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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June 8, 2025
Facing NGC 3344
From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see NGC 3344 face-on. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, the big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located just 20 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo Minor. This multi-color Hubble Space Telescope close-up of NGC 3344 includes remarkable details from near infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths. The frame extends some 15,000 light-years across the spiral's central regions. From the core outward, the galaxy's colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented spiral arms. Of course, the bright stars with a spiky appearance are in front of NGC 3344 and lie well within our own Milky Way.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Astronaut Captures Aurora From Space - See It On Earth Too
Jun 08, 2025 18:06 pm IST
We have all seen those dreamy photos of the Northern Lights - green and purple waves lighting up the night sky in places like Norway, Iceland, or Canada.
But what if we told you there is a brand new spot to add to your aurora bucket list - and it is literally out of this world? You heard it right.
In a video that is taking the internet by storm, NASA astronaut Colonel Anne McClain shared a breathtaking view of the Northern Lights. But it is not from a snowy mountain or a frozen lake, but from space.
While orbiting Earth aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, McClain captured the aurora glowing like a soft, neon-green ribbon along the planet's curve.
It is not the usual swirling sky show we are used to. This one looked more like a glowing green horizon line, and it is absolutely stunning.
Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), McClain wrote: "Auroras from space always draw crewmembers to the Cupola. I love how this one illuminated our Dragon… I've added travelling to see auroras from Earth to my bucket list!"
The post quickly went viral, racking up over 37,000 likes and sparking a wave of wanderlust, not just for space travel, but for aurora hunting right here on Earth.
And while most of us won't be hopping on a spacecraft anytime soon, the good news is: you can still catch this celestial show from some truly magical places on our planet.
Want To See The Northern Lights? Here Are The Best Spots On Earth:
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Tromso, Norway: Often called the "Aurora Capital of the World," Tromso is located above the Arctic Circle and offers some of the most reliable Northern Lights sightings from September to March.
Picture snow-covered landscapes, cosy cabins, and skies that come alive at night. Magical, isn't it?
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Iceland:
Iceland is a nature lover's dream - waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, and yes, auroras. For the best views, head out of Reykjavik to darker areas like Vik or Thingvellir National Park.
Bonus: You can soak in a hot spring while watching the lights dance above you.
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Lapland, Finland:
Ever wanted to watch the Northern Lights from a glass igloo? Finnish Lapland makes that dream come true. It is a winter wonderland where reindeer roam and the skies often put on a show.
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Abisko, Sweden:
This small village in Swedish Lapland is a hidden gem for aurora chasers. Thanks to its unique microclimate, Abisko has some of the clearest skies in the region - perfect for uninterrupted light shows.
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Yukon And Northwest Territories, Canada:
Canada's vast wilderness means minimal light pollution and maximum aurora action. Whitehorse and Yellowknife are top picks, with long viewing seasons and plenty of guided tours.
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Fairbanks, Alaska:
If you are in the United States, Fairbanks is your best bet. With long, dark winters and frequent aurora activity, it is a favourite among photographers and adventurers alike.
If Northern Lights are still not on your bucket list yet, this is your sign to add them. And who knows? Maybe one day, you will be watching them from space, too.
https://www.ndtv.com/travel/nasa-astronaut-captures-aurora-from-space-see-it-on-earth-too-8618242
https://x.com/AstroAnnimal/status/1929592707510636997
Why NASA, Pentagon are now searching for alternatives to SpaceX
Jun 08, 2025 6:17 pm
In the wake of a public spat between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, NASA and the Pentagon are looking for alternative spaceflight providers.
This comes after Musk threatened to halt SpaceX flights, including those to the International Space Station (ISS).
The threat sent shockwaves through US space and defense agencies as they heavily rely on SpaceX for critical missions.
Threat
Musk's threat to halt Dragon spacecraft flights
Musk's threat to halt Dragon spacecraft flights would have a major impact on NASA's ability to send astronauts to the ISS.
The space agency has relied on SpaceX for these missions, making it a vital part of their operations.
After the exchange, NASA and the Pentagon reached out to several companies about their launch systems' readiness.
Search
Companies contacted include Rocket Lab and Blue Origin
The companies contacted by NASA and the Pentagon include Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and Blue Origin.
Sierra Space, which is developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane for ISS cargo delivery, also confirmed their engagement with NASA.
Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner remains grounded due to technical issues. This highlights the urgency of finding alternative providers in light of Musk's threat.
Reliance worries
SpaceX's dominance unchallenged
The incident has raised concerns over the US government's heavy reliance on SpaceX for critical tasks, including classified missions.
The firm has billions of dollars in government contracts and is responsible for transporting people and cargo to the ISS, launching satellites for the Pentagon, and developing satellites used by intelligence agencies.
However, its competitors have been slow to catch up, leaving SpaceX's dominance largely unchallenged.
Pattern
This is not the first controversy for Musk
Musk's behavior has worried NASA officials earlier too, especially after he appeared to take marijuana on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2018.
However, his recent threat on social media to cut off NASA's access to the ISS "crossed a line," according to a former space agency official.
The incident has sparked renewed debate over whether critical systems can be entrusted to a firm or person capable of making such sweeping decisions unilaterally.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/nasa-pentagon-seek-alternative-spaceflight-providers/story
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/astronauts-track-dust-clouds-us-iss-weekly-review-june-2-6-2025
Astronauts track huge dust clouds over Canada and US | On the ISS this week
June 8, 2025
Preparations for the arrival of a visiting crew, the continued study of how humans adapt to the microgravity environment of space, the service of systems on board a docked cargo ship and the documentation of European landmarks from Earth orbit kept the seven astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) busy this week (June 2 through June 6), the sixth week of Expedition 73.
"I noticed smoke over the Northern U.S. and Canada a few days ago, and it took me a little while to understand what it was.
From our perspective, it almost looks like a differently colored cloud formation," flight engineer Nichole Ayers, a NASA astronaut, wrote on X on June 3 after spotting the smoke from wildfires in Canada that has caused evacuations in thee provinces and affected the air quality across several U.S. states.
"The brown hue to the clouds and the fact that they overlapped the white clouds caught my eye. I've been trying to capture it daily to aid in understanding the smoke movement. I hope everyone stays safe!" Ayers wrote.
Among the research that was conducted aboard the space station this week was:
Bio-Monitor — For two days this week, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim wore this Canadian instrument to assess if it can collect his health data while being comfortable to wear and not interfere with his other activities.
Virtual — Russian cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy, assisted by Sergey Ryzhikov, donned a pair of VR goggles as part of a study into the vestibular system's ability in microgravity to visually track movement while also keeping a sense of balance.
Drain Brain 2.0 — Expedition 73 commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) measured the blood flow from his brain to his heart using electrodes from this rapid screening tool, which could help prevent and diagnose blood clots while in space.
Elvis — Ayers worked with the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, a 3D microscope kept in JAXA's Kino laboratory, which she used to observe deep-sea bacteria samples. The demo could lead to using a similar device to identify possible infectious organisms in water supplies both in space and on Earth.
Zubritskiy also spent a couple of days this week documenting Eastern European landmarks while fellow cosmonaut Kirill Peskov took photos of the Volga River and Aral Sea to visually assess the aftermaths of both natural and human-caused disasters.
The crew also devoted time to maintaining the space station's systems, including:
BEAM — Ayers and fellow NASA astronaut Anne McClain moved hardware into stowage aboard the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, which serves as a "float-in" closet for the station since being installed and inflated in 2016.
Spaceborne Computer-2 — Kim replaced a processor cartridge for this commercial off-the-shelf computer, which is being assessed for its ability to facilitate research analysis without the need for Earth-based support.
PCBA — McClain updated the firmware for the Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer, a handheld unit that is used to quickly test blood samples for numerous research studies conducted on the ISS.
AstroPi — Kim also relocated this computer-controlled camera from a window inside the Unity module to a different window inside the European Space Agency's (ESA) Columbus module. Students remotely use a pair of these cameras for engineering and science projects.
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Ryzhikov also cleaned out a heater fan and filled an oxygen generator tank in the Progress MS-29 (90P) cargo spacecraft as well as assisted Zubritskiy in the work to service a neutron radiation detector in the Russian segment of the space station.
In addition to the work detailed above, McClain worked on SoFIE-MIST.
"SoFIE-MIST stands for Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction–Material Ignition and Suppression Test," she wrote in a June 6 X post. "MIST consists of a small-scale combustion wind tunnel, cylindrical fuel sample, an igniter, radiant heaters, and instrumentation.
By varying parameters like air flow speed, oxygen concentration, pressure, and level of external radiation, then viewing the resultant flame produced on the sample, we can better characterize early behavior of fire.
This helps us choose better materials for use in space, and it helps determine the best methods of extinguishing fires in space." "This week, I changed out the fuel samples and igniter for the next science run."
The Expedition 73 crew's activities this week also included preparing for the arrival of short-term visitors:
Axiom Space's fourth commercial mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to arrive aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Wednesday (June 11), assuming an on-time launch the day prior.
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will lead the Ax-4 crew, which includes pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland (and ESA) and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The station crew reviewed the Ax-4 plan with mission managers on the ground while McClain and Ayers, who are assigned to oversee the Dragon's approach from inside the station, went over the docking procedures.
The two used a computer to review the situations they could encounter when the Dragon nears the orbiting complex.
Onishi readied the tablet computers that will be used by Whitson, Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu during their two-week science research mission
As of Friday (June 6), there are 7 people aboard the International Space Station: commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers and Jonny Kim of NASA and Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky of Roscosmos, all flight engineers.
There are two docked crew spacecraft: SpaceX's Dragon "Endurance" attached to the forward port of the Harmony module, and Roscosmos' Soyuz MS-27 attached to the Earth-facing port of the Prichal node.
There are also two docked cargo spacecraft: Rosocmos' Progess MS-29 (90P) attached to the space-facing port of the Poisk module and Progress MS-30 (91P) attached to the aft port of the Zvezda service module.
As of Friday, the space station has been continuously crewed for 24 years, 7 months and 5 days.
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China's Tianwen 2 spacecraft sends home 1st photo as it heads for mysterious 'quasi-moon' asteroid
June 8, 2025
China has released a first picture of its Tianwen 2 mission as the spacecraft heads for a near-Earth asteroid.
Tianwen 2 launched on a Long March 3B rocket on May 28 and is tasked with rendezvousing with and sampling the mysterious asteroid Kamo'oalewa, which is one Earth's seven known "quasi moons." And the mission is proceeding well, according to a first official update.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed in a June 6 statement that the spacecraft is operating well and is more than 3 million kilometers (1.86 million miles) away from Earth.
CNSA also published an image taken by an engineering camera aboard the spacecraft showing one of Tianwen 2's two circular solar panels, which are similar in appearance to those on NASA's Lucy mission to visit the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter.
Remarkably, the image is the first actual glimpse of Tianwen 2 released to the public. Until now, only artistic renderings had been released, and the mission's launch was not broadcast live.
Tianwen 2 is expected to reach Kamo'oalewa in July 2026, following engine burns to fine-tune its orbit.
It will spend several months orbiting and studying the asteroid — which scientists think could be a chunk of the moon that was blasted out by a giant impact — before collecting samples and heading for Earth.
After delivering the samples in a reentry capsule in late 2027, Tianwen 2 will use Earth's gravity for a slingshot maneuver to send it on a course to rendezvous with main belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS around 2035.
The mission, by visiting an asteroid and comet, aims to provide data on the nature and composition of the planetary bodies, as well as insights into big questions such as the evolution of the solar system and the origin of water on Earth.
Tianwen 2 will not be China's first deep space encounter with an asteroid. The country's Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter made a flyby of the asteroid Toutatis in 2012 as part of an extended mission after mapping the moon.
China also has sample-return experience with its Chang'e 5 mission, which snagged material from the moon's near side in 2020, and Chang'e 6, which collected the first-ever samples from the lunar far side in 2024.
Tianwen 2 is China's second planetary exploration mission. It follows Tianwen 1, launched in 2020, which sent an orbiter and a rover to Mars.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/chinas-tianwen-2-spacecraft-sends-home-1st-photo-as-it-heads-for-mysterious-quasi-moon-asteroid
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758823/n6758838/c10680040/content.html
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jun/08/chris-hadfield-astronaut-10-chaotic-questions
https://fane.com.au/shows/chris-hadfields-guide-to-the-cosmos/
Chris Hadfield: ‘Worst space chore? Fixing the toilet. It’s even worse when it’s weightless’
Sat 7 Jun 2025 20.00 EDT
What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened to you in space?
Launch – you go from no speed at all to 17,500 miles an hour in under nine minutes. The chaos is spectacular, the power of it is just wild, the physical vibration and force of it is mind-numbing – and it all happens so blisteringly fast.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you go from lying on your back in Florida to being weightless in space. It’s just the most amazing, chaotic, spectacular, rare human experience I’ve ever had.
As an astronaut you have to master so many skills; have you ever not known something in space and wished you did?
Onboard a spaceship, if you have an electrical problem, an attitude control problem, a propulsion problem, a computer problem – one of the first things you lose is communications with Earth.
So it’s really important to have all the skills on board. I served as an astronaut for 21 years and I was only in space for six months – that gave me 20-and-a-half years to not have to be surprised or flummoxed while I was in space.
As an example, I qualified as an emergency medical technician. I worked in the cadaver lab [of Hermann hospital in Houston, near Nasa] to get familiar with the human body and then I worked in all of the wards of the hospital.
I assisted a surgeon who was doing full abdominal surgery on an accident victim and then I worked in emergency, doing all the immediate triage. I had to get all of those skills just in case we had a medical problem on the spaceship.
We take preparation really seriously so that we won’t just be tourists up there.
You’ve written six books; which book or author do you always return to?
It depends which book I’m writing. I’ve written three nonfiction and three thrillers, and when I’m writing thriller fiction I tend to read that, because it gets your mind in the groove.
I have lots of favourite thriller authors – Robert Ludlum, John D MacDonald and Jonathan Kellerman … I go back and read those, study how they make you feel so compelled.
What about favourite sci-fi?
[Growing up] I read Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. I got to spend a day with Arthur C Clarke – he came to the Kennedy Space Centre, I spent a whole day showing him the space shuttle and the launch site, and it was like a dream come true because he’d been one of my science fiction idols growing up.
[In 2015] Ray Bradbury’s family asked me to write an introduction for the Folio Society rerelease of The Martian Chronicles – I’d read it once a long time ago but I’d forgotten just what an exquisitely good writer he was.
The Martian Chronicles was written just after the second world war, so after the first two atomic bombs had been released and killed so many people but before the very first space flight.
It was a really interesting moment in time – of both despair and disgust at human behaviour and then hope. And it’s a beautiful book.
How likely do you think it is that there is intelligent life in space?
We have found no evidence but we know that every star has at least one planet, and our telescopes are so good now that we can actually find how many of those planets are close enough to Earth that they could support life as we know it, and it’s around 5%.
And so if 5% of every planet could sustain life, we can count the stars in the universe and [estimate] how many planets there are that could sustain life. And the number is staggeringly huge – it’s like a quintillion of planets.
So the odds are overwhelming that there’s got to be life in other places … [But] it was only quite recently that life on Earth evolved – through time and chance – into multi-cellular life, and then complex life, and then to be self-aware and have intelligence.
My conclusion is that life will be common: we’ll find slime and scum all over the place. But intelligent life I think is exquisitely rare and I think we should internalise that and think about the level of responsibility that we should adopt.
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What’s your favourite space movie?
2001: A Space Odyssey. I just find it fascinating and intriguing and a beautiful Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s vision of things. It’s very thought-provoking even almost 60 years later.
I think The Martian is a very good movie and the Andy Weir book [it’s based on] – I love that. I think Ron Howard did a beautiful job with Apollo 13 – it’s almost a documentary. He worked so hard, he spent time with the astronauts, he filmed in a zero G aeroplane.
Tell us your favourite fact.
The most experienced astronaut in all of American history is a woman named Peggy Whitson. She’s flown in space multiple times [and] been longer in space than any other American.
She’s commanded the space station twice. She’s done 10 spacewalks and she’s been the chief astronaut for Nasa. She’s a tour de force. She’s a good friend. She’s a great person.
Do you have a party trick?
I’m a musician, I play guitar and sing – and I have the type of head that remembers lyrics. So my party trick is that I have probably 500 songs that I can play at any moment and know every single word and every single chord all the way from the start to the finish.
It’s just the way my brain works. It’s kind of silly but it’s really fun to be a human jukebox and have people say, “Hey, can you play that song?” When I’m on stage in Australia, I’ll have a guitar and I’ll play a few songs.
What’s the worst space chore?
Fixing the toilet. They break all the time. Being elbows deep in a toilet anywhere is no fun – it’s even worse when it’s weightless.
And the trouble with our toilets is they have really nasty, poisonous chemicals and filters in them to try and process what’s going through so that we can turn our urine and sweat back into drinking water, because we recycle about 93-94% of the water on board.
What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?
We were in the space shuttle simulator [with commander Kent Vernon “Rommel” Rominger] and one of the crew members, Scott, had this cool and exciting idea.
He came ripping up to the cockpit and plunked his laptop down to show him the solution to the problem and he knocked over Rommel’s can of Coke – it flipped upside down and started emptying itself into all of his checklists.
Rommel turned the can right side up and didn’t say a thing. What this guy had come up with would be hugely important in the success of our mission. A little Coke spilled is unimportant – you can get more checklists.
The natural reaction would have been, “What the heck are you doing? Don’t be so clumsy and look at the mess you made.” Instead, Rommel was like, “Who cares?
What I don’t want Scott to think about next time he’s got a great idea is, ‘Oh, I gotta be careful I don’t spill the commander’s Coke.’” He should be excited about new ideas. And so, for me, it was a really great study of leadership.
What song do you want played at your funeral?
Danny Boy. It’s a lovely reversal of how people normally look at death and who’s grieving and why, and how you anticipate the grieving of death. It is an exquisitely and hauntingly beautiful song, and it’s worth knowing the lyrics.
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Yeah, ain't that somethin'?
Plus a Ukrainian coke sniffing maniac named Vlad, A Trump mask called God Emperor, it's wild.
Pentagon removes outspoken Space Force officer from post as trans ban takes effect
June 8, 2025
A U.S. Space Force officer has been placed on administrative leave, pending separation, under the Defense Department’s new ban on transgender service members, ending her more than 22-year military career.
Col. Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking openly transgender officers in the U.S. military, wrote in an Instagram post Friday that her removal would take effect the following day.
paywall
https://www.stripes.com/branches/space_force/2025-06-07/dod-trans-ban-bree-fram-18048778.html