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By NASA
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 Online Activities Lithographs Fact Sheets Glossary Posters Hubble on the NASA App More 35th Anniversary 2 min read
Hubble Spies a Cosmic Eye
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 2566. ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 2566, which sits 76 million light-years away in the constellation Puppis. A prominent bar of stars stretches across the center of this galaxy, and spiral arms emerge from each end of the bar. Because NGC 2566 appears tilted from our perspective, its disk takes on an almond shape, giving the galaxy the appearance of a cosmic eye.
As NGC 2566 appears to gaze at us, astronomers gaze right back, using Hubble to survey the galaxy’s star clusters and star-forming regions. The Hubble data are especially valuable for studying stars that are just a few million years old; these stars are bright at the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths to which Hubble is sensitive. Using these data, researchers can measure the ages of NGC 2566’s stars, which helps piece together the timeline of the galaxy’s star formation and the exchange of gas between star-forming clouds and the stars themselves.
Hubble regularly teams up with other astronomical observatories to examine objects like NGC 2566, including the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Webb data complements Hubble’s by going beyond the infrared wavelengths of light Hubble can see, better defining areas of warm, glowing dust. At even longer wavelengths, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of 66 radio telescopes that work together can capture detailed images of the clouds of gas and dust in which stars form. Together, Hubble, Webb, and ALMA provide an overview of the formation, lives, and deaths of stars in galaxies across the universe.
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NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
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Last Updated Dec 19, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Spiral Galaxies Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Hubble Space Telescope
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Hubble’s Partners in Science
Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:01:22 An ethereal dance of misty clouds of interstellar dust with a myriad of distant stars and galaxies speckled like paint drops over a black canvas. This is a sonification of a breathtaking image king image taken by ESA's Euclid space telescope of the young star-forming region Messier 78.
The sonification offers a different representation of the data collected by Euclid, and lets us explore the stellar nurseries in M78 through sound. Close your eyes and listen to let the cosmic image be drawn by your mind’s eye, or watch as the traceback line in this video follows the sounds to colour the image from left to right.
The twinkling sounds of various pitches and volumes represent the galaxies and stars in the frame. The pitch of the sound points towards where we see the dot of light in the image. Higher pitches tell us that a star or galaxy appears further at the top in the image along the traceback line.
The brightness of these objects in and around M78 are represented by the volume of the twinkles. Whenever we hear a particularly loud clink, the star or galaxy that Euclid observed appears particularly bright in the image.
Underlying these jingling sounds, we can hear a steady undertone, made up of two chords which represent different regions in Messier 78. This sound intensifies as the traceback line approaches first the brightest, and later the densest regions in the nebula.
The first two deeper crescendos in this undertone indicate two patches in the image where the most intense colour is blue/purple. These appear as two ‘cavities’ in M78, where newly forming stars carve out and illuminate the dust and gas in which they were born.
The chords intensify a third time at a slightly higher pitch corresponding to the red-orange colours in the image, as the sound draws over the densest star-forming region of the frame. This stellar nursery is hidden by a layer of dust and gas that is so thick that it obscures almost all the light of the young stars within it.
As the sound traces over the entire Euclid image, these different tones together form a cosmic symphony that represents the image of Messier 78, and the stars and galaxies that lie behind and within it. You can read more about this image that was first revealed to the eyes of the world earlier this year here.
Many thanks to Klaus Nielsen (DTU Space / Maple Pools) for making the sonification in this video. If you would like to hear more sonifications and music by this artist, please visit: https://linktr.ee/maplepools
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By NASA
ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Zeidler This new image of star cluster NGC 602, released on Dec. 17, 2024, combines data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with a previously released image from the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb data provide the ring-like outline of the “wreath,” while X-rays from Chandra (red) show young, massive stars that are illuminating the wreath, sending high-energy light into interstellar space.
NGC 602 lies on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, which is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, about 200,000 light-years from Earth.
See another new, festive image: the “Christmas tree cluster.”
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC; Infrared: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Zeilder, E.Sabbi, A. Nota, M. Zamani; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand
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By NASA
X-ray: NASA/CXC; Infrared: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Zeilder, E.Sabbi, A. Nota, M. Zamani; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand Since antiquity, wreaths have symbolized the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is fitting then that one of the best places for astronomers to learn more about the stellar lifecycle resembles a giant holiday wreath itself.
The star cluster NGC 602 lies on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, which is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, about 200,000 light-years from Earth. The stars in NGC 602 have fewer heavier elements compared to the Sun and most of the rest of the galaxy. Instead, the conditions within NGC 602 mimic those for stars found billions of years ago when the universe was much younger.
This new image combines data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with a previously released image from the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope. The dark ring-like outline of the wreath seen in Webb data (represented as orange, yellow, green, and blue) is made up of dense clouds of filled dust.
Meanwhile, X-rays from Chandra (red) show young, massive stars that are illuminating the wreath, sending high-energy light into interstellar space. These X-rays are powered by winds flowing from the young, massive stars that are sprinkled throughout the cluster. The extended cloud in the Chandra data likely comes from the overlapping X-ray glow of thousands of young, low-mass stars in the cluster.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Clow, M.; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand In addition to this cosmic wreath, a new version of the “Christmas tree cluster” is also now available. Like NGC 602, NGC 2264 is a cluster of young stars between one and five million years old. (For comparison, the Sun is a middle-aged star about 5 billion years old — about 1,000 times older.) In this image of NGC 2264, which is much closer than NGC 602 at a distance of about 2,500 light-years from Earth, Chandra data (red, purple, blue, and white) has been combined with optical data (green and violet) captured from by astrophotographer Michael Clow from his telescope in Arizona in November 2024.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
https://www.nasa.gov/chandra
https://chandra.si.edu
Visual Description
This release includes two composite images, each featuring a star cluster that strongly resembles holiday greenery.
The first image depicts star cluster NGC 602 in vibrant and festive colors. The cluster includes a giant dust cloud ring, shown in greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. The green hues and feathery edges of the ring cloud create the appearance of a wreath made of evergreen boughs. Hints of red representing X-rays provide shading, highlighting layers within the wreath-like ring cloud.
The image is aglow with specks and dots of colorful, festive light, in blues, golds, whites, oranges, and reds. These lights represent stars within the cluster. Some of the lights gleam with diffraction spikes, while others emit a warm, diffuse glow. Upon closer inspection, many of the glowing specks have spiraling arms, indicating that they are, in fact, distant galaxies.
The second image in today’s release is a new depiction of NGC 2264, known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster”. Here, wispy green clouds in a conical shape strongly resemble an evergreen tree. Tiny specks of white, blue, purple, and red light, stars within the cluster, dot the structure, turning the cloud into a festive, cosmic Christmas tree!
News Media Contact
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
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By NASA
7 Min Read 2024 Be An Astronaut Campaign
NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan tethered to the International Space Station during a spacewalk. Credits: NASA NASA astronauts have been traveling to space for more than six decades and living there continuously since 2000. Now, NASA’s Artemis program is preparing to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon. As NASA continues to expand human exploration in our solar system, we will need more than the currently active astronauts to crew spacecraft bound for deep-space destinations.
Every four years, NASA opens its doors and welcomes thousands of applicants to join a new class of astronauts that will push human spaceflight to new depths. Astronaut applications opened March 5, 2024, and closed April 16, 2024. In those 42 days, NASA’s 2024 Be An Astronaut Campaign used various platforms to promote the beauty of human spaceflight, explore opportunities to reach untapped and underserved audiences, encourage the younger generations to follow their dreams and pursue a career as an astronaut, and inspire the world about the capabilities we have as humans to explore farther than we ever have before.
Official “Be a NASA Astronaut” Video
To kick off the astronaut recruitment campaign, NASA, NASA Johnson, NASA Artemis, and NASA Astronauts accounts collaborated on a video narrated by Morgan Freeman on Instagram reaching over 9.7 million views. This video, seen below, was shared across agency social media platforms, YouTube, and digital sites to introduce the start of the astronaut application period.
The Universe is Calling: Apply to Be a NASA Astronaut, official NASA astronaut recruitment video featuring a voice over by Morgan Freeman. "Spaceflight is just one part of it. You are a team member before you are any thing in this role."
April Jordan
Manager of NASA Astronaut Selection
Throughout the campaign, #BeAnAstronaut was utilized to increase campaign awareness and engagement. This hashtag was used by 36 agency accounts and totaled 167 posts across the agency. With over 15,000 social media mentions, 256,655 total page views throughout the campaign, and news presence on the Today Show, TIME Magazine, Yahoo News, The New York Times, and more, the Be An Astronaut campaign was a successful and exciting project that inspired aspiring astronauts to follow their dreams.
2024 Astronaut Graduation
On March 5, 2024, not only did astronaut applications open, but the 2021 class of NASA astronaut candidates graduated, officially making them astronauts and eligible for spaceflight. These newly graduated astronauts created a superlative to demonstrate just how NASA’s astronaut corps works as a team and family as they passed the torch down to NASA’s next class of astronauts.
The 2024 astronaut graduating class gives you an insider’s look at not only the who’s who of their graduating class, but it allows you to get a glimpse of the accomplished astronauts’ personalities. To see them together as a group, connecting through laughter helps to illustrate how much they value team care. These classic superlatives give the scoop on which astronaut is the best dancer, the funniest, and more. Enjoy seeing a lighter side of “The Flies” in this fun and upbeat montage of the 2024 astronaut graduating class.
Astronaut Candidate Countdown
Our astronaut graduation countdown campaign celebrated the most recent graduating class of astronauts. The previous class completed two years of rigorous training at Johnson Space Center before they officially gained their wings. This campaign not only highlighted their achievements, but hopefully inspired potential candidates by showcasing the journey from trainee to astronaut. During the graduation ceremony, applications for the next astronaut class were announced, continuing the legacy of excellence and exploration.
NASA astronaut Luke Delaney poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Jessica Wittner poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Andre Douglas poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Marcos Berrios poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center astronaut Nora AlMatrooshi poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Anil Menon poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center astronaut Mohammed AlMulla poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Christina Birch poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Christopher Williams poses for the Astronaut Graduation Countdown.Credit: NASA
NASA Tumblr Thread
For many people, human spaceflight has been a part of their lives for decades. After years of exploring, hundreds of astronauts have shared their unique experiences with the world and inspired many to want to follow in their footsteps. With over 100 thousand impressions on Tumblr, NASA posted a unique thread on “5 Myths About Becoming an Astronaut”.
https://www.tumblr.com/nasa/132538793869/5-myths-about-becoming-an-astronaut NASA’s Tumblr thread on “5 Myths About Becoming an Astronaut”. Credit: NASA
STEM Pinterest Pin
Reaching various audiences of all ages, backgrounds, demographics, and experiences was key during the Be An Astronaut Campaign. Not only was it important for this campaign to reach qualifying applicants, but it was just as important to reach the aspiring astronauts of the younger generation.
NASA posted on Pinterest 10 ways students can kick-start their space journeys within NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, or OSTEM. Through this post, NASA was able to reach over 40 thousand students and share ways to get involved with NASA’s missions.
A NASA astronaut during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station with the text, “10 Ways Students Can Prepare to #BeAnAstronaut”Credit: NASA "[NASA’s] decisions have led us to having an astronaut office that looks very much like America. You could reach in and grab any four people, and they would look like our crew.”
Victor glover
NASA Astronaut, Artemis II Pilot
NASA @ SXSW
A graphic of the International Space Station with the text, “Live from Space at SXSW: NASA Astronauts and Your Work in Orbit”.Credit: NASA NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Loral O’Hara joined NASA experts at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas live from space on March 12, 2024. The astronauts joined a panel from aboard the International Space Station to discuss what it’s like to be an astronaut, how people can get involved with space station research and technology, and how to apply to become an astronaut.
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Kristin Fabre, Jennifer Buchli, Leah Cheshier, Loral O’Hara & Jeanette Epps at Featured Session: Live from Space: NASA Astronauts & Your Work in Orbit as part of SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center on March 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Credit: Stephen Olker/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
Vice President Encourages Applicants
Vice President Kamala Harris quoted NASA on X to encourage people to apply to become an astronaut reaching more than 885 thousand users on the social media platform.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ post on X stating, “As Chair of the National Space Council, I am honored to witness our astronauts’ skill and determination first-hand. There is no typical path for an astronaut, and the next class of NASA astronauts will continue to lead the world in space exploration.”.
Astronaut Reddit AMA
Our Astronaut Recruitment Reddit AMA on March 20th was the top post on Reddit with 25 million subscribers, and stayed pinned to the top of the subreddit for several days. NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Jessica Watkins, and Luke Delaney discussed what it takes to be an astronaut as well as personal insights into their journey.
Merriam-Webster Word of the Day: Astronaut
NASA astronaut and member of the recently graduated 2021 class of NASA astronauts, Deniz Burnham, participated in the “Word of the Day” series with Merriam-Webster defining the word ‘astronaut’. Just weeks after officially becoming an astronaut, Deniz’s video was featured on Merriam-Webster’s website and social media platforms.
NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham featured in Merriam-Webster’s word of the day video defining the word “astronaut”.
Houston, We Have a Podcast
On NASA’s top-rated podcast, “Houston We Have a Podcast,” our astronaut recruitment episode garnered over 4,000 plays on Apple Podcasts and more than 1,000 plays on Spotify. In this episode, the manager of NASA astronaut selection discussed the selection process and how to apply for an out-of-this-world career.
A lone spacesuit can be seen in the middle of the image, as a black shadow of the helmet reflects three question marks.Credit: NASA United States Army Astronaut Recruitment Video
NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Col. Anne McClain discussed her experience as an astronaut and how other members of the U.S. Army can apply to become an astronaut and travel to space like her. This video was posted on the U.S. Army’s social media as well as posted to YouTube reaching thousands of supporters in and of the military.
Col. Anne McClain, commander of the U.S. Army NASA detachment, shares information on eligibility as well as where and when to apply to become a NASA astronaut like herself. Credit: U.S. Army Read More
Become An Astronaut Webpage
NASA’s ‘Become An Astronaut’ webpage drove 246,655 viewers to the page throughout the duration of the recruitment campaign from internal and external collaborations across various digital platforms and events. Listing job requirements, frequently asked questions, and how to apply, the webpage consisted of 87.1% new visitors to the site and had almost 28 thousand referrals from Instagram.
NASA’s ‘Become An Astronaut’ webpage.Credit: NASA Read More
The 2024 Be An Astronaut Campaign ranged from March 5, 2024 to April 16, 2024 and successfully integrated various platforms, outreach opportunities, and educational resources into the recruitment of our next class of astronauts.
With over 15 thousand social media mentions, 2 thousand news outlet mentions, $4.6 million in publicity value, a 91% positive sentiment, and 195 countries involved in the conversation, the campaign was able to inspire NASA’s future space explorers and push the agency closer to returning to the Moon and going to Mars.
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Last Updated Dec 09, 2024 Related Terms
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