NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

August 23, 2024

Supernova Remnant CTA 1

There is a quiet pulsar at the heart of CTA 1. The supernova remnant was discovered as a source of emission at radio wavelengths by astronomers in 1960 and since identified as the result of the death explosion of a massive star. But no radio pulses were detected from the expected pulsar, the rotating neutron star remnant of the massive star's collapsed core. Seen about 10,000 years after the initial supernova explosion, the interstellar debris cloud is faint at optical wavelengths. CTA 1's visible wavelength emission from still expanding shock fronts is revealed in this deep telescopic image, a frame that spans about 2 degrees across a starfield in the northern constellation of Cepheus. While no pulsar has since been found at radio wavelengths, in 2008 the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected pulsed emission from CTA 1, identifying the supernova remnant's rotating neutron star. The source has been recognized as the first in a growing class of pulsars that are quiet at radio wavelengths but pulse in high-energy gamma-rays.

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

ISRO National Space Day 2024

August 23, 2024

Chandrayaan-3 mission accomplished safe and soft-landing of Vikram Lander on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. With this, India became the fourth country to land on the moon and first to land near the southern polar region of the moon. The soft-landing was followed by successful deployment of Pragyan Rover. The landing site was named as 'Shiv Shakti' point (Statio Shiv Shakti) and August 23 was declared as the "National Space Day". India will celebrate its maiden National Space Day on August 23, 2024.

https://www.isro.gov.in/NSPD2024/

https://www.youtube.com/live/60QgJDgrXFg

The Non-Stop Scientist

Aug 23, 2024

From Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible.

On episode 350, NASA astronaut Don Pettit discusses his life and career ahead of his fourth flight to the International Space Station.

This episode was recorded on July 17, 2024.

Transcript

Host (Kenna Pell): Houston, we have a podcast! Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Episode 350, “The Non-Stop Scientist.” I’m Kenna Pell and I’ll be your host today. On this podcast, we bring in the experts, scientists, engineers, and astronauts, all to let you know what’s going on in the world of human spaceflight. On this episode, I’m lucky enough to sit down with a veteran NASA astronaut who is about to launch to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is set to fly on the Soyuz MS-26 mission to station where he’ll stay for six months alongside the crew of Expedition 72. He will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. This will be Pettit’s fourth flight assignment of his astronaut career.

Pettit was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1996. He’s a native of Silverton, Oregon, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Oregon State University and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona. And prior to his career with NASA, Pettit worked as a staff scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. And now that’s just a glimpse into the wealth of Don Pettit’s spaceflight career, which didn’t even touch on his notable in-space inventions, amazing astrophotography and fun, but educational content. And lucky enough for us here on Earth, he’s heading back to station. Tune in to learn about the seasoned astronaut, all there is to look forward to during his six-month research mission on the orbiting laboratory.

https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/the-non-stop-scientist/