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NASA - NASA's Sofia Investigates the Southern Sky from New Zealand

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Image #: SCI2010_0001

Date: 05/28/10

Title: Jupiter in Infrared

Caption: Infrared image of Jupiter from SOFIA’s First Light flight composed of individual images at wavelengths of 5.4 (blue), 24 (green) and 37 microns (red) made by Cornell University’s FORCAST camera. Ground-based infrared observations are impossible at 5.4 and 37 microns and normally very difficult at 24 microns even from high mountaintop observatories such as Mauna Kea due to absorption by water and other molecules in Earth's atmosphere. The white stripe in the infrared image is a region of relatively transparent clouds through which the warm interior of Jupiter can be seen. A recent visual-wavelength picture of approximately the same side of Jupiter is shown for comparison. (Images are oriented with Jupiter's south pole at the top.)

Instrument: FORCAST

Credit: NASA/SOFIA/USRA/FORCAST Team/James De Buizer (infrared image), Anthony Wesley (visible light image)

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NASA's Sofia Investigates the Southern Sky from New Zealand

WASHINGTON -- NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory will be based in New Zealand for the next two weeks, taking advantage of the Southern Hemisphere's orientation to study celestial objects that are difficult or impossible to see in the northern sky.

SOFIA, formally known as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, deployed to the United States Antarctic Program's facilities at Christchurch International Airport last week and completed its first science flight at 4 a.m. local time July 18 (noon EDT July 17). A team of scientists, engineers, pilots and technicians from the United States and Germany are deployed with SOFIA to support as many as nine research flights through Aug. 1.
SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that carries a telescope with an effective diameter of 100 inches (250 centimeters). It provides astronomers access to the visible, infrared and submillimeter spectrum.
On the first flight in New Zealand, astronomers used SOFIA to observe the disk of gas and dust orbiting the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, and two dwarf galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which accompany the Milky Way. The Magellanic Clouds can be seen easily with the naked eye in the southern sky.
"SOFIA's deployment to the Southern Hemisphere shows the remarkable versatility of this observatory, which is the product of years of fruitful collaboration and cooperation between the U.S. and German space agencies," said Paul Hertz, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division in Washington. "This is just the first of a series of SOFIA scientific deployments envisioned over the mission's planned 20-year lifetime."
A vital part of the collaboration is a far-infrared spectrometer, the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT). Mounted on SOFIA's telescope for the entire deployment, GREAT is especially suited for studies of interstellar gas and the life cycle of stars.
"The success of the GREAT spectrometer in addressing exciting scientific questions at far-infrared wavelengths was demonstrated during SOFIA's earlier, Northern Hemisphere flights," said Rolf Guesten of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, and leader of the German researchers who developed the spectrometer. "Now, we are turning the instrument to new frontiers such as the Magellanic Clouds, including the Tarantula Nebula -- that is the most active star-forming region known in the local group of galaxies."
SOFIA project scientist Pamela Marcum said the results anticipated from observations made during the aircraft's deployment will further scientists' understanding of star formation, stellar evolution and chemistry in stellar clouds.
"The deployment exemplifies the synergistic relationship between SOFIA's international partners, with NASA playing a crucial role in the planning and execution of the science observations," Marcum said.
SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. The aircraft is based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center's Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. Dryden manages the program. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages SOFIA's science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) of Columbia, Md., and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program provided vital support for SOFIA's deployment operations in Christchurch.
For a media kit with more information about SOFIA's Southern Hemisphere deployment, visit:
http://www.sofia.usra.edu/News/media/NZ/NZ2013.html

For more information about the SOFIA program, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/18jeban

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

NASA - Mission Control Celebrates Success of Apollo 11

Apollo 11 mission patch
› View larger image "The Eagle has landed..."

Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC), Building 30, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), showing the flight controllers celebrating the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

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Mission Control Celebrates Success of Apollo 11

Flight controllers celebrate the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission on July 24, 1969, at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston. On July 20, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong planted the first human foot on another world. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbed down the ladder and proclaimed: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

Image Credit: NASA

NASA Links About Apollo:

The "Apollo: History and Legacy," roundtable discussion moderated by NASA Chief Historian Dr. Steven J. Dick marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11.

Held on July 16 in the NASA HQ James Webb auditorium, the discussion began with remarks by Associate Administrator Chris Scolese.
The panelists included: Dr. John Logsdon, Charles A. Lindbergh chair in aerospace history, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM); Dr. Roger Launius, senior curator in space history, NASM; Dr. Michael Neufeld, chair of the division of space history, NASM, and author of a recent biography of Wernher von Braun; Cristina Guidi, deputy director, Constellation Systems Division, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate; and Craig Nelson, author of "Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon."
Click here to view this panel discussion.
Apollo 11 Onboard Audio Database with mp3 files ready for download.
Apollo 40th Anniversary web site celebrates the many accomplishments of the Apollo Program.
Apollo Program Overview at the Kennedy Space Center: A fine collection of materials relating to each Apollo mission.
click here for a collection of Apollo press kits by the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.
Apollo Lunar Surface Journal: An excellent site containing the transcripts of all the transmissions between Earth and the Moon while the astronauts were on the surface.
Apollo Soyuz Test Project: A site commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Apollo Soyuz Test Project with video and historical documents.
The Apollo Program Summary Report (Document # JSC-09423, April 1975): This hard-to-find document is an extremely useful overview of Apollo with details on the spacecraft, launch vehicles, scientific results, etc.
The Decision to Go to the Moon: President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961 Speech before a Joint Session of Congress, initiating Project Apollo
The Flights of Apollo: Information about each mission in the Apollo program.
A Historic Meeting at the White House about Human Spaceflight involving President Kennedy and NASA Administrator James Webb on November 20, 1962.
Apollo 1 (204): A special exhibit about the Apollo 1 (204 Capsule Fire) that took place on January 27, 1967.
Apollo 11 35th Anniversary Exhibit: An excellent site with documents, images, movies, and historical commentary.
Report of the Apollo 13 Review Board (a.k.a. the Cortright Commission): This is the report issued after the Apollo 13 accident which prevented the mission from landing on the moon and nearly cost the lives of the astronauts involved.
Apollo 12 Flight Journal A new companion to the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and the already existing Apollo Flight Journals.
Apollo 13 Detailed Chronology
Apollo 15 Flight Journal: A splendid companion to the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, this evolving site contains the air-to-ground transcript of this trip to the Moon, accompanied by detailed technical commentary.
On the Moon with Apollo 16: A Guidebook to the Descartes Region: This guidebook contains many photographs and diagrams of the Descartes region and the equipment used on Apollo 16 for research and exploration and also explains the importance of scientific research in the region.
Lunar Exploration Times, 1959-1976: An outstanding chronology concerning missions to the Moon conducted by both the United States and the Soviet Union. Includes not only the Apollo flights but also the satellite probes sent to the Moon.
Apollo Audio and Video Segments from NASA's Fortieth Anniversary.
Astronaut Still Photography During Apollo: Describes the cameras and techniques used during the Apollo missions.

Non-NASA Links About Apollo:

Apollo and the Smithsonian Institution: An interesting exhibit about Project Apollo created by the National Air and Space Museum.
Boeing Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Apollo 11: A site about Boeing North American (the former Rockwell aerospace units) and McDonnell Douglas, and their roles in helping to make possible the first Moon landing.
The Apollo Mode Decision: A good private site at Clemson University on the debate over the method of flying to the Moon with Project Apollo.
"To the Moon" The companion Web site to the two-hour NOVA special that chronicles the untold science and engineering story of how we got to the moon. The program was broadcast on PBS at 8 pm on July 13,1999.
"Washington Goes to the Moon": A two-part radio program that deals with the political story of the acquiring and sustaining of support of the Apollo lunar landing program in the 1960s. Produced by WAMU-FM, the public radio station of the American University in Washington, D.C., the show's web site also has transcripts of the two programs, on-line documents, and transcripts of interviews with key personnel.
Apollo at American Samoa: Some interesting information about the Apollo missions that landed near and then passed through American Samoa.
Apollo Saturn Reference Page: Detailed technical information about the Saturn Launch Vehicles for modelers and space buffs, by a private enthusiast.
Contact Light: A personal recollection of the Apollo missions to the Moon. This site by a private enthusiast includes some cool video and audio clips, a lunar landing simulator game, and reference tables.
Where Were You? This web site is dedicated to collecting memories from the various points of view of people who where alive during the historic landing of Apollo 11.
"One Giant Leap" commemorates the anniversary of Apollo 11 with a visual journey and interesting facts and data.
First Moon Landing in 1969 marked an entire generation: Memories of the first moon landing.
Apollo 11 Commentary: Contains the complete audio air to ground transmissions in streaming format.
Man In Space: Study of Alternatives: This is a National Park Service study to identify possible locations and other components of the national park system that pertain to Apollo.
Virtual AGC and AGS Home Page Project Overview: A page devoted to the Apollo guidance computer.
nixontapes.org: A page of original audio of a handful of meetings and phone calls that President Nixon had with the crews of Apollo 15, 16, and 17. One can find the digitized versions of the original audio, as well as summaries of the conversations here.
Newseum - Apollo Anniversary

On-line Books Concerning Project Apollo:

Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350, 1975)
Apollo Over the Moon: A View From Orbit (NASA SP-362, 1978).
The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology (NASA SP-4009, 4 volumes, 1969-1978).
Managing NASA in the Apollo Era (NASA SP-4102, 1982)
NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo . (NASA SP-4104,1992).
Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations (NASA SP-4204, 1978).
Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft (NASA SP-4205, 1979).
Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions (NASA SP-4214, 1989).
Unmanned Space Project Management: Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter (NASA SP-4901, 1972).
Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program (NASA TM-3487, 1977).
An Annotated Bibliography of the Apollo Program (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 2, 1994).
Apollo: A Retrospective Analysis (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 3, 1994).
Enchanted Rendezvous: John C. Houbolt and the Genesis of the Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous Concept (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 4, 1995).
Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference (NASA SP-4029, 2001).
Biomedical Results of Apollo (NASA SP-368, 1975).
What Made Apollo A Success? (NASA SP-287, 1971).
"Before This Decade is Out..." Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program (NASA SP-4223, 1999).
Project Apollo: The Tough Decisions (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 37, 2005).

Steve Garber, NASA History Web Curator
Site design by NASA HQ Printing & Design
For further information email histinfo@hq.nasa.gov

APOLLO 11

Mission ObjectiveThe primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth.

Additional flight objectives included scientific exploration by the lunar module, or LM, crew; deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. During the exploration, the two astronauts were to gather samples of lunar-surface materials for return to Earth. They also were to extensively photograph the lunar terrain, the deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other, both with still and motion picture cameras. This was to be the last Apollo mission to fly a "free-return" trajectory, which would enable, if necessary, a ready abort of the mission when the combined command and service module/lunar module, or CSM/LM, prepared for insertion into lunar orbit. The trajectory would occur by firing the service propulsion subsystem, or SPS, engine so as to merely circle behind the moon and emerge in a trans-Earth return trajectory.

Mission Highlights
Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles. An estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong's televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969.

Two hours, 44 minutes and one-and-a-half revolutions after launch, the S-IVB stage reignited for a second burn of five minutes, 48 seconds, placing Apollo 11 into a translunar orbit. The command and service module, or CSM, Columbia separated from the stage, which included the spacecraft-lunar module adapter, or SLA, containing the lunar module, or LM, Eagle. After transposition and jettisoning of the SLA panels on the S-IVB stage, the CSM docked with the LM. The S-IVB stage separated and injected into heliocentric orbit four hours, 40 minutes into the flight.

The first color TV transmission to Earth from Apollo 11 occurred during the translunar coast of the CSM/LM. Later, on July 17, a three-second burn of the SPS was made to perform the second of four scheduled midcourse corrections programmed for the flight. The launch had been so successful that the other three were not needed.

On July 18, Armstrong and Aldrin put on their spacesuits and climbed through the docking tunnel from Columbia to Eagle to check out the LM, and to make the second TV transmission.

On July 19, after Apollo 11 had flown behind the moon out of contact with Earth, came the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver. At about 75 hours, 50 minutes into the flight, a retrograde firing of the SPS for 357.5 seconds placed the spacecraft into an initial, elliptical-lunar orbit of 69 by 190 miles. Later, a second burn of the SPS for 17 seconds placed the docked vehicles into a lunar orbit of 62 by 70.5 miles, which was calculated to change the orbit of the CSM piloted by Collins. The change happened because of lunar-gravity perturbations to the nominal 69 miles required for subsequent LM rendezvous and docking after completion of the lunar landing. Before this second SPS firing, another TV transmission was made, this time from the surface of the moon.

On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the LM again, made a final check, and at 100 hours, 12 minutes into the flight, the Eagle undocked and separated from Columbia for visual inspection. At 101 hours, 36 minutes, when the LM was behind the moon on its 13th orbit, the LM descent engine fired for 30 seconds to provide retrograde thrust and commence descent orbit insertion, changing to an orbit of 9 by 67 miles, on a trajectory that was virtually identical to that flown by Apollo 10. At 102 hours, 33 minutes, after Columbia and Eagle had reappeared from behind the moon and when the LM was about 300 miles uprange, powered descent initiation was performed with the descent engine firing for 756.3 seconds. After eight minutes, the LM was at "high gate" about 26,000 feet above the surface and about five miles from the landing site.

The descent engine continued to provide braking thrust until about 102 hours, 45 minutes into the mission. Partially piloted manually by Armstrong, the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility in Site 2 at 0 degrees, 41 minutes, 15 seconds north latitude and 23 degrees, 26 minutes east longitude. This was about four miles downrange from the predicted touchdown point and occurred almost one-and-a-half minutes earlier than scheduled. It included a powered descent that ran a mere nominal 40 seconds longer than preflight planning due to translation maneuvers to avoid a crater during the final phase of landing. Attached to the descent stage was a commemorative plaque signed by President Richard M. Nixon and the three astronauts.

The flight plan called for the first EVA to begin after a four-hour rest period, but it was advanced to begin as soon as possible. Nonetheless, it was almost four hours later that Armstrong emerged from the Eagle and deployed the TV camera for the transmission of the event to Earth. At about 109 hours, 42 minutes after launch, Armstrong stepped onto the moon. About 20 minutes later, Aldrin followed him. The camera was then positioned on a tripod about 30 feet from the LM. Half an hour later, President Nixon spoke by telephone link with the astronauts.

Commemorative medallions bearing the names of the three Apollo 1 astronauts who lost their lives in a launch pad fire, and two cosmonauts who also died in accidents, were left on the moon's surface. A one-and-a-half inch silicon disk, containing micro miniaturized goodwill messages from 73 countries, and the names of congressional and NASA leaders, also stayed behind.

During the EVA, in which they both ranged up to 300 feet from the Eagle, Aldrin deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package, or EASEP, experiments, and Armstrong and Aldrin gathered and verbally reported on the lunar surface samples. After Aldrin had spent one hour, 33 minutes on the surface, he re-entered the LM, followed 41 minutes later by Armstrong. The entire EVA phase lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, ending at 111 hours, 39 minutes into the mission.

Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon's surface. After a rest period that included seven hours of sleep, the ascent stage engine fired at 124 hours, 22 minutes. It was shut down 435 seconds later when the Eagle reached an initial orbit of 11 by 55 miles above the moon, and when Columbia was on its 25th revolution. As the ascent stage reached apolune at 125 hours, 19 minutes, the reaction control system, or RCS, fired so as to nearly circularize the Eagle orbit at about 56 miles, some 13 miles below and slightly behind Columbia. Subsequent firings of the LM RCS changed the orbit to 57 by 72 miles. Docking with Columbia occurred on the CSM's 27th revolution at 128 hours, three minutes into the mission. Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the CSM with Collins. Four hours later, the LM jettisoned and remained in lunar orbit.

Trans-Earth injection of the CSM began July 21 as the SPS fired for two-and-a-half minutes when Columbia was behind the moon in its 59th hour of lunar orbit. Following this, the astronauts slept for about 10 hours. An 11.2 second firing of the SPS accomplished the only midcourse correction required on the return flight. The correction was made July 22 at about 150 hours, 30 minutes into the mission. Two more television transmissions were made during the trans-Earth coast.

Re-entry procedures were initiated July 24, 44 hours after leaving lunar orbit. The SM separated from the CM, which was re-oriented to a heat-shield-forward position. Parachute deployment occurred at 195 hours, 13 minutes. After a flight of 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds -- about 36 minutes longer than planned -- Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet. Because of bad weather in the target area, the landing point was changed by about 250 miles. Apollo 11 landed 13 degrees, 19 minutes north latitude and 169 degrees, nine minutes west longitude July 24, 1969.
Crew
Neil Armstrong
Commander

Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot

Michael Collins
Command Module Pilot

Backup Crew
James A. Lovell
Commander

Fred W. Haise Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot

William A. Anders
Command Module Pilot

Payload
Columbia (CSM-107)
Eagle (LM-5)

Prelaunch Milestones11/21/68 - LM-5 integrated systems test
12/6/68 - CSM-107 integrated systems test
12/13/68 - LM-5 acceptance test
1/8/69 - LM-5 ascent stage delivered to Kennedy
1/12/69 - LM-5 descent stage delivered to Kennedy
1/18/69 - S-IVB ondock at Kennedy
1/23/69 - CSM ondock at Kennedy
1/29/69 - command and service module mated
2/6/69 - S-II ondock at Kennedy
2/20/69 - S-IC ondock at Kennedy
2/17/69 - combined CSM-107 systems tests
2/27/69 - S-IU ondock at Kennedy
3/24/69 - CSM-107 altitude testing
4/14/69 - rollover of CSM from the Operations and Checkout Building to the Vehicle Assembly Building
4/22/69 - integrated systems test
5/5/69 - CSM electrical mate to Saturn V
5/20/69 - rollout to Launch Pad 39A
6/1/69 - flight readiness test
6/26/69 - Countdown Demonstration Test

Launch
July 16, 1969; 9:32 a.m. EDT
Launch Pad 39A
Saturn-V AS-506
High Bay 1
Mobile Launcher Platform-1
Firing Room 1

Orbit
Altitude: 118.65 miles
Inclination: 32.521 degrees
Orbits: 30 revolutions
Duration: eight days, three hours, 18 min, 35 seconds
Distance: 953,054 miles
Lunar Location: Sea of Tranquility
Lunar Coordinates: .71 degrees north, 23.63 degrees east

LandingJuly 24, 1969; 12:50 p.m. EDT
Pacific Ocean
Recovery Ship: USS Hornet

Apollo 11 Image Gallery

All photographs on this website are courtesy of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, specifically the
NASA History Office and the NASA JSC Media Services Center.

Apollo 11 Image Gallery - NASA's History Office

May 24, 1969, Apollo 11 Saturn V on launch pad 39A S69-38660. Apollo 11
Saturn V on launch pad 39A July 1, 1969. Liftoff of Apollo 11. S69-39525. Liftoff of
...

http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/apollo.html

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

NASA - NASA to Host Google+ Hangout on Hurricane Research Flights

NASA Hangout: Hurricane Severe Storm Sentinel Mission - HS3

NASA to Host Google+ Hangout on Hurricane Research Flights

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a Google+ Hangout from several NASA centers at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 23 as the agency prepares to fly two unmanned aircraft over Atlantic Ocean hurricanes this summer.

NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel, or HS3, mission is a five-year project that first took to the field in 2012 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va. HS3 is investigating the roles of the large-scale environment and storm-scale internal processes in hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic basin. HS3 scientists will use two NASA Global Hawk aircraft during the campaign, one with instruments measuring the environment around a tropical cyclone and the other with instruments looking into the storms.

Participants in the Hangout will hear about the 2012 mission and preparations underway at Wallops for the upcoming flights. The HS3 lead scientist will explain how NASA will peer into hurricanes and a Global Hawk pilot will discuss remote flying over tropical cyclones.

Panelists for the Google+ Hangout are:

-- Scott Braun, HS3 principal investigator, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

-- Tom Miller, Global Hawk pilot, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

-- Marilyn Vasques, HS3 project manager, NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

-- Brian McNoldy, senior research associate, University of Miami, Fla., Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

Google+ Hangouts allow as many as 10 people or groups to chat, while thousands more can watch the conversation live on Google+ or YouTube. The Hangout also will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Journalists who want to participate in the Hangout or ask questions by phone must contact Aries Keck at 301-286-4435 or aries.keck@nasa.gov with their affiliation by noon July 23.

NASA social media followers may submit questions on Google+ or Twitter in advance and during the event using the hashtag #askNASAHS3. Before the Hangout begins, NASA will open a thread on its Facebook page where questions may be posted.

To join the Hangout, visit:

http://bit.ly/193oajo

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the NASA's HS3 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/HS3

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

NASA - NASA's Hubble Sees a Stranger in the Crowd

NASA's Hubble Sees a Stranger in the Crowd

The constellation of Virgo (The Virgin) is the largest of the Zodiac constellations, and the second largest overall after Hydra (The Water Snake). Its most appealing feature, however, is the sheer number of galaxies that lie within it. In this picture, among a crowd of face- and edge-on spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies, lies NGC 4866, a lenticular galaxy situated about 80 million light-years from Earth.

Lenticular galaxies are somewhere between spirals and ellipticals in terms of shape and properties. From the picture, we can appreciate the bright central bulge of NGC 4866, which contains primarily old stars, but no spiral arms are visible. The galaxy is seen from Earth as almost edge-on, meaning that the disc structure — a feature not present in elliptical galaxies — is clearly visible. Faint dust lanes trace across NGC 4866 in this image, obscuring part of the galaxy’s light.

To the right of the galaxy is a very bright star that appears to lie within NGC 4866’s halo. However, this star actually lies much closer to us; in front of the galaxy, along our line of sight. These kinds of perspective tricks are common when observing, and can initially deceive astronomers as to the true nature and position of objects such as galaxies, stars, and clusters.

This sharp image of NGC 4866 was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, an instrument on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Image Credit: European Space Agency

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui