald Trump.
NASA has released an incredibly beautiful image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope for the Barred Spiral Galaxy Messier 77.
This Hubble image shows the Messier 77, a Barred Spiral Galaxy, about 62 million light years away in the Cetus constellation. Color images were created from individual exposures taken with UV rays. The visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum feature Hubble’s advanced camera (ACS) and widefield camera 3 (WFC3) equipment. Based on data obtained through six filters. Colors are attributed to assigning different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/LC Ho/D. Thilker.
Messier 77 is located 62 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Cetus.
Also known as the Squid Galaxy, NGC 1068, Leda 10266, and Cetus A. This galaxy is 9.6 in size.
It was discovered in 1780 by French astronomer Pierre Messhin and originally identified it as a nebula.
Mechine then conveyed the discoveries to her colleague, the French astronomer Charles Messier.
Messier believed that the very bright objects he saw were a herd of stars, but it was realized that technology had truly achieved its position as a galaxy.
“The Messier 77 designation comes from the location of the Galaxy, a well-known catalogue edited by French astronomer Charles Messier,” the Hubble astronomer said in a statement.
“Pierre Messhin, another French astronomer, discovered the galaxy in 1780.”
“Messier and Messhin were both comet hunters cataloguing ambiguous objects that could be mistaken for comets.”
“Messier, Méchain and other astronomers of that era mistaken the Squid Galaxy for either a spiral nebula or a star cluster.”
“This false characteristic is not surprising. For over a century, we pass between discovering squid galaxies and the realization that the “spiral nebulae” scattered across the sky are not part of our galaxies, but are actually millions of light years away. ”
“The appearance from the small telescope of the squid galaxy (a very bright center surrounded by ambiguous clouds) closely resembles one or more stars in a wreath to the nebula.”
At 100,000 light years, Messier 77 is one of the largest galaxies in the Messier catalog.
This galaxy is also one of the closest galaxies with an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
Such active galaxies are one of the brightest objects in the universe, ejecting at best, if not all, wavelengths, from gamma rays and x-rays to microwaves and radiation waves.
However, despite its status as a popular target for astronomers, the Galaxy’s accretion disk is obscure by thick clouds of dust and gas.
“The name ‘Squid Galaxy’ has only happened recently,” the astronomer said.
“The name comes from an extended filament structure that curls around the galaxy’s discs like squid tentacles.”
“The squid galaxy is a great example of how advances in technology and scientific understanding can completely change the perception of astronomical objects.
Officially named Kohoutek 4-55, this little-known planetary nebula is located within our Milky Way galaxy.
This Hubble image shows Kohoutek 4-55, a nebula of planets 4,600 light years away in the Cygnus constellation. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/K. Noll.
“The Nebula of Planets is a spectacular final exhibition at the end of the life of a giant star,” Hubble Astherm said in a statement.
“When the giant red star runs out of available fuel and flows the final gas layer, its compact core shrinks further, allowing for a final burst of fusion.”
“The exposed core reaches very high temperatures and emits very energetic UV rays, activating a huge cloud of casting gas.”
“Molecules in the gas are ionized and brighten.”
“Here, red and orange represent nitrogen molecules, green represent hydrogen, and blue represent nebulae oxygen.”
Kohoutek 4-55 is located approximately 4,600 light years away from the Cygnus constellation.
Also known as UHA 15 or G084.2+01.0, this nebula has an unusual multilayered form.
“The bright inner ring of the Kohoutek 4-55 is surrounded by a loose layer of gas, all wrapped in a wide halo of ionized nitrogen,” the astronomer said.
“The view is bittersweet. The short phase of the fusion of the cores ends tens of thousands of years, leaving behind a white dwarf who will never illuminate the surrounding clouds again.”
This image of Kohoutek 4-55 was captured by Hubble’s Widefield and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2).
“Installed in 1993 to replace the original Widefield and Planetary Camera (WFPC), WFPC2 was responsible for some of Hubble’s most persistent images and fascinating discoveries,” the researchers said.
“It was replaced in 2009 by Widefield Camera 3 (WFC3) during Hubble’s final service mission.”
“The data in this image was collected 10 days before the instrument was removed from the telescope, as a proper postponement for WFPC2,” he said.
“The latest and most advanced processing techniques are used to bring data to life once more, creating this breathtaking new view of Kohoutek 4-55.”
The destructive forces of shocking asteroids are estimated primarily by knowledge of their size. Near Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4 reached a peak 2032 impact probability on Earth at 3%, motivated the desire to determine its size. Due to its infrared capabilities, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webbspace Telescope is uniquely suited to such evaluations. Johns Hopkins University astronomer Andrew Livkin and his colleagues used two Webb instruments to measure the diameter for 2024.
These web images show asteroid 2024 YR4 near Earth. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/A. RIVKIN, JHU/APL.
2024 yr4 On December 27, 2024, the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact of Río Hurtado was discovered by the Last Alert System (Atlas) station.
The asteroid took a close approach to Earth at a distance of 828,800 km (515,000 miles) two days before its discovery.
Initial observations from the 2024 YR4 showed that the diameter was 40-90 m (131-295 ft).
Dr. Eric McLennan, an astronomer at the University of Helsinki, said:
“However, thermal radiation at infrared wavelengths is a direct indicator of size.”
Nircam data reflects light, while Miri’s observations show heat light.
“The observations were taken to study the thermal properties of the 2024 YR4, including how quickly it heats and cools at the current distance from the sun, and how hot the heat is,” the astronomer said.
“These measurements show that this asteroid does not share the properties observed on the larger asteroid.”
“This could be a combination of its fast spin and a lack of fine sand on its surface.”
“More research is needed, but this is thought to coincide with surfaces dominated by rocks that are roughly below the size of a fist.”
New Webb observations show that the asteroid measures approximately 60 m (197 feet).
“The 2024 YR4 has been the smallest object that Webb has ever targeted and is one of the smallest objects that directly measure its size,” the researchers said.
“New observations from Webb provide unique information about the size of the YR4 in 2024, as well as complement the ground-based observations of the object’s location to improve understanding of the object’s trajectory and future trajectory.”
Team’s Survey results It was published in AAS research notes.
____
As Livin et al. 2025. JWST observation of potentially dangerous asteroid 2024 YR4. res. Note AAS 9, 70; doi:10.3847/2515-5172/ADC6F0
NASA has released a beautiful new image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on the “flocculent” Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530.
This Hubble image shows the NGC 5530, a spiral galaxy about 40 million light years away in the constellation of Lupus. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/D. Thilker.
NGC 5530 It is about 40 million light years away from the constellation of Lupus.
Also known as the IRAS 14152-4309 or ESO-LV 272-0030, this Galaxy has a diameter of approximately 60,000 light years.
First discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on April 7, 1837, the NGC 5530 is a key member of the NGC 5643 Galaxy Group.
“NGC 5530 is classified as a “coheterogeneous” spiral. This means that the spiral arm is patchy and obscure,” the statement said.
“Some galaxies have very bright centers that host ultra-high Massive black holes of feasts, but the bright source near the centre of NGC 5530 is not an active black hole, but a star
within our own galaxy, which is only 10,000 light years from Earth.”
“This chance alignment gives the star the appearance of the dense mind of the NGC 5530.”
2007, a labeled supernova event SN 2007it It occurred in this galaxy.
“If you had pointed to a backyard telescope on the NGC 5530 on the evening of September 13, 2007, you would have seen another bright spot of light adorned the galaxy,” the astronomer said.
“That night, Australian amateur astronomer Robert Evans discovered a supernova named SN 2007it by comparing the appearance of the NGC 5530 with a reference photograph of the galaxy from a telescope.”
“It’s worth noting that even one supernova can be discovered using this painstaking method, but Evans has actually discovered over 40 supernovaes like this.”
“This particular discovery was truly a coincidence. It is possible that light from the supernova completed its 40 million year journey to Earth a few days before the explosion was discovered.”
The color image of the NGC 5530 is Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) UV, near-infrared, and optical parts of the spectrum.
The image is based on data obtained through five filters. Colors are attributed to assigning different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
The Crown Prosecutor’s Office is planning to update its guidance on “revenge porn” crimes to ensure that explicit photos of the victim are no longer allowed to be retained.
observer reported last month that the Magistrates’ Court did not order the removal of content related to Image-based abuse cases, and prosecutors did not request such action.
An examination of court records revealed that out of 98 cases, only three resulted in deprivation orders requiring offenders to surrender their devices and delete private photos and videos.
In one case, a man was accused by a magistrate of engaging in “deeply disturbing” behavior to emotionally intimidate the victim. Despite receiving a suspended sentence, no order was issued to have him surrender his device for deletion, leaving the police without the legal authority to do so.
These findings prompted outcry from activists, demanding immediate action and stating that the failure to act left victims “living in fear.” The CPS acknowledged the need for more action to prevent these images from being used to perpetrate further crimes.
The prosecutor’s guidance on communication crimes is currently being revised. The new guidelines, released this week, urge prosecutors to utilize deprivation orders more effectively and consistently.
Prosecutors are advised to consider implementing the order early in their case strategies to strip offenders of their devices promptly and foster a more uniform approach to device confiscation from suspects from the outset.
Campaigners welcomed the change as a positive step forward.
Elena Michael from the campaign group #notyourporn commended the guidance as a helpful step but emphasized the need for further actions to be taken.
She highlighted additional areas for improvement, such as addressing issues related to evidence collection and advocating for a more comprehensive investigation process.
Furthermore, she urged clarity on whether the guidance would extend to hard drives, cloud storage, and physical devices in addition to mobile phones.
Law professor Claire McGlyn praised the updated guidance as a positive development and a step towards progress, emphasizing the importance of addressing image-based sexual abuse cases more effectively.
The Judgment Council, responsible for issuing guidance to judges and magistrates, stated that they are monitoring the government’s new intimate image law proposal and will consider necessary adjustments to guidelines once it is enacted.
Astronomers using Near-infrared camera (NIRCAM) NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope equipped and captured corona graphic images of the HR 8799 and 51 Eridani Planetary Systems. These observations revealed HR 8799 and four known gas giants around 51 Eridani. They also revealed that all HR 8799 planets are carbon dioxide-rich.
This Webb/Nircam image shows the multiplanet system HR 8799. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/W. BALMER, JHU/L. PUEYO, STSCI/M. PERRIN, STSCI.
HR 8799 is a star from 30 million years ago, about 129 light years away from the Pegasus constellation.
Hosts large chip disks and four supergipers: HR 8799b, c, d, and e.
Unlike most exoplanet discoveries inferred from data analysis, these planets are seen directly via ground telescopes.
“We have shown that the atmosphere of these planets has quite a lot of heavy elements, such as carbon, oxygen and iron.
“Given what we know about the stars, it's likely that it indicates that they were formed through Core landing this is an exciting conclusion for the planet we can see firsthand. ”
The planets within HR 8799 are still hot from the formation of the turbulent, ejecting a large amount of infrared rays that provide valuable data about how scientists formed.
Giant planets can take shape in two ways. Like giants in the solar system, by slowly building heavy elements that attract gas, or the particles of gas rapidly merge into giant objects from a cooling disk of a young star made of the same kind of material as the stars.
The first process is called core accretion and the second is called disk instability.
Knowing which formation models are more common can provide clues to scientists distinguish the types of planets they have found in other systems.
“Our hope in this type of study is to understand our own solar system, life and ourselves, in comparison to other exoplanet systems.
“We want to take photos of other solar systems and see how they look similar or different from us.”
“From there we can feel how strange or normal our solar system is.”
This Webb/Nircam image shows the 51 Eridani system. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/W. BALMER, JHU/L. PUEYO, STSCI/M. PERRIN, STSCI.
51 Eridanus is located approximately 97 light years from Earth in the constellation of Eridanus.
51 If called ERI, C ERIDANI, or HD 29391, the star is only 20 million years old and by astronomy standards it is merely a toddler.
Host one giant planet, 51 Eridani B. It orbits the star at a distance of approximately 13 AU (astronomical units), equivalent to that of Saturn and Uranus in the solar system.
Images of HR 8799 and 51 rib ticks were made possible by Webb's Nircam Coronagraph.
This technique allowed astronomers to look for infrared rays emitted by planets at wavelengths absorbed by a particular gas.
They discovered that the four HR 8799 planets contain more heavy elements than previously thought.
“There is other evidence suggesting these four HR 8799 planets formed using this bottom-up approach,” says Dr. Laurent Puueyo, an astronomer at the Institute of Space Telescope Science.
“How common is this on planets we don't know yet?
“We knew that Webb could measure the colour of outer planets in a directly imaged system,” added Dr. Remi Somer of the Institute of Space Telescope Science.
“We waited for 10 years to ensure that the finely tuned operations of the telescope had access to the inner planet.”
“We now have results and we can do some interesting science.”
William O. Balmer et al. 2025. JWST-TST High Contrast: Living on the Wedge, or Nircam Bar Coronagraph reveals CO2 HR 8799 and 51 ERI extracts atmosphere. AJ 169, 209; doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ADB1C6
On March 12, 2025, Spatula – ESA’s first space safety mission – reached Deimos, coming within 5,000 km of the surface of Mars and 1,000 km from Deimos. During flybys, the spacecraft deployed scientific payloads for studying Earth and the Moon. Activating the instruments onboard Hera, scientists were able to visualize the surface of Mars and the features of Deimos.
Mars appears bright blue in this near-infrared image of the Hyperscout H Hyperspectral Imager, which was acquired on the Mission’s March 12th Gravity Assisted Flyby. The spacecraft was about 1,000 km from Deimos, 12.4 km in diameter when this image was acquired. In the background, you can observe various Mars features. At the top of the image is the bright Terra Sabaaa area near the equator of Mars, which is outlined in a dark area, with the huygen crater at a distance of 450 km to the left of the Terra Aaa at Sabaaa and the 460 km diameter Shea Parelli Crater. To the bottom right of the Mars disc is one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, 2,300 km in diameter and over 7 km deep. Image credit: ESA.
Launched on October 7th, 2024, Hera is now en route to visit Dimorphos. Dimorphos was the first asteroid to have its orbit altered by human intervention.
By gathering detailed data on this asteroid, which was affected by NASA’s DART spacecraft in 2022, Hera aims to advance asteroid deflection into a well-understood and potentially replicable technology.
Hera’s Flyby of Mars was a crucial step in the journey through Deep Space, meticulously planned by ESA’s Flight Dynamics team.
Approaching within 5,000 km of Mars, the planet’s gravity assisted in adjusting the spacecraft’s path towards its target.
Traveling at 9 km/s relative to Mars, Hera was able to capture images of Deimos from 1,000 km away, exploring the far side of the tiny moon opposite to the red planet.
“The mission analysis and flight dynamics team at ESOC in Germany did an exceptional job in planning the gravity assist,” said Caglayan Guerbuez, ESA’s Hera Spacecraft Operations Manager.
“In particular, they had to fine-tune the operations to bring Hera closer to Deimos, which added quite a bit of extra work for them!”
Three instruments onboard HERA were utilized during the flyby.
– The asteroid framing camera of the Spara, used for navigation and scientific purposes, captured images in visible light.
– HERA’s Hyperscout H Hyperspectral Imager observed in multiple colors beyond human perception, aiding in characterizing mineral compositions with its 25 visible and near-infrared spectral bands.
– HERA’s thermal infrared imager, provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), revealed physical properties such as roughness, particle size distribution, and porosity, mapping surface temperatures in mid-red wavelengths.
“These instruments were previously tested before leaving Earth, but this is the first time they were utilized on a distant moon like Deimos where knowledge is limited,” said the Research Director of CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur.
“Upon reaching Deimos, one of the HERA instruments remained idle as the others were in use. This is due to the limitation of the Cubesats, which are only activated at slower speeds when at a considerable distance from the target,” added the Research Director.
Meta, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, issued an apology after Instagram users were exposed to violent, graphic, and disturbing content, including animal abuse and images of corpses.
Users reported encountering these disturbing images due to a glitch in the Instagram algorithm.
Reels, a feature similar to TikTok, allows users to share short videos on the platform.
Some users described seeing disturbing videos, including a man being crushed by an elephant, torn apart by a helicopter, and putting his face in boiling oil. Others reported encountering “sensitive content” screens meant to protect users from such graphic material.
A user shared a list of violent content in their feed, as reported by Tech News Site 404, which included videos of a man on fire, a shooting incident, content from an account named “PeopleDeaddaily,” and a pig being beaten.
Another Reddit user expressed concern about the violent content flooding their feed and questioned Instagram’s algorithm’s accuracy and intent.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, issued an apology for the error.
The incident occurred amidst changes in Meta’s content moderation approach, although the company clarified that the graphic video flood was not related to any policy changes.
Meta’s Content Guidelines mandate removal of particularly violent or graphic content and limiting the use of sensitive content screens. In the UK, the Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to protect users under 18 from harmful materials.
A campaign group advocating for online safety called for a detailed explanation regarding the Instagram algorithm mishap.
The Molly Rose Foundation, established by the family of Molly Russell, a teenager who took her own life in 2017, urged Instagram to explain why such disturbing content appears on the platform.
Andy Burrows, CEO of the foundation, expressed concern that the policy changes at Meta may lead to increased availability of graphic content on the platform.
The Tarantula Nebula is the most important star-forming complex in local galaxy groups, including the Milky Way, the large Magellan cloud and the Andromeda galaxy. At its heart is the highly rich young star cluster R136, which contains the most huge known stars. The stellar wind and supernova carved the tarantula nebula into an astonishing display of arcs, pillars and bubbles.
This image of Chandra shows the Tarantula Nebula. Image credits: NASA/CXC/Penn State/Townsley et al.
The Tarantula Nebula is approximately 170,000 light years away from the southern constellation of Dorado.
The nebula, also known as the NGC 2070 or 30 Dorados, is part of the large Magellan cloud.
“The Tarantula Nebula is the most powerful and large star-forming region in the local galaxy group,” says Matthew Povich, astronomers at Polytechnic University in California, and Pennsylvania State University astronomers Raysa Townsley and Patrick Brose. I said that.
“The nebulae differ from the massive star-forming regions of the Milky Way galaxy. There is no different galactic rotation to tear the complex, so it provides fuel for at least 25 million years to supply large star-forming. It lasts and grows at the confluence of two super-huge shells, reaching a starburst percentage.”
“Today, it is dominated by a central large cluster R136, 1-2 million years ago, and includes the wealthiest young star population of the local group, and the largest star included It's here.”
“In contrast to the large star-forming regions of the galaxy, the location of the large Magellan tarantula nebula provides a low metallic starburst laboratory with low absorption and well-known distances. I'll do that.”
New X-ray images of the tarantula nebula contain data from the large Chandra program, including observation times of approximately 23 days, with Chandra previously performed in the nebula for over 1.3 days.
The 3,615 x-ray sources detected by Chandra include large stars, double star systems, bright stars still in the process of formation, and much smaller clusters of young stars.
The authors also identified the oldest X-ray pulsar candidate ever detected in Tarantula Nebula, PSR J0538-6902.
“There are a ton of diffuse hot gases found in x-rays that come from various sources that arise from the giant star winds and gases expelled by supernova explosions,” the astronomer said.
“This dataset is ideal for the near future to study diffuse X-ray emissions in star-forming regions.”
This Vista/Vircam Image shows the Superstar Cluster RCW 38. Image credit: ESO/VVVX survey.
RCW 38 is an approximately superstar cluster 5,500 light years They are separated by Vera's constellation.
It is the youngest of the 13 superstar clusters in the Milky Way (less than one million years) and is the dense stellar system in 13,000 light years from the Sun.
Includes hundreds of young, hot, giant stars and brown dwarfs.
RCW 38 is a “embedded” cluster in that new clouds of dust and gas still envelop the stars.
The intense radiation poured from the newly born stars makes the surrounding gas bright and bright.
This is in stark contrast to the cool, cosmic dust streams that engulf the region.
“Compared to our Sun, which is at a stable stage in that life about 4.6 billion years ago, the RCW 38 star is still very young,” the ESO astronomer said in a statement.
“In less than a million years, RCW 38 contains around 2,000 stars, creating this psychedelic landscape.”
“The cluster of stars is like a giant pressure cooker, and contains all the ingredients for star formation: dense gas clouds and opaque masses of cosmic dust. This mixture of gas and dust itself If it collapses under the gravity of the 'stars','
“The strong radiation from these newborn stars creates the gas that brightens up the glow of the star cluster, creating the pink tint you see here.”
“It's a truly spectacular sight! But in visible light, many of the stars in the RCW 38 cluster remain hidden from us, and dust blocks those views.”
That's where the Vista telescope appears. Its Vircam camera observes infrared rays that can pass through almost unobstructed dust, unlike visible light, and reveals the true richness of the RCW 38.
“We also see a cold “failed” star known as a young star, or a brown dwarf, in a dusty coco,” the astronomer said.
These impressive images highlight the disappearing ice of the Earth and the battle to preserve it. A staggering two-thirds of the glacier have disappeared by the end of the century, threatening ecosystems and the world’s water supply. The image is Walk of Water Contestoperated by UNESCO and One Water. UNESCO has designated 2025 as the International Year for Glacier Preservation.
Julia Roger Bayer took second in the European category in Chamonix with atmospheric shots of Mel des Grace, France’s biggest glacier. The image above was taken from within Mulan. This was a photo taken under the peer inside the cave, with a huge hole carved into the glacier by Meltwater, created by a glacial retreat. Roger-Beyer climbs Mer de Glace to take photos every fall. Each year, the glacier retreates about 40 meters. In an announcement about her victory, she said she hopes she will “be a “probably a helpless witness” to that loss.
Julia Roger – Beeler/One Water
Michele Rapini won the first prize in the European category for his shots that recorded his efforts to save the Prena Glacier in northern Italy (hereinafter referred to as). According to Rapini, the surface area of glaciers, essential to the alpine ecosystem, fell from 68 hectares to 41 between 1993 and 2003.
In 2008, conservationists began spreading textile sheets over glaciers every summer to prevent melting. The photo shows workers who do not see the sheets during autumn before the first snow. It may be that effort Reduced ice melting At two thirds, however, it is not possible to suspend the ice loss. As Rapini writes, “Climate change cannot be mitigated with localized quick fixes alone.”
The contest’s global awards are sponsored by MPB, and the Regional Asia Awards are sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and sponsored by the Regional Europe Awards by the City of Bergersen.
This year’s winner Close Up Photographer of the Year has just been announced. The overall winner is a stunning image of two stag beetles, captured by Subetrana Ivanenko, and appropriately titled “Titan’s collision.”
Each year, stag beetles engage in intense battles for mating rights, and this image perfectly captures the dramatic clash between two males in a mesmerizing setting.
Andres Lewis Dominges Blanco from Spain secured the young close-up photographer award with a vibrant photo of a European Hachikui with insects on its beak.
Other notable mentions include a breathtaking image of the Andesquema emerging from the rainforest, captured by a camera trap.
Insect section winner
Two Lucanus Cervus beetles competing for dominance in the Russian Voronezh region. Photo credit: Svetrana Ivanenko/Cupoty
Butterfly and dragonflies winner
Attombo (Archineura Incarnata) resting on a rock near a flowing waterfall at Tenshiyama Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province. Photo credit: Yong Miao/Cupoty
Invertebrates Portrait Division – 3rd place
A lynx spider blending in yellow flowers in an Austrian garden (Ooya Manko). Photo credit: Manfred Auer
Underwater section runner-up
Leafy sea dragon swimming with a rough bullseye fish (Pempheris Klunzinger) in Rapid Bay, South Australia. Photo credit: Jenny Stock/Cupotey
Young photographer division winner
European Hachikui flying with insects on its beak. Captured in southern Spain in spring 2023. Photo credit: Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco/Cupoty
Animal category winner
Andeskuma standing amidst dense foliage in the tropical rainforest of Eco Palacio Nature Protection Area, La Chorrera, Colombia. Photo credit: Santiago J. Monroy Garcia/Cupoty
Fungi division winner
Ear-pick mushrooms growing in pine cones, about 15mm tall. Photographed in New Forest, UK. Photo credit: Barry Webb/Cupotey
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Plant category winner
Moss covered in dewdrops in a garden in the Netherlands. Photo credit: Piet Haaksma/Cupotey
Young photographer category – 3rd place
Detailed macro shot of a spherical tobimushi infected with Pandora Batalata fungus. Photographed in Berlin, Germany. Photo credit: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas/Cupoty
Animal section – 3rd place
Pine marten captured by a motion-activated camera in the forests of Kiskunság, Hungary. Photo credit: Csaba Daróczi/Cupote.com
Intimate landscape category winner
Etched tunnel of the Ips typographus larva under bark in Le Monar, French Alps. Photo credit: Jean-Philippe Delobelle/Cupoty
Invertebrate animal portrait category winner
Caerostris spider resting on a stick in a Malaysian jungle. Photo taken in Semenyih near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo credit: Alain Gibbs
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Botanical runner-up
Spiranthes spiralis wild orchid captured in a spiral shape symbolizing natural regeneration. Photo taken in Toulouse, France. Photo credit: Sébastien Blomme/Cupoty
Underwater category – 3rd place
Coral reef goby protecting eggs on a blue sac in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Photo credit: Said Rashid/Cupoty
Spider category winner
Female LaTrodectus tredecimguttatus consuming prey in Abruzzo National Park, Italy. Photo credit: Pierluigi Rizzo/Cupoty
Studio Art Division winner
Microscopic observation of crystals of amino acids beta alanine and L-glutamine. Photo credit: Rob Blanken/Cupoty
Animal category runner-up
Pair of Rhinolphus hipposideros bats returning to abandoned iron ore mine. Photo taken in Börzsöny hills, Hungary. Photo credit: Imre Potyo/Cupoty
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Underwater category winner
Struggling Acanthurus chirurgus fish caught in lizard’s jaws. Photo taken in Kona, Hawaii, USA. Photo credit: Gabriel Jensen/Cupoty
Young photographer sector – 3rd place
Detailed macro shot of Muscidae sp. fly feeding on Sarcophagidae sp. fly. Photo taken in Brandenburg, Germany. Photo credit: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas/Cupoty
Bacterial section runner-up
Group of dandelions emitting spores in Kuribayashi, Spain. Photo credit: Jose Luis Gigirey Gonzalez/Cupoty
The bright and dark part of Mercury's north pole seen from the BepiColombo spacecraft
ESA/BepiColombo/MTM
These images illustrate the pockmarked surface of Mercury and are a preview of what to expect as the BepiColombo mission enters orbit around the innermost region of our solar system in late 2026.
Since its launch in 2018, the joint Japan-Europe spacecraft BepiColombo has made six flybys of Mercury, gradually decelerating with each pass to fine-tune its trajectory for orbital insertion. While the mission’s primary scientific instruments are yet to be utilized, the spacecraft’s cameras have already provided detailed images of the planet.
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released three striking images captured during BepiColombo’s latest flyby on January 8, taken from an altitude of around 300 kilometers above Mercury’s north pole and northern regions.
David Rothery, from the Open University, UK, shared his excitement about the images, saying, “We had to wake up early to see these close-ups, and they exceeded our expectations based on simulated views we studied beforehand.”
The image above showcasing Mercury’s north pole reveals the sharp contrast between light and darkness on the planet, known as the terminator line. This region shows extreme temperature variations, with some areas exposed to scorching sunlight while others remain perpetually shaded within craters.
Notably, shadowed regions containing potential frozen water deposits can be observed along the terminator line in the image. Rothery further highlights the fascinating details visible, such as the sunlit peak inside Tolkien Crater, providing key insights for the mission’s scientific objectives.
Scientific investigations suggest that these shadowed crater areas may harbor frozen water, a key aspect of BepiColombo’s mission to uncover the presence and extent of water on Mercury.
Mercury's vast volcanic plain known as Borealis Planum
ESA/BepiColombo/MTM
Mesmerizing images from BepiColombo’s mission highlight Mercury’s expansive volcanic plain known as Borealis Planitia, formed over 3 billion years ago from massive lava flows that engulfed existing craters, some of which are visible in the image. While most of these plains are relatively smooth, more recent impact craters provide intriguing targets for scientific study.
Spanning 1,500 kilometers, the Caloris Basin is the largest crater on Mercury, appearing as a semicircular light-colored feature on the planet’s surface. Once BepiColombo enters orbit, researchers aim to investigate the relationships between the Caloris Basin, Borealis Planitia, and the solidified lava flows connecting them.
Natal Facula, believed to be the remains of the largest volcanic eruption in Mercury's history, is seen as a bright spot in this image.
ESA/BepiColombo/MTM
The illuminated region at the top of the planet, known as Natal Facula, is believed to be the aftermath of Mercury’s most significant volcanic eruption. The presence of a central crater, approximately 40 kilometers wide, indicates multiple eruptions that scattered volcanic material over hundreds of kilometers.
Rothery expresses eagerness for future observations of Natal Facula by BepiColombo’s instruments, emphasizing its scientific importance in understanding Mercury’s volcanic history. Discovering the reasons behind Mercury’s enduring volcanic activity remains a key goal of the mission.
New coronavirus response hospital under construction in Wuhan, China
STR/AFP (via Getty Images)
It has been five years since the novel coronavirus disease emerged, causing a global pandemic with lasting impacts on societies, economies, and people's health.
Immediately after the virus was identified, many countries began making plans to treat the influx of severely ill people infected with COVID-19. The image above shows an excavator at the construction site of the purpose-built Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China, which became the initial epicenter of the outbreak on January 24, 2020.
People infected with covid-19 waiting for transit
STR/AFP (via Getty Images)
Huoshenshan was not the only hospital built in Wuhan as authorities prepared for the worst. In March 2020, people infected with the new coronavirus were photographed waiting to be transported from a general hospital in Wuhan to Leishenshan Hospital, which was also newly opened due to the pandemic.
Traffic decreases in New York City
Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Like many parts of the world, New York City began implementing restrictions around mid-March 2020. With the streets empty, ballet dancer Ashley Montague was able to perform in Times Square while wearing a gas mask.
COVID-19 wasn't the only thing going viral when this adorable baby started appearing on social media
Lillian Swanrunfa/AFP via Getty Images
Face shields were initially proposed as an alternative to masks to protect people from infection, but are increasingly discouraged as we learn more about the virus. Nevertheless, the above newborn photo taken at a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, caught the internet's attention in early April 2020.
Social restrictions have forced some people to get creative.
Jim West/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
Like other public spaces, churches and other places of worship are closed in many parts of the world. A priest in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan held a creative Easter service in April 2020, using water guns to hand out holy water while practicing social distancing.
Some people hugged through plastic due to concerns about infection.
Handout via Domenico Sartor/Reuters
Many nursing homes have been severely affected by the coronavirus, as the elderly are particularly susceptible to serious infections. The restrictions gave some visitors the chance to hug their loved ones through plastic sheets. The photo above was taken in November 2020 at a care home in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy.
Some people have turned their experiences living under the pandemic into works of art.
Reuters/Lim Huey Teng
The pandemic has inspired colorful and creative murals around the world. The photo above shows a young boy being swabbed for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in front of a COVID-19 artwork in Shah Alam, Malaysia, in December 2020.
Margaret Keenan from Coventry, UK, receives COVID-19 vaccination
Jacob King/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Expectations were high when the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved in the UK on December 2, 2020, after showing 95 per cent efficacy in late-stage trials. Six days later, 90-year-old Coventry resident Margaret Keenan became the first person to receive the vaccine outside of the trial.
Late Queen Elizabeth maintains social distancing at husband's funeral
Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Like many other queens, the late Queen Elizabeth II had to adhere to social distancing rules at her husband Prince Philip's funeral on April 17, 2021 at Windsor Castle, England. Due to pandemic restrictions, only 30 people were allowed to attend.
Monuments are being erected around the world to commemorate those who lost their lives to the new coronavirus infection.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Britain's National Covid-19 Memorial Wall in London was built in March 2021 to commemorate those who have died from the disease. The photo above shows a woman leaving a message on the wall a year after it was created. Family members and volunteers painted more than 240,000 hearts on a 500-meter-long wall along the River Thames.
Public spaces were eventually opened up, but some things changed
This all-sky photo of the night sky was compiled by astrophotographer Eckhart Slavik using images taken from the best and darkest locations around the world. Image credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / E. Slawik / M. Zamani.
“This complete collection of free, high-resolution, downloadable images of all 88 Western IAU-recognized constellations serves as an educational archive for personal and academic use,” NOIRLab astronomers said in a statement.
“This project also includes the release of the largest open-source and freely available all-sky photography of the night sky.”
The photographer behind these amazing high-quality images is German astrophotographer Eckhard Slavik.
“The images were taken on film and each panel consists of two separate exposures, one with a diffuser filter and one without, allowing the colors of the stars to shine through. visible,” the astronomers said.
“All products include a comprehensive description of the constellation and its historical origins, as well as corresponding standardized stick figures, outline drawings, finder charts, and descriptions of the constellation's most prominent deep-sky objects. Included.
“Existing astronomical images of these deep-sky objects taken with various NSF NOIRLab telescopes are also included.”
“Downloadable flashcards and other audio-visual aids and materials make it easy to bring constellations into the classroom.”
NOIRLab astronomers have also released the largest open-source, freely available all-sky photo of the night sky.
“With 40,000 pixels, this is probably one of the best images of its kind ever made,” they wrote.
“This giant skyscape was compiled using images taken by Slavik from the highest and darkest places around the world: Tenerife, La Palma, Spain; Namibia; and Chile.”
“The 88 constellation images can be viewed by all ages and are particularly suitable for use in planetariums and museums.”
“Please visit” Project webpage Learn about all 88 constellations and see how many you can spot in the night sky. ”
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took this photo of barred spiral galaxy NGC 337.
This Hubble image shows NGC 337, a barred spiral galaxy about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Kilpatrick.
NGC337 It is located in the constellation Cetus, approximately 60 million light-years from Earth.
Also known as LEDA 3572 or IRAS 00573-0750, this barred spiral galaxy is 60,400 light years in diameter.
it was discovered It was discovered on September 10, 1785 by German-British astronomer William Herschel.
NGC 337 is the largest and brightest member of the NGC 337 Group (also known as LGG 15), a small group that includes at least three other galaxies.
The new images of the galaxy were created from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. Hubble’s advanced survey camera (ACS).
Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“This image combines observations made at two wavelengths and highlights the galaxy’s golden center and blue surround,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“The golden glow in the center comes from the older star, and the glowing blue edge gets its color from the young star.”
“If Hubble had observed NGC 337 about a decade ago, the telescope would have spotted something remarkable among the hot blue stars along the edge of the galaxy: a brilliant supernova,” they added. Ta.
“Labeled SN2014cxthis supernova is notable in that it was discovered almost simultaneously by two very different methods: the prolific supernova hunter Koichi Itagaki and the All-Sky Automated Supernova Surveyor (ASAS-SN). ”
“ASAS-SN is a worldwide network of robotic telescopes that scan the sky for sudden events such as supernovae.”
“The Type II classification means that the star that exploded was a supergiant with a mass at least eight times that of the Sun,” the researchers said.
“The ‘P’ stands for plateau, meaning that after the light from the supernova began to dim, the level reached a plateau and remained the same brightness for weeks or months before fading further. .”
“This type of supernova occurs when a massive star can no longer generate enough energy at its core to avoid the crushing pressure of gravity.”
“The progenitor star of SN 2014cx is estimated to have been 10 times more massive and hundreds of times wider than the Sun.”
Although it has long since dimmed from its early brightness, astronomers are still monitoring the remains of SN 2014cx.
The spiral arm of Messier 83, one of the most prominent spiral galaxies in the night sky, exhibits a high rate of star formation, with six supernovae observed, according to astronomers at NSF’s NOIRLab.
This DECam image shows the spiral galaxy Messier 83. Image credits: CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA / TA Chancellor, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF NOIRLab / D. de Martin, NSF NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF NOIRLab.
Messier 83 is located approximately 15 million light-years away in the southern constellation Hydra.
The galaxy, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83, NGC 5236, LEDA 48082, and UGCA 366, has a diameter of about 50,000 light-years, making it about twice smaller than the Milky Way.
With an apparent magnitude of 7.5, it is one of the brightest spiral galaxies in the night sky. May is the best month to observe with binoculars.
Messier 83 is oriented almost completely face-on from Earth, meaning astronomers can observe its spiral structure in great detail.
This galaxy is a prominent member of a group of galaxies known as the Centaurus A/M83 group, which also counts dusty NGC 5128 and irregular galaxy NGC 5253 as members.
It was discovered on February 23, 1752 by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.
“Between 1750 and 1754, the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille studied the night sky with the purpose of determining distances to planets,” NOIRLab astronomers said.
“During this period, he observed and cataloged 10,000 stars and identified 42 nebular objects, including Messier 83, which he discovered during an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope in 1752.”
“In 1781, Charles Messier added it to his famous catalog and described it as a ‘starless nebula’, reflecting the limited knowledge of galaxies at the time.”
“It wasn’t until the 20th century, thanks to the work of Edwin Hubble, that astronomers realized that objects like Messier 83 were actually in another galaxy far outside the Milky Way.”
New images of Messier 83 dark energy camera (DECam), mounted on NSF’s Victor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tororo Inter-American Observatory, a program of the NSF NOIRLab.
“This image shows Messier 83’s distinct spiral arms filled with clouds of pink hydrogen gas where new stars are forming,” the astronomers said.
“Interspersed between these pink regions are bright blue clusters of hot young stars whose ultraviolet radiation has blown away the surrounding gas.”
“At the center of the galaxy, a yellow central bulge is made up of old stars, and weak bars connect spiral arms through the center, funneling gas from the outer regions toward the center.”
“DECam’s high sensitivity captures Messier 83’s extended halo and the countless more distant galaxies in the background.”
“Just as Messier 83 is filled with millions of newly formed stars, this galaxy is also home to many dying stars,” they added.
“Over the past century, astronomers have witnessed a total of six stellar explosions called supernovae in Messier 83. Only two other galaxies can match this number.”
In 2006, astronomers discovered a mysterious feature at the center of Messier 83.
“At the center of this galaxy, we discovered a never-before-seen concentration of mass similar to a secondary nucleus, likely the remains of another galaxy being consumed by Messier 83 in an ongoing collision. , likely the same collision that caused the starburst activity,’ the researchers said.
“The two nuclei, which likely contain the black hole, are expected to coalesce into a single nucleus in another 60 million years.”
The finalists for the Close-Up Photographer of the Year have been revealed, showcasing some incredible, bizarre, and highly magnified images.
From cute baby wallabies seeking refuge in their mother’s pouch to birds feeding their offspring in unique ways, these photos capture the intricate beauty of nature up close.
Founded by Tracy and Dan Calder, Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) aims to celebrate the marvels of close-up nature photography, including macro and micro shots. The winners will be announced in January 2025, but in the meantime, we’ve picked some of our favorites from this year’s shortlist.
Insect Category
Four bees drinking water during a Texas drought. Photo by Jose Madrigal/CUPOTY
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Animal Category
Young wallabies trying to snuggle into their mother’s pouch for warmth and shelter. Photo by Pedro Jalque/CUPOTY
Butterfly and Dragonfly Category
A blue dragonfly (Enallagma civile) flying over the sea. Photo by Jose Madrigal/CUPOTY
Animal Category
A snakebird (Anhinga anhinga) parent feeding her three offspring unconventionally. Photo by Jackie Schletter/CUPOTY
Underwater Department
A basket star (Asteronychidae) holding onto an orange sponge. Photo by Ofek Liepaz/CUPOTY
Animal Category
The Malabar sliding frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) trying to escape a Malabar pit viper (Craspedocepalus malabaricus). Photo by Pavan-Kumar/CUPOTY
Arachnids Category
A mother wolf spider hunting with her offspring. Photo by Lane Kirstein/CUPOTY
Invertebrate Portrait Department
Distinct caterpillar of the lobster moth (Stauropus fagi). Photo by Jose Manuel Royce Real/CUPOTY
Fungi and Slime Mold Division
Mushroom slime mold covered in sand particles. Photo by Jamie Spensley/CUPOTY
Animal Category
A tick on the head of a cross forest dragon (Gonocepalus klossi). Photo by Aloys Pichard/CUPOTY
Insect Category
Two male stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) competing for a mate. Photo by Ivanenko Svetlana/CUPOTY
This image, taken by ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer’s GRAVITY instrument, shows the red supergiant star WOH G64. Image credit: ESO / Onaka others., doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202451820.
WOH G64 is located in the constellation Shira, about 160,000 light years away.
The star, also known as IRAS 04553-6825, 2MASS J04551048-6820298, or TIC 30186593, is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the smaller galaxies orbiting the Milky Way.
WOH G64 is approximately 2,000 times larger than the Sun and is classified as a red supergiant star.
“We discovered an egg-shaped cocoon that tightly surrounds this star,” said Dr. Keiichi Onaka, an astrophysicist at Andres Bello University.
“We’re excited because this could be related to the rapid ejection of material from a dying star before it explodes into a supernova.”
“Astronomers have taken zoomed-in images of and characterized about two dozen stars in our Milky Way galaxy, but countless other stars exist in other galaxies. and were so far away that it was very difficult to observe one of them in detail.
Artist’s reconstruction of the red supergiant star WOH G64. Image credit: ESO/L. Calçada.
Dr. Onaka and his colleagues have been interested in WOH G64 for a long time.
In 2005 and 2007, they used VLTI to learn more about the star’s properties and continued their research in the years since. However, the actual appearance of this star remained elusive.
To achieve the desired photos, it was necessary to wait for the development of VLTI’s second generation equipment. gravity.
After comparing the new results with other previous observations of WOH G64, they were surprised to find that the star had become fainter over the past decade.
Professor Gerd Weigert, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, said: “We found that this star has undergone significant changes over the past 10 years, and this is a rare opportunity to witness the life of a star in real time.” he said. .
During the final stages of their lives, red supergiant stars like WOH G64 shed their outer layers of gas and dust in a process that lasts thousands of years.
Dr Jacco van Loon, director of the Kiel Observatory at Kiel University, said: “This star is one of the most extreme of its kind and any dramatic changes could bring it closer to an explosive demise. ” he said.
“These ejected materials may also be responsible for the dimming and the unexpected shape of the dust cocoon around the star,” the astronomers said.
The new image shows the cocoon elongating, surprising researchers who had expected a different shape based on previous observations and computer models.
They believe that the cocoon’s egg-like shape could be explained by the star’s molting or the influence of an as-yet-undiscovered companion star.
As the star dims, it becomes increasingly difficult to take other close-up photos, even VLTI.
Nevertheless, in the future, an update of the telescope’s instruments is planned. Gravity+I promise to change this soon.
“Similar follow-up observations using ESO’s instruments will be important for understanding what is happening inside this star,” said Dr. Onaka.
of the team paper Published in a magazine astronomy and astrophysics.
_____
Kento Ohnaka others. 2024. Image of the innermost circumstellar environment of the red supergiant star WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. A&A 691, L15; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202451820
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took this photo of barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672, visible from the southern hemisphere.
This Hubble image shows NGC 1672, a barred spiral galaxy about 49 million light-years away in the constellation Sera. Color images were created from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the spectrum using Hubble’s Advanced Survey Camera (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Six filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credits: ESA / Hubble / NASA / O. Fox / L. Jenkins / S. Van Dijk / A. Filipenko / J. Li / PHANGS-HST Team / D. De Martin / M. Zamani.
NGC1672 is located approximately 49 million light-years away in the constellation Sera.
This galaxy, also known as ESO 118-43, IRAS 04449-5920, LEDA 15941, or VV 826, has a diameter of 75,000 light years.
it was discovered It was proposed by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on November 5, 1826.
NGC 1672 is a typical barred spiral galaxy, which differs from normal spiral galaxies in that its spiral arms do not twist all the way to the center.
Instead, they are attached to each end of the star’s straight rod that surrounds the core.
NGC 1672 is visible almost head-on and shows regions of intense star formation.
The highest concentrations of star-forming regions are near the edges of galaxies’ strong galactic bars.
NGC 1672 is Seyfert Galaxyis named after astronomer Carl Keenan Seifert, who extensively studied galaxies containing active nuclei in the 1940s. The energy output of these nuclei can exceed that of the host galaxy.
Active galaxies also include the exotically named quasars and blazars.
Each type has unique characteristics, and they are all thought to be powered by the same engine – a supermassive black hole – but seen from different angles.
“NGC 1672 is a versatile light show that showcases the impressive lights of a variety of celestial objects,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Like other spiral galaxies, its disk is filled with billions of bright stars, giving it a beautiful glow.”
“Along its two large arms, bubbles of hydrogen gas glow with a striking red light due to the powerful radiation of newly formed stars within.”
“There are some particularly spectacular stars near the center: newly formed, extremely hot stars that are embedded in a ring of hot gas and emit powerful X-rays,” the researchers said. added.
“And at its center lies an even brighter X-ray source, an active galactic nucleus produced by the heated accretion disk around NGC 1672’s supermassive black hole. This makes NGC 1672 a Seyfert galaxy. Masu.”
“But the highlight of the new photos is the most fleeting and ephemeral of these lights: supernovae. SN2017 GaxIt appears in only one of the six Hubble images that make up this composite image. ”
“this is Type I supernova Caused by the collapse of a core and the subsequent explosion of a giant star, it goes from invisible to new light in the sky in just a few days. ”
“In images taken later that year, the supernova was already fading, so it’s only visible here as a small green dot just below the bend of the spiral arm on the right.”
“In fact, this was intentional. We wanted to look for companion stars that the supernova progenitor might have had, something that would be impossible to find outside of a living supernova.”
A bright comet from the Oort cloud named C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is passing close to Earth and will be visible until late October 2024.
This image, taken by the ESA/NASA Solar-Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) on October 10, 2024, shows Comet Atlas Gassan and its bright tail streaming from upper left to right. Mercury will be visible as a bright dot on the left. Image credit: ESA/NASA.
Comet Tsuchiyama-ATLAS It was discovered on January 9, 2023 by astronomers from China's Zishan Observatory.
The comet, also known as C/2023 A3, was independently discovered by South Africa's ATLAS on February 22, 2023.
It orbits the Sun in a retrograde orbit and lies at an inclination of 139°.
It reached perihelion on September 27, 2024, at a distance of 0.391 astronomical units. Its closest approach to Earth was on October 12th. It is expected to be 200 AU from the Sun in 2239.
Each day throughout October, the comet rises higher and higher in the western sky as it moves away from the sun. But as it progresses, it gets darker and darker.
October 14th to 24th is the best time to observe it using binoculars or a small telescope.
Eagle-eyed skywatchers may be able to spot the star with their naked eyes for a few days, but then binoculars or a telescope will be needed as it gets darker.
“Comet Tuchinshan-Atlas may have come from the Oort Cloud, a region of space between 2,000 times the distance between Earth and the Sun and one light year.” said Jason Ybarra, director of the WVU Planetarium and Observatory.
“This region is so far away that the gravitational pull from the Sun competes with the gravitational pull from passing stars and the entire Milky Way galaxy.”
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick took this photo of comet Atlas Tsuchiyama on September 28, 2024. At the time, the comet was about 70.8 million kilometers (44 million miles) from Earth. Image credit: NASA/Matthew Dominick.
“The larger the orbit, the longer it takes for the comet to orbit that orbit,” he added.
“In the case of comets originating from the Oort cloud, their orbits take a very long time, so their orbits may change due to gravitational interactions with other bodies in the solar system, and it is possible to predict the future behavior of comets. It becomes difficult to do so.”
“If it gains enough energy from these interactions, Comet Gassan-ATLAS may never come back. It will have to wait at least another 80,000 years. In any case, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event. It’s an event.”
Just before sunrise on September 28, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick took a time-lapse photo of the comet Tuchingshan Atlas orbiting over the South Pacific Ocean southeast of New Zealand from the International Space Station.
From October 7th to October 11th, the comet brightly illuminated the field of view of the onboard LASCO (Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph Experiment) instrument. ESA/NASA Solar Heliosphere Observatory (Soho).
This device uses a disc to block the sun's bright light, making it easier to see details and objects near the sun.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a surprising new perspective of the intermediate spiral galaxy Messier 90.
This Hubble image shows Messier 90, an intermediate spiral galaxy located 53.8 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Tilker / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST team.
Messier 90 is located approximately 53.8 million light years away in the constellation Virgo.
This spiral galaxy, also known as M90 or NGC 4569, was discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier on March 18, 1781.
Messier 90 is the brightest member of this bunch. Virgo Cluster is a group of about 1,300, sometimes up to 2,000 galaxies.
This galaxy is remarkable, as it is one of the few galaxies that appear to be moving toward the Milky Way, rather than away from it.
“In 2019, images of Messier 90 Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) was imaged in 1994, shortly after the camera was installed,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“That image has a distinctive stair-step pattern due to the layout of WFPC2's sensor.”
“Hubble used WFC3 in 2019 and again in 2023 when it switched caliber to Messier 90.”
“We processed the resulting data to create this surprising new image, providing a more detailed view of the galaxy's dusty disk, gaseous halo, and bright center.”
“The inner region of the Messier-90 disk is a site of star formation, highlighted here by red H-alpha light from the nebula, which is absent in other parts of the galaxy,” the astronomers said.
“Messier 90 is located within a relatively nearby galaxy in the Virgo cluster, and its orbit followed an orbit close to the cluster's center about 300 million years ago.”
“The gas density in the inner cluster weighed down on Messier 90 like a strong headwind, stripping enormous amounts of gas from the galaxy and creating the diffuse halo we see here around the galaxy.”
“This gas will no longer be available for Messier 90 to form new stars, resulting in its eventual demise as a spiral galaxy.”
“Its trajectory through the Virgo Cluster has accelerated so much that it is on the verge of escaping the cluster altogether, and coincidentally it is moving in our direction. Other galaxies in the Virgo Cluster are also moving in our direction. They have been measured at similar speeds, but in opposite directions.''
“Over billions of years to come, we will get a better view of Messier 90 as it evolves into a lenticular galaxy.”
Winner of the Natural History Museum’s prestigious award Wildlife Photographer of the Year The contest has just been announced. This year’s winner is Canadian marine conservation photojournalist Shane Gross, who won for his photo of the magical underwater world of a toad tadpole.
Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran, said all the judges were “fascinated by the combination of light, energy, and the connection between the environment and the tadpoles.”
Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas won the 2024 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for her close-up image of a slime mold fruiting body with a tiny springtail.
Now in its 60th year, the competition’s latest exhibit spotlights past grand title winners throughout its history and features photographs, trophies, and high-tech camera displays that encapsulate the competition’s 60 years of revealing nature’s stories. Lights will be included.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, of Wildlife Photographer of the YearAn exhibition featuring all 100 award-winning works will be held on October 11, 2024. natural history museum in London, England.
Behavioral Category Winner: Invertebrate Category
A swarm of red wood ants (Formica rufa) set about dismantling the blue ground beetle. Much of the red wood ant’s nutrition comes from honeydew secreted by aphids, but it also needs protein. They can kill insects and other invertebrates much larger than themselves with overwhelming force. Photographed in Hesse, Germany. Photo credit: Ingo Arndt/WPOTY
Winner in the animal portrait category
A lynx shelters from the cold wind on its back and rests with its adult lynx calf in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Lynx numbers typically reflect natural population fluctuations in their primary prey, the snowshoe hare. As climate change reduces snow cover, other predators have more opportunities to hunt hares. As a result, hare populations may decline, impacting lynx populations. Photo by John Marriott/WPOTY
Behavior Category Winner: Bird Category
A peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) practices hunting with butterflies on its nest on a sea cliff in Los Angeles, USA. Tests have shown that when the young peregrine falcon becomes an adult, it can duck and fall onto prey from above at speeds of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour. Photo by Jack Zhi/WPOTY
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Top 10 largest birds in the world
Winner of Animal Environment Category
A lynx stretches in the evening sunlight. A survey conducted in 2013 estimated the total population of lynx in Russia to be around 22,500, with the population in Russia’s Far East at 5,890. Photographed in the Lazovsky district of Primorye, Russia. Photo credit: Igor Metelskiy/WPOTY
Rising Star Portfolio Award Winner
There are many tube snout (Aulorhychus flavidus) eggs on display, carefully placed in a giant kelp ditch. As the seasons change in Monterey Bay in the United States, all the little signs of new life appear. In the darkness of the nutrient-rich summer waters, ruby eggs and golden kelp look like carefully arranged jewelry. Photo provided by: Stage Ono/WPOTY
Winner of the 10 and under category
This young rock grouper (Saxicola robicola) has not yet developed its adult call. Its cry sounds like two stones slamming together. Stonechat tends to prefer open habitats and usually perches on fences. Photographed near the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park in Cadiz, Spain. Photo credit: Alberto Roman Gomez/WPOTY
Winner of Urban Wildlife Category
A tiger rests on a hillside, with the once forested town in the background. The protected areas of the Western Ghats, where tigers are closely monitored, are among the most biodiverse landscapes in India and have stable tiger populations. Outside these areas, development has led to conflicts between humans and wildlife, and tiger occupancy has declined. Photographed in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India. Photo by Robin Darius/WPOTY
15-17 Category Winner
A type of hexapod known as a collembola investigates a nearby slime mold. The photographer discovered them under a log in a local forest in Berlin, Germany, and was able to obtain a focused stack of 36 images before the springtail began to move. Hexapods are a type of arthropod that was once thought to be an insect. Photo credit: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas/WPOTY
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The amazing abilities of slime molds
Underwater category winner
A young leopard seal approaches a photographer on a small sailboat in Paradise Harbor, Antarctica. Leopard seals are naturally bold and inquisitive, with krill and penguins making up a large part of their natural diet. But both krill and penguin numbers are in decline due to pressure from receding sea ice and rising ocean temperatures around the Antarctic Peninsula, pollution, and overfishing. In 2022, Antarctic sea ice will be at a record low, causing a catastrophic failure of emperor penguin breeding colonies. Photo by Matthew Smith/WPOTY
Photojournalist Story Award Winner
Forensic experts from the Metropolitan Police take fingerprints from tusks seized at Britain’s Heathrow Airport. Fingerprints usually cannot be removed from ivory and the odontogenic pores absorb them within 1-2 days. However, with the new, chemically tailored, finer magnetic powder, less fingerprint sweat material is required, and the powder can still adhere to 28-day-old residue, although the first 7 days are still the best. Maintaining quality. The powder can be colored for use on dark materials such as rhino horn. Photo by Britta Jaschinski/WOPTY
Behavioral Winner: Amphibians and Reptiles
A yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) wraps around the snout of a Caiman yacare. Caimans are voracious eaters and even eat snakes. On the contrary, as the anaconda grows, its diet will include reptiles, so it is difficult to determine who is the attacker here. On the snake’s back are two blood-sucking horseflies, which are known to prey on reptiles. Photographed on the Transpantaneira highway in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Photo by Karine Aigner/WPOTY
Behavior Category Winner: Mammal Category
This baby monkey (Macaca sinica) was so relaxed drinking milk from its mother that it fell asleep. Because crested monkeys easily adapt to human food, the encroachment of plantations into their habitat has led to increased incidents of shooting, trapping, and poisoning by farmers trying to preserve their crops. Photographed in Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka. Photo credit: Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod/WPOTY
Oceans: The Bigger Picture Winner
A mosaic made from 403 pieces of plastic found inside the digestive tract of a dead blue shearwater. The diet of the meat-reed shearwaters that nest on Lord Howe Island is increasingly flavored with plastic waste floating in the ocean. By measuring impacts and highlighting problems, Adrift Lab researchers aim to raise awareness and advocate for action to address overconsumption, poor waste management, and pollution. Photo by Justin Gilligan/WPOTY
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How does plastic end up in the ocean?
Photojournalist Story Award Winner
The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is one of two freshwater dolphin species that live in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Only this species evolved to explore seasonally flooded forest habitats. Photo by Thomas Peschak/WPOTY
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Top 10 largest rainforests in the world
Wetland Category Winner: Big Picture Category and Overall Winner
A tadpole of a western toad (Anaxylus boreas) among lily pads in a lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Toad tadpoles swim up from the safe depths of a lake, trying to avoid predators and reach shallow waters where they can feed. Tadpoles begin to develop into toads 4 to 12 weeks after hatching. An estimated 99 percent do not survive to adulthood. Photo by Shane Goss/WPOTY
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2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, People’s Choice Winner
Try not to laugh at these funny comedy wildlife award winners
Nestled within the fiery petals of the Rosette Nebula is NGC 2244, a young star cluster that the Rosette Nebula nurtured. Image credits: CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA / TA University of Alaska Anchorage Chancellor and NSF's NOIRLab / D. de Martin and M. Zamani, NSF's NOIRLab.
of rosette nebula It exists in the constellation Monoceros, about 5,000 light-years from Earth.
Also known as Caldwell 49, CTB 21, SH 2-275, or W 16, the object spans 1.3 degrees in the sky, about the width of your index finger at arm's length.
The diameter of the rosette nebula is 130 light years — More than five times the size of the Orion Nebula.
The former are four times as far apart, so their apparent sizes are similar.
“As striking as the nebula's 'petals' is the striking absence of gas at its center,” NOIRLab astronomers said in a statement.
“The culprits who drilled this hollow core are the most massive stars. NGC2244 -An open star cluster nurtured by a nebula. ”
“This cluster was formed about 2 million years ago after the nebula's gases coalesced into clumps due to their mutual gravity.”
“Eventually, some of the clumps grew into giant stars, producing stellar winds powerful enough to punch a hole in the center of the nebula.”
“NGC 2244's massive star also emits ultraviolet light, which ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and illuminates the nebula with vibrant colors,” the astronomers said.
“The undulating red cloud is a region of H-alpha radiation originating from high-energy hydrogen atoms that emit red light.”
“Along the walls of the central cavity and closer to the central giant star, the radiation has enough energy to ionize heavy atoms like oxygen, causing it to glow in shades of gold or yellow.”
“Finally, along the edges of the petals, thin tendrils of deep pink glow with light emitted from the ionized silicon.”
The bright, glowing features of the Rosette Nebula are certainly impressive. But its dark and shadowy features also attract attention.
“Surrounding the excavated core of this nebula is a series of dark clouds called 'elephant trunks', so named because of their trunk-like pillars,” the researchers said. .
“These structures are opaque because they contain invisible dust and form a boundary between the hot shell of ionized hydrogen and the cold hydrogen surrounding environment.”
“As the shell expands outward, it encounters a cold, clumpy gas that resists its push.”
“This forms an elongated trunk, the length of which extends like fingers towards the central cluster.”
“One of these dark features is the wrench trunk: its claw-like head visible in the upper right corner of the central cluster.”
“Unlike the typical Pillar of Creation trunk, which stands like a straight column, the wrench's 'handle' has an unusual spiral shape that traces the nebula's magnetic field.”
“Less obvious, but equally interesting, is the dark globlet.”
“These tiny dust clumps, sometimes round and sometimes teardrop-shaped, are smaller than the familiar globules and have a mass just a few times that of Jupiter.”
“We see a series of them near Wrench Trunk, but hundreds more are scattered throughout the Rosette Nebula.”
“These spherules could contain brown dwarfs or planets.”
“In about 10 million years, radiation from the hot, young stars in the NGC 2244 cluster will obliterate the nebula.”
“By then, the rosette will be gone and the giant stars will be left without their parent clouds.”
Hubble astronomers have released a stunning new image of the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 4879, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows irregular dwarf galaxy UGC 4879, about 3.6 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble Space Telescope / K. Chiboucas, NOIRLab and Gemini North / M. Monelli, Canarian Astrophysics Institute / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University.
UGC 4879 is an irregular dwarf galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major.
Also known as VV124 and LEDA 26142, this galaxy is quite isolated.
It lies 3.6 million light years from our Milky Way galaxy and 3.9 million light years from the Andromeda galaxy.
Dwarf galaxy Leo A, located about 1.6 million light-years away, is UGC 4879's closest neighbor.
This isolation makes UGC 4879 an ideal laboratory to study primordial star formation, without the complications of interactions with other galaxies.
There are only two other galaxies in the Local Group that have a similar, though slightly lower, isolation to UGC 4879: DDO 210 and SgrDIG, which are located in the opposite direction from UGC 4879.
“UGC 4879 is an isolated dwarf galaxy that lies just outside our Local Group of galaxies,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Because of its isolation, we are studying UGC 4879 to determine whether it is an old, relatively undisturbed galaxy.”
“Theories suggest that the least massive dwarf galaxies may have formed first.”
“If UGC 4879 is a relic from the early universe, it may offer clues about the hierarchy and evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and even the universe itself.”
This image of UGC 4879 combines data from two Hubble observing programs focused on learning more about how dwarf galaxies form and evolve.
Child safety experts have claimed that Apple lacks effective monitoring and scanning protocols for child sexual abuse materials on its platforms, posing concerns about addressing the increasing amount of such content associated with artificial intelligence.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the UK has criticized Apple for underestimating the prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its products. Data obtained by the NSPCC from the police shows that perpetrators in England and Wales use Apple’s iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime for storing and sharing more CSAM than in all other reported countries combined.
Based on information collected through a Freedom of Information request and shared exclusively with The Guardian, child protection organizations discovered that Apple was linked to 337 cases of child abuse imagery offenses recorded in England and Wales between April 2022 and March 2023. In 2023, Apple reported only 267 suspected instances of child abuse imagery globally to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), contrasting with much higher numbers reported by other leading tech companies, with Google submitting over 1.47 million and Meta reporting more than 30.6 million, as per NCMEC reports mentioned in the Annual Report.
All US-based technology companies are mandated to report any detected cases of CSAM on their platforms to the NCMEC. Apple’s iMessage service is encrypted, preventing Apple from viewing user messages, similar to Meta’s WhatsApp, which reported about 1.4 million suspected CSAM cases to the NCMEC in 2023.
Richard Collard, head of child safety online policy at NSPCC, expressed concern over Apple’s discrepancy in handling child abuse images and urged the company to prioritize safety and comply with online safety legislation in the UK.
Apple declined to comment but referenced a statement from August where it decided against implementing a program to scan iCloud photos for CSAM, citing user privacy and security as top priorities.
In late 2022, Apple abandoned plans for an iCloud photo scanning tool called Neural Match, which would have compared uploaded images to a database of known child abuse images. This decision faced opposition from digital rights groups and child safety advocates.
Experts are worried about Apple’s AI system, Apple Intelligence, introduced in June, especially as AI-generated child abuse content poses risks to children and law enforcement’s ability to protect them.
Child safety advocates are concerned about the increase in AI-generated CSAM reports and the potential harm caused by such images to survivors and victims of child abuse.
Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative, criticized Apple’s insufficient efforts in detecting CSAM and urged the company to enhance its safety measures.
Child safety experts worry about the implications of Apple’s AI technology on the safety of children and the prevalence of CSAM online.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured new infrared images of two interacting galaxies. Alp 142.
This Webb image shows two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. On the left is NGC 2937, nicknamed “The Egg” because of its appearance, and on the right is NGC 2936, nicknamed “The Penguin” because of its appearance. Image courtesy of NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/STScI.
The interacting pair, Arp 142, is located about 326 million light-years away in the southern constellation Hydra.
It contains the star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2936 and its elliptical companion galaxy NGC 2937 at the lower left, which bears a striking resemblance to a penguin guarding its eggs.
The “penguin” part of the pair, NGC 2936, was probably once a relatively ordinary-looking spiral galaxy – flat like a pancake, with smoothly symmetrical spiral arms.
Because of the abundance of newly formed, hot stars, its shape is twisted and distorted by the gravitational forces of nearby stars.
The twin “egg,” NGC 2937, is a collection of much older stars and, in contrast, is largely featureless.
The absence of glowing red dust features indicates that it long ago lost its reservoir of gas and dust from which new stars could form.
“The two asteroids first came close to each other between 25 million and 75 million years ago, triggering 'fireworks' – the formation of new stars – in the constellation of Penguin,” astronomer Webb said in a statement.
“In the most extreme cases, galaxy mergers could result in the formation of thousands of new stars every year for millions of years.”
“In the case of penguins, studies have found that they form around 100-200 stars per year. By comparison, in our own Milky Way galaxy (which is not interacting with a galaxy of a similar size), around six to seven new stars form per year.”
“This gravitational rocking also changed the penguins' appearance,” they noted.
“The spiral arms uncoiled, pulling gas and dust in different directions like confetti.”
“When galaxies interact, it's rare for individual stars to collide (the universe is huge), but the intermingling of galaxies disrupts the orbits of stars.”
“Currently, the centre of the Penguin's galaxy looks like an eye inside its head, and the galaxy has a prominent star trail in the shape of a beak, spine and fanned-out tail. A faint but noticeable dust ribbon stretches from the beak to the tail.”
“Although the Penguin Galaxy appears much larger than the Egg Galaxy, the two galaxies have roughly the same mass,” the astronomers said.
“This is one of the reasons why the tiny looking egg hasn't merged with the penguin yet.”
“Because the elliptical egg is filled with old stars and contains very little gas or dust, it doesn't emit its own 'streams' or tidal tails, and instead maintains its compact elliptical shape.”
“If you look closely, the Egg has four noticeable diffraction spikes – it's glowing because of a high concentration of stars from the galaxy.”
“Now, find the bright, edge-on galaxy in the upper right. It may look like it's crashing the party, but it’s not close by.”
Cataloging No. 1237172It lies nearly 100 million light-years from Earth. It is relatively young and not covered by dust, making it virtually invisible in Webb's mid-infrared images.”
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to create a stunningly detailed image of NGC 3810, a spiral galaxy hosting a supernova.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 3810, a spiral galaxy about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The color image is composed of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet observations from both the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instruments. Nine filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is achieved by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Sand / RJ Foley.
NGC 3810 It is located in the constellation Leo, about 50 million light years from Earth.
Also known as IRAS 11383+1144, LEDA 36243 and UGC 6644, the galaxy has a diameter of 60,000 light years.
NGC 3810 discovered It was discovered on March 15, 1784 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
The galaxy belongs to a small group of galaxies called the NGC 3810 group.
The bright central region of NGC 3810 thought Many new stars are forming and outshining the outer regions of the galaxy by a significant amount.
Even more distant galaxies show surprisingly abundant dust clouds along their spiral arms.
Far from the center, hot, young blue stars appear in huge clusters, with bright red giants scattered throughout the arms.
In 2022, a Type Ia supernova event called SN 2022zut was observed in NGC 3810.
“In early 2023, the Hubble Space Telescope will focus on this and several other galaxies to take a closer look at recent Type Ia supernovae,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“These types of supernovae are produced by the explosion of a white dwarf star, and all of them maintain a very stable brightness.”
“This allows us to measure distances. We know how bright a Type Ia supernova is, so we can tell from how faint it appears how far away it is.”
“One uncertainty with this method is that intergalactic dust between Earth and the supernova will block some of the light.”
“How do we know how much of the light reduction is due to distance and how much is due to dust?”
“With the help of Hubble, we have a clever workaround: we can image the same Type Ia supernova in ultraviolet light, which is almost completely blocked by the dust, and in infrared light, which passes through the dust almost unaffected.”
“By carefully recording how much light is transmitted at each wavelength, we can calibrate the relationship between the supernova's brightness and distance, and take dust into account.”
“Hubble can observe both of these wavelengths of light in incredible detail with the same instrument.”
“That makes it the perfect tool for this experiment. In fact, some of the data used to create this beautiful image of NGC 3810 was focused on the SN 2022zut supernova, which you can see as a point of light just below the galactic nucleus.”
Serpens Nebula: A row of jets appears as red streaks in the upper left corner
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (NASA-JPL), Joel Green (STScI)
Astronomers have captured a star alignment: New images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show jets emanating from a young star lining up in a straight line, finally proving a phenomenon that has long been suspected but never before been observed.
As a giant gas cloud collapses and begins to form stars, its rotation accelerates — similar to how an ice skater pulls their arms in closer to their body to spin faster. This rotation causes a disk of dust and gas to form around the young star at the cloud's center, feeding the cloud itself.
Strong magnetic fields in the disk send jets of material along the star's rotation axis, which can be used to measure the young star's rotation direction. The JWST image of the Serpens Nebula, about 1,400 light-years away, shows 12 baby stellar clumps. All the jets are pointing in roughly the same direction..
“Astronomers have long assumed that when clouds collapse and stars form, the stars tend to rotate in the same direction,” he said. Klaus Pontoppidan At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California statement“But we've never seen it so directly before.”
The new observations suggest that these stars all inherit their rotation from the same long string of gas. Over time, this rotation may change as the stars interact with each other and other space objects. This is evident from the fact that another group of younger, possibly older, stars in the same image of the Ophiuchus Nebula do not have aligned jets.
A silent colossus lurks off the Pacific coast, threatening hundreds of miles of coastline with tsunamis and devastating earthquakes.
For decades, scientists have been warning about the possibility of a major fault line breaking off from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a megathrust fault that runs offshore along the coast from northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino in California. The next time this fault, or parts of it, breaks, it could upend life in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.
Of particular concern are signs of great earthquakes in the region’s geological history. Many researchers have been pursuing clues about the last “big quake,” a magnitude 8.7 earthquake that occurred in 1700. They have pieced together this history using centuries-old tsunami records, Native American oral histories, physical evidence of saltwater-flooded ghost forests, and limited maps of faults.
But no one had ever comprehensively mapped the fault structure until now. The study published Friday A paper published in the journal Science Advances describes the data collected during a 41-day research voyage, in which the ship dragged a mile-long cable along the fault, listening to the ocean floor and piecing together images.
The team completed a detailed map of the subduction zone, stretching more than 550 miles to the Oregon-California border.
Their work will give modelers a clearer picture of the impact of a megaquake in the region — a megaquake that occurs in a subduction zone, where one plate pushes under another — and give planners a more detailed, localized view of the risks to Pacific Northwest communities, which could help redefine earthquake-resistant building codes.
“It’s like wearing Coke-bottle glasses, and when you take them off, they give you the correct prescription,” said lead author Suzanne Calbott, a marine geophysicist and research professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Before, we only got very blurry, low-resolution images.”
Scientists have discovered that subduction zones are much more complex than previously thought. They are divided into four segments, and researchers believe each segment could rupture independently or simultaneously. Each segment has different rock types and different seismic properties, which means some segments may be more hazardous than others.
Earthquake and tsunami modelers are beginning to assess how the new data might affect earthquake scenarios in the Pacific Northwest.
Kelin Wang, a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada who was not involved in the study, said her team, which focuses on earthquake hazards and tsunami risk, is already using the data to make predictions.
“The accuracy and resolution is truly unprecedented, and this is an incredible dataset,” said Wang, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. “This will allow us to better assess risk and inform building codes and zoning.”
Harold Tobin, co-author of the paper and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said the data will help fine-tune predictions, but it won’t change the untenable reality of life in the Pacific Northwest.
“It could potentially produce earthquakes and tsunamis that are comparable in magnitude to the largest earthquakes and tsunamis the Earth has ever seen,” said Tobin, who is also a professor at the University of Washington. “It looks like Cascadia could produce an earthquake of magnitude 9 or a little less or a little more.”
A quake of that magnitude could cause shaking for about five minutes and generate a tsunami up to 80 feet high, damaging more than 500,000 buildings. According to emergency planning documents:.
Neither Oregon nor Washington are adequately prepared.
To map the subduction zone, researchers at sea used active seismic imaging, a technique that sends sound waves into the ocean floor and processes the returning echoes, a method often used in oil and gas exploration.
They towed more than nine miles of cables called streamers behind the ship and used 1,200 hydrophones to capture the returning sounds.
“This will give us an idea of what the conditions are like underground,” Calbot said.
The research vessel Marcus Langes docked in Seattle after a 41-day survey along the Pacific coast that allowed researchers to map the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Courtesy of Harold Tobin
Trained marine mammal spotters would alert the crew to any signs of whales or other animals. Sounds produced by this type of technology could be disruptive and potentially harmful to marine life.
Calbot said the new research makes it even clearer that the entire Cascadia Fault won’t rupture all at once.
“The next earthquake in Cascadia could rupture just one of these segments, or it could rupture the entire boundary,” Calbot said, adding that some individual segments are thought to have the potential to produce a quake of at least magnitude 8.
Over the past century, scientists have observed only five earthquakes of magnitude 9.0 or higher, all of which were the kind of giant quakes predicted in the Cascadia subduction zone.
Scientists have compiled the latest insights into the 1700 Cascadia earthquake, based on records of an unusual orphan tsunami that was not preceded by any shaking in Japan.
“It would take a magnitude 8.7 earthquake to send a tsunami all the way to Japan,” Tobin said.
Those in Japan who recorded the event had no idea that the earthquake occurred across the ocean in what is now the United States.
Right now, the Cascadia subduction zone is eerily quiet. At other subduction zones, Calbot says, scientists often observe small, frequent earthquakes that make it easier to map the region. But that’s not the case here.
Scientists have a few hypotheses as to why. Wang said the region could be getting quieter as stress builds on the fault, and that time may be approaching.
“The interval between big earthquakes in this subduction zone is about 500 years,” Wang said. “It’s hard to know exactly when it will happen, but it’s certainly quite late compared to other subduction zones.”
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured sharp images of NGC 4689, a jewel-bright spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma.
This Hubble image shows spiral galaxy NGC 4689 located 52 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Tilker / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST Team.
NGC 4689 It is located approximately 52 million light-years away in the constellation Kamina.
“Of the 88 constellations officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Coma has the distinction of being the only constellation named after a historical figure. Queen Berenice II of Egypt” explained the Hubble astronomer.
“The Latin word ‘coma’ refers to her hair, meaning that NGC 4689 can be said to be present in the Queen’s hair.”
“Some of Berenice’s contemporaries may have meant this quite literally; her court astronomer believed that Berenice’s lost locks had been destroyed by God (“among the stars”). It was given this name because there is a story that it was thought to have been placed in It is the constellation of Coma. ”
NGC 4689 is discovered It was proposed by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on April 12, 1784.
Also known as LEDA 43186 or UGC 7965, this galaxy is a member of the Virgo Cluster, a group of more than 2,000 galaxies.
NGC 4689 is tilted 36 degrees and can be viewed almost head-on.
The new images of the galaxy were created from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral regions. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
This is based on data obtained through a gender filter. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“This image was created using two sets of observations taken in 2019 and 2024, both as part of a program to observe multiple ‘nearby’ galaxies.” Astronomy said the people.
The 2024 observing program is an interesting example of how Hubble, a relatively old but highly productive telescope, can support the work of the technologically cutting-edge Webb Telescope. ”
“Observations collected by Webb change our understanding of how galaxies change and evolve over time by providing data of unprecedented detail and clarity. It will be.”
“But thanks to their complementary capabilities, new observations from Hubble (such as those used to create new images) can aid the work being done using the Web.”
“In this case, the Hubble data were collected to better understand the stellar populations of nearby galaxies, which is critical to understanding the evolution of galaxies.”
“NGC 4689 therefore plays an important role in advancing our understanding of how all galaxies evolve.”
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