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By European Space Agency
The 2025 ESA internship opportunities are now live! Positions are open in a wide range of fields, including engineering, science, IT, natural and social sciences, business, economics, and administrative services. This is your chance to launch your career in the extraordinary world of space exploration—don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience with one of the world’s leading space organisations!
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By NASA
Hubble Space Telescope Home NASA’s Hubble, New… Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Hubble News Archive Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts E-books Lithographs Fact Sheets Glossary Posters Hubble on the NASA App More Online Activities 6 min read
NASA’s Hubble, New Horizons Team Up for a Simultaneous Look at Uranus
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (left) and NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft (right) images the planet Uranus. NASA, ESA, STScI, Samantha Hasler (MIT), Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), New Horizons Planetary Science Theme Team; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study like types of planets around other stars.
Astronomers used Uranus as a proxy for similar planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets, comparing high-resolution images from Hubble to the more-distant view from New Horizons. This combined perspective will help scientists learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars with future telescopes.
“While we expected Uranus to appear differently in each filter of the observations, we found that Uranus was actually dimmer than predicted in the New Horizons data taken from a different viewpoint,” said lead author Samantha Hasler of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and New Horizons science team collaborator.
In this image, two three-dimensional shapes (top) of Uranus are compared to the actual views of the planet from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (bottom left) and NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft (bottom right). Comparing high-resolution images from Hubble to the smaller view from New Horizons offers a combined perspective that will help researchers learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars with future observatories. NASA, ESA, STScI, Samantha Hasler (MIT), Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), New Horizons Planetary Science Theme Team; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
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Direct imaging of exoplanets is a key technique for learning about their potential habitability, and offers new clues to the origin and formation of our own solar system. Astronomers use both direct imaging and spectroscopy to collect light from the observed planet and compare its brightness at different wavelengths. However, imaging exoplanets is a notoriously difficult process because they’re so far away. Their images are mere pinpoints and so are not as detailed as the close-up views that we have of worlds orbiting our Sun. Researchers can also only directly image exoplanets at “partial phases,” when only a portion of the planet is illuminated by their star as seen from Earth.
Uranus was an ideal target as a test for understanding future distant observations of exoplanets by other telescopes for a few reasons. First, many known exoplanets are also gas giants similar in nature. Also, at the time of the observations, New Horizons was on the far side of Uranus, 6.5 billion miles away, allowing its twilight crescent to be studied—something that cannot be done from Earth. At that distance, the New Horizons view of the planet was just several pixels in its color camera, called the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera.
On the other hand, Hubble, with its high resolution, and in its low-Earth orbit 1.7 billion miles away from Uranus, was able to see atmospheric features such as clouds and storms on the day side of the gaseous world.
“Uranus appears as just a small dot on the New Horizons observations, similar to the dots seen of directly-imaged exoplanets from observatories like Webb or ground-based observatories,” added Hasler. “Hubble provides context for what the atmosphere is doing when it was observed with New Horizons.”
The gas giant planets in our solar system have dynamic and variable atmospheres with changing cloud cover. How common is this among exoplanets? By knowing the details of what the clouds on Uranus looked like from Hubble, researchers are able to verify what is interpreted from the New Horizons data. In the case of Uranus, both Hubble and New Horizons saw that the brightness did not vary as the planet rotated, which indicates that the cloud features were not changing with the planet’s rotation.
However, the importance of the detection by New Horizons has to do with how the planet reflects light at a different phase than what Hubble, or other observatories on or near Earth, can see. New Horizons showed that exoplanets may be dimmer than predicted at partial and high phase angles, and that the atmosphere reflects light differently at partial phase.
NASA has two major upcoming observatories in the works to advance studies of exoplanet atmospheres and potential habitability.
“These landmark New Horizons studies of Uranus from a vantage point unobservable by any other means add to the mission’s treasure trove of new scientific knowledge, and have, like many other datasets obtained in the mission, yielded surprising new insights into the worlds of our solar system,” added New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute.
This illustration shows NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft’s view of our solar system from deep in the Kuiper Belt. New Horizons is currently at an estimated distance of more than 5 billion miles from Earth. The probe was 6.5 billion miles away from Uranus when it recently observed the planet. In this study, researchers used the gas giant as an exoplanet proxy, comparing high-resolution images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to the smaller view from New Horizons to learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars. NASA, ESA, Christian Nieves (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI), Greg Bacon (STScI)
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NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by 2027, will use a coronagraph to block out a star’s light to directly see gas giant exoplanets. NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, in an early planning phase, will be the first telescope designed specifically to search for atmospheric biosignatures on Earth-sized, rocky planets orbiting other stars.
“Studying how known benchmarks like Uranus appear in distant imaging can help us have more robust expectations when preparing for these future missions,” concluded Hasler. “And that will be critical to our success.”
Launched in January 2006, New Horizons made the historic flyby of Pluto and its moons in July 2015, before giving humankind its first close-up look at one of these planetary building block and Kuiper Belt object, Arrokoth, in January 2019. New Horizons is now in its second extended mission, studying distant Kuiper Belt objects, characterizing the outer heliosphere of the Sun, and making important astrophysical observations from its unmatched vantage point in distant regions of the solar system.
The Uranus results are being presented this week at the 56th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences, in Boise, Idaho.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, built and operates the New Horizons spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio and Boulder, Colorado, directs the mission via Principal Investigator Alan Stern and leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of NASA’s New Frontiers program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contacts:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Hannah Braun, Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
Science Contacts:
Samantha Hasler
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope New Horizons Planetary Science Planetary Science Division Planets The Solar System Uranus Keep Exploring Explore More
Hubble Space Telescope
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
New Horizons
New Horizons was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto and its five moons up close and, later, made the first…
Studying the Outer Planets and Moons
Hubble Online Activities
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By NASA
4 Min Read NASA’s Webb Provides Another Look Into Galactic Collisions
This composite image of Arp 107 reveals a wealth of information about the star-formation and how these two galaxies collided hundreds of million years ago (full image below). Credits:
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Smile for the camera! An interaction between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107, seems to have given the spiral a happier outlook thanks to the two bright “eyes” and the wide semicircular “smile.” The region has been observed before in infrared by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope in 2005, however NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope displays it in much higher resolution. This image is a composite, combining observations from Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) and NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera).
Image A: Arp 107 (NIRCam and MIRI Image)
This composite image of Arp 107, created with data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), reveals a wealth of information about the star-formation and how these two galaxies collided hundreds of million years ago. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI NIRCam highlights the stars within both galaxies and reveals the connection between them: a transparent, white bridge of stars and gas pulled from both galaxies during their passage. MIRI data, represented in orange-red, shows star-forming regions and dust that is composed of soot-like organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. MIRI also provides a snapshot of the bright nucleus of the large spiral, home to a supermassive black hole.
Image B: Arp 107 (MIRI Image)
This image of Arp 107, shown by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), reveals the supermassive black hole that lies in the center of the large spiral galaxy to the right. This black hole, which pulls much of the dust into lanes, also display’s Webb’s characteristic diffraction spikes, caused by the light that it emits interacting with the structure of the telescope itself. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The spiral galaxy is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, one of the two largest groups of active galaxies, along with galaxies that host quasars. Seyfert galaxies aren’t as luminous and distant as quasars, making them a more convenient way to study similar phenomena in lower energy light, like infrared.
This galaxy pair is similar to the Cartwheel Galaxy, one of the first interacting galaxies that Webb observed. Arp 107 may have turned out very similar in appearance to the Cartwheel, but since the smaller elliptical galaxy likely had an off-center collision instead of a direct hit, the spiral galaxy got away with only its spiral arms being disturbed.
The collision isn’t as bad as it sounds. Although there was star formation occurring before, collisions between galaxies can compress gas, improving the conditions needed for more stars to form. On the other hand, as Webb reveals, collisions also disperse a lot of gas, potentially depriving new stars of the material they need to form.
Webb has captured these galaxies in the process of merging, which will take hundreds of millions of years. As the two galaxies rebuild after the chaos of their collision, Arp 107 may lose its smile, but it will inevitably turn into something just as interesting for future astronomers to study.
Arp 107 is located 465 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor.
Video: Tour the Arp 107 Image
Video tour transcript
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI) The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
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Media Contacts
Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro – rob.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Matthew Brown – mabrown@stsci.edu, Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
Related Information
Video: What happens when galaxies collide?
Interactive: Explore “Interacting Galaxies: Future of the Milky Way”
Other images: Hubble’s view of Arp 107 and Spitzer’s view of Arp 107
Video: Galaxy Collisions: Simulations vs. Observations
Article: More about Galaxy Evolution
Video: Learn more about galactic collisions
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms
Active Galaxies Astrophysics Galaxies Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes Goddard Space Flight Center James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research Seyfert Galaxies The Universe View the full article
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By NASA
The Dash 7 that will be modified into a hybrid electric research vehicle under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project on display with its new livery for the first time. In front of the plane is an electric powertrain that magniX will integrate into the current aircraft to build a hybrid electric propulsion system.NASA/David C. Bowman In a special unveiling ceremony on Aug. 22, 2024, the public received a first look at magniX’s Dash 7 aircraft that will serve as a testbed for sustainable aviation research with NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project.
Hosted by magniX at King County International Airport, commonly known as Boeing Field, in Seattle, Washington, leaders from NASA and magniX unveiled the research vehicle in its new livery.
EPFD is a collaboration between NASA and industry to demonstrate the capabilities of electrified aircraft propulsion technologies in reducing emissions for future commercial aircraft in mid-2030s.
As part of this demonstration, magniX will modify the Dash 7 with a new hybrid electric system to conduct ground and flight tests. NASA will use data gathered from these tests to identify and minimize barriers in certifying these new technologies and help inform new standards and regulations for future electrified aircraft.
“We are a research organization that continues to advance aviation, solve the problems of flight, and lead the community into the future,” said Robert A. Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. “Through our EPFD project, we’re taking big steps in partnership to make sure electric aviation is part of the future of commercial flight.”
With the aircraft livery complete, magniX will begin the process of converting the Dash 7 into a research testbed with a hybrid electric propulsion system. Flight tests with the new system are planned for 2026.
Image Credit: NASA/David C. Bowman
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By NASA
Through a nonlinear path to success, research astrophysicist Tyler Parsotan discovers transformational science using Swift’s observations.
Name: Tyler Parsotan
Formal Job Classification: Research astrophysicist
Organization: Astroparticle Physics Laboratory (Code 661), Astrophysics Science Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate
Dr. Tyler Parsotan is a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. He helps operate the Bust Alert Telescope on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Courtesy of Tyler Parsotan What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I help operate the Burst Alert Telescope on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to study some of the most powerful astrophysical processes in the universe. What is most interesting is the engineering capabilities that have gone into the spacecraft to make it nimble and robust, allowing it to conduct a wide range of transformative science.
Why did you become an astrophysicist?
Ever since I was young, I was fascinated with the stars and how the world worked. All of this led me to physics with a focus on astrophysics. That is how I got into what I am doing now.
What is your educational background?
In 2015, I got a Bachelor of Science in space physics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 2019, I got a master’s in physics from Oregon State University, Corvallis, and in 2020 I got a master’s in mechanical engineering also from Oregon State University. In 2021, I got a doctorate in physics from Oregon State University.
When I first applied to graduate school, I did not get into any. I was fortunate enough to learn about Oregon State University though a program geared towards allowing underrepresented students in STEM fields to get graduate degrees. This program, known as the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program, played a pivotal role in me being able to attend graduate school .
Are you also a pilot?
Yes, I am. While I was in Oregon as a graduate student, I was able to save up enough money to get my private pilot’s license over the course of one summer from the local Corvallis airport. I would bike to the airport and get in a plane to fly all over Oregon from the coast to the Cascade Mountains. It was a very cool experience.
How did you come to Goddard?
I did a post-doctorate fellowship starting the fall of 2021 through May 2023. My doctoral research was related to one of Swift’s many science focuses, so I wanted to continue my work at Goddard.
What transformational science have you been involved with using Swift’s observations?
Some of the science that Swift focuses on is related to the transient universe, meaning that we primarily look at astrophysical events that come and go very quickly and typically produce a ton of energy. Swift examines the light energy produced from black holes, the majority of which are eating mass from black stars.
While at Oregon State University, I studied the most energetic events in the universe known as gamma-ray bursts. I am now studying gamma-ray bursts at Goddard. One of the big discoveries made by Swift is that these gamma ray bursts can be seen out to early times in the universe. Some of these explosions occurred when the universe was very young, only 100,000 years old or so. Because the universe is expanding, it takes that light some time to travel to us. With Swift, we detect that light and can make some measurements about the gamma-ray bursts, such as when they occurred, how much energy they produced in these massive explosions, and some of the properties of the early universe.
“There are no linear paths to success,” said Tyler. “Keep looking for a way to be successful. This advice applies to life overall.”Courtesy of Tyler Parsotan What is the biggest discovery you have been involved with and what do you love most about working on Swift?
We are simulating the gamma-ray bursts, which was a focus of my doctorate. We cannot yet actually see these explosions, so we have to simulate them using the physics that we now know. I have been able to connect some of the large simulations to the Swift observations and measurements. This helps us better understand the underlying physics of these powerful explosions.
The amount of energy produced in a typical gamma-ray burst is enough to blow up the Sun a few times over.
Lots of people know about Hubble, which observes the light that we can see with our eyes. The light that I deal with, gamma rays, has much higher energy and cannot be seen with our eyes. We have to use different techniques to measure this light. Designing detectors to measure this light is challenging technically but means that this area of physics is ripe for discovery. I love being part of this.
Swift will be 20 years old in November 2024. As a relative newcomer to Swift, what are your thoughts?
I think Swift is a great observatory because it has conducted lots of transformational science, drastically expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. Even though it is getting older, it is still able to push science forward in new and exciting ways. I am looking forward to helping the Swift mission celebrate 20 years of amazing science.
What is your advice to anyone starting and continuing a career?
There are no linear paths to success. Keep looking for a way to be successful. This advice applies to life overall.
Are you involved in any of Goddard’s extracurricular activities?
I recently joined Goddard’s soccer league. Everyone at Goddard self organizes into teams that play each other after work during the week. We play about a game a week. The winning team gets bragging rights. I mostly play defense. Being on a team is a good way to meet people at Goddard and to stay active.
In addition to soccer, what are your hobbies?
I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and generally being outdoors.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to still be at Goddard. I enjoy the type of work and the overall work environment. If Swift continues another five years, hopefully I’ll be working on it and also helping to create the next generation of gamma-ray observatories to help push science forward. We are making the science that will be in the next textbooks.
Who do you want to thank?
My doctoral supervisor Davide Lazzati was an extremely supportive mentor and pushed me to be the best scientist that I can be. Since I arrived at Goddard, we have been good colleagues.
My former mentor and supervisor at Goddard is Brad Cenko, the Swift principal investigator. I am grateful that he hired me and allowed me to grow as a post-doctoral researcher.
I also want to thank my entire family for being extremely supportive and understanding even though they may not fully understand what I really do.
Who is your science hero?
Copernicus. He put forward the theory that our solar system orbits the Sun. He was obviously very instrumental in changing the way we think about the cosmos. He got into a lot of trouble with his theory, which makes his accomplishments all the more important.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
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Last Updated Aug 20, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
People of Goddard Goddard Space Flight Center Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory People of NASA Explore More
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