The ‘Face’ of Jupiter

JunoCam images aren’t just for art and science – sometimes they are processed to bring a chuckle. via NASA http://ift.tt/2u6EApm

Starry Night and Aurora

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA photographed the glowing nighttime lights of an aurora from his vantage point in the International Space Station's cupola module on June 19, 2017. Part of the station's solar array is also visible. via NASA http://ift.tt/2s5Udf4

The Niagara Falls of Mars

Various researchers are often pre-occupied with the quest for flowing water on Mars. via NASA http://ift.tt/2shuEvD

As the Sun Rises, NASA's Global Hawk is Being Prepared for Flight

Hot summer days in Southern California’s Antelope Valley force many aircraft operations to start early in the morning before the sun rises. On a back ramp at Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, a NASA Global Hawk goes through testing of its communication components and satellite connection links in preparation for flight. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sX9zUG

Saturnian Dawn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft peers toward a sliver of Saturn's sunlit atmosphere while the icy rings stretch across the foreground as a dark band. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sIzUaw

Hubble Uses Gravitational Lens to Capture Disk Galaxy

By combining the power of a "natural lens" in space with the capability of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers made a surprising discovery—the first example of a compact yet massive, fast-spinning, disk-shaped galaxy that stopped making stars only a few billion years after the big bang. via NASA http://ift.tt/2t2PLCd

The White Cliffs of 'Rover'

This image was acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 18, 2017, at 14:04 local Mars time. It reminded the HiRISE team of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of the British Isles. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rGyUke

Visualization of the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, the Earth will cross the shadow of the moon, creating a total solar eclipse. Eclipses happen about every six months, but this one is special. For the first time in almost 40 years, the path of the moon's shadow passes through the continental United States. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rRirhl

Deployment of the Space Station's Roll Out Solar Array Experiment

Over the weekend of June 17-18, engineers on the ground remotely operated the International Space Station's Canadarm2 to extract the Roll Out Solar Array experiment from the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. The experiment will remain attached to the Canadarm2 over seven days to test this advanced, flexible array that rolls out like a tape measure. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tp28oW

Webb Telescope Set for Testing in Space Simulation Chamber

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope sits in front of the door to Chamber A, a giant thermal vacuum chamber located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The telescope will soon be moved into the chamber, where it will spend a hot Houston summer undergoing tests at sub-freezing cryogenic temperatures. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sKRZWE

Jupiter’s Clouds of Many Colors

NASA’s Juno spacecraft was racing away from Jupiter following its seventh close pass of the planet when JunoCam snapped this image on May 19, 2017, from about 29,100 miles (46,900 kilometers) above the cloud tops. via NASA http://ift.tt/2s9872E

Northern Summer on Titan

NASA's Cassini spacecraft sees bright methane clouds drifting in the summer skies of Saturn's moon Titan, along with dark hydrocarbon lakes and seas clustered around the north pole. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sw5OYV

Celebrating Flag Day

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer took this photograph of an American flag in one of the windows of the International Space Station's cupola, a dome-shaped module through which operations on the outside of the station can be observed and guided. Throughout NASA's history, spacecraft and launch vehicles have always been decorated with flags. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rsJ3EW

Illustration of Cool Dust Around an Active Black Hole

This artist illustration shows the thick ring of dust that can obscure the energetic processes that occur near the supermassive black hole of an active galactic nuclei. Researchers have found that the dust surrounding active, ravenous black holes is much more compact than previously thought. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sxGp0k

Turquoise Swirls in the Black Sea

On May 29, 2017, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the data for this image of an ongoing phytoplankton bloom in the Black Sea. The image is a mosaic, composed from multiple satellite passes over the region. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sl9b4F

Pongal Catena on Ceres

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the northeastern rim of Urvara Crater on Ceres. via NASA http://ift.tt/2s50Q4c

Watching a Volatile Stellar Relationship

In biology, “symbiosis” refers to two organisms that live close to and interact with one another. Astronomers have long studied a class of stars – called symbiotic stars – that co-exist in a similar way. Astronomers are gaining a better understanding of how volatile this close stellar relationship can be. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rI8dMJ

NASA's 2017 Astronaut Candidates

NASA's 2017 astronaut candidates take a group photo at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center. Pictured are, front row, left to right, Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Robb Kulin, Jessica Watkins, Loral O'Hara; back row, left to right, Jonny Kim, Frank Rubio, Matthew Dominick, Warren Hoburg, Kayla Barron, Bob Hines, and Raja Chari. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sE8SPl

An Astronaut's View From the 'Corner Office'

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer tweeted this photograph from the International Space Station on June 3, 2017, writing, "Never had a corner office with a view, but I must admit, I like it… a lot! #SpaceRocks." Fischer, a member of the 2009 astronaut class, has been living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory since April 20, 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rQJJmL

Mimas Dwarfed

From high above Saturn's northern hemisphere, NASA's Cassini spacecraft gazes over the planet's north pole, with its intriguing hexagon and bullseye-like central vortex. via NASA http://ift.tt/2qUdTGt

SpaceX CRS-11 Cargo Mission Launch

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft onboard, launches from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Saturday, June 3, 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rEbNcK

A South Polar Pit or an Impact Crater?

This observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show it is late summer in the Southern hemisphere, so the Sun is low in the sky and subtle topography is accentuated in orbital images. via NASA http://ift.tt/2s25Hnd

Eleventh SpaceX Commercial Resupply Mission to Space Station Set for Launch

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft onboard, is seen shortly after being raised vertical at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Thursday, June 1, 2017. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:55 p.m EDT. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sitxbp