A Tiny Satellite Studies Stormy Layers

2019 August 14

Saturn Behind the Moon Image Credit: Peter Patonai (Astroscape Photography)

Explanation: What’s that next to the Moon? Saturn. In its monthly trip around the Earth – and hence Earth’s sky – our Moon passed nearly in front of Sun-orbiting Saturn earlier this week. Actually the Moon passed directly in front of Saturn from the viewpoints of a wide swath of Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. The featured image from Sydney, Australia captured the pair a few minutes before the eclipse. The image was a single shot lasting only 1/500th of a second, later processed to better highlight both the Moon and Saturn. Since Saturn is nearly opposite the Sun, it can be seen nearly the entire night, starting at sunset, toward the south and east. The gibbous Moon was also nearly opposite the Sun, and so also visible nearly the entire night – it will be full tomorrow night. The Moon will occult Saturn again during every lap it makes around the Earth this year.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190814.html

Want to Send Your Art to the International Space Station?!

For children ages 4-12, we’re hosting an art contest! Get the details:

We are working with Boeing and SpaceX to build human spaceflight systems, like rockets and spacecraft, to take astronauts to the International Space Station. These companies will fly astronauts to orbit around Earth while we focus on plans to explore deeper into our solar system. 

Get out your art supplies and use your creative imagination to show us the present and future of traveling in space!

There are no grocery stores in space, but there may soon be farms. Very small farms that are important to a crew conducting a mission to deep space. That’s because our astronauts will need to grow some of their own food. Researchers on Earth and astronauts on the International Space Station are already showing what is needed to grow robust plants in orbit.

What would you take to space? Astronaut Suni Williams took a cutout of her dog, Gorbie, on her first mission to the International Space Station. 

Kids 4 to 12, draw what you would take and enter it in our Children’s Artwork Calendar contest! Your entry could be beamed to the space station!

Go to http://go.nasa.gov/2fvRLNf for more information about the competition’s themes, rules and deadlines plus the entry form. 

Get your parent’s permission, of course!

Email your entry form and drawing to us at: ksc-connect2ccp@mail.nasa.gov

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Our Favorite Valentines Throughout the Universe

Today is Valentine’s Day. What better way to express that you love someone than with an intergalactic love gram? Check out some of our favorites and send them to all of your cosmic companions:

Your love is galactic

The Hubble Space Telescope revolutionized nearly all areas of astronomical research — and captured some truly lovely images. Here, a pair of intersecting galaxies swirl into the shape of a rose as a result of gravitational tidal pull. What type of roses are you getting for your love — red or galactic?

I think you’re n{ice}

IceBridge is the largest airborne survey of Earth’s polar ice ever flown. It captures 3-D views of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice. This lovely heart-shaped glacier feature was discovered in northwest Greenland during an IceBridge flight in 2017. Which of your lover’s features would you say are the coolest?

You’re absolutely magnetic

Even though we can’t see them, magnetic fields are all around us. One of the solar system’s largest magnetospheres belongs to Jupiter. Right now, our Juno spacecraft is providing scientists with their first glimpses of this unseen force. Is your attraction to your loved one magnetic?

You’re MARS-velous

This heart-shaped feature on the Martian landscape was captured by our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It was created by a small impact crater that blew darker material on the surface away. What impact has your loved one had on you?

I <3 you

From three billion miles away, Pluto sent a “love note” back to Earth, via our New Horizons spacecraft. This stunning image of Pluto’s “heart” shows one of the world’s most dominant features, estimated to be 1,000 miles (1,600 km) across at its widest point. Will you pass this love note on to someone special in your life?

Light of my life

Our Solar Dynamics Observatory keeps an eye on our closest star that brings energy to you and your love. The observatory helps us understand where the Sun’s energy comes from, how the inside of the Sun works, how energy is stored and released in the Sun’s atmosphere and much more. Who would you say is your ray of sunshine?

Do any of these cosmic phenomena remind you of someone in your universe? Download these cards here to send to all the stars in your sky.

Want something from the Red Planet to match your bouquet of red roses? Here is our collection of Martian Valentines.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Don't miss it! Join the #ITER Business Forum #IBF19 from 26-28 March in Antibes, France. Learn about upcoming business opportunities, partner up with other businesses and foster relationships! MORE INFO HERE: https://t.co/yEwk722uzN #b2b #WeAreITER https://t.co/cFJHUodfsJ

Several countries presented their business potentials at dedicated stands - like Denmark. #ITER #IBF19 #WeAreITER https://t.co/Symkfl50mh

.@ScottAdamsSays

#GreenNuclearDeal

"Scientists achieved high pressure plasma perhaps laying the groundwork to achieve fusion power at an old fusion reactor in San Diego by reversing the orientation of the vessel that houses the plasma."

https://t.co/gXsKDDEHY3

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Gabriella Sanchez

Oh, hello. Looking to celebrate an incredible WOC artist for Women’s History Month? Let us suggest one of our Tumblr @creatrs, Gabriella Sanchez (@thatnoisegallery). This LA-based Mexican-American artist is one you’re going to want to pay attention to. In the interest of celebrating women and how they impact their world, we’ve touched base with her to discuss how feminism intersects with her work. Read on, reader.

Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself. How did you become the artist that you are today?

That’s a big question in which the true answer is that it’s a result of all my experiences and interactions that are too many to list here. The more direct but partial answer is that I went to college without knowing what I wanted to do and started taking art electives until those became the only classes I was taking. I was really attracted to the freedom of being an artist—the idea that you could spend your time seeking out whatever ideas interested you and then turn into something that people could engage with and it could be under this expansive umbrella of art. That was and still is thrilling to me.

As a Mexican-American woman, your experiences and intersections in race, gender, and socioeconomic status all play a part in your work. Why do you think it’s important for art spaces to exhibit more work by women of color?

I would say that yes, the things you mentioned above play a role in my work, but that’s because everyone’s personal experiences play some role in their work even if they aren’t acknowledged. It’s just framed in a different light when a person from any marginalized group creates art. Specifically, in painting, the work is an assertion of what an artist thinks is beautiful or interesting or worth looking at and that inherently is a message and a showcase of their viewpoint. An artist who paints a flower versus an artist who paints a bus bench with graffiti are both painting what they want you to see. In that sense, the work could be seen as the same. They just get framed in a different light. That’s why it’s important for artists of marginalized groups to be included in these art spaces, so that our context of viewing work gets larger so we can really see the work without knee-jerk biases blocking our ability to fully engage with a work.

Let’s talk about your featured artwork. Women of color and trans women are people most affected by violence. Talk us through the process of this piece and why it’s important?

The idea behind this piece is that this is a collective issue. Not an issue that is just on the shoulders or survivors or only women, but everyone. Only with that mentality will we be able to make moves towards a future where women are safe and we can all move forward [with] equality and equity for everyone.

If you want more of Gabriella’s art, follow her at @thatnoisegallery. If you want more interviews with women making an impact in their fields, stay tuned to @action! We’re celebrating Women’s History Month all month long.

I’m really intrigued about this shipping thing and who I would match haha...Can I have an Outer Banks ship? My icon is actually me! I’m a straight female, 5’5 with mid length brown hair and brown eyes. I love older music like 70s rock bands but also love pop/rock music for driving with the windows down like Taylor Swift or Avril Lavigne. I’m from South Carolina and I love Kayaking and Paddle Boarding I also like just reading a good book. The most important thing to me is a sense of adventure!

outer banks

i ship you with john b!

• you and john b go on adventures all the time. there isn’t a mountain or hiking trail you two haven’t gone on. you guys also sneak into a lot of abandoned places.

• he also would teach you how to surf. he’s not the best teacher, but you get the hang of it anyway.

• naps in the twinkie>

• him laying his head in your lap while you read

• i feel like he might listen to the same music you do

• screaming complicated by avril with the windows down and full volume

packin’ up