SpaceMan

By Amit Angal, Senior Engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center The Landsat Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) group helps uphold Landsat’s reputation as the gold standard of satellite imagery. They ensure that the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) aboard Landsats 8 and 9 provide high-quality scientific measurements to users around the world. In 2025, the Cal/Val group contributed over 60 pages to the second edition of “Comprehensive Remote Sensing” (Kaita et. al, 2026), organizing content from NASA, USGS, academia, and industry scientists. Cal/Val support staff authored multiple sections, including a summary of results from Landsat 9 and of the evolution of spectral, spatial, and radiometric characteristics throughout the Landsat missions. A natural-color Landsat 9 image of Railroad Valley Playa in Nevada, acquired on June 29, 2024. A portion of the playa is used as a radiometric calibration and validation site for various satellite sensors including Landsat 8 and 9’s OLI instruments. NASA/USGS The Cal/Val team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center works closely with the Landsat Flight Operations Team to plan weekly calibration activities to maintain the radiometric accuracy of Landsat products. In October 2025, a Landsat 9 anomaly occurred related to its solar array drive assembly (SADA) potentiometer. The spacecraft and instruments were placed in a safehold, pausing data collections. The Cal/Val team assessed the instruments after they recovered from this anomaly, including monitoring the instrument telemetry, detector gains, and noise performance. The team identified a mis-loaded detector map and updated the calibration of both the reflective and thermal emissive bands to ensure consistent, accurate data. After six days in the safehold, the instrument resumed normal operations. The NASA Cal/Val team supports their USGS counterparts with quarterly updates to the Calibration Parameter File (CPF) by providing inputs for relative and absolute gains as needed. This work involves collaborating with USGS scientists to ensure the consistency of the Combined Radiometric Model (CRaM). The CRaM approach integrates radiometric responses from on-board calibrators to enhance long-term calibration stability throughout mission lifetimes. The CRaM algorithm also provides an extensible framework for future satellite missions. A peer-reviewed publication detailing the CRaM’s approach and future applications was submitted to Science of Remote Sensing. On January 14-16, 2025, the Landsat Cal/Val team organized and hosted the first semiannual Technical Information Meeting (TIM) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA and USGS scientists welcomed collaborating scientists from South Dakota State University (SDSU), the University of Arizona Tucson, and Rochester Institute of Technology for presentations and discussions on Landsat imaging performance, algorithms, and instrument health. On May 28-29, 2025, the Cal/Val team attended the second semiannual TIM at SDSU. The Landsat Cal/Val Team is validating the accuracy of the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) v2.0 product, which combines data from multiple satellites to create a continuous record of Earth’s surface reflectance measurements since 2013. The team is testing the dataset using RadCalNet, a global network of automated ground stations that provide precise, standardized measurements. The team compared measurements from four RadCalNet sites, including the well-established Railroad Valley Playa site in Nevada, against near-simultaneous HLS data. Their analysis shows the satellite and ground measurements agree within expected uncertainty ranges—a strong validation of the HLS product’s accuracy. The team presented these findings at the CEOS IVOS calibration meeting in Tucson, Arizona (September 1-5, 2025) and is currently preparing a peer-reviewed article to share the complete results. Path Forward The Cal/Val team applies lessons learned from Landsat missions to better plan calibration efforts for the next generation of instruments. Using instrument performance checklists from Landsat 8/9, the team is building a framework of in-house geometric and radiometric testing and extending algorithms for future Landsat instruments. The Landsat Cal/Val Team is actively tackling a critical challenge in solar irradiance modeling. While new hyperspectral sensor technologies have made it possible to create highly accurate solar models with much lower uncertainty, the remote sensing community still lacks agreed-upon methods for applying these advanced models. A dedicated subgroup within the Landsat Cal/Val Team is now developing and testing standardized approaches to bridge this gap. Their goal is to create clear recommendations and best practices that the scientific community can refine together and implement consistently. This work addresses a fundamental need—transforming promising hyperspectral solar modeling capabilities into practical, standardized tools that researchers can confidently use across different projects and applications. Explore More 3 min read What’s Next for HLS In 2025, the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) program established itself as a cornerstone for… Article 31 minutes ago 2 min read GLOBE Expands with Landsat Land Cover Comparisons The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has launched a new… Article 6 days ago 4 min read Tool Uses NASA Data to Take Temperature of Rivers from Space New research uses more than 40 years of data from NASA and the U.S. Geological… Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Microbiology Laboratory at JSC NASA. Microorganisms and Spaceflight Spaceflight poses a risk of adverse health effects due to the interactions between microorganisms, their hosts, and their environment. The JSC Microbiology team addresses the benefits and risks related to microorganisms, including infectious disease, allergens, environmental and food contamination, and the impacts of changes in environmental and human microbial ecology aboard spacecraft. The team includes certified medical technologists, environmental microbiologists, mycologists, and biosafety professionals. The JSC Microbiology laboratory is a critical component of the Human Health and Performance Directorate and is responsible for addressing crew health and environmental issues related to microbial infection, allergens, and contamination. This responsibility is achieved by operational monitoring and investigative research using classical microbiological, advanced molecular, and immunohistochemical techniques. This research has resulted in a significant number of presentations and peer-reviewed publications contributing to the field of Microbiology with articles in journals such as Infection and Immunity, Journal of Infectious Disease and Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Nature Reviews Microbiology, and Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. Fun Fact: Microorganisms display unexpected responses when grown in the spaceflight environment compared to otherwise identically grown microbes on Earth. NASA Christian Castro is streaking bacteria to be characterized using a variety of culture media. Photo Date: May 29, 2018. Location: Building 21 – Microbiology Lab. NASA Keeping Crew-members Safe As a functional part of the Crew Health Care System and in support of Environmental Control and Life Support Systems engineers, the Microbiology Laboratory team defines requirements, coordinates and analyzes microbial sampling, and analysis of air, surface, and water samples. These environmental samples, including preflight and in-flight samples, re-analyzed to ensure that microorganisms do not adversely affect crew health or system performance. Microbiologists also serve as team members when anomalous events occur that might affect crew health or life support systems operations. Spaceflight food samples also are evaluated preflight to decrease the risk of infectious disease to the crew. A crewmember identifies unknown environmental microbes aboard the ISS through DNA sequencing.NASA Technology and Hardware ABI DNA sequencer Illumina MiSeq desktop sequencer Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION DNA / RNA sequencers Agilent Bioanalyzer VITEK 2 Microbial Identification ​Space analogue bioreactors An example of in-flight Surface Sampler Kit results with growth of fungal cultures after 5 daysNASA Points of Contact Mark Ott, PhD Sarah Wallace, PhD Hang Nguyen, PhD Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsHuman Health and Performance Explore More 4 min read Space Radiation Article 3 years ago 5 min read Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry Article 3 years ago 2 min read Acoustics and Noise Control Article 3 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Humans In Space Missions International Space Station Solar System View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Immunology and Virology LabNASA Does Spaceflight Alter the Human Immune System? Getting sick on Earth is nothing to sneeze at, but for astronauts on deep space exploration missions, the risk for contracting diseases may be elevated due to altered immunity. The Human Health and Performance Directorate’s Immunology/Virology Laboratory is ideally suited to study the effects of spaceflight on the immune system. When immune cells do not function properly, the immune system cannot respond properly to threats. This may increase susceptibility to infectious disease. Altered immunity can also lead to latent virus shedding, which is the “reawakening” of certain viruses we contract in our youth by which stay with us through adulthood. Reactivation of these viruses has been observed in some crewmembers. Conversely, when immune activity heightens, the immune system reacts excessively, resulting in things like allergy or persistent rashes, which also have been reported by some crewmembers during flight. Working in collaboration with the Human Research Program, the Immunology/Virology Laboratory is actively working to characterize the changes in astronauts’ immune system during spaceflight as well as developing countermeasures to help mitigate the clinical risks for astronauts during these missions to other planets, moons, or asteroids. Understanding the Impact of Spaceflight on Human Immune Systems Immunology/Virology Laboratory team supported studies conducted aboard the Space Shuttle and supports investigations currently performed aboard the ISS. For studies of astronauts, the laboratory validated a novel sampling strategy to return ambient live astronaut blood samples to Earth for comprehensive immunological testing and has developed several novel biomedical assays to evaluate immunity in humans. Results from a recent immunology investigation aboard the ISS called “Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crewmember Immune Function” or “Integrated Immune”’ were published in the journal Nature Microgravity. The data confirms that ISS crews have alterations in both the number and function of certain types of immune cells and that these alterations persist for the duration of a 6-month spaceflight. Other data from the study published in the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research indicates that ISS crews have changes in their blood levels of specific immune proteins called ”cytokines” during flight which persist for the duration of a 6-month mission. The laboratory is currently preparing to support physiological monitoring of Artemis deep space astronauts via novel technology developed in-house. SS crewmembers work together during an Integrated Immune Study blood sample draw at the Human Research Facility (HRF).NASA Learning About Spaceflight While on Earth The Immunology/Virology Laboratory also supports human investigations performed in Earth-based “space analog” situations. Such analogs are places where some specific conditions of spaceflight are replicated. Examples include undersea deployment, closed chamber isolation, or Antarctica winter over. Analog work may shed mechanistic light on the causes of alterations observed during flight or provide locations useful for the testing of countermeasures. The Immunology Laboratory recently supported a European Space Agency 2-year study performed at Concordia Station, Dome C, and Antarctica. Biomedical samples were collected, processed, and stabilized over the Antarctica winter by Concordia crewmembers, and preserved for shipment to NASA. The data revealed that Concordia crewmembers also experience unique patterns of immune dysregulation, some of which are like astronauts’ patterns. The laboratory also has supported recent studies in Antarctica at McMurdo Station, Neumayer III Station, and Palmer Station. The Immunology/Virology Laboratory team also participates in ground-based investigations to determine the mechanistic reasons why certain types of immune cells do not function well during microgravity conditions. For these studies, a terrestrial “model” of microgravity cell culture is employed, referred to as “clinorotation.” Essentially, cell cultures are slowly rotated around a horizontal axis. During clinorotation, immune cells generally respond as they would during spaceflight. NASA Immunologist Brian Crucian discusses the findings of a collaborative investigation that determined spaceflight causes changes to the immune system. Improving Life in Space and on Earth To “connect the dots” between observed immune changes in astronauts and potential adverse clinical consequences, the Immunology/Virology Laboratory team may support Earth-based clinical investigations. These investigations consist of studies, conducted in collaboration with physicians, of defined patent populations. The same assays, which define immune changes in astronauts, may be applied to clinical patients and the data will help NASA scientists and flight surgeons interpret the flight information, in the context of clinical risk to astronauts. To date, the Immunology/Virology Laboratory team has supported a European clinical investigation of emergency room patients, and a Houston-based investigation of shingles patients. The Immunology/Virology Laboratory team has developed, working with translational scientists all over the world, a potential countermeasure to improve immunity in deep-space astronauts. The protocol published in the Frontiers in Immunology consists of stress-relieving techniques, certain nutritional supplements, a prescription of aerobic and resistive exercise, certain medications, and monitoring. This protocol soon will be tested at Palmer Station, Antarctica, to be followed by a flight validation aboard ISS. Our Facility, Technology, and Hardware Immunologists and virologists comprise the core research staff of the laboratory and postdoctoral associates, visiting scientists, and graduate students routinely perform rotations of varying lengths in the laboratory. The laboratory currently possesses an array of sophisticated research equipment, including: Ten-, and Four-color Flow Cytometers 41-analyte capable Multiplex Analyzer Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction System Fluorescent Microscopes Confocal Microscope Cell culture, including modeled-microgravity, facilities In addition, we partner with the Bioanalytical Core Laboratory (BCL) to leverage equipment such as the environmental scanning electron microscope. Points of Contact Brian Crucian, PhD Mayra Nelman-Gonzalez Satish Mehta, PhD Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsHuman Health and Performance Explore More 2 min read Medical and Clinical Article 3 years ago 4 min read Neuroscience Article 3 years ago 5 min read Nutritional Biochemistry Article 3 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Humans In Space Missions International Space Station Solar System View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, Expedition 40 commander, holds the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station. (30 June 2014) NASA The JSC toxicologists establish guidelines for safe and acceptable levels of individual chemical contaminants in spacecraft air (SMACs) and drinking water (SWEGs) in collaboration with the National Research Council’s Committee on Toxicology (NRC COT) and through peer-reviewed publication. The framework for establishing these levels is documented for SMACs and SWEGs, and recent refinements to the Methods reflect current risk assessment practices. In addition to official SMACs used for the evaluation of spacecraft air, JSC toxicologists set interim 7-day SMAC values that are listed in NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Materials and Processes Technical Information System (“MAPTIS”), which is used to evaluate materials and hardware off-gassing data. Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants A table listing the official NASA SMAC values is published in JSC 20584 (PDF, 1MB) (Last revised – June 2024). References for the published values are provided below: NRC (1994) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 1, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (1996) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 2, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (1996) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 3, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (2000) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 4, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (2008) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 5, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Meyers VE, Garcia HD, James JT. Safe Human Exposure Limits for Airborne Linear Siloxanes during Spaceflight. Inhalation Toxicology 2013; 25(13):735-46. Romoser AA, Ryder VE, McCoy JT. Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Manganese Compounds in Mars Dust. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(8):709-719. Scully RR, Garcia H, McCoy JT, Ryder VE. Revisions to Limits for Methanol in the Air of Spacecraft. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(9):807-812. Garcia, H.D, Acceptable Limits for n-Hexane in Spacecraft Atmospheres. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2021;92(12);956-961. Ryder, V.E. and Williams, E.S. Revisions to Limits for Propylene Glycol in Spacecraft Air. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2022; 93(5);467-469. Lam CW, Ryder VE. Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Hydrogen Fluoride. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2022; 93(10)746-748. Williams ES, Ryder VE. Spaceflight Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Ethyl Acetate. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2023; 94(1):25–33. Ryder VE and Williams ES. Revisions to Acute/Off-Nominal Limits for Benzene in Spacecraft Air. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2023; 94(7):544–545. Wimberly, AA and Ryder VE. Exposure Limits for Hydrogen Sulfide in Spaceflight. NASA/TM-20240000101, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2024. Tapia CM, Langford SD, Ryder VE. Revisions to Limits for Toluene in Spacecraft Air. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(7):399-402. Ryder VE. Revisions to limits for 2-propanol in spacecraft air. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(4):360–362. Williams ES, Tapia CM, Ryder V. Revisions to spacecraft maximum allowable concentrations for acetaldehyde. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(11):1019–1023. Ryder VE. Revisions to Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for 2-Butanone. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025 Dec;96(12):1094-1097. Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines for Selected Waterborne Contaminants A table listing the official NASA SWEG values is published in JSC 63414 Rev A (PDF, 426KB) (Last revised – November 2023). References for the published values are provided below: NRC (2004) Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines for Selected Contaminants, Volume 1, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (2006) Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines for Selected Contaminants, Volume 2, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. NRC (2008) Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines for Selected Contaminants, Volume 3, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Ramanathan R, James JT, McCoy T. (2012) Acceptable levels for ingestion of dimethylsilanediol in water on the International Space Station. Aviat Space Environ Med. 83(6):598-603. Garcia, HD, Tsuji, JS, James, JT. (2014) Establishment of exposure guidelines for lead in spacecraft drinking water. Aviat Space Environ Med. 85:715-20. Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsHuman Health and Performance Explore More 5 min read Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry Article 3 years ago 3 min read Hazardous Material Summary Tables (HMSTs) Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read Toxicology Analysis of Spacecraft Air Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 PI Christopher Neigh shares milestones and a vision for the future In 2025, the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) program established itself as a cornerstone for global medium-resolution optical Earth observation and became one of NASA’s most downloaded products. The seamless, analysis-ready dataset is free for anyone to use and download on NASA Earthdata: HLSL30v2.0 and HLSS30v2.0. HLS version 2.0 (Ju et al., 2025), released in July, represents a major advancement in algorithm sophistication and dataset completeness. The improved surface reflectance dataset now extends globally back to 2013 (excluding Antarctica) and integrates observations from Landsat 8/9 and Sentinel-2A/B/C satellites, achieving an unprecedented median revisit interval of less than 1.6 days. This high frequency of observations transforms our ability to monitor Earth’s changing surface. Patches of purple across Canada show where vegetation disturbances were detected in 2023. NASA’s Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang June saw the first in-person HLS meeting between NASA headquarters, the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), and representatives from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Marshall Space Flight Center, representing enhanced coordination and strategic alignment. The HLS project also serves as a critical steppingstone for advancing collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). HLS’s frequent revisit is one of its key values to data users. Zhou et al. (2025) evaluated the cloud-free coverage of HLS V2.0 in 2022 and found that HLS data provided observations every 1.6 days at the global scale and 2.2 days in data-scarce tropical regions. This temporal resolution addresses one of the most persistent challenges in optical remote sensing: obtaining cloud-free observations for time-sensitive applications. HLS Impacts Already, scientists are putting HLS to use for practical and scientific applications. Zhou et al. (2025) evaluated the global consistency, reliability, and uncertainty of the newly-released suite of nine HLS vegetation indices. This assessment provides the scientific community with confidence in using HLS-derived vegetation indices for agriculture, forestry, ecosystem monitoring, and more. Pickens et al. (2025) unveiled a global land change monitoring system, DIST-ALERT, based on HLS data. DIST-ALERT highlights HLS’s transformative impact on environmental monitoring, identifying new land change dynamics that are impossible to track with Landsat or Sentinel observations alone. Vision for the Future The HLS program continues to evolve to deliver high-quality, reliable data to its expanding user base. Shi et al. (2026, under review in Remote Sensing of Environment) developed Fmask version 5.0, employing a hybrid approach combining physical rules, machine learning, and deep learning for cloud masking. When released, this next-generation cloud detection algorithm will improve the accuracy and consistency of cloud/cloud-shadow screening—a critical component for maximizing usable observations in the HLS time series. Looking forward, the HLS vision encompasses: Enhanced Algorithms: Integrating Fmask v5.0 and refining harmonization algorithms to further reduce inter-sensor differences and improve accuracy across diverse conditions. Expanded Product Suite: Developing products that leverage HLS’s unique temporal resolution. Meeting User Needs: Strengthening partnerships with operational agencies and downstream users to ensure HLS products effectively support applications including agriculture, water resources, disaster response, and climate adaptation. Continuity and Sustainability: Planning for long-term data continuity as Landsat Next and future Sentinel missions come online, ensuring seamless transition and multi-decadal consistency. Community Engagement: Expanding training, documentation, and outreach to maximize HLS adoption across the global user community, particularly in regions where frequent, free, analysis-ready data can transform environmental monitoring capabilities. The HLS program exemplifies successful international collaboration in Earth observation, delivering on the promise of harmonized, frequent, global-scale monitoring. As we build on the foundation of HLS v2.0, the program is positioned to enable breakthrough science and operational applications that were previously impossible with individual satellite missions alone. Explore More 4 min read Maintaining the Gold Standard: The Future of Landsat Calibration and Validation The NASA CalVal team spent 2025 improving their calibration techniques, strengthening collaboration, and sharing their… Article 5 minutes ago 2 min read GLOBE Expands with Landsat Land Cover Comparisons The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has launched a new… Article 6 days ago 4 min read Tool Uses NASA Data to Take Temperature of Rivers from Space New research uses more than 40 years of data from NASA and the U.S. Geological… Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Share Details Last Updated Dec 15, 2025 Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Contact Media Laura Betz NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland laura.e*****@*****.tld Ann Jenkins Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, Maryland Christine Pulliam Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, Maryland Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Exoplanet Atmosphere Exoplanets Neutron Stars Planetary Environments & Atmospheres Pulsars Related Links and Documents Science Paper: The science paper by M. Zhang et al., PDF (3.91 MB)

The NASA ORBIT (Opportunities in Research, Business, Innovation, and Technology for the Workforce) Challenge is a multi-phase, student-focused challenge designed to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators, engineers, entrepreneurs, and researchers. Compete for cash prizes, receive mentorship from NASA experts, and present your work at an in-person showcase. Finalists gain access to an exclusive accelerator program designed to launch careers in STEM and entrepreneurship. Award: $380,000 in total prizes Registration Open Date: December 15, 2025 Registration Close Date: February 9, 2026 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

3 min read NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory Reveals ‘First Light’ Images NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory has captured its first images from space, revealing rare views of Earth and the Moon in ultraviolet light. Taken on Nov. 17 — still months before the mission’s science phase begins — these “first light” images confirm the spacecraft is healthy while hinting at the incredible views to come. The initial images consist of two from Carruthers’ Wide Field Imager and two from its Narrow Field Imager. Each imager captured two different views: one showing a broad spectrum of far ultraviolet light, and one revealing light from Earth’s geocorona. These four images constitute the “first light” for the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory mission. The images were taken on Nov. 17, 2025, from a location near the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 by the spacecraft’s Wide Field Imager (left column) and Narrow Field Imager (right column) in far ultraviolet light (top row) and the specific wavelength of light emitted by atomic hydrogen known as Lyman-alpha (bottom row). Earth is the larger, bright circle near the middle of each image; the Moon is the smaller circle below and to the left of it. The fuzzy “halo” around Earth in the images in the bottom row is the geocorona: the ultraviolet light emitted by Earth’s exosphere, or outermost atmospheric layer. The lunar surface still shines in Lyman-alpha because its rocky surface reflects all wavelengths of sunlight — one reason it is important to compare Lyman-alpha images with the broad ultraviolet filter. The far ultraviolet light imagery from the Narrow Field Imagery also captured two background stars, whose surface temperatures must be approximately twice as hot as the our Sun’s to be so bright in this wavelength of light. NASA/Carruthers Geocorona Observatory When Carruthers captured these images, the Moon was also in its field of view and slightly closer to the spacecraft than Earth was, making the Moon appear larger and closer to Earth than usual. The specific wavelength Carruthers observed in two of the images, called Lyman-alpha, is light emitted by atomic hydrogen. The faint glow of Lyman-alpha from hydrogen in Earth’s outer atmosphere is called the “geocorona,” Latin for “Earth crown.” In the broad-spectrum images, the Moon and Earth look similar: both are spheres with well-defined edges. However, in the Lyman-alpha filter, the Moon still appears as a crisp, sharp sphere while Earth appears surrounded by a bright “fuzz” extending out to space. This glow is the geocorona, the primary focus of the Carruthers mission. It is the only way to “see” Earth’s outermost atmospheric layer, although the light of the geocorona has only been photographed a handful of times in history. Carruthers will be the first mission to image it repeatedly, and from far enough away to see its great extent and discover how it changes over time. These first images also offer a rare treat: sunlight reflected off the far side of the Moon, a view impossible to capture from Earth. Original Annotated OriginalAnnotated Original Annotated Carruthers Geocorona ObservatorY A View of Earth’s Geocorona Narrow Field Imager/Lyman-alpha filter CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details This view of the Earth, Moon, and Earth’s geocorona was captured by the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory’s Narrow Field Imager on Nov. 17, 2025. Move the slider to switch between the original version and one with overlaid annotations. In the annotated version, labels for Earth, the Moon, and Earth’s geocorona are overlaid on the image. The circle around Earth represents Earth’s surface, and the arc around Earth’s middle represents the orientation of Earth’s equator. The arrow pointing up and slightly to the left from Earth represents Earth’s rotational axis. The arrow pointing out to the right from Earth represents the direction to the Sun. The color scale indicates brightness, with brighter light appearing more yellow and dimmer light appearing more blue. The ‘glow’ that extends beyond Earth’s surface and out into space is Earth’s geocorona, which is emitted by hydrogen atoms in Earth’s exosphere in a wavelength of ultraviolet light known as Lyman-alpha. These initial images were taken with short, five-minute exposures — just long enough to confirm that the instrument is performing well. During the main science phase, Carruthers will take 30-minute exposures, allowing it to reveal even fainter details of the geocorona and trace how Earth’s outer atmosphere responds to the changing Sun. Carruthers launched on Sept. 24 and is just a few weeks from completing its journey to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, a point of gravitational balance roughly 1 million miles closer to the Sun than Earth is. Carruthers will begin its primary science phase in March 2026, when it will begin sending back a steady stream of ultraviolet portraits of our planet’s ever-shifting outer atmosphere. By Miles Hatfield NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. About the Author Miles Hatfield Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms Heliophysics Air Traffic Solutions Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (GLIDE) Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division Heliophysics Research Program Missions NASA Directorates Science & Research Science Mission Directorate Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Webb Observes Exoplanet Whose Composition Defies Explanation Article 5 minutes ago 3 min read NASA’s IMAP Mission Captures ‘First Light,’ Looks Back at Earth Article 35 minutes ago 3 min read A Subtle Return of La Niña A weak La Niña emerged in the equatorial Pacific in late 2025, and scientists are… Article 10 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read NASA’s IMAP Mission Captures ‘First Light,’ Looks Back at Earth All 10 instruments aboard NASA’s newly launched IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) mission have successfully recorded their first measurements in space. With these “first light” observations, the spacecraft is now collecting preliminary science data as it journeys to its observational post at Lagrange point 1 (L1), about 1 million miles from Earth toward the Sun. “We are extremely pleased with the initial in-flight performance of the IMAP mission. All instruments have successfully powered on and our commissioning remains on track. We have already collected useful data including exercising our near-real-time space weather data stream,” said Brad Williams, IMAP program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This successful milestone is quickly setting the stage for the start of our primary science operations.” As a modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP will chart the boundaries of the heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun’s wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond. To map the heliosphere’s boundaries, IMAP is equipped with three instruments that measure energetic neutral atoms: IMAP-Lo, IMAP-Hi, and IMAP-Ultra. These uncharged particles, called ENAs for short, are cosmic messengers formed at the heliosphere’s edge that allow scientists to study the boundary region and its variability from afar. These partial maps of the heliosphere’s boundaries were compiled from first-light data from the IMAP-Hi, IMAP-Lo, and IMAP-Ultra instruments. These initial looks offer a first glimpse at the detail NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) will be able to capture. The warmer colors show regions with more energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). NASA “It’s just astounding that within the first couple weeks of observations, we see such clear and consistent ENA data across the factor of 10,000 in energy covered collectively by the three imagers,” said David McComas, Princeton University professor and principal investigator for the IMAP mission. “This, plus excellent first light data from all seven of the other instruments, makes for a 10 out of 10, A-plus start to the mission.” As IMAP travelled away from Earth, the IMAP-Ultra instrument looked back at the planet and picked up ENAs created by Earth’s magnetic environment. These terrestrially made ENAs, which overwhelm ENAs coming from the heliosphere in sheer numbers, is a reason why IMAP will be stationed at L1. There the spacecraft will have an unobstructed view of ENAs coming from the heliosphere’s boundaries. Earth’s magnetic environment can be seen glowing bright in this image taken by the IMAP-Ultra instrument, which includes ENA data as well as noise. Earth sits at the center of the red donut-shaped structure. This image was taken as IMAP left Earth for its post at Lagrange point 1. NASA The mission will also study the solar wind, a continuous flow of charged particles coming from the Sun. Solar wind observations from five of IMAP’s instruments will be used by the IMAP Active Link for Real-Time (I-ALiRT) system to provide roughly a half hour’s warning to voyaging astronauts and spacecraft near Earth about harmful space weather and radiation coming their way. The IMAP instruments are already making near-real-time solar wind measurements that can be used to support space weather forecasts. The I-ALiRT network is being exercised and will be ready for space weather forecasters when IMAP starts its regular science mission at L1. With all of IMAP’s instruments up and running, the mission has nearly completed its commissioning stage and will arrive at L1 in early January. The mission is now working to complete the final commissioning steps and instrument calibration with the goal of being ready to take operational science data starting Saturday, Feb. 1, 2026. Here’s a look at IMAP’s instruments and what they’ve seen in their first-light observations. IMAP-Lo, IMAP-Hi, and IMAP-Ultra The three ENA (energetic neutral atom) instruments, IMAP-Lo, IMAP-Hi, and IMAP-Ultra, will help construct maps of the boundaries of the heliosphere, which will advance our understanding of how the solar wind interacts with our local galaxy. The green streak in this image from IMAP-Hi shows the instrument’s ability to separate ENAs from other particles such as cosmic rays (green and yellow blob). NASA MAG The magnetometer instrument measures magnetic fields from the Sun that stretch across the solar system. Its first-light data clearly shows dynamic changes in the solar wind’s magnetic field due to a shockwave created by the solar wind (squiggles at right). NASA SWAPI The Solar Wind and Pickup Ions (SWAPI) instrument measures ions from the solar wind and charged particles from beyond the solar system. Initial data from SWAPI showed a change in the composition of the solar wind over one day. This image shows particles from a coronal mass ejection on Nov. 11 and 12, 2025. NASA CoDICE The Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) instrument measures ions from the solar wind and charged particles from beyond the solar system. It detected different types of oxygen, hydrogen, and helium atoms in its first-light data. NASA HIT The High-energy Ion Telescope (HIT) measures energetic ions and electrons from the Sun. Early ion data shows the common elements up through iron. NASA GLOWS Unlike other IMAP instruments that study particles, the GLObal Solar Wind Structure (GLOWS) instrument images ultraviolet light called the helioglow that is created in part by the solar wind. The first data taken with GLOWS showed helioglow and bright stars, matching scientists’ expectations for the instrument. Unexpectedly, the signature of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), shown by the first small bump from the left in the image, was also seen before it disappeared from GLOWS’ view. NASA SWE As its name suggests, the Solar Wind Electron (SWE) instrument measures electrons from the solar wind. In its first data collection, SWE successfully captured electrons at a range of energy levels. On Nov. 12, a solar storm passed through the solar system and SWE captured the resulting spike in the number of electrons at each energy level. NASA IDEX The Interstellar Dust Experiment (IDEX) measures cosmic dust — conglomerations of particles originating outside of the solar system that are smaller than a grain of sand. Prior to IMAP, few of these dust particles had been measured. With two new detections already completed, IDEX has demonstrated its ability to become an unrivaled dust detector. This observation of one of the dust particles shows tentative identifications of the particle’s chemical composition, which includes carbon, oxygen, magnesium, silicon, and hydrogen sulfide. NASA By Mara Johnson-Groh NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Explore More 3 min read NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory Reveals ‘First Light’ Images Article 35 minutes ago 3 min read NASA’s Webb, Curiosity Named in TIME’s Best Inventions Hall of Fame Article 4 days ago 2 min read Massive Stars Make Their Mark in Hubble Image Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Sentinel-6B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich captured data on Nov. 26 of sea levels across a vast stretch of the Atlantic. Within the crisscrossing bands, red indicates higher water relative to the long-term average; blue indicates lower water. The tracks are layered atop the combined observations of other sea-level satellites.EUMETSAT Launched in November, Sentinel-6B will track ocean height with ultraprecision to advance marine forecasting, national security, and more. Sentinel-6B, a joint mission by NASA and its U.S. and European partners to survey 90% of the world’s oceans for the benefit of communities and commerce, has started sending back its first measurements since launching in November. A newly published map of the data shows sea levels across a vast stretch of the Eastern Seaboard and Atlantic Ocean. About the size of a pickup truck, Sentinel-6B extends a decades-long effort led by the United States and Europe to track ocean height down to fractions of an inch using radar altimetry. Once its instruments and algorithms are fully calibrated next year, Sentinel-6B will return actionable data for ship crews, weather forecasters, national security, and the millions of people who live and work near coastlines. “NASA does incredible science using the unique vantage point of space every day to deliver life-saving data directly into the hands of decision-makers for storms, navigation, flooding, and more,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The ocean measurements that Sentinel-6B collected during its first months in orbit benefit all, providing key insights to ensure the prosperity and security of coastal communities around the globe.” In addition to measuring sea level, instruments aboard the satellite will gather information on wind speeds, wave heights, atmospheric temperature, and humidity. In turn, that data can be used by U.S. agencies as well as to refine the Goddard Earth Observing System atmospheric forecast models, which the NASA Engineering and Safety Center relies on to plan safer re-entry of astronauts returning from Artemis missions. Mission teams in recent weeks have verified that Sentinel-6B and all its instruments are in good health. That includes the Poseidon-4 Synthetic Aperture Radar altimeter, the Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate, the Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation, and the Precise Orbit Determination Package. In the visualization above, featuring data captured by Sentinel-6B on Nov. 26, the crisscrossing bands trace the satellite’s path as it orbits Earth. The image also shows data collected on the same day by the satellite’s twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in 2020. The data in those bands is layered over the combined observations of other sea-level satellites across the region shown. Red indicates higher water relative to the long-term average; blue areas indicate lower water. Because the spacecraft’s instruments have not been fully calibrated, the data is considered preliminary but also quite promising. Together, Sentinel-6B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich make up the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission developed by NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “These first light images from Sentinel-6B underscore the value of Earth science observations in providing life-saving and economic-empowering data to communities along our world’s coastlines, where a third of the globe’s population lives,” said Karen St. Germain, director, NASA Earth Science Division at the agency’s headquarters. “This achievement also highlights the power of partnerships with ESA, EUMETSAT, and our sister science agency NOAA in advancing our collective understanding of Earth systems and putting that Earth science understanding to work for the benefit of humanity.” Sentinel-6/Jason-CS adds to a continuous sea level rise dataset that began in the early 1990s. Since then, the rate of sea level rise globally has doubled and currently averages about 0.17 inches (4.3 millimeters) per year. The rate differs between locations, with implications for coastal infrastructure, trade routes, and storm formation. “The accuracy and precision of this mission’s gold-standard dataset speaks to the foresight, more than 30 years ago, of investing in the technology and expertise that make it possible,” said Dave Gallagher, director, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’re proud to continue partnering to collect these critical measurements into another decade, and even prouder of the teams behind this most recent milestone.” Flying 830 miles (1,336 kilometers) above Earth, Sentinel-6B is about 30 seconds behind its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, currently the official reference satellite for sea level. Eventually, Sentinel-6B will take over that role, and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will move into a different orbit. More about Sentinel-6B Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS was jointly developed by ESA, EUMETSAT, NASA, and NOAA, with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from CNES. The mission, starting with Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, marked the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme. Managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, JPL contributed three science instruments for each Sentinel-6 satellite: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation, and the laser retroreflector array. NASA also contributed launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international ocean surface topography community. For more about Sentinel-6B, visit: [Hidden Content] News Media Contacts Elizabeth Vlock NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld Andrew Wang / Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 626-840-4291 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld 2025-139 Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related TermsSentinel-6BEarthEarth ScienceEarth Science DivisionJason-CS (Continuity of Service) / Sentinel-6Jet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 3 min read A Subtle Return of La Niña A weak La Niña emerged in the equatorial Pacific in late 2025, and scientists are… Article 9 hours ago 5 min read New Timing for Stubble Burning in India Scientists say the seasonal crop fires are burning later in the day than in previous… Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA’s Webb, Curiosity Named in TIME’s Best Inventions Hall of Fame Two icons of discovery, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Curiosity rover, have earned… Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Explore Earth Science From its origins, NASA has studied our planet in novel ways, using a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based… Earth Science at Work NASA Earth Science helps Americans respond to challenges and societal needs — such as wildland fires, hurricanes, and water supplies… Earth Science Data Earth Science Missions In order to study the Earth as a whole system and understand how it is changing, NASA develops and supports… View the full article

EO Science Earth Observatory A Subtle Return of La Niña Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Search Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe Contact Us December 1, 2025 After a several-month hiatus, La Niña returned to the equatorial Pacific Ocean in September 2025 and has continued into December. However, this occurrence of El Niño’s cooler counterpart is relatively weak, and its influence on weather and climate over the next several months remains to be seen. Part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, La Niña develops when strengthened easterly trade winds intensify the upwelling of cold, deep water in the eastern tropical Pacific. This process cools large swaths of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific while simultaneously pushing warm surface waters westward toward Asia and Australia. In a report published on December 11, the NOAA Climate Prediction Center confirmed that below-average sea surface temperatures associated with La Niña conditions were present and likely to continue for another month or two. The shifting wind patterns and the movement of heat within the ocean have a direct impact on sea level. Because cooler water is denser and occupies less volume than warm water, sea levels in the central and eastern Pacific drop during La Niña events. The map above shows sea surface height observed on December 1, 2025. Shades of blue indicate below-normal sea levels, shades of red show above-normal levels, and white represents near-normal conditions. Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Signals related to seasonal cycles and long-term trends have been removed to highlight sea level changes associated with ENSO and other short-term natural phenomena. The satellite’s twin successor, Sentinel-6B, launched in November 2025 and is expected to begin contributing to ENSO research and forecasts sometime in 2026. This equatorial surface-water cooling alters the exchange of heat and moisture between the ocean and atmosphere, reshaping global atmospheric circulation patterns. La Niña’s coupling with the ocean and atmosphere can shift mid-latitude jet streams, intensifying rainfall in some regions while bringing drought to others. Typically, La Niña years bring below-average rainfall to the American Southwest and above-average rainfall to the Northwest. But when the event is weak—whether El Niño or La Niña—the associated weather patterns can be “notoriously difficult to predict,” said Josh Willis, an oceanographer and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project scientist at JPL in Southern California. “It still has the potential to tilt our winter toward the dry side in the American Southwest,” Willis said. “But it’s never a guarantee, especially with a mild event like this one.” NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025) processed by the European Space Agency and further processed by Josh Willis and Kevin Marlis/NASA/JPL-Caltech. Story by Kathryn Hansen. References & Resources NASA Earth Observatory (2025) El Niño. Accessed December 15, 2025. NASA Earth Observatory (2025, February 6) La Niña is Here. Accessed December 15, 2025. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2025) Ocean Surface Topography From Space. Accessed December 15, 2025. NOAA Climate Prediction Center (2025, December 11) El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion. Accessed December 15, 2025. World Meteorological Organization (2025, December 4) WMO Update predicts weak La Niña. Accessed December 15, 2025. Downloads December 1, 2025 JPEG (1.15 MB) You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Antarctic Sea Ice Saw Its Third-Lowest Maximum 2 min read Sea ice around the southernmost continent hit one of its lowest seasonal highs since the start of the satellite record. Article A Sea Aswirl With Chlorophyll 4 min read One of NASA’s newest Earth-observing sensors extends and improves the continuous measurement of light-harvesting pigments in ocean surface waters. Article Iraq Reservoirs Plunge to Low Levels 5 min read A multi-year drought has put extra strain on farmers and water managers in the Middle Eastern country. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data View the full article

Notice ID: M2M-MSFC-0001 December 15, 2025 – Synopsis Released NAICS Codes: 541715 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) NASA seeks industry-led architecture concept development, concept refinement studies, and risk-reduction activities that address Moon to Mars Architecture gaps through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-3 (NextSTEP-3). NASA plans to release this solicitation — NextSTEP-3 Appendix B: Moon to Mars Architectural Studies — near the beginning of calendar year 2026. For full details, consult the links under the notice ID above. NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture defines capabilities needed for long-term, human-led scientific discovery in deep space. The agency’s architecture approach distills agency-developed objectives into capabilities and elements that support exploration and science goals. NASA continuously evolves that blueprint for crewed exploration, setting humanity on a path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond by collaborating with experts across industry, academia, and the international community. This proposed solicitation seeks partner participation on a recurring basis, targeting several calls per year for proposal submissions. The proposals should focus on topics addressing infrastructure, transportation, habitation, concepts of operations, and planetary science capabilities identified in the latest revision of the Architecture Definition Document. The solicitation establishes a flexible acquisition strategy that accommodates both directed-topic calls on specific areas of government interest, as well as open topic calls. NASA anticipates the first Appendix B directed-topic study calls will focus on lunar and Mars mission concepts. NASA intends to issue a directed call for research into an integrated surface power infrastructure (or power grid) that can evolve to support increasingly ambitious lunar missions. (Note: this call excludes proposals addressing the Fission Surface Power System Announcement for Partnership Proposal but may include all technology solutions including alternate fission, solar hybrid, or other power grid approaches.) Concurrently, NASA will issue a directed call for Mars crew transportation concept development, trade studies, and identification of risk reduction activities. This call would include in-space transportation, Mars surface access, and Mars ascent options for crew and cargo. View the full article

NASA A camera on the International Space Station captured this Oct. 2, 2025, photo of the Bassac River in Cù Lao Dung, a river islet district in southern Vietnam. The Bassac River surrounds the district before emptying into the South China Sea. The river’s brown waters at its mouth result from massive amounts of silt, clay, and organic matter carried from upstream regions of the Mekong River Basin, combined with tidal forces from the sea that stir up sediment. This photograph was taken from as the space station orbited 260 miles above Earth. Image credit: NASA View the full article

Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. Our universe is filled with galaxies, in all directions as far as our instruments can see. Some researchers estimate that there are as many as two trillion galaxies in the observable universe. At first glance, these galaxies might appear to be randomly scattered across space, but they’re not. Careful mapping has shown that they are distributed across the surfaces of giant cosmic “bubbles” up to several hundred million light-years across. Inside these bubbles, few galaxies are found, so those regions are called cosmic voids. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will allow us to measure these voids with new precision, which can tell us about the history of the universe’s expansion. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This narrated video sequence illustrates how NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be able to observe cosmic voids in the universe. These highly detailed measurements will help constrain cosmological models.Credit: Video: NASA, STScI; Visualization: Frank Summers (STScI); Script Writer: Frank Summers (STScI); Narration: Frank Summers (STScI); Audio: Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI); Science: Giulia Degni (Roma Tre University), Alice Pisani (CPPM), Giovanni Verza (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst.) “Roman’s ability to observe wide areas of the sky to great depths, spotting an abundance of faint and distant galaxies, will revolutionize the study of cosmic voids,” said Giovanni Verza of the Flatiron Institute and New York University, lead author on a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal. Cosmic Recipe The cosmos is made of three key components: normal matter, dark matter, and dark energy. The gravity of normal and dark matter tries to slow the expansion of the universe, while dark energy opposes gravity to speed up the universe’s expansion. The nature of both dark matter and dark energy are currently unknown. Scientists are trying to understand them by studying their effects on things we can observe, such as the distribution of galaxies across space. “Since they’re relatively empty of matter, voids are regions of space that are dominated by dark energy. By studying voids, we should be able to put powerful constraints on the nature of dark energy,” said co-author Alice Pisani of CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research) in France and Princeton University in New Jersey. To determine how Roman might study voids, the researchers considered one potential design of the Roman High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey, one of three core community surveys that Roman will conduct. The High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will look away from the plane of our galaxy (hence the term high latitude in galactic coordinates). The team found that this survey should be able to detect and measure tens of thousands of cosmic voids, some as small as just 20 million light-years across. Such large numbers of voids will allow scientists to use statistical methods to determine how their observed shapes are influenced by the key components of the universe. To determine the actual, 3D shapes of the voids, astronomers will use two types of data from Roman — the positions of galaxies in the sky and their cosmological redshift, the latter of which is determined using spectroscopic data. To convert redshift to a physical distance, astronomers make assumptions about the components of the universe, including the strength of dark energy and how it might have evolved over time. Pisani compared it to trying to infer a cake recipe (i.e., the universe’s makeup) from the final dessert served to you. “You try to put in the right ingredients — the right amount of matter, the right amount of dark energy — and then you check whether your cake looks as it should. If it doesn’t, that means you put in the wrong ingredients.” In this case, the appearance of the “cake” is the shape found by statistically stacking all of the voids detected by Roman on top of each other. On average, voids are expected to have a spherical shape because there is no “preferred” location or direction in the universe (i.e., the universe is both homogeneous and isotropic on large scales). This means that, if the stacking is done correctly, the resulting shape will be perfectly round (or spherically symmetric). If not, then you have to adjust your cosmic recipe. Power of Roman The researchers emphasized that to study cosmic voids in large numbers, an observatory must be able to probe a large volume of the universe, because the voids themselves can be tens or hundreds of millions of light-years across. The spectroscopic data necessary to study voids will come from a portion of the Roman High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey that will cover on the order of 2,400 square degrees of the sky, or 12,000 full moons. It will also be able to see fainter and more distant objects, yielding a greater density of galaxies than complementary missions like ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Euclid. “Voids are defined by the fact that they contain so few galaxies. So to detect voids, you have to be able to observe galaxies that are quite sparse and faint. With Roman, we can better look at the galaxies that populate voids, which ultimately will give us greater understanding of the cosmological parameters like dark energy that are sculpting voids,” said co-author Giulia Degni of Roma Tre University and INFN (the National Institute of Nuclear Physics) in Rome. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California. By Christine Pulliam Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. *****@*****.tld Explore More 8 min read NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction Article 2 weeks ago 6 min read NASA’s Roman Could Bring New Waves of Information on Galaxy’s Stars Article 4 weeks ago 7 min read NASA Announces Plan to Map Milky Way With Roman Space Telescope Article 3 days ago Share Details Last Updated Dec 15, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzer*****@*****.tldLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeDark EnergyDark MatterGoddard Space Flight CenterThe Universe View the full article

Career paths are rarely a straight line and often include some unexpected curves. That is certainly true for Erin Sholl, deputy chief of the Space Transportation Systems Division within the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. From struggling with multiplication tables in elementary school to supporting the International Space Station from the Mission Control Center, her journey has been full of twists and turns. Erin Sholl (second from right) received the Johnson Space Center Director’s Commendation Award in 2017 for significant achievements and exemplary contributions to the International Space Station and Commercial Crew Programs as the Safety and Mission Assurance Visiting Vehicles Group lead. NASA/James Blair Despite her early difficulties in math and science, Sholl eventually grew to love and excel in both subjects. She planned to study chemical engineering in college – inspired by a love of chemistry and a favorite high school teacher – but discovered a greater affinity for physics once she arrived at Pennsylvania State University. She switched her major to aerospace engineering and soon met a classmate who had interned at Johnson. After that, Sholl declared, “The dream was born!” Her first position at Johnson was as a trajectory operations officer for the Flight Operations Directorate. She spent six years supporting the space station on console in the Mission Control Center, describing the experience as “something out of the movies.” When Sholl went looking for a new challenge, she landed in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. Erin Sholl working on console as a trajectory operations officer in the Mission Control Center during the STS-128/17A mission in 2009. NASA/Lauren Harnett “I was drawn to the Operations and Visiting Vehicles Branch because it had many similar aspects to my previous position – real-time operations and visiting vehicles,” she said. “I worked various roles over the next 12 years, gradually taking on more responsibility, and eventually becoming a group lead, then branch chief.” Sholl also served as acting deputy chief for the Space Habitation Systems Division, which oversees the Operations and Visiting Vehicles Branch. Her performance drew the attention of the Space Transportation Systems Division’s chief. “He asked me to come be his deputy, and that is where I still am today!” The Space Transportation Systems Division provides system safety, reliability, and risk analysis for human spaceflight programs. The division works with the different program offices to reduce risk through technical assessments and guidance on Safety and Mission Assurance requirements throughout program and project lifecycles. Sholl works closely with the division chief to support strategic planning, budgeting, and operations. “A key part of my role is connecting with people – both inside and outside the division – to ensure smooth communication and representation of the team’s needs,” she said. She leverages her relationship-building and strategic thinking skills to lead initiatives that advance the division’s and the directorate’s goals and to mentor employees. Erin Sholl (center) receives a certificate of achievement from Terrence Wilcutt, former director of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) at NASA Headquarters, and Patricia Petete, former director of SMA at Johnson, after completing requirements for the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program in System Safety. Image courtesy of Erin Sholl Sholl believes strongly in the power of mentorship. “Having various mentors, both formal and informal, has been so important throughout my career,” she said. “Listening to what these people were saying about my strengths led me to a path I’d never considered because I hadn’t seen those things in myself.” Being a mentor and advocate for team members is one of Sholl’s favorite parts of the leadership positions she has held, particularly as branch chief. “I really felt like I could connect with my people and advocate for them in a way that felt meaningful,” she said. She encourages young professionals to seek out mentors or opportunities to shadow colleagues in different roles. “Relationships are the key to everything,” she said. “The more people you meet and the more you learn about different paths in space exploration, the better off you will be in your career.” Susan Schuh, Flight Crew Integration Operational Habitability (OpsHab) team lead and Erin Sholl host a JSC Parenting community event in 2023.Image courtesy of Erin Sholl Sholl noted that professional relationships can be bolstered by activities outside of the office. She played a key role in establishing and growing JSC Parenting, a virtual community of about 600 employees who share information and support each other on issues related to caregiving, schooling, and balancing work with family life. “My leadership within the community enhances my professional leadership and positively impacts my colleagues,” she said. Sholl also emphasized the importance of being open to trying new things, even if an opportunity seems to diverge from your expected career path. “I volunteer for everything because I am always eager to learn more and find out what else I might be good at and how else I can serve my team,” she said. “I think it’s easy to feel intimidated hearing about other people’s career paths, because they often sound so perfectly planned and successful. You rarely hear about the pivots, setbacks, or decisions made for personal reasons.” The reality, she added, is more complex. “I tried for many roles I didn’t get, and it took a lot of trial and error to find my path to a career I really love.” Explore More 6 min read 25 Years of Space Station Technology Driving Exploration Article 5 days ago 4 min read Artemis II Vehicle Manager Branelle Rodriguez Gets Orion Ready for “Go” Article 1 week ago 5 min read Student Art Murals at Johnson Celebrate 25 Years of Humanity in Space Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

EO Science Earth Observatory New Timing for Stubble Burning… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Search Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe Contact Us November 11, 2025 Every year for decades, long rivers of smoke and haze have spread across the Indo-Gangetic Plain in northern India from October to December. That’s when farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and other states burn off plant “stubble” after the rice harvest. When winds are weak and the atmosphere becomes stagnant, the haze can push levels of air pollution several times higher than limits recommended by the World Health Organization. Smoke typically mixes with particles and gases from other sources, such as industry, vehicles, domestic fires (heating and cooking), fireworks, and dust storms, to form the haze, though scientists consider stubble burning to be a major factor. In some ways, the seasonal timing of stubble fires in 2025 followed typical patterns. Air quality deteriorated in Delhi and several other cities for about a month after crop fires intensified during the last week of October, explained Hiren Jethva, a Morgan State University atmospheric scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. For about a decade, Jethva has tracked the stubble burning season in India using satellites, and has made predictions about the intensity of the upcoming fire season based on vegetation observations. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of a smoky haze darkening skies over much of the plain on November 11, 2025. According to news reports, it was the first of several days in 2025 when pollution levels exceeded 400 on India’s air quality index, the strongest rating on the scale. As in past years, the poor air quality prompted officials in some areas to close schools and institute more stringent air quality controls on construction. However, the daily timing of burning departs from what Jethva has seen in the past. He started tracking the number of fires years ago by primarily tallying observations from MODIS—which pass over locations on Earth each morning and afternoon on the Terra and Aqua satellites, respectively. Then, most fires were lit in the early afternoon between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. local time. But in the past few years, stubble fires have occurred progressively later in the day, Jethva said. He identified the shift by analyzing observations from GEO-KOMPSAT-2A, a South Korean geostationary satellite launched in late 2018 that collects data every 10 minutes. Most stubble fires now happen between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., he said, meaning that fire-monitoring systems that rely solely on MODIS, or similar sensors like VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite), miss many of the fires. “Farmers have changed their behavior,” he said. His analysis of GEO-KOMPSAT-2A observations indicates that the stubble burning activity in Punjab and Haryana was moderate in 2025 compared to other recent years. This year had higher numbers of fires compared to 2024, 2020, and 2019 but fewer fires than 2023, 2022, and 2021, he found. Indian Space Research Organization researchers have also pointed out the shift in the timing of stubble burning. In a Current Science study published in 2025, one group reported that MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) satellite observations showed a shift in peak fire activity from about 1:30 p.m. in 2020 to about 5:00 p.m. in 2024. In December 2025, researchers with the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability, & Technology (iForest) released a multi-satellite analysis that came to a similar conclusion. Meanwhile, parsing out precisely how much stubble fires contribute to poor air quality in Delhi compared to other sources of pollution remains a topic of active study and debate among scientists. “Studies report contributions ranging from 10 to 50 percent,” said Pawan Gupta, a NASA research scientist who specializes in air quality. Gupta estimates that the stubble burning contribution ranges from 40 to 70 percent on a given day, dropping to 20 to 30 percent if averaged over a month or burning season, and under 10 percent if averaged annually. “Meteorological conditions—like a shallow boundary layer height and low temperature—during the burning season add extra complexity,” he said. The timing of the fires may influence the degree to which stubble burning affects air quality. Some modeling research suggests that evening fires may lead to a stronger overnight buildup of particle pollution than early-afternoon fires because the planetary boundary layer, the lowest part of the atmosphere, tends to be shallower and have weaker winds at night, allowing pollutants to accumulate. NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland. References and Resources Biswal, A., et al. (2025) Emission time and amount of crop residue burning play critical role on PM2.5 variability during October–November in northwestern India during 2022–2024. Environmental Science: Atmospheres, 11. Burki, T. (2025) Stubble: The Farmer’s Bane. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 13(2), 207. The Deccan Herald (2025, December 8) Punjab, Haryana farmers change stubble burning time window to avoid satellite detection. Accessed December 9, 2025. Down to Earth (2025, November 26) Why has Madhya Pradesh burnt more paddy stubble for the second year in a row? Accessed December 9, 2025. Jethva, H., et al. (2019) Connecting Crop Productivity, Residue Fires, and Air Quality over Northern India. Scientific Reports, 9, 16594. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (2025, December 1) Paddy Harvesting Season 2025 concludes with significant Reduction in Farm Fire Incidents across Punjab and Haryana. Accessed December 9, 2025. NASA (2024, October 18) What is Air Quality? Accessed December 9, 2025. NASA Earth Observatory (2020, November 17) A Busy Season for Crop Fires in Northwestern India. Accessed December 9, 2025. NASA Earth Observatory (2025, January 22) Is Fire Activity Declining in Northwestern India? Accessed December 9, 2025. NDTV (2025, December 1) Stubble Burning Down By 90% In Punjab, Haryana, Centre Informs Parliament. Accessed December 9, 2025. NDTV (2025, December 9) Farm Fires Didn’t End, They Just Moved To Afternoon: Satellite Data Analysis. Accessed December 9, 2025. The New Indian Express (2025, November 11) AQI spikes to 428 in first ‘severe’ air day of this year, GRAP-III invoked in capital. Accessed December 9, 2025. Singh, N., et al. (2025) Evidence of shift in stubble burning timing over northwest India from geostationary satellite observations. Current Science, 129(10), 921-923. The Times of India (2025, December 6) Stubble burning cases jump by 18% in UP this year. Accessed December 9, 2025. Downloads November 11, 2025 JPEG (2.90 MB) You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Widespread Smoke from ********* Fires 3 min read Fires burning in boreal forests created hazy skies across North America in summer 2025. Article Seeing the Monroe Canyon Fire in a New Light 5 min read As wildland fires raged in the American West, NASA airborne technology was there to image it in incredible detail. Article B.C. Wildfires Send Smoke Skyward 2 min read Lightning likely ignited several large fires that sent smoke pouring over the ********* province in early September 2025. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data View the full article

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim poses inside the International Space Station’s cupola as it orbits 265 miles above the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will recap his recent mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 19, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Watch the news conference live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. Media interested in participating in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, at 281-483-5111 or *****@*****.tld. Media wishing to participate by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom no later than two hours before the start of the event. To ask questions by phone, media must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Kim returned to Earth on Dec. 9, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. He logged 245 days as an Expedition 72/73 flight engineer during his first spaceflight. The trio completed 3,920 orbits of the Earth over the course of their nearly 104-million-mile journey. They also saw the arrival of nine visiting spacecraft and the departure of six. During his mission, Kim contributed to a wide range of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. He studied the behavior of bioprinted tissues containing blood vessels in microgravity for an experiment helping advance space-based tissue production to treat patients on Earth. He also evaluated the remote command of multiple robots in space for the Surface Avatar study, which could support the development of robotic assistants for future exploration missions. Additionally, Kim worked on developing in-space manufacturing of DNA-mimicking nanomaterials, which could improve drug delivery technologies and support emerging therapeutics and regenerative medicine. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: [Hidden Content] -end- Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 *****@*****.tld Shaneequa Vereen Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 shaneequa.y*****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceAstronautsInternational Space Station (ISS)ISS ResearchJohnson Space CenterJonny KimSpace Operations Mission Directorate View the full article

Two icons of discovery, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Curiosity rover, have earned places in TIME’s “Best Inventions Hall of Fame,” which recognizes the 25 groundbreaking inventions of the past quarter century that have had the most global impact, since TIME began its annual Best Inventions list in 2000. The inventions are celebrated in TIME’s December print issue. “NASA does the impossible every day, and it starts with the visionary science that propels humanity farther than ever before,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Congratulations to the teams who made the world’s great engineering feats, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Mars Curiosity Rover, a reality. Through their work, distant galaxies feel closer, and the red sands of Mars are more familiar, as they expanded and redefined the bounds of human achievement in the cosmos for the benefit of all.” Decades in the making and operating a million miles from Earth, Webb is the most powerful space telescope ever built, giving humanity breathtaking views of newborn stars, distant galaxies, and even planets orbiting other stars. The new technologies developed to enable Webb’s science goals – from optics to detectors to thermal control systems – now also touch Americans’ everyday lives, improving manufacturing for everything from high-end cameras and contact lenses to advanced semiconductors and inspections of aircraft engine components. This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI Meanwhile on Mars, the unstoppable Curiosity rover, NASA’s car-size science lab, has spent more than a decade uncovering clues that the Red Planet once could have supported life, transforming our understanding of our planetary neighbor. These NASA missions continue to make breakthroughs that have reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Curiosity has also paved the way for future astronauts: Its Radiation Assessment Detector has studied the Martian radiation environment for nearly 14 years, and its unforgettable landing by robotic jetpack allowed heavier spacecraft to touch down on the surface — a capability that will be needed to send cargo and humans to Mars. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used two different cameras to create this selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall. The panorama is made up of 60 images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the rover’s robotic arm on March 26, 2021, the 3,070th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. These were combined with 11 images taken by the Mastcam on the mast, or “head,” of the rover on March 16, 2021, the 3,060th Martian day of the mission. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS To compile this “Hall of Fame” list, TIME solicited nominations from TIME editors and correspondents around the world, paying special attention to high-impact fields, such as health care and technology. TIME then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, continued efficacy, ambition, and impact. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (********* Space Agency). The Curiosity rover was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. To learn more about NASA’s science missions, visit: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e*****@*****.tld Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Astrophysics Curiosity (Rover) Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory Missions Science & Research Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Explore NASA Science Activities James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Mars Science Laboratory: Curiosity Rover Part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, at the time of launch, Curiosity was the largest and most capable rover… Science Missions View the full article

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured an uncommon sight – the death of a low-mass star – in this image of the Calabash Nebula released on Feb. 3, 2017. Here, we can see the star going through a rapid transformation from a red giant to a planetary nebula, during which it blows its outer layers of gas and dust out into the surrounding space. The recently ejected material is spat out in opposite directions with immense speed — the gas shown in yellow is moving close to a million kilometers an hour. Astronomers rarely capture a star in this phase of its evolution because it occurs within the blink of an eye – in astronomical terms. Over the next thousand years the nebula is expected to evolve into a fully-fledged planetary nebula. View the full article

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has released detailed plans for a major survey that will reveal our home galaxy, the Milky Way, in unprecedented detail. In one month of observations spread across two years, the survey will unveil tens of billions of stars and explore previously uncharted structures. This video begins with a view of the Carina Nebula — a giant, relatively nearby star-forming region in the southern sky. Roman will view the entire nebula as well as its surroundings, including a 10,000 light-year-long swath of the spiral arm it resides in. The observation will offer an unparalleled opportunity to watch how stars grow, interact, and sculpt their environments, and it’s just one of many thousands of highlights astronomers are looking forward to from the Galactic Plane Survey NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will conduct. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center “The Galactic Plane Survey will revolutionize our understanding of the Milky Way,” said Julie McEnery, Roman’s senior project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We’ll be able to explore the mysterious far side of our galaxy and its star-studded heart. Because of the survey’s breadth and depth, it will be a scientific mother lode.” The Galactic Plane Survey is Roman’s first selected general astrophysics survey — one of many observation programs Roman will do in addition to its three core surveys and Coronagraph technology demonstration. At least 25% of Roman’s five-year primary mission is reserved for astronomers worldwide to propose more surveys beyond the core programs, fully leveraging Roman’s capabilities to conduct groundbreaking science. Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026. While ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) retired Gaia spacecraft mapped around 2 billion Milky Way stars in visible light, many parts of the galaxy remain hidden by dust. By surveying in infrared light, Roman will use powerful heat vision that can pierce this veil to see what lies beyond. “It blows my mind that we will be able to see through the densest part of our galaxy and explore it properly for the first time,” said Rachel Street, a senior scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory in Santa Barbara, California, and a co-chair of the committee that selected the Galactic Plane Survey design. This infographic describes the 29-day Galactic Plane Survey that will be conducted by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The survey’s main component will cover 691 square degrees — a region of sky as large as around 3,500 full moons — in 22.5 days. Roman will also view a smaller area — 19 square degrees, the area of 95 full moons — repeatedly for about 5.5 days total to capture things that change over time. The survey’s final component will image a smattering of even smaller areas, adding up to about 4 square degrees (the area of 20 full moons) and 31 total hours, with Roman’s full suite of filters and spectroscopic tools. The survey will reveal our home galaxy in unprecedented detail including many in regions we’ve never been able to see before because they’re blocked by dust, unveiling tens of billions of stars and other objects.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center The survey will cover nearly 700 square degrees (a region of sky as large as about 3,500 full moons) along the glowing band of the Milky Way — our edge-on view of the disk-shaped structure containing most of our galaxy’s stars, gas, and dust. Scientists expect the survey to map up to 20 billion stars and detect tiny shifts in their positions with repeated high-resolution observations. And it will only take 29 days spread over the course of the mission’s first two years. Cosmic Cradles Stars are born from parent clouds of gas and dust. Roman will peer through the haze of these nesting grounds to see millions of stellar embryos, newborn stars still swaddled in shrouds of dust, tantrumming toddler stars that flare unpredictably, and young stars that may have planetary systems forming around them. Astronomers will study stellar birth rates across a wide range of masses and stitch together videos that show how stars change over time. “This survey will study such a huge number of stars in so many different stellar environments that we’ll be sampling every phase of a star’s evolution,” Street said. Observing so many stars in various stages of early development will shed light on the forces that shape them. Star formation is like a four way tug-of-war between gravity, radiation, magnetism, and turbulence. Roman will help us study how these forces influence whether gas clouds collapse into full-fledged stars, smaller brown dwarfs — in-between objects that are much heavier than planets but not massive enough to ignite like stars — or new worlds. The Galactic Plane Survey by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will scan the densest part of our galaxy, where most of its stars, gas, and dust reside — the most difficult region to study from our place inside the Milky Way since we have to look through so much light-blocking material. Roman’s wide field of view, crisp resolution, and infrared vision will help astronomers peer through thick bands of dust to chart new galactic territory. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Some stars are born in enormous litters called clusters. Roman will study nearly 2,000 young, loosely bound open clusters to see how the galaxy’s spiral arms trigger star formation. The survey will also map dozens of ancient, densely packed globular clusters near the center of the galaxy that could help astronomers reconstruct the Milky Way’s early history. Comparing Roman’s snapshots of clusters scattered throughout the galaxy will enable scientists to study nature versus nurture on a cosmic scale. Because a cluster’s stars generally share the same age, origin, and chemical makeup, analyzing them allows astronomers to isolate environmental effects very precisely. Pulse Check When they run out of fuel, Sun-like stars leave behind cores called white dwarfs and heavier stars collapse to form neutron stars and ****** holes. Roman will find these stellar embers even when they’re alone thanks to wrinkles in space-time. Anything that has mass warps the underlying fabric of the universe. When light from a background star passes through the gravitational well around an intervening object on its journey toward Earth, its path slightly curves around the object. This phenomenon, called microlensing, can temporarily brighten the star. By studying these signals, astronomers can learn the mass and size of otherwise invisible foreground objects. A separate survey — Roman’s Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey — will conduct deep microlensing observations over a smaller area in the heart of the Milky Way. The Galactic Plane Survey will conduct repeated observations over a shorter interval but across the whole center of the galaxy, giving us the first complete view of this complex galactic environment. An unobscured view of the galaxy’s central bar will help astronomers answer the question of its origin, and Roman’s videos of stars in this region will enable us to study some ultratight binary objects at the very ends of their lives thanks to their interactions with close companions. “Compact binaries are particularly interesting because they’re precursors to gravitational-wave sources,” said Robert Benjamin, a visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a co-chair of the committee that selected the Galactic Plane Survey design. When neutron stars and ****** holes merge, the collision is so powerful that it sends ripples through the fabric of space-time. “Scientists want to know more about the pathways that lead to those mergers.” optical infrared This colorful image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and published in 2018, celebrated the observatory’s 28th anniversary of viewing the heavens. opticalinfrared This colorful image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and published in 2018, celebrated the observatory’s 28th anniversary of viewing the heavens. optical infrared Optical vs infrared Two Views CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details The Galactic Plane Survey by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will scan the densest part of our galaxy, where most of its stars, gas, and dust reside — the most difficult region to study from our place inside the Milky Way since we have to look through so much light-blocking material. Roman’s wide field of view, crisp resolution, and infrared vision will help astronomers peer through thick bands of dust to chart new galactic territory. Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI Roman’s repeated observations will also monitor stars that flicker. Ground-based surveys detect thousands of bright stellar outbursts, but often can’t see the faint, dust-obscured stars that produce them. Roman will pinpoint the culprits plus take high-resolution snapshots of the aftermath. Some stars throb rhythmically, and the speed of their pulsing is directly linked to their intrinsic brightness. By comparing their true brightness to how bright they appear from Earth, astronomers can measure distances across the galaxy. Roman will find these blinking stars farther away than ever before and track them over time, helping astronomers improve their cosmic measuring sticks. “Pairing Roman’s Galactic Plane Survey with other Milky Way observations will create the best portrait of the galaxy we’ve ever had,” Benjamin said. Download additional images and video from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. For more information about the Roman Space Telescope, visit: [Hidden Content] By Ashley Balzer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-1940 Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Roman Mission Shares Detailed Plans to Scour Skies Article 8 months ago 8 min read NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction Article 1 week ago 7 min read One Survey by NASA’s Roman Could Unveil 100,000 Cosmic Explosions Article 5 months ago Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzer*****@*****.tldLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeExoplanetsGalaxiesGoddard Space Flight CenterStarsThe Milky WayThe Universe View the full article

Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Universe Uncovered Hubble’s Partners in Science Hubble & Citizen Science AI & Hubble Science Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Science Operations Astronaut Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts e-Books Online Activities 3D Hubble Models Lithographs Fact Sheets Posters Hubble on the NASA App Glossary News Hubble News Social Media Media Resources More 35th Anniversary Online Activities 2 min read Massive Stars Make Their Mark in Hubble Image This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the blue dwarf galaxy Markarian 178 (Mrk 178) against a backdrop of distant galaxies in all shapes and sizes. Some of these distant galaxies even shine through the diffuse edges of Mrk 178. ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Annibali, S. Hong This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a glittering blue dwarf galaxy called Markarian 178 (Mrk 178). The galaxy, which is substantially smaller than our own Milky Way, lies 13 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Mrk 178 is one of more than 1,500 Markarian galaxies. These galaxies get their name from the Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian, who compiled a list of galaxies that were surprisingly bright in ultraviolet light. While the bulk of the galaxy is blue due to an abundance of young, hot stars with little dust shrouding them, Mrk 178 gets a red hue from a collection of rare massive Wolf–Rayet stars. These stars are concentrated in the brightest, reddish region near the galaxy’s edge. Wolf–Rayet stars cast off their atmospheres through powerful winds, and the bright emission lines from their hot stellar winds are etched upon the galaxy’s spectrum. Both ionized hydrogen and oxygen lines are particularly strong and appear as a red color in this photo. Massive stars enter the Wolf–Rayet phase of their evolution just before they collapse into ****** holes or neutron stars. Because Wolf–Rayet stars last for only a few million years, researchers know that something must have triggered a recent burst of star formation in Mrk 178. At first glance, it’s not clear what could be the cause — Mrk 178 doesn’t seem to have any close galactic neighbors that may have stirred up its gas to form new stars. Instead, researchers suspect that a gas cloud crashed into Mrk 178, or that the intergalactic medium disturbed its gas as the galaxy moved through space. Either disturbance could light up this tiny galaxy with a ripple of bright new stars. @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Linkedin logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli (*****@*****.tld) NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2025 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Hubble Space Telescope Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Stars The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble’s Galaxies Hubble & Citizen Science Hubble News View the full article

EO Science Earth Observatory Pacific Moisture Drenches the… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Search Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe Contact Us December 10, 2025 Waves of heavy rainfall in early December 2025 spurred landslides and flooding in parts of the Pacific Northwest. The deluge was the result of a potent atmospheric river that took aim at the region starting around December 7. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture that move like rivers in the sky, transporting water vapor from the tropics toward the poles. They occur around the planet, most often in autumn and winter, with the U.S. West Coast typically affected by moist air that originates near Hawaii. In this event, however, some of the moisture arrived from even farther away, originating roughly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers) across the Pacific from near the Philippines. This map shows the total precipitable water vapor in the atmosphere at 11:30 p.m. Pacific Time on December 10. It is derived from NASA’s GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) and uses satellite data and models of physical processes to approximate what is happening in the atmosphere. Precipitable water vapor represents the amount of water contained in a column of air, assuming all the water vapor condensed into liquid. The map’s green areas indicate the highest amounts of moisture. Note that not all precipitable water vapor falls as rain; at least some remains in the atmosphere. Nor is it a cap on how much rain can fall, since rainfall can increase as more moisture flows into a column of air. Still, it serves as a useful indicator of areas where excessive rainfall is likely. According to the National Weather Service, preliminary ground-based measurements showed that several locations in western Washington received more than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of rain over a 72-hour ******* ending on the morning of December 11. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport set a daily rainfall record on December 10, with 1.6 inches (40 millimeters). River flooding was ongoing on December 11, with the Skagit River and Snohomish River seeing record or near-record flood levels that day. Floodwater and mudslides have closed numerous roadways, including the eastbound lanes of I-90 out of western Washington. NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System has been activated to support the ongoing response efforts by the Washington State Emergency Operations Center. The team will be posting maps and data products on its open-access mapping portal as new information becomes available. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using GEOS data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC. Story by Kathryn Hansen. References & Resources Cliff Mass Weather Blog (2025, December 8) The Torrent Has Begun: The Philippine Connection. Accessed December 11, 2025. National Water Center, via X (2025, December 10) Key Messages for Pacific Northwest Flooding. Accessed December 11, 2025. National Weather Service (2025, December 11) Miscellaneous Hydrological Data. Accessed December 11, 2025. NOAA (2025, February 21) What are atmospheric rivers? Accessed December 11, 2025. USA Today (2025, December 11) Catastrophic flooding sparks evacuations in Washington state. See forecast. Accessed December 11, 2025. The Washington Post (2025, December 8) A 7,000-mile atmospheric river is stretching from Philippines to the U.S. Accessed December 11, 2025. Downloads December 10, 2025 JPEG (1.55 MB) You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Iraq Reservoirs Plunge to Low Levels 5 min read A multi-year drought has put extra strain on farmers and water managers in the Middle Eastern country. Article Drought Parches the Yakima River Basin 4 min read Farmers are facing the burden of dwindling reservoir water in this productive agricultural region of Washington state. Article Reservoirs Dwindle in South Texas 3 min read Drought in the Nueces River basin is reducing reservoir levels, leaving residents and industry in the Corpus Christi area facing… Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data View the full article

NASA NASA has selected one small explorer mission concept to advance toward flight design and another for an extended ******* of concept development. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate Science Management Council selected CINEMA (Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora) to enter Phase B of development, which includes planning and design for flight and mission operations. The principal investigator for the CINEMA mission concept is Robyn Millan from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The proposed CINEMA mission aims to advance our understanding of how plasma energy flows into the Earth’s magnetosphere. This highly dynamic convective flow is unpredictable — sometimes steady and sometimes explosive — driving phenomena like fast plasma jets, global electrical current systems, and spectacular auroral displays. “The CINEMA mission will help us to research magnetic convection in Earth’s magnetosphere — a critical piece of the puzzle in understanding why some space weather events are so influential, such as causing magnificent aurora displays and impacts to ground- and space-based infrastructure, and others seem to fizzle out,” said Joe Westlake, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Using multiple, multi-point measurements to improve predictions of these impacts on humans and technology across the solar system is a key strategy for the future of heliophysics research.” The CINEMA mission’s constellation of nine small satellites will investigate the convective mystery using a combination of instruments — an energetic particle detector, an auroral imager, and a magnetometer — on each spacecraft in a polar low Earth orbit. By relating the energetic particles observed in this orbit to simultaneous auroral images and local magnetic field measurements, CINEMA aims to connect energetic activity in Earth’s large-scale magnetic structure to the visible signatures like aurora that we see in the ionosphere. The mission has been awarded approximately $28 million to enter Phase B. The total cost of the mission, not including launch, will not exceed $182.8 million. Phase B will last 10 months, and if selected, the mission would launch no earlier than 2030. NASA also selected the proposed CMEx (Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer) mission for an extended Phase A study. This extended phase is for the mission to assess and refine their design for potential future consideration. The principal investigator for the CMEx mission concept study is Holly Gilbert from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The cost of the extended Phase A, which will last 12 months, is $2 million. The CMEx concept is a proposed single-spacecraft mission that would use proven UV spectropolarimetric instrumentation that has been demonstrated during NASA’s CLASP (Chromospheric Layer Spectropolarimeter) sub-orbital sounding rocket flight. Using this heritage hardware, CMEx would be able to diagnose lower layers of the Sun’s chromosphere to understand the origin of solar eruptions and determine the magnetic sources of the solar wind. The proposed missions completed a one-year early concept study in response to the 2022 Heliophysics Explorers Program Small-class Explorer (SMEX) Announcement of Opportunity. “Space is becoming increasingly more important and plays a role in just about everything we do,” said Asal Naseri, acting associate flight director for heliophysics at NASA Headquarters. “These mission concepts, if advanced to flight, will improve our ability to predict solar events that could harm satellites that we rely on every day and mitigate danger to astronauts near Earth, at the Moon, or Mars.” To learn more about NASA heliophysics missions, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Abbey Interrante / Karen Fox Headquarters, Washington 301-201-0124 / 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsScience Mission DirectorateHeliophysicsHeliophysics DivisionNASA HeadquartersThe Solar SystemThe Sun View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The 2025 Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a United Airlines 737-8, sits outside a United hangar in Houston.Boeing / Paul Weatherman Picture this: You’re just about done with a transoceanic flight, and the tracker in your seat-back screen shows you approaching your destination airport. And then … you notice your plane is moving away. Pretty far away. You approach again and again, only to realize you’re on a long, circling loop that can last an hour or more before you land. If this sounds familiar, there’s a good chance the delay was caused by issues with trajectory prediction. Your plane changed its course, perhaps altering its altitude or path to avoid weather or turbulence, and as a result its predicted arrival time was thrown off. “Often, if there’s a change in your trajectory – you’re arriving slightly early, you’re arriving slightly late – you can get stuck in this really long, rotational holding pattern,” said Shivanjli Sharma, NASA’s Air Traffic Management–eXploration (ATM-X) project manager and the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. This inconvenience to travelers is also an economic and efficiency challenge for the aviation sector, which is why NASA has worked for years to study the issue, and recently teamed with Boeing to conduct real-time tests an advanced system that shares trajectory data between an aircraft and its support systems. Boeing began flying a United Airlines 737 for about two weeks in October testing a data communication system designed to improve information flow between the flight deck, air traffic control, and airline operation centers. The work involved several domestic flights based in Houston, as well as flight over the Atlantic to Edinburgh, Scotland. This partnership has allowed NASA to further its commitment to transformational aviation research. Shivanjli sharma NASA's Air Traffic Management—eXploration project manager The testing was Boeing’s most recent ecoDemonstrator Explorer program, through which the company works with public and private partners to accelerate aviation innovations. This year’s ecoDemonstrator flight partners included NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines, and several aerospace companies as well as academic and government researchers. NASA’s work in the testing involved the development of an oceanic trajectory prediction service – a system for sharing and updating trajectory information, even over a long, transoceanic flight that involves crossing over from U.S. air traffic systems into those of another country. The collaboration allowed NASA to get a more accurate look at what’s required to reduce gaps in data sharing. “At what rate do you need these updates in an oceanic environment?” Sharma said. “What information do you need from the aircraft? Having the most accurate trajectory information will allow aircraft to move more efficiently around the globe.” Boeing and the ecoDemonstrator collaborators plan to use the flight data to move the data communication system toward operational service. The work has allowed NASA to continue its work to improve trajectory prediction, and through its connection with partners, put its research into practical use as quickly as possible. “This partnership has allowed NASA to further its commitment to transformational aviation research,” Sharma said. “Bringing our expertise in trajectory prediction together with the contributions of so many innovative partners contributes to global aviation efficiency that will yield real benefits for travelers and industry.” NASA ATM-X’s part in the collaboration falls under the agency’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program, which works to enable safe, efficient aviation transportation operations that benefit the flying public and industry. The work is supported through NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 2 min read NASA Demonstrates Safer Skies for Future Urban Air Travel Article 2 days ago 5 min read New NASA Sensor Goes Hunting for Critical Minerals Article 2 days ago 4 min read NASA Software Raises Bar for Aircraft Icing Research Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Airspace Operations and Safety Program Aeronautics Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Banke*****@*****.tld Related TermsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAir Traffic Management – ExplorationAir Traffic SolutionsAirspace Operations and Safety ProgramAmes Research CenterNASA HeadquartersUltra-Efficient Aviation View the full article

NGC 6278 and PGC 039620 are two galaxies from a sample of 1,600 that were searched for the presence of supermassive ****** holes. These images represent the results of a study that suggests that smaller galaxies do not contain supermassive ****** holes nearly as often as larger galaxies do. The study analyzed over 1,600 galaxies that have been observed with Chandra over two decades. Certain X-ray signatures indicate the presence of supermassive ****** holes. The study indicates that most smaller galaxies like PGC 03620, shown here in both X-rays from Chandra and optical light images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, likely do not have supermassive ****** holes in their centers. In contrast, NGC 6278, which is roughly the same size as the Milky Way, and most other large galaxies in the sample show evidence for giant ****** holes within their cores. X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/F. Zou et al.; Optical: SDSS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk Most smaller galaxies may not have supermassive ****** holes in their centers, according to a recent study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This contrasts with the common idea that nearly every galaxy has one of these giant ****** holes within their cores, as NASA leads the world in exploring how our universe works. A team of astronomers used data from over 1,600 galaxies collected in more than two decades of the Chandra mission. The researchers looked at galaxies ranging in heft from over ten times the mass of the Milky Way down to dwarf galaxies, which have stellar masses less than a few percent of that of our home galaxy. A paper describing these results has been published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available here [Hidden Content]. The team has reported that only about 30% of dwarf galaxies likely contain supermassive ****** holes. “It’s important to get an accurate ****** hole head count in these smaller galaxies,” said Fan Zou of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who led the study. “It’s more than just bookkeeping. Our study gives clues about how supermassive ****** holes are born. It also provides crucial hints about how often ****** hole signatures in dwarf galaxies can be found with new or future telescopes.” As material falls onto ****** holes, it is heated by friction and produces X-rays. Many of the massive galaxies in the study contain bright X-ray sources in their centers, a clear signature of supermassive ****** holes in their centers. The team concluded that more than 90% of massive galaxies – including those with the mass of the Milky Way – contain supermassive ****** holes. However, smaller galaxies in the study usually did not have these unambiguous ****** hole signals. Galaxies with masses less than three billion Suns – about the mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a close neighbor to the Milky Way – usually do not contain bright X-ray sources in their centers. The researchers considered two possible explanations for this lack of X-ray sources. The first is that the fraction of galaxies containing massive ****** holes is much lower for these less massive galaxies. The second is the amount of X-rays produced by matter falling onto these ****** holes is so faint that Chandra cannot detect it. “We think, based on our analysis of the Chandra data, that there really are fewer ****** holes in these smaller galaxies than in their larger counterparts,” said Elena Gallo, a co-author also from the University of Michigan. To reach their conclusion, Zou and his colleagues considered both possibilities for the lack of X-ray sources in small galaxies in their large Chandra sample. The amount of gas falling onto a ****** hole determines how bright or faint they are in X-rays. Because smaller ****** holes are expected to pull in less gas than larger ****** holes, they should be fainter in X-rays and often not detectable. The researchers confirmed this expectation. However, they found that an additional deficit of X-ray sources is seen in less massive galaxies beyond the expected decline from decreases in the amount of gas falling inwards. This additional deficit can be accounted for if many of the low-mass galaxies simply don’t have any ****** holes at their centers. The team’s conclusion was that the drop in X-ray detections in lower mass galaxies reflects a true decrease in the number of ****** holes located in these galaxies. This result could have important implications for understanding how supermassive ****** holes form. There are two main ideas: In the first, a giant gas cloud directly collapses into a ****** hole, which contains thousands of times the Sun’s mass from the start. The other idea is that supermassive ****** holes instead come from much smaller ****** holes, created when massive stars collapse. “The formation of big ****** holes is expected to be rarer, in the sense that it occurs preferentially in the most massive galaxies being formed, so that would explain why we don’t find ****** holes in all the smaller galaxies,” said co-author Anil Seth of the University of Utah. This study supports the theory where giant ****** holes are born already weighing several thousand times the Sun’s mass. If the other idea were true, the researchers said they would have expected smaller galaxies to likely have the same fraction of ****** holes as larger ones. This result also could have important implications for the rates of ****** hole mergers from the collisions of dwarf galaxies. A much lower number of ****** holes would result in fewer sources of gravitational waves to be detected in the future by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. The number of ****** holes tearing stars apart in dwarf galaxies will also be smaller. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. To learn more about Chandra, visit: [Hidden Content] Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here: [Hidden Content] [Hidden Content] News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 *****@*****.tld Corinne Beckinger Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 256-544-0034 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2025 EditorLee MohonContactCorinne M. Beckinger*****@*****.tldLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsChandra X-Ray ObservatoryAstrophysics****** HolesGalaxies, Stars, & ****** HolesGalaxies, Stars, & ****** Holes ResearchMarshall Space Flight CenterThe Universe Explore More 3 min read ‘Listen’ to the Light Echoes From a ****** Hole A new sonification turns X-ray data of “light echoes” captured by NASA’s Chandra and Swift… Article 3 years ago 3 min read ‘X-ray Magnifying Glass’ Enhances View of Distant ****** Holes Article 4 years ago 5 min read ‘Death Spiral’ Around a ****** Hole Yields Tantalizing Evidence of an Event Horizon NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope may have, for the first time, provided direct evidence for the… Article 25 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Chandra Space Telescope ****** Holes ****** Holes ****** holes are among the most mysterious cosmic objects, much studied but not fully understood. These objects aren’t… Galaxies Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain… James Webb Space Telescope Space Telescope View the full article