TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
December 4, 2025
Galaxies in the Furnace
An example of violence on a cosmic scale, enormous elliptical galaxy NGC 1316 lies about 75 million light-years away toward Fornax, the southern constellation of the Furnace. Investigating the startling sight, astronomers suspect the giant galaxy of colliding with smaller neighbor NGC 1317 seen just right of the large galaxy's center, producing far flung star streams in loops and shells. Light from their close encounter would have reached Earth some 100 million years ago. In the sharp telescopic image, the central regions of NGC 1316 and NGC 1317 appear separated by over 100,000 light-years. Complex dust lanes visible within also indicate that NGC 1316 is itself the result of a merger of galaxies in the distant past. Found on the outskirts of the Fornax galaxy cluster, NGC 1316 is known as Fornax A. One of the visually brightest of the Fornax cluster galaxies it is one of the strongest and largest celestial radio sources with radio emission extending well beyond this one degree wide field-of-view.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
G3 Solar Storm, Current Sheet SPOTTED! | S0 News and frens
Dec.4.2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6KUL3sPzb4
https://x.com/forallcurious/status/1996432306496844027
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/1996215193408352443
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g3-warning-wednesday-evening-3-december
https://www.spaceweather.gov/news/space-weather-story-week-2-5-dec-update
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SwRI_links_Uranus_radiation_belt_mystery_to_solar_storm_driven_waves_999.html
https://weatherboy.com/geomagnetic-storm-warning-issued-for-earth-g3-strong-conditions-expected/
https://gizmodo.com/flight-radiation-reached-20-year-high-during-recent-solar-outburst-scientists-confirm-2000695147
https://www.wionews.com/trending/biggest-solar-radiation-spike-in-flight-zone-recorded-in-20-years-study-notes-1764825517669
https://www.SpaceWeatherNews.com
NASA’s Psyche Mission Tracks Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
December 3, 2025
NASA’s Psyche observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS over the course of eight hours on Sept. 8 and 9, when the comet was about 33 million miles (53 million kilometers) from the spacecraft.
Captured by the mission’s multispectral imager, these observations help astronomers refine the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS.
Psyche’s multispectral imager instrument comprises a pair of identical cameras equipped with filters and telescopic lenses to photograph the metal-rich asteroid Psyche’s surface in different wavelengths of light.
While comet 3I/ATLAS was distant from the spacecraft during these observations, the imager’s sensitivity to the comet’s reflected sunlight meant that the mission could precisely track the object.
Observations by the mission have also provided more information about 3I/ATLAS’s faint coma, or cloud of gas and dust, surrounding its nucleus — the central frozen core of ice and rock.
Psyche joins many other NASA missions in determining the comet’s location over time, which helps astronomers better understand its motion as it passes through the solar system.
While the comet poses no threat to Earth, NASA’s space missions help support the agency’s ongoing commitment to find, track, and better understand solar system objects.
Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the Psyche spacecraft is healthy and currently about 260 million miles (420 million kilometers) from Earth.
It will fly relatively close to Mars in May 2026 for a gravity assist that will speed up the spacecraft and modify its direction of travel toward the asteroid Psyche.
The spacecraft will begin orbiting the asteroid in July 2029 to start its prime mission, which is expected to last at least 26 months.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/psyche/2025/12/03/nasas-psyche-mission-tracks-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas/
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Revisits Interstellar Comet
December 4, 2025
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Nov. 30, with its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument.
At the time, the comet was about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth. Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light.
Hubble previously observed 3I/ATLAS in July, shortly after its discovery, and a number of NASA missions have since studied the comet as well. Observations are expected to continue for several more months as 3I/ATLAS heads out of the solar system.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/3iatlas/2025/12/04/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-revisits-interstellar-comet/
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nasa-under-fire-vital-data-mysterious-3i-atlas-object-being-withheld-1760275
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/12/Comet_3I_ATLAS_shows_activity_in_Juice_navigation_camera_teaser
Trump Signals Potential Disclosures on 3I/ATLAS Files and UAP Records
04 December 2025, 7:28 AM GMT
A shift in the conversation surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) may be on the horizon as President Donald Trump hints at the possible release of highly anticipated government files.
Speculation is mounting over what the public might learn from the '3I/ATLAS' and broader UAP records, marking a potential moment of clarity in a decades-long mystery.
According to reports circulating online this week, US President Donald Trump could be preparing to release key public statements concerning the '3I/ATLAS' files and a collection of confidential UAP records.
According to a post shared on X by @3IATLAScoinX, sources close to the president suggest he believes the American public 'deserves full transparency' regarding various confidential issues.
The post claims that Trump has recently renewed his focus on sensitive documents and might move to release them.
Mounting Rumours About Public Statements
The X post makes it clear that Trump might disclose key details from the 3i/ATLAS files, yet it gives no information on what these files cover.
Though no formal account of the files exists, backers and online analysts say they contain data linked to national security and intelligence programmes.
According to the post, sources claim Trump is also preparing to declassify confidential records linked to unidentified aerial phenomena.
Such documents might include 'radar data, pilot accounts, and analytical reports' concerning sightings that the US military could not fully explain.
The post concludes by noting that 'all signs suggest that major disclosures could be on the horizon,' positioning the possible release as part of a broader effort to be transparent about long-classified information.
Trump References Pilot Reports in Clip
With the X post, 3IATLAS (@3IATLAScoinX) shared a 2024 video of Trump speaking on Joe Rogan about military pilot reports and the ongoing queries he receives about unexplained objects in the sky. In the footage, Trump confirms that pilots have approached him to describe unusual aircraft.
He is quoted as saying, 'You jet pilots that say they saw something, and they said we saw things, sir, that were very strange, like a round ball," he said. "But it wasn't a comet or a medium, it was something, and it was going four times faster than an F-twenty-two, which is a very fast plane.'
Trump remarked that he is often asked about unidentified aerial phenomena, noting, 'I get that question as much as almost any question. Do you think that we have aliens coming? You know, flying around or whatever?' he said.
He went on to say that life existing on other planets is a perfectly possible idea. He clarified, 'There's no reason not to. I mean, there's no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don't have life.'
Theories of Drones and Real-World Encounters
Trump also referred to theories suggesting that some sightings near US military ships might be foreign aircraft. He remarked, 'A lot of the speculation too, that some of these drones that hover over battleships, that these are Chinese drones, and that they're not UFOs.'
However, Trump countered this by saying several people he had spoken to were convinced they had witnessed something genuinely unusual. He said, 'I did interview, let's say three or four guys, solid beautiful people. They said. Sir, do something there. You know there's something there.'
He then highlighted the famous 2004 incident involving retired Navy Cmdr. David Fravor reported a very fast-moving object off the San Diego coast. Trump described the event, saying, 'They clock that thing going from 50 thousand feet above sea level to 50 in the second.'
He added that the proof shared by pilots is more than just spoken accounts. 'Visual evidence, photographic evidence, video evidence, radar evidence,' he said.
'Whatever the hell it is, it moves in a way that would turn a human being to jello if you're inside of it.'
Declassification Not Yet Confirmed
Despite the X post claiming that Trump is planning major releases, neither he nor his campaign has officially verified any upcoming declassifications. The president has previously discussed UAP sightings, yet precisely what any future disclosures would cover remains unclear.
Even so, the convergence of the X post, Trump's latest remarks, and growing interest in military sightings has fuelled high anticipation among enthusiasts and transparency advocates.
The actual release of the ATLAS files or UAP records remains uncertain, but current online activity suggests a significant reveal is widely expected.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-signals-potential-disclosures-3i-atlas-files-uap-records-1760234
https://x.com/3IATLAScoinX/status/1995584611687260437
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMoPUAeLnY (Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump Oct 25, 2024)
Cornell University Study Confirms 3I/ATLAS Data
December 3, 2025
A new paper submitted to arXiv through Cornell University on November 24, 2025 is changing how researchers understand the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS.
According to the study authored by Josep Trigo-Rodríguez, Maria Gritsevich, and Jürgen Blum, the object may possess high tensile strength and a substantial metal fraction, setting it apart from typical comets observed in our solar system.
The research team compared spectral data from 3I/ATLAS to pristine carbonaceous chondrites from NASA’s Antarctic meteorite collection.
Carbonaceous chondrites are among the oldest and most primitive materials in our solar system, containing carbon compounds and sometimes water. The spectral similarities indicate that 3I/ATLAS may be a primitive carbonaceous object enriched in native metal.
According to the researchers, the combination of elevated metal abundance and abundant water ice can account for the unusual coma morphology and chemical products observed.
When fine-grained metal particles come into contact with water, energetic chemical reactions produce specific compounds not commonly seen in other comets.
The study suggests this occurs because most comets formed in the outer solar system did not inherit significant metal content.
Independent observations are supporting these findings. Amateur astronomer Ray from Ray’s Astrophotography has been analyzing the core using planetary processing techniques, the same methods used to sharpen images of Saturn and Mars.
His data confirms the core is unusually bright rather than dark. This is notable because typical cometary nuclei have reflectivity values of around 4 percent, absorbing light rather than reflecting it.
If the Cornell research about metal content is accurate, that could explain the unusual brightness since metal reflects light.
According to observations published by SpaceTracker on December 2, 2025, captured by Chuck’s Astrophotography and processed by Ammar A., the coma appears thicker, more isotropic, and slightly expanded compared to late November.
The team noted that 3I/ATLAS displays subtle forward jets indicating sublimation pockets on its rotating nucleus. The coma profile differs from normal long-period comets, behaving more like what researchers call a hyper-volatile body.
Reference to NASA data reveals additional context that was absent from official briefings.
The PUNCH mission satellites, launched in March 2025 by SpaceX for the Southwest Research Institute, captured images showing 3I/ATLAS and Mars together in frame during the Mars conjunction.
According to NASA, this marked the first time solar-focused missions deliberately observed an interstellar object.
A separate analysis published on Medium by astrophysicist Avi Loeb offers another explanation for the unusual anti-tail structure. According to JPL Horizons data, a non-gravitational acceleration is acting on 3I/ATLAS, pushing the object slightly away from the sun.
The theory proposes that if smaller objects surround the main body but do not share this push, they would drift closer to the sun over time.
Calculations suggest these objects would drift approximately 54,000 kilometers closer to the sun than the main body, matching the sunward glow astronomers are currently observing.
According to analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images taken on July 21, 2025, the light ratio is consistent with what would be expected if a swarm of objects were reflecting sunlight.
3I/ATLAS will reach its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, remaining far enough to pose no threat but close enough for ground-based telescopes to capture detailed observations before it continues toward Jupiter.
https://www.ufonews.co/post/cornell-university-study-confirms-3i-atlas-data
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/image-of-3i-atlas-from-the-juice-navigation-camera-7ef8a5ef5e30
https://x.com/RedCollie1/status/1996319943001002064
https://x.com/AstronomyVibes/status/1996588097316753853
https://x.com/UAPWatchers/status/1996579956516638769
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JykPo8gNnj0 (Ray's Astrophotography: Comet 3i Atlas - EARTH SIZE OBJECT with COLORS and JETS - I took a PICTURE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-OgItt1c80 (Dobsonian Power: 3I/ATLAS FLEET EMITS X-RAY!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFXpw0MPaI (Dobsonian Power: X-RAYS FROM 3I/ATLAS!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aXSFuV-Kb0 (Dobsonian Power: 3I/ATLAS AND THE INTERSTELLAR FLEET!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn7qithrqNY (Stefan Burns: This Is Getting REALLY Weird 🧬 3I/ATLAS and the Interstellar Seed Hypothesis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RYeA07qYkQ (David Sereda: THIS IS IT Part 1)
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/xrism/nasa-jaxa-xrism-finds-elemental-bounty-in-supernova-remnant/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-rw7ZtoBFQ
NASA-JAXA XRISM Finds Elemental Bounty in Supernova Remnant
Dec 04, 2025
For the first time, scientists have made a clear X-ray detection of chlorine and potassium in the wreckage of a star using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.
The Resolve instrument aboard XRISM, pronounced “crism,” discovered these elements in a supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A or Cas A, for short. The expanding cloud of debris is located about 11,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia.
“This discovery helps illustrate how the deaths of stars and life on Earth are fundamentally linked,” said Toshiki Sato, an astrophysicist at Meiji University in Tokyo.
“Stars appear to shimmer quietly in the night sky, but they actively forge materials that form planets and enable life as we know it. Now, thanks to XRISM, we have a better idea of when and how stars might make crucial, yet harder-to-find, elements.”
A paper about the result published Dec. 4 in Nature Astronomy. Sato led the study with Kai Matsunaga and Hiroyuki Uchida, both at Kyoto University in Japan.
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) leads XRISM in collaboration with NASA, along with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). NASA and JAXA also codeveloped the Resolve instrument.
Download high-resolution images from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Stars produce almost all the elements in the universe heavier than hydrogen and helium through nuclear reactions. Heat and pressure fuse lighter ones, like carbon, into progressively heavier ones, like neon, creating onion-like layers of materials in stellar interiors.
Nuclear reactions also take place during explosive events like supernovae, which occur when stars run out of fuel, collapse, and explode.
Elemental abundances and locations in the wreckage can, respectively, tell scientists about the star and its explosion, even after hundreds or thousands of years.
Some elements — like oxygen, carbon, and neon — are more common than others and are easier to detect and trace back to a particular part of the star’s life.
Other elements — like chlorine and potassium — are more elusive. Since scientists have less data about them, it’s more difficult to model where in the star they formed.
These rarer elements still play important roles in life on Earth. Potassium, for example, helps the cells and muscles in our bodies function, so astronomers are interested in tracing its cosmic origins.
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The roughly circular Cas A supernova remnant spans about 10 light-years, is over 340 years old, and has a superdense neutron star at its center — the remains of the original star's core.
Scientists using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory had previously identified signatures of iron, silicon, sulfur, and other elements within Cas A.
In the hunt for other elements, the team used the Resolve instrument aboard XRISM to look at the remnant twice in December 2023.
The researchers were able to pick out the signatures for chlorine and potassium, determining that the remnant contains ratios much higher than expected.
Resolve also detected a possible indication of phosphorous, which was previously discovered in Cas A by infrared missions.
“Resolve’s high resolution and sensitivity make these kinds of measurements possible,” said Brian Williams, the XRISM project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“Combining XRISM’s capabilities with those of other missions allows scientists to detect and measure these rare elements that are so critical to the formation of life in the universe.”
The astronomers think stellar activity could have disrupted the layers of nuclear fusion inside the star before it exploded.
That kind of upheaval might have led to persistent, large-scale churning of material inside the star that created conditions where chlorine and potassium formed in abundance.
The scientists also mapped the Resolve observations onto an image of Cas A captured by Chandra and showed that the elements were concentrated in the southeast and northern parts of the remnant.
This lopsided distribution may mean that the star itself had underlying asymmetries before it exploded, which Chandra data indicated earlier this year in a study Sato led.
“Being able to make measurements with good statistical precision of these rarer elements really helps us understand the nuclear fusion that goes on in stars before and during supernovae,” said co-author Paul Plucinsky, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“We suspected a key part might be asymmetry, and now we have more evidence that’s the case.
But there’s still a lot we just don’t understand about how stars explode and distribute all these elements across the cosmos.”
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NASA Astronaut Shares Image of Kaaba from Space
December 4, 2025
Key Takeaways
Pettit currently aboard ISS on his fourth spaceflight
NASA astronaut Donald Pettit photographs Makkah from space
Kaaba appears as bright central point in night-time image
HOUSTON — NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit has captured a remarkable nighttime image of Makkah city from the International Space Station with the Kaaba. The photograph, taken from approximately 250 miles above Earth.
Astronaut Donald Pettit, currently serving as a flight engineer aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 71/72, utilized specialized photography equipment to capture the detailed image during a night pass over Saudi Arabia.
Pettit, known for his scientific photography from space, has previously documented cities, natural phenomena, and experimental procedures throughout his 590-day career in orbit.
Selected by NASA in 1996, Pettit holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and previously worked as a staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
His current mission, launched September 11, 2024, focuses on advancing in-orbit manufacturing, water sanitization, and microgravity fire research—all critical technologies for future deep-space exploration.
https://theislamicinformation.com/news/nasa-astronaut-shares-image-of-kaaba-from-space/
https://x.com/astro_Pettit/status/1995634887584612841
>Dayton, NV
Near a place called 'Devil's Gate'.
What's going on under the surface in a place with a name like that?
Biology, Physics Research Progress as Crews Hand Over Responsibilities
December 3, 2025
Space biology and physics topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday to improve human health and the space industry.
The Expedition 73 residents also helped three new crewmates adapt to orbital life as another trio turns its attention to returning to Earth next week.
NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman spent her day processing blood samples, testing her cognition, and exercising for research. She first performed a blood draw with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim.
Afterward, she spun the samples in a centrifuge then stowed them inside a science freezer for future analysis. Next, she took a computerized test measuring how she understands and navigates the microgravity environment, also called spatial cognition.
Both activities were for the CIPHER human research study tracking astronaut health before, during, and after a spaceflight.
Finally, she worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED) and pedaled on the exercise cycle while wearing the sensor-packed Bio-Monitor headband and vest measuring her aerobic and cardiovascular health.
Kim configured the Astrobee robotic free-flying assistants for ground controlled remote operations. Scientists are studying Astrobee’s ability to operate both autonomously and remotely freeing astronauts to conduct more research.
He then trained Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who just began his second space station mission, on how to operate and exercise on the ARED.
Kim also continued packing his personal items as he gets ready to return to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-27 crew spacecraft on Dec. 8 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.
Ryzhikov helped Kud-Sverchkov and new Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev get up to speed with life on orbit showing the duo tools, operations, and procedures in the station’s Roscosmos segment.
Ryzhikov was also back inside the Soyuz MS-27 stowing cargo, while Zubritsky continued packing his gear inside the spacecraft and cleaning his crew quarters.
NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke swapped cameras inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox to photograph how cryogenic fluids behave in microgravity to improve the design of spacecraft fuel tanks.
Later, he helped new NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams familiarize himself with station hardware, operations, and systems. At the end of his shift, Fincke inspected the condition of thermal insulation throughout the Tranquility module.
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui started his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module troubleshooting an experimental carbon dioxide removal device that is informing the development of Artemis spacecraft life support systems.
Afterward, he continued cargo operations inside the Cygnus XL space freighter unpacking and stowing new science experiments and crew supplies.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov began his shift downloading Earth imagery captured automatically while the crew was asleep.
Afterward, he wore acoustic sensors that measured his airflow and lung function as he exhaled rapidly for a Roscosmos breathing in space investigation. Finally, he collected station radiation exposure data then analyzed station air samples for ammonia and carbon dioxide.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/12/03/biology-physics-research-progress-as-crews-hand-over-responsibilities/