NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

June 25, 2024

The Dark Doodad Nebula

What is that strange brown ribbon on the sky? When observing the star cluster NGC 4372, observers frequently take note of an unusual dark streak nearby running about three degrees in length. The streak, actually a long molecular cloud, has become known as the Dark Doodad Nebula. (Doodad is slang for a thingy or a whatchamacallit.) Pictured here, the Dark Doodad Nebula sweeps across the center of a rich and colorful starfield. Its dark color comes from a high concentration of interstellar dust that preferentially scatters visible light. The globular star cluster NGC 4372 is visible as the fuzzy white spot on the far left, while the bright blue star gamma Muscae is seen to the cluster's upper right. The Dark Doodad Nebula can be found with strong binoculars toward the southern constellation of the Fly (Musca).

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?

Egypt’s Space Agency to Launch African Climate Satellite

June 25, 2024

The Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA) is working on finalizing the African Development Satellite, a collaborative project involving Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, the head of the agency Sherif Sedky revealed to state media.

The satellite, which is set to launch by the end of this year, will monitor and study climate change across the continent.

The involved nations are collectively designing the satellite’s subsystems, with Egypt being tasked with the design, assembly, integration, testing, and the eventual launch of the satellite.

As part of the preparation, representatives from the cooperating countries received training at the Egyptian Space Agency on satellite subsystem construction.

Sedky also outlined another significant project that entails installing a remote-sensing camera on the International Space Station (ISS).

The project is backed by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and multinational aerospace corporation Airbus. The camera will be designed, assembled, and tested in Egypt before being installed on the ISS.

The Egyptian Space Agency was established in 2017 to enhance the country’s scientific research in space exploration. Its headquarters can be found in the country’s dedicated ‘Space City’ – still under development.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2024/06/25/egypts-space-agency-to-launch-african-climate-satellite/

SpaceX GOES-U Mission Launch

GOES-U MISSION

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, June 25 for launch of NASA’s GOES-U mission to a geostationary orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:16 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Wednesday, June 26 at the same time.

A live webcast of this mission will begin on NASA’s website about one hour prior to liftoff.

The GOES-U satellite will orbit above the Earth's equator at approximately 35,700 km (22,236 mi) observing weather patterns in the contiguous USA, Central and South America, and Atlantic Ocean. GOES-U is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) most sophisticated Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) series and will assist weather forecasters and climate researchers with real-time high-resolution imagery, earlier detection of severe weather that could save lives, and tropical cyclone forecasts. The weather satellite also carries a suite of space weather instruments that will be used to detect solar storms early and help predict their possible impacts.

Following booster separation, the two new side boosters supporting this mission will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=goes-u