Celestial Spectra of Birth and Reflection

Celestial Spectra of Birth and Reflection

The cosmos is a vivid tapestry of color and energy, with emission and reflection nebulae at the forefront, captivating astronomers and enthusiasts alike. Each type of nebula possesses distinct characteristics that not only define their appearances but also reveal much about the processes occurring within these celestial structures. Understanding these nebulae requires a dive into […]

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Juice’s Bold Double Flyby Prep

Juice’s Bold Double Flyby Prep

Next month, ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will carry out a daring and unprecedented maneuver – the first combined lunar-Earth flyby. This highly precise maneuver will harness the gravitational forces of the Moon and Earth in quick succession, bending Juice’s trajectory and lining it up for the next stage of its journey to Jupiter. […]

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Ramses: ESA’s Apophis Asteroid Mission

Ramses: ESA’s Apophis Asteroid Mission

ESA’s Space Safety program has obtained permission to begin preparatory work for its next planetary defense mission – the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Ramses will rendezvous with the asteroid 99942 Apophis and accompany it through its exceptionally close flyby of Earth in 2029. This rare event, where an asteroid of this size […]

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Three T-Tauri

Three T-Tauri

T-Tauri stars represent a fleeting yet crucial phase in the life cycle of a star. They are young stellar objects, born from the gravitational collapse of dense clouds of gas and dust within molecular clouds. At this early stage, the proto-star is still accreting material from the surrounding protoplanetary disk, fueling its growth and illuminating […]

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Vivid Webb Portrait of Interacting Galaxies: Penguin and Egg

Vivid Webb Portrait of Interacting Galaxies: Penguin and Egg

The James Webb Space Telescope’s observations (which combine near- and mid-infrared light from Webb’s NIRCam [Near-InfraRed Camera] and MIRI [Mid-Infrared Instrument], respectively) clearly show that the interacting galaxies Arp 142, nicknamed the Penguin (NGC 2936) and the Egg (NGC 2937), are joined by a blue haze that is a mix of stars and gas, a […]

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Hubble uncovers rare black hole in Omega Centauri

Hubble uncovers rare black hole in Omega Centauri

An international team of astronomers has created an enormous catalogue of the motions of stars in Omega Centauri, measuring the velocities for 1.4 million stars by studying over 500 images from the Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades. Most of these observations were intended for instrument calibration rather than scientific use, but they turned out […]

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Highlights of Ariane 6’s Maiden Flight

Highlights of Ariane 6’s Maiden Flight

In the weeks leading up to launch, the Ariane 6 rocket underwent rigorous testing and preparations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Engineers meticulously checked every system, ensuring the vehicle was ready for its maiden voyage into space. The launch campaign culminated in the final countdown, as the powerful rocket was raised to the vertical […]

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Ariane 6 completes successful maiden flight from French Guiana

Ariane 6 completes successful maiden flight from French Guiana

Ariane 6, Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, marks a significant milestone in the continent’s space exploration endeavors. Conceived in the 2010s, this powerful launch vehicle is designed to replace the retired Ariane 5 rocket, halving the launch costs over time while offering the potential for more launches each year. The configuration for Ariane 6’s maiden flight […]

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