NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
December 3, 2025
Visualization: Near a Black Hole and Disk
What would it look like to plunge into a monster black hole? This image from a supercomputer visualization shows the entire sky as seen from a simulated camera plunging toward a 4-million-solar-mass black hole, similar to the one at the center of our galaxy. The camera lies about 16 million kilometers from the black hole’s event horizon and is moving inward at 62% the speed of light. Thanks to gravity’s funhouse effects, the starry band of the Milky Way appears both as a compact loop at the top of this view and as a secondary image stretching across the bottom. Move the cursor over the image for additional explanations. Visualizations like this allow astronomers to explore black holes in ways not otherwise possible.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Black Hawk Up
High Flare Risk, Earth "Breathed" Terrifyingly | S0 News and frens
Dec.3.2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQjSK2o4tR0
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/1996040718742352126
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/1996226263317377355
https://www.ibtimes.com/solar-flare-explosions-understanding-potential-sun-eruption-cmes-space-weather-chaos-3791841
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/geomagnetic-storm-watch-issued-after-solar-flare/
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/552797/nrls-lasco-marks-30-years-transforming-solar-science-and-strengthening-national-security
https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-15-states-dec-3-4-2025
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/space-weather-story-week-2-5-dec-update
https://www.SpaceWeatherNews.com
https://usaherald.com/3i-atlas-rekindles-memories-of-heavens-gate-yet-reveals-how-far-society-has-evolved/
https://usaherald.com/what-hale-bopp-taught-us-and-why-3i-atlas-promises-an-even-more-revealing-moment-on-december-19/
https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/3/3/JCMC334/4584381
3I/ATLAS Rekindles Memories of Heaven’s Gate Yet Reveals How Far Society Has Evolved
December 2, 2025
Key Takeaways
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A bright interstellar visitor captures global attention.
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Old fears resurface as new anomalies challenge our understanding.
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But the public response shows a society far more grounded—and far better informed—than in 1997.
A new wave of public fascination with 3I/ATLAS echoes the Hale-Bopp era—but without the darkness that once followed it.
The renewed fascination surrounding 3I/ATLAS has prompted many to look back at one of the most haunting episodes in American cultural history: the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide of March 1997.
As I reviewed the latest high-resolution images of 3I/ATLAS—its anti-tail jets, its pulsating brightness patterns, and its persistent refusal to behave like a natural comet—it became impossible to ignore the parallels between today’s public intrigue and the atmosphere that once formed around Hale-Bopp nearly three decades ago.
But unlike 1997, the world watching 3I/ATLAS is armed with better science, greater transparency, and a collective understanding shaped by the lessons and scars of the past.
The Hale-Bopp event unfolded without real-time satellite imaging, without public-access spectrograph data, and without global participation from citizen astronomers equipped with modern digital sensors.
During my review of archived records, the frightening simplicity becomes clear: in 1997, a rumor of a supposed “spaceship” trailing Hale-Bopp was allowed to metastasize unchecked across early internet forums.
No NASA PDCO, no ESA planetary-defense programs, and no robust public science communication system existed to counter the rising mythology.
Heaven’s Gate—under the apocalyptic vision of Marshall Applewhite—filled the void. The group interpreted Hale-Bopp not as a comet, but as a sign that a spacecraft was arriving to collect them, leading to the coordinated suicide of 39 members.
Their belief system, a bizarre fusion of New Age theology and science-fiction motifs, took root because there were few authoritative, accessible scientific voices offering anything different.
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The contrast with 3I/ATLAS could not be sharper. This object is interstellar—confirmed by its hyperbolic trajectory, its velocity, and the orbital solutions independently verified by JPL, ESA, and a global network of amateur and professional astronomers.
And while 3I/ATLAS has produced genuine scientific anomalies—jet structures that appear to defy solar-vector alignment, unexpected rotational pulses, episodic brightenings, and even radio signatures in the OH maser bands recorded by MeerKAT—none of this has led to the formation of any cultic following.
Instead, it has sparked debate on open scientific platforms, NASA livestreams, and global community telescopes. Where Hale-Bopp rumors once metastasized in secrecy, 3I/ATLAS is being dissected in public by the best minds in astrophysics.
My recent examination of stacked spectral frames from observers in Europe and the U.S. confirms that the object’s most unusual features—particularly the anti-tail jet and brightness surges—appear entirely within the domain of anomalous physics, but not anomalous psychology.
The public has asked hard questions, consulted experts like Avi Loeb, and engaged in evidence-based discussions. Even Loeb’s more provocative analyses, including his suggestion that the object’s behavior warrants technological-origin consideration under the Loeb Scale, have been interpreted by the public as scientific hypotheses rather than cosmic invitations.
The Heaven’s Gate tragedy was rooted not in astronomy, but in secrecy, isolation, and misinformation. Applewhite and Nettles built a theology around the belief that human bodies were disposable “vehicles,” and that Hale-Bopp was their exit ramp into a higher plane.
That belief was supported by the rumor—never confirmed, never scientific—that a craft sailed behind the comet.
By comparison, the modern discussion around 3I/ATLAS is anchored in data: HiRISE images, MAVEN ultraviolet composites, spectrographic analyses, and orbital predictions released in real time.
NASA PDCO has openly published every measurable detail, eliminating the conditions that once allowed rumor to masquerade as revelation.
There are also no isolationist groups hiding away in mansions, withdrawing from society, or preparing for “ascension.” Instead, millions of people around the world are tracking 3I/ATLAS through public observatories, livestreams, and community astrophotography hubs.
Where Hale-Bopp produced a cult, 3I/ATLAS has produced a global, collaborative investigation.
The psychological landscape has changed. The technological landscape has changed. But most importantly, the informational landscape has changed.
Today, when the public sees anomalies—whether the anti-tail jet, the unexpected slow-down noted before perihelion, or the fascinating UV halo surrounding the object—they look first to experts, not mystics.
And as we approach the December 19 close approach, we do so not as fearful observers, but as informed participants in a scientific moment unlike any in modern history.
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3I/Atlas TIMED to the BIGGEST Potential Solar Event in Modern Times?
December 2, 2025
From Spaceweather.com today, we can SEE the largest sunspot group since the 1859 “Carrington Event” is turning into full view of direct earth by December 5–6, 2025.
This is exactly when 3I/Atlas will be starting its nearly flatline at closest to earth, which peaks December 19–20, and ends December 25, Christmas day. See Avi Loeb Diagram.
Loeb’s “blue-line” starts at December 4–25 and suddenly ENDS December 26!
December 4 is when this HUGE sunspot group will be entering earth facing! Is this just another one of those coincidences that conservative scientist IGNORE?
December 3–4, 3I/Atlas Mercury and the sun are in a near perfect alignment!
I will post another article about the 26° shortly!
https://medium.com/@davidsereda/3i-atlas-timed-to-the-biggest-potential-solar-event-in-modern-times-c6192d4f6d30
b0rg
@__b0rg
This is a WTF year. We really haven't seen a WTF yet. I think it'll be an alien invasion and possibly that could involve Trump being killed if an attack on Washington DC were to happen.
I mean come on now, 3i/atlas is being pushed for a reason. And Trump is ushering in the Genesis mission. He's done what he's supposed to.
And yes the financial collapse is going to happen. I suspect that's going to be a direct result of many dying from the covid jab. http://Deagle.com didn't predict a huge population decrease just because. No people, no food, no money.
I have to say that I'm being drawn super hard to get a trailer home for my SUV. I really need to look into that harder.
Quote
The Maverick Approach
@Maveapproach
·
6h
🚨UPDATE: Candace Owens predicted a 9/11 style attack on American soil soon.
And there’s a lot of weird coincidences adding up…
5:37 AM · Dec 3, 2025
https://x.com/__b0rg/status/1996212083449598358
https://x.com/Maveapproach/status/1996138395530305984
https://x.com/RealCandaceO/status/1994236827574608233
moar ATLAS
https://usaherald.com/quantum-computers-based-in-the-united-states-become-the-new-frontier-in-decoding-3i-atlas/
https://medium.com/@liena.dreams/black-hole-jets-and-3i-atlas-c5450782f7d2
https://x.com/Ammar1176708/status/1996021952423526872
https://x.com/SeVoSpace/status/1996168582514856255
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW4K2MuN9ac (Chuck's Astrophotography: LIVE: 3I/ATLAS - It's HAPPENING! (Part III))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7QdYYodgn4 (Ray's Astrophotography: LIVE: Comet 3I ATLAS – Real-Time Capture Tonight! (Unfiltered View from Texas))
C/2025 K1 ATLAS
Comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS fragmentation: a new image – 2 Dec. 2025
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/12/03/comet-c-2025-k1-atlas-fragmentation-a-new-image-2-dec-2025/
Quantum Computers Based In The United States Become the New Frontier in Decoding 3I/ATLAS
December 2, 2025
Key Findings
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Avi Loeb is demanding transparency from NASA.
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Congress wants answers before the December 19 close approach.
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And yet the most powerful analytical engines on Earth remain silent.
For months, the world has pressed NASA to release every frame, every dataset, and every hidden pixel of information related to 3I/ATLAS.
But the longer I examine the raw data available to us—the jet symmetry, the anomalous brightening, the rotation signatures, the acceleration-deceleration cycles, and the UV halo irregularities—the clearer one reality becomes: classical computing may no longer be enough to interpret what we are seeing.
It is time to begin placing that same pressure on the few institutions that control the world’s operational quantum computers.
These machines—Sycamore at Google Quantum AI in Santa Barbara, IBM’s Condor in Yorktown Heights, the D-Wave Advantage annealer in British Columbia, Rigetti’s Aspen processors in Berkeley, IonQ’s Aria and Forte in Maryland, and the Honeywell/Quantinuum H-Series operating between Colorado and Cambridge—represent capabilities far beyond anything inside NASA’s public-facing computational arsenal.
Each one was designed to simulate complex quantum systems, analyze high-order interactions, and evaluate multidimensional patterns that break classical architecture.
And 3I/ATLAS, with its repeatable anomalies and persistent defiance of natural comet physics, fits squarely into the category of problems these machines were built to confront.
Google’s Sycamore and Sycamore 2 are already used to stress-test quantum error correction frameworks and simulate exotic materials.
The same framework could model the non-natural stability of 3I/ATLAS’s dual jet structures, which remain perfectly straight and symmetrical—even when solar dynamics should distort them.
Though not perfect, as described by Dr. Elias Raskin, Nobel laureate physicist and noted specialist in quantum field theory and non-linear time models, spoke out about an incident at a closed-door symposium held in Zurich and subsequently leaked to the media.
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“This wasn’t a crash,” Raskin explained. “The information it was processing—if true—would contradict our most basic conception of space, time, and causality.
What’s worse is that the shutdown came immediately after the chip tried to simulate a hyperentangled system that’s not supposed to be possible according to the existing laws of physics.”
According to Dr. Raskin, the shutdown occurred precisely as the chip neared a theoretical threshold—a moment of informational coherence that, he warns, may indicate something far more unsettling: the processor might have begun attempting to compute or interact with data beyond the confines of our observable universe.
But then there is IBM’s Condor processor, with more than a thousand superconducting qubits, is capable of evaluating simultaneous probability distributions across massive parameter sets.
That capability could interpret the object’s unusual deceleration near perihelion, followed by periods of unexpected speed recovery, a behavior no comet in recorded observation has demonstrated with this level of consistency.
The D-Wave Advantage annealer, famous for solving optimization problems across military logistics and aerospace design, could analyze the energy-efficiency profiles underlying the anti-tail formation of 3I/ATLAS.
Annealers specialize in determining the lowest-energy pathway through complex landscapes—precisely the method needed to evaluate whether the object’s jet orientation is the result of natural outgassing or a controlled, optimized force vector.
And Rigetti’s cloud-first architecture offers the ability to construct quantum-classical hybrid workflows that run simulations at a scale NASA has not attempted publicly.
IonQ’s machines—the highest-fidelity trapped-ion systems in the U.S.—may be even more critical. Their ability to run high-precision simulations has already attracted aerospace contracts and advanced materials researchers.
The fidelity of their trapped-ion qubits could help reconstruct the radio-frequency absorption signatures detected near 1665 and 1667 MHz—signatures that mirror OH communication lines long studied by SETI researchers, and which appeared five days before perihelion in a pattern inconsistent with pure natural emission.
Across the Atlantic, Quantinuum’s H-Series systems are being used to generate quantum-safe encryption protocols for defense agencies and major banks.
Yet the same machines could provide invaluable modeling of the UV halo surrounding 3I/ATLAS, especially the echelle-spectrum irregularities captured by MAVEN.
These halos do not behave like typical hydrogen clouds surrounding comets. They show pulsation, asymmetry, and unexplained density fluctuations that may represent chemical processes or radiation interactions we cannot yet classify.
Each of these quantum computers was built to evaluate physical systems that are not intuitive, not linear, and not classically solvable.
That is exactly the situation we face with 3I/ATLAS. The anomalies are repeatable. They are documented.
They are consistent across independent observatories. And they have outpaced the analytical power of classical computation.
My review of NASA’s publicly released images—including HiRISE composites, MAVEN ultraviolet frames, and amateur astrophotography—shows patterns that require modeling at scales unavailable to traditional computing.
Quantum simulation is no longer speculative; it is necessary. If America’s most advanced quantum systems were pointed at the existing 3I/ATLAS data, the scientific world could obtain answers that traditional astrophysics cannot reach.
This is not a matter of speculation; it is a matter of computational reality.
As December 19 approaches, the mystery deepens, the evidence grows, and the world waits. We have pushed NASA. We have pushed international bodies.
The next step is clear. The institutions operating these quantum platforms—Google, IBM, D-Wave, Rigetti, IonQ, and Quantinuum—must now be called upon to contribute.
If 3I/ATLAS is the most scientifically significant interstellar object ever observed, then it deserves analysis using the most powerful computational tools humanity has ever built.
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https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/11/chairman-cruz-announces-nominations-hearing-for-nasa-and-commerce-nominees
https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/nominees-for-nasa-admin-asst-commerce-secy-testify-at-confirmation-hearing/438583
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/testimony-from-jared-isaacman/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqaJY1x74jY
Chairman Cruz Announces Nominations Hearing for NASA and Commerce Nominees
December 3, 2025 10:00 AM
Testimony from Jared Isaacman at his confirmation hearing on 3 December 2025:
“Thank you Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and distinguished members of the committee.
I am honored and grateful to be here before you again as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” More below.
To begin, I would like to acknowledge my family—my parents, Sandy and Don Isaacman, my wife Monica, and my two wonderful daughters, Mila and Liv.
Over the years, I have found many ways to challenge their patience, and politics is certainly no exception. We are also joined today by 8 astronauts, some of my closest friends and crewmates together with retired NASA astronauts that have come to this hearing in support.
As mentioned before, I have lived the American dream. I have been fortunate to have an amazing business and aeronautics career, to have led two notable missions to space, to help charitable causes that matter deeply to my family, and now I am beyond thankful to have a chance to repay my debt to this nation by serving alongside the brilliant minds at the world’s most accomplished space agency.
The last time I sat before you, I introduced myself, my qualifications, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. This time, I am here with a message of urgency.
After more than a half-century, America is set to launch NASA astronauts around the Moon in just a matter of months–a challenging endeavor to say the least– and one that requires fulltime leadership.
Secretary Duffy, in his letter to this committee endorsing my nomination, emphasized this point. That message is shared by more than two dozen other letters of support, including an online petition started by members of the NASA workforce and a letter from 36 NASA astronauts–who, like me, have sat through anomaly investigations, launch and flight readiness reviews, have accepted the risks of going to space, and understand what is at stake.
And I know it is not lost on anyone in this room that we are in a great competition with a rival that has the will and means to challenge American exceptionalism across multiple domains, including in the high ground of space.
This is not the time for delay, but for action, because if we fall behind–if we make a mistake–we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth.
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The Congress, and specifically this Committee, understand the urgency of the moment – placing a historic investment in human space exploration that President Trump signed in the one big beautiful bill. It’s now time for NASA and our partners to deliver.
To that end, I want to assure you, Senators, I am not here for personal gain, to favor or enrich contractors, to close centers, or to disrupt programs essential to completing America’s objectives in space.
If confirmed, I am here to bring urgency and an extreme focus to the mission–to do all I can working with the best and brightest at NASA to lead humanity’s effort to unlock the secrets of the universe and ensure American leadership across the last great frontier.
In concert with that grand endeavor, we will ensure the following:
The success of the Artemis program that President Trump began during his first term. America will return to the Moon before our great rival, and we will establish an enduring presence to understand and realize the scientific, economic, and national security value on the lunar surface.
Along the way, we will pioneer the next ‘giant leap’ capabilities to extend America’s reach even further into space, including expanding and accelerating investments into nuclear propulsion and surface power programs.
These efforts, in addition to industry partners building reusable launch vehicles, we will set the stage for future missions to Mars and beyond.
We will never accept a gap in capabilities again–not with our space station presence in low Earth orbit or our ability to send American astronauts to the Moon.
We will strive to build an orbital and lunar economy that can fund the future we all want to see in space and not rely exclusively on the taxpayer. We will begin making the investments now for the inevitable spacefaring future that is just on the horizon.
We will make the most efficient use of every dollar allocated–pushing for more xplanes, more rovers & telescopes, more exciting missions like Hubble, James Webb, and Dragonfly with the aim of enlightening the world through breakthrough scientific discoveries–knowing that if NASA doesn’t do it, no one else will.
Some of the most talented people in America show up to work at NASA.
Alongside a reinvigorated culture and intense focus on achieving the near-impossible–what no other organization is capable of or dares to accomplish–we will achieve these objectives…
And when, not if, we get the job done–it will be because of the professionals at NASA, our international & commercial partners, this committee and Congress, and President Trump’s administration that will have succeeded in ushering in a new golden age of science and discovery.
We will do it for America, for humankind, and in doing so, we will inspire the world and the generations to follow to take us even farther. We are just getting started on the greatest adventure in human history—and with urgency, purpose, and extreme focus on the mission, NASA will lead the way.
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https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/nasa-astronaut-jonny-kim-advances-research-aboard-space-station/
https://x.com/JonnyKimUSA
NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Advances Research Aboard Space Station
Dec 03, 2025
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is wrapping up his first mission aboard the International Space Station in early December.
During his stay, Kim conducted scientific experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit humanity on Earth and advance NASA’s Artemis campaign in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Here is a look at some of the science Kim completed during his mission:
Medical check-ups in microgravity
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, a medical doctor, completed several routine medical exams while aboard the International Space Station. NASA flight surgeons and researchers monitor crew health using a variety of tools, including blood tests, eye exams, and ultrasounds.
Kim conducts an ultrasound of his eye in the left image. Eye exams are essential as long-duration spaceflight may cause changes to the eye’s structure and affect vision, a condition known as spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS.
In the right image, Kim draws blood from a fellow crew member. These blood sample collections provide important insights into crew cartilage and bone health, cardiovascular function, inflammation, stress, immune function, and nutritional status.
NASA astronauts complete regular medical exams before, during, and after spaceflight to monitor astronaut health and develop better tools and measures for future human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.
Learn more about human research on space station.
Low light plant growth
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim photographs dwarf tomato sprouts grown using a nutrient supplement instead of photosynthesis as part of a study on plant development and gene expression.
The plants are given an acetate supplement as a secondary nutrition source, which could increase growth and result in better yields, all while using less power and fewer resources aboard the space station and future spacecraft.
Learn more about Rhodium USAFA NIGHT.
Radioing future space explorers
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim uses a ham radio to speak with students on Earth via an educational program connecting students worldwide with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Students can ask about life aboard the orbiting laboratory and the many experiments conducted in microgravity. This program encourages an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and inspires the next generation of space explorers.
Learn more about ISS Ham Radio.
Encoding DNA with data
Secure and reliable data storage and transmission are essential to maintain the protection, accuracy, and accessibility of information.
In this photo, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim displays research hardware that tests the viability of encoding, transmitting, and decoding encrypted information via DNA sequences.
As part of this experiment, DNA with encrypted information is sequenced aboard the space station to determine the impact of the space environment on its stability.
Using DNA to store and transmit data could reduce the weight and energy requirements compared to traditional methods used for long-duration space missions and Earth-based industries.
Learn more about Voyager DNA Decryption.
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Remote robotics
Future deep space exploration could rely on robotics remotely operated by humans. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim tests a technology demonstration that allows astronauts to remotely control robots on Earth from the International Space Station.
Findings from this investigation could help fine-tune user-robot operating dynamics during future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Learn more about Surface Avatar.
Blocking bone loss
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim conducts an investigation to assess the effects of microgravity on bone marrow stem cells, including their ability to secrete proteins that form and dissolve bone.
Bone loss, an age-related factor on Earth, is aggravated by weightlessness and is a health concern for astronauts. Researchers are evaluating whether blocking signals that cause loss could protect astronauts during long-duration spaceflights.
The findings could also lead to preventative measures and treatments for bone loss caused by aging or disease on Earth.
Learn more about MABL-B.
Upscaling production
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim tests new hardware installed to an existing crystallization facility that enables increased production of crystals and other commercially relevant materials, like golden nanospheres.
These tiny, spherical gold particles have optical and electronic applications, and are biocompatible, making them useful for medication delivery and diagnostics.
As part of this experiment aboard the space station, Kim attempted to process larger, more uniform golden nanospheres than those produced on the ground.
Learn more about ADSEP-ICC.
Nutrients on demand
Some vitamins and nutrients in foods and supplements lose their potency during long-term storage, and insufficient intake of even a single nutrient can lead to diseases and other health issues.
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim displays purple-pink production bags for an investigation aimed at producing nutrient-rich yogurt and kefir using bioengineered yeasts and probiotics.
The unique color comes from a food-grade pH indicator that allows astronauts to visually monitor the fermentation process.
Learn more about BioNutrients-3.
Next-Gen medicine and manufacturing
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim uses the Microgravity Science Glovebox to study how high-concentration protein fluids behave in microgravity.
This study helps researchers develop more accurate models to predict the behavior of these complex fluids in various scenarios, which advances manufacturing processes in space and on Earth.
It also can enable the development of next-generation medicines for treating cancers and other diseases.
Learn more about Ring Sheared Drop-IBP-2.
Observing colossal Earth events
On Sept. 28, 2025, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim photographed Hurricane Humberto from the International Space Station.
Located at 250 miles above Earth, the orbiting laboratory’s unique orbit allows crew members to photograph the planet’s surface including hurricanes, dust storms, and fires.
These images are used to document disasters and support first responders on the ground.
Learn more about observing Earth from space station.
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