TYB
>maybe Q returning.
returning in a big way, probably.
and probably so many more surprises
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 2, 2026
NanoSail-D2
In 2011, on January 20, NASA's NanoSail-D2 unfurled a very thin and very reflective 10 square meter sail becoming the first solar sail spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Often considered the stuff of science fiction, sailing through space was suggested 400 years ago by astronomer Johannes Kepler, who had observed comet tails blown by the solar wind. But modern solar sail spacecraft designs, like NanoSail-D2, Japan's interplanetary spacecraft IKAROS, or the Planetary Society's Lightsail A, rely on the small but continuous pressure from sunlight itself for thrust. Glinting in the sunlight as it circled planet Earth, NanoSail-D2's solar sail was periodically bright and visible to the eye. These remarkably detailed images were captured by manually tracking the orbiting solar sail spacecraft with a small telescope.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Solar Watch Tonight, Polar Vortex, Nova Initiation | S0 News and frens
Jan.2.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N9bpvntEeo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyssFJnakjk (MrMBB333: It's BIG and VERY fast and headed straight at the Earth!)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/01/01/first-northern-lights-forecast-of-2026-18-states-could-see-aurora-borealis-this-week/
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Could-the-Next-Solar-Flare-Cripple-Modern-Technology.html
https://x.com/SchumannBotDE/status/2007104882357006505
https://x.com/randallwcarlson/status/2006867950582829210
https://x.com/SolarObserverX/status/2007073114770030913
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
https://usaherald.com/new-ultra-clear-image-exposes-structural-depth-in-interstellar-object-3i-atlas/
https://spacetracker.space/
https://x.com/Ammar1176708
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXpSzK131aU (Dobsonian Power: NEW HUBBLE 3I/ATLAS PICTURES SHOW IT'S ALIEN!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9h55fPx3kQ (Beyond The Stars: 1 MINUTE AGO: Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS JUST LEFT US SPEECHLESS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydp7niBzHvY (Ray's Astrophotography: Comet 3i ATLAS - SOMETHING is VERY STRANGE - Antitail Shouldn't Look Like This - I took a PICTURE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxItHlLvB98 (Space Nest:
Something Worse Than 3I/ATLAS Is Approaching)
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/
https://johnmantleholder.medium.com/3i-atlas-quick-thoughts-on-anti-tail-jet-should-not-include-streaming-gas-beyond-5-000-aae4c95bf373
https://medium.com/dasluftkopf/3i-atlas-traveler-diary-4da6366147a5
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/comet-3i-atlas-a-wake-up-call-for-humanity-and-space-exploration/
https://www.ibtimes.com/hubble-spots-alien-like-jets-erupting-3i-atlas-scientists-are-stunned-3794149
https://x.com/Defence12543/status/2006763564661617076
https://x.com/Defence12543/status/2006651909114049005
https://x.com/konstructivizm/status/2006675107440161020
https://x.com/AstronomyVibes/status/2006953455290822659
https://x.com/MSUNatSci/status/2007074599918280946
https://x.com/RedCollie1/status/2007043766700687524
https://x.com/AstronomyVibes/status/2006619893744152889
https://x.com/skraczekastro/status/2007042612839285012
New Ultra-Clear Image Exposes Structural Depth in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
January 1, 2026
KEY FINDINGS
The image resolves what months of data only hinted at.
The internal structure does not behave the way standard comet physics predicts.
And with each refinement, the object becomes harder to dismiss as ordinary.
A newly processed Hubble image reveals internal complexity that deepens the mystery surrounding humanity’s most closely watched interstellar visitor.
The new year has begun with one of the clearest, most revealing images yet of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, captured and meticulously processed by the independent astronomy group known online as SpaceTracker.
The image, derived from publicly released Hubble observations originally captured on November 30, was reprocessed frame by frame without artificial enhancement, smoothing, or algorithmic alteration.
What emerges is not a stylized rendering, but raw structure—light shaped only by physics, distance, and time.
SpaceTracker’s work arrives at a critical moment. During the recent U.S. government shutdown, official data releases from NASA were temporarily paused, leaving independent astronomers to carry the observational burden.
Alongside SpaceTracker, contributors such as Ray’s Astrophotography and Tiago from the widely respected Dobsonian Powercommunity continued to track 3I/ATLAS with rigor, transparency, and repeat verification.
Their collective efforts preserved continuity in public scientific awareness at a time when institutional silence could have created dangerous informational gaps.
1/2
SpaceTracker describes their process plainly and deliberately:
“Resolution preserved. What you see is real light, real structure, real physics. This is how interstellar objects should be shown. Processed by Ammar A from http://spacetracker.space. Enjoy the details. Look closely — space rewards patience.”
That patience is rewarded here. The image reveals a sharply defined inner coma with a distinct blue-white core region, surrounded by a warm orange dust envelope that fades gradually rather than diffusely.
This radial symmetry is notable. In most active comets, especially those undergoing uneven solar heating, we expect asymmetrical outgassing, ragged boundaries, and chaotic brightness gradients.
Instead, 3I/ATLAS presents a layered, almost stratified appearance—suggesting either unusually stable rotational dynamics or a dust-grain distribution dominated by larger, slower-responding particles.
From a forensic standpoint, several features stand out.
First, the core-coma boundary is unusually coherent. The transition from the bright central nucleus region into the surrounding dust cloud occurs smoothly and concentrically, rather than eruptively.
This supports prior observations indicating low-volatility material composition, possibly richer in refractory grains than volatile ices.
Second, the absence of visible turbulent jet breakup is striking. Earlier images showed tightly collimated anti-tail jets aligned counterintuitively with the object’s direction of travel.
In this new frame, the jets appear integrated into the coma structure rather than tearing away from it. This implies either sustained directional emission or a rotational axis that remains unusually stable over extended periods—an uncommon trait for interstellar bodies.
Third, the color separation itself carries meaning. The blue inner region suggests smaller particle scattering and possibly gas emission closer to the nucleus, while the orange outer halo points to heavier dust grains resisting solar radiation pressure.
This supports earlier hypotheses that 3I/ATLAS is shedding material dominated by mass rather than surface area, explaining why its anti-tail persists where solar forces should otherwise disperse it.
Importantly, nothing in this image proves artificiality. But it does reinforce a pattern: 3I/ATLAS consistently behaves at the margins of what natural comet models comfortably explain.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has repeatedly argued that interstellar objects should be evaluated without assumption, and this image underscores why.
When an object’s physical presentation diverges repeatedly from expectations, the correct scientific response is scrutiny, not dismissal.
There are also broader implications. As 3I/ATLAS continues its outbound trajectory toward Jupiter, the window for high-resolution observation narrows. Yet this object is not an isolated case.
The Vera Rubin Observatory has made clear that improved sky-survey capabilities will soon reveal many more interstellar interlopers—some smaller, some bigger, some faster, and potentially some more hazardous.
That reality intersects directly with planetary-defense concerns. Objects like asteroid Apophis, expected to make its closest Earth approach on Friday the 13th in 2029, remind us that detection is not a luxury—it is a necessity.
Early identification, transparent data sharing, and independent verification are essential not only for science, but for public trust.
What this image ultimately demonstrates is not certainty, but competence. Independent astronomers, operating openly and collaboratively, are now capable of producing data products that withstand serious forensic review.
Their work does more than fill gaps—it fuels curiosity, strengthens resilience, and ensures that when the next interstellar visitor arrives, humanity will not be caught looking away.
“Look closely — space rewards patience.”
— Ammar A., SpaceTracker
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Rockets projected onto Washington Monument for America's 250th
January 1, 2026
January 1, 2026 — The towering image of a full-size Saturn V moon rocket returned to the face of the Washington Monument on New Year's Eve, this time to mark 250 years since the founding of the United States.
The iconic black and white booster, along with other scenes from NASA and U.S. history, were projected onto the obelisk — the tallest landmark in the nation's capital — as a special "birthday candle" for the country.
The "Illumination of America," as the show was titled according to the White House, marked only the second time in history that the 555-foot-tall (169-meter) Washington Monument has been been lit as such.
"Freedom 250 is ringing in the New Year by illuminating the story of America, including reaching for the stars, and highlighting our achievements in space, on the Washington Monument," announced NASA in a social media post referencing the organization leading the national semiquincentennial celebration.
The 25-minute presentation debuted Wednesday (Dec. 31) and is set to continue through Monday, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EST daily, with shows starting every hour on the hour.
In July 2019, the Saturn V was first projected on the Washington Monument as part of a different production put on by the Smithsonian for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
This time the rocket, along with the other imagery, can be seen from all sides of the monument, rather than just the National Mall face.
"The illumination of the Washington Monument marks the beginning of a momentous year for our nation — 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence," Keith Krach, CEO of Freedom 250, said in a statement.
"We invite every American — and every friend of America — to join this historic celebration of the triumph of the American spirit."
'The sky has never been the limit'
The 363-foot-tall (110-meter) Saturn V rocket first appears in a segment following the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane 66 years earlier.
Apollo 11 commentator Jack King's voice is heard counting down to the depicted liftoff. The launch then leads into scenes of the Apollo 11 spacecraft approaching the moon and landing on its surface in 1969.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are shown walking on the moon and deploying the U.S. flag.
"American astronauts broke free from the Earth, stretched their hands through the endless void and planted the stars and stripes on the face of the moon," says the show's narrator, as local voice over actor who was not identified. "America brought mankind into the Space Age."
The program ends with a computer-generated animation of the United States as seen from space.
"And perhaps someday, our descendants will plant the American flag on distant worlds, carrying the light of liberty to the farthest corners of creation, reminding all nations that for the United States of America there is no frontier too far, no dream too bold, no horizon beyond our reach," narrates the actor.
Sign of things to come
Separate from the formal show, a projection of NASA's next generation rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), was also seen on the monument Wednesday night.
The 322-foot-tall (98-meter) SLS appeared as a full-size static image, configured similarly to how it will look when it lifts off with the first astronauts to fly by the moon in more than 50 years.
NASA's Artemis II crew are slated to travel farther into space than any humans have ever done so before after launching as soon as February and no later than April, according to NASA.
The SLS rendering used for the monument's illumination was missing, ironically, a recent addition to the real rocket's markings — the official "America 250" logo of the semiquincentennial celebration, which NASA had painted on each of the twin, side-mounted solid rocket boosters.
"The pioneering spirit of the American people … beckons us to begin new journeys of discovery," says the narrator towards the show's conclusion, "daring us once again to dream the impossible and imagine the wonders waiting among the stars."
https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-010126a-saturn-v-washington-monument-illumination-freedom-250.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVANyaAV0So