Merging Galaxies Bursting With Light - NGC 2207 And IC 2163

(NASA)  Unexpected X-Rays from Perseus Galaxy Cluster

Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/Oxford University/J. Conlon et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/Univ. of Montreal/Gendron-Marsolais et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/IoA/A. Fabian et al.; DSS

Why does the Perseus galaxy cluster shine so strangely in one specific color of X-rays? No one is sure, but a much-debated hypothesis holds that these X-rays are a clue to the long-sought identity of dark matter. At the center of this mystery is a 3.5 Kilo-electronvolt (KeV) X-ray color that appears to glow excessively only when regions well outside the cluster center are observed, whereas the area directly surrounding a likely central supermassive black hole is actually deficient in 3.5 KeV X-rays. One proposed resolution – quite controversial – is that something never seen before might be present: florescent dark matter (FDM). This form of particle dark matter might be able to absorb 3.5 KeV X-radiation. If operating, FDM, after absorption, might later emit these X-rays from all over the cluster, creating an emission line. However, when seen superposed in front of the central region surrounding the black hole, FDM’s absorption would be more prominent, creating an absorption line. Pictured, a composite image of the Perseus galaxy cluster shows visible and radio light in red, and X-ray light from the Earth-orbiting Chandra Observatory in blue.

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Little Stars ♥

Cut Timber

Dragon Attached to Station for Month of Cargo Transfers

SpaceX - CRS-13 Dragon Mission patch. Dec. 17, 2017

Image above: The Dragon resupply ship is pictured just 10 meters away from the space station’s Canadarm2. Image Credit: NASA TV. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was installed on the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 8:26 a.m. EST. The 13th contracted commercial resupply mission from SpaceX (CRS-13) delivered more than 4,800 pounds of supplies and payloads to the station. Among the research materials flying inside Dragon’s pressurized area, one investigation will demonstrate the benefits of manufacturing fiber optic filaments in a microgravity environment. Designed by the company Made in Space, and sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the investigation will attempt to pull fiber optic wire from ZBLAN, a heavy metal fluoride glass commonly used to make fiber optic glass. Results from this investigation could lead to the production of higher-quality fiber optic products for use in space and on Earth.

U.S. Commercial Cargo Ship Arrives at the Space Station

Dragon is scheduled to depart the station in January 2018 and return to Earth with more than 3,600 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies. Loaded with some three tons of experiments and supplies, the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station Dec. 17, where Expedition 53 crew members Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA captured it by using the Canadian-built robotic arm.

Image above: Dec. 17, 2017: International Space Station Configuration. Four spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon space freighter, the Progress 67 and 68 resupply ships and the Soyuz MS-06 crew ship. Image Credit: NASA TV. Ground controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston took over after Dragon was grappled, sending commands to maneuver the ship to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony module where it was attached for a month-long stay. Dragon was launched Dec. 15 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to begin its journey to the international outpost. Related links: Debris Sensor (SDS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2145.html Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS): http://www.iss-casis.org/ Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1: http://www.nasa.gov/tsis-1 SpaceX: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex Commercial Resupply: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/index.html Expedition 54: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/future.html International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html Images (mentioned), Video (NASA TV), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article

Taurus constellation

Jupiter’s surface

This is Kjell Lindgren. He’s a NASA astronaut who just got back from 5 months on the International Space Station. There are two reasons why this picture is hilarious:

His wife is flawless and makes bad space puns to make him do household chores.

I have that shirt. Thousands of people have that shirt. That shirt is available at Target. Which means actual astronaut Kjell Lindgren, with his wardrobe already full of NASA-issued and logo-emblazoned clothes, was at Target, saw a NASA shirt, and was like, “Yes, I am buying this because this is what I want to spend my actual astronaut salary on.”

 tl;dr NASA employs a bunch of fucking nerds

Herbig-Haro 666 (HH 666)