After 20 Years In Space, The Cassini Spacecraft Is Running Out Of Fuel. In 2010, Cassini Began A Seven-year

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133

Credit: NASA / GSFC / Rebecca Roth

Air-to-air view of STS-42 Discovery after liftoff from KSC LC Pad … #Astronomy #Space #Spacegram #Spaceflight #Nasa #ESA #ASI #Astronaut #Universe #Cosmos #Sky #Earth #Nebula #Galaxy #Love #MarsGeneration #TheMarsGeneration #MoonColonist #Moon #Astro_Lorenzo

Coronal mass ejection

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a significant release of plasma and magnetic field from the solar corona. They often follow solar flares and are normally present during a solar prominence eruption. The plasma is released into the solar wind, and can be observed in coronagraph imagery.

Coronal mass ejections are often associated with other forms of solar activity, but a broadly accepted theoretical understanding of these relationships has not been established. CMEs most often originate from active regions on the Sun’s surface, such as groupings of sunspots associated with frequent flares. Near solar maxima, the Sun produces about three CMEs every day, whereas near solar minima, there is about one CME every five days.

Coronal mass ejections release large quantities of matter and electromagnetic radiation into space above the Sun’s surface, either near the corona (sometimes called a solar prominence), or farther into the planetary system, or beyond (interplanetary CME). The ejected material is a magnetized plasma consisting primarily of electrons and protons. While solar flares are very fast (being electromagnetic radiation), CMEs are relatively slow.

Coronal mass ejections are associated with enormous changes and disturbances in the coronal magnetic field. They are usually observed with a white-light coronagraph.

Impact on Earth

When the ejection is directed towards Earth and reaches it as an interplanetary CME (ICME), the shock wave of traveling mass causes a geomagnetic storm that may disrupt Earth’s magnetosphere, compressing it on the day side and extending the night-side magnetic tail. When the magnetosphere reconnects on the nightside, it releases power on the order of terawatt scale, which is directed back toward Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Solar energetic particles can cause particularly strong aurorae in large regions around Earth’s magnetic poles. These are also known as the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) in the northern hemisphere, and the Southern Lights (aurora australis) in the southern hemisphere.

Coronal mass ejections, along with solar flares of other origin, can disrupt radio transmissions and cause damage to satellites and electrical transmission line facilities, resulting in potentially massive and long-lasting power outages.

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Image credit: Alex Conu 

Animation: Science Channel & NASA/Goddard

The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble

via reddit

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133

Credit: NASA / GSFC / Rebecca Roth

The launch of the Scout launch vehicle at the Wallops Flight Facility, VA … #Astronomy #Space #Spacegram #Spaceflight #Nasa #ESA #ASI #Astronaut #Universe #Cosmos #Sky #Earth #Nebula #Galaxy #Love #MarsGeneration #TheMarsGeneration #MoonColonist #Moon #Astro_Lorenzo

Be humble for you are made of Earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.

Serbian proverb

(via the-wolf-and-moon)

Falcon 9 prepares for first post-Shuttle era launch from Kennedy Space Center.

The first Falcon 9 rocket stands atop LC-39A Thursday evening, February 16, 2017. Preparing for a Saturday morning launch, the completed rocket and Dragon spacecraft arrived at the launch pad Friday afternoon. Over 5,000 pounds of science experiments and cargo are launching to the International Space Station on CRS-10,  the tenth of 20 missions NASA has contracted to SpaceX to deliver cargo to the orbiting laboratory. CRS-10 marks the first time a rocket has stood atop LC-39A since the final space shuttle mission in 2011, and the first uncrewed rocket atop the pad since the Skylab space station was launched in 1973. SpaceX began leasing the historic Apollo and Shuttle era launch pad in 2015 to accommodate their crewed Falcon and Falcon Heavy launches. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:01am EST February 18. SpaceX will be providing a webcast beginning at 9:50am here, as well as NASA TV coverage here. Shortly after the Dragon spacecraft is expected to reach orbit, the rocket’s first stage will attempt a landing at Landing Zone-1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station nine miles away. P/C: SpaceX