Category Astronomy/Space

Two galaxies are clearly visible in this Hubble image, the larger of which is NGC 4424. Text credit: European Space Agency Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Some astronomical objects have endearing or quirky nicknames, inspired by mythology or their own appearance. Take, for example, the constellation of Orion (The Hunter), the Sombrero Galaxy, the Horsehead Nebula, or even the Milky Way. However, the vast majority of cosmic objects appear in astronomical catalogs and are given rather less poetic names based on the order of discovery.

Two galaxies are clearly visible in this Hubble image, the larger of which is NGC 4424. This galaxy is cataloged in the New General Catalog of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC), which was compiled in 1888...

Crystal formation within a 50 millimeter loop, taken on Expedition 6. Crystal growth investigations have been occurring on the station since before humans lived there because of the unique environment microgravity provides. Credit: NASA

Crew members aboard the ISS will begin conducting research this week to improve the way we grow crystals on Earth. The information gained from the experiments could speed up the process for drug development, benefiting humans around the world. Many proteins are too small to be studied even under a microscope, and must be crystallized in order to determine their 3D structures. These structures tell researchers how a single protein functions and its involvement in the development of disease...

Photo by Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications ) Physicist Will Fox with Magnetic Reconnection Experiment.

Reconnection occurs when the magnetic field lines in plasma – the collection of atoms and charged electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions, that make up 99% of the visible universe — converge and forcefully snap apart. Electrons that exert a varying degree of pressure form an important part of this process as reconnection takes place. Their findings could lead to more accurate predictions of damaging space weather and improved fusion experiments.

The team found that variation in the electron pressure develops along the magnetic field lines in the region undergoing reconnection...

In a typical Alfvén wave, the particles (yellow) move freely along the magnetic field lines (blue).
Credits: NASA Goddard’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Tom Bridgman, data visualizer

NASA scientists are reshaping the basic understanding of the kinetic Alfvén wave in space. When NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale – or MMS – mission was launched, the scientists knew it would answer questions fundamental to the nature of our universe – and MMS hasn’t disappointed. A new finding provides observational proof of a 50-year-old theory and reshapes the basic understanding of the kinetic Alfvén wave...