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A view earned only by leaving the world that made us.

From low Earth orbit, the planet reveals itself in motion — aurora sweeping across the night side, the atmosphere glowing in thin, electric layers, and pieces of the International Space Station drifting quietly through view. In this timelapse, astronauts capture the rhythm of Earth as only orbit can show it: fast, fluid, and alive.

Every frame is a reminder of why we study our home planet from above — to understand its systems, protect its future, and witness the beauty that unfolds just beyond the horizon.

Percy is roving the “Western Frontier” of Mars 🤠

It’s the farthest west our Perseverance rover has explored since landing in Jezero Crater in 2021, and it’s an ancient landscape that may predate the crater itself.

Assembled from 61 individual images, this selfie shows the rover beside a circular abrasion patch on a nearby rock. By grinding away the rock’s outer surface, the rover gives the science team back on Earth a closer look at what lies beneath.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

#NASA #Mars #Perseverance #WildWest

Don’t let anyone dull your shine 💫

The heart of galaxy M77 is shining so brightly in this Webb telescope image, it nearly outshines the galaxy itself. The intense glow is due to gas being pulled into a tight and rapid orbit around the central black hole. The motion of the gas heats it up, releasing tremendous amounts of radiation.

The first image is Webb’s mid-infrared view with swirling filaments of dust shown in blue. The glowing orange bubbles along the arms are being carved out by newly-formed star clusters.

In the second image, the near-infrared reveals a bar spanning 6,000 light-years across the central region. This bar is enclosed by a bright ring, called a starburst ring, formed by the inner ends of the galaxy’s two spiral arms. Starburst regions in galaxies are zones of high star formation rates.

The third image is a composite image, combining both mid and near-infrared shots into one.

Those bright orange lines radiating out of the center of all images are diffraction spikes, an optical effect caused by the telescope itself. When observing a bright object such as a star, the light gets slightly bent (or diffracted) around some of the telescope’s structures. Due to Webb’s optics, its images have a six-plus-two-pointed pattern around bright objects. Hubble images have four-pointed patterns due to its structure.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy

#NASA #Webb #Galaxy

Don’t let anyone dull your shine 💫

The heart of galaxy M77 is shining so brightly in this Webb telescope image, it nearly outshines the galaxy itself. The intense glow is due to gas being pulled into a tight and rapid orbit around the central black hole. The motion of the gas heats it up, releasing tremendous amounts of radiation.

The first image is Webb’s mid-infrared view with swirling filaments of dust shown in blue. The glowing orange bubbles along the arms are being carved out by newly-formed star clusters.

In the second image, the near-infrared reveals a bar spanning 6,000 light-years across the central region. This bar is enclosed by a bright ring, called a starburst ring, formed by the inner ends of the galaxy’s two spiral arms. Starburst regions in galaxies are zones of high star formation rates.

The third image is a composite image, combining both mid and near-infrared shots into one.

Those bright orange lines radiating out of the center of all images are diffraction spikes, an optical effect caused by the telescope itself. When observing a bright object such as a star, the light gets slightly bent (or diffracted) around some of the telescope’s structures. Due to Webb’s optics, its images have a six-plus-two-pointed pattern around bright objects. Hubble images have four-pointed patterns due to its structure.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy

#NASA #Webb #Galaxy

Don’t let anyone dull your shine 💫

The heart of galaxy M77 is shining so brightly in this Webb telescope image, it nearly outshines the galaxy itself. The intense glow is due to gas being pulled into a tight and rapid orbit around the central black hole. The motion of the gas heats it up, releasing tremendous amounts of radiation.

The first image is Webb’s mid-infrared view with swirling filaments of dust shown in blue. The glowing orange bubbles along the arms are being carved out by newly-formed star clusters.

In the second image, the near-infrared reveals a bar spanning 6,000 light-years across the central region. This bar is enclosed by a bright ring, called a starburst ring, formed by the inner ends of the galaxy’s two spiral arms. Starburst regions in galaxies are zones of high star formation rates.

The third image is a composite image, combining both mid and near-infrared shots into one.

Those bright orange lines radiating out of the center of all images are diffraction spikes, an optical effect caused by the telescope itself. When observing a bright object such as a star, the light gets slightly bent (or diffracted) around some of the telescope’s structures. Due to Webb’s optics, its images have a six-plus-two-pointed pattern around bright objects. Hubble images have four-pointed patterns due to its structure.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy

#NASA #Webb #Galaxy

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

If you’re seeing this… this is your sign.

Before they were the Artemis II lunar science team, they were college students with big dreams... just like you.

Now it’s your turn.

Take the next giant leap in your future by applying for an internship, where students work on real NASA projects, build technical and professional skills, and learn directly from NASA mentors.

🌕 Your path to discovery starts here.
⏳ Deadline: May 22

Apply now ➡️ Link in @NASAScience_ bio

A stellar (air) glow up ✨

In this image of Earth from the @ISS, Earth appears to be bathed in orange light. This is due to a phenomenon called airglow, where molecules in the upper atmosphere release energy after being excited by radiation from the Sun. This glow can be a variety of colors, including red, green, purple, and yellow.

Airglow is constantly shining throughout Earth’s atmosphere, but it is so dim that it can only be seen in orbit or by a sensitive camera from the ground with dark skies.

Credit: ESA/Sophie Adenot

#NASA #Astrophotography #Earth

Stopped by Mars, took some photos 📸

On May 15, our Psyche spacecraft swung by Mars on its way to its next destination: a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche. The spacecraft is now set on course to arrive at the asteroid in the summer of 2029.

The Red Planet gave the spacecraft a 1,000-mph speed boost and provided some stunning photos as well!

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

#NASA #Mars #Psyche #Photoshoot

Stopped by Mars, took some photos 📸

On May 15, our Psyche spacecraft swung by Mars on its way to its next destination: a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche. The spacecraft is now set on course to arrive at the asteroid in the summer of 2029.

The Red Planet gave the spacecraft a 1,000-mph speed boost and provided some stunning photos as well!

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

#NASA #Mars #Psyche #Photoshoot

Stopped by Mars, took some photos 📸

On May 15, our Psyche spacecraft swung by Mars on its way to its next destination: a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche. The spacecraft is now set on course to arrive at the asteroid in the summer of 2029.

The Red Planet gave the spacecraft a 1,000-mph speed boost and provided some stunning photos as well!

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

#NASA #Mars #Psyche #Photoshoot

Stopped by Mars, took some photos 📸

On May 15, our Psyche spacecraft swung by Mars on its way to its next destination: a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche. The spacecraft is now set on course to arrive at the asteroid in the summer of 2029.

The Red Planet gave the spacecraft a 1,000-mph speed boost and provided some stunning photos as well!

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

#NASA #Mars #Psyche #Photoshoot

Did you catch the Moon-Venus conjunction?

On the night of May 18, our Moon and Venus had a celestial meetup, called a conjunction. Their position in the sky made them appear close together, despite being millions of miles apart in space.

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

#NASA #Moon #Venus #Conjunction

Did you catch the Moon-Venus conjunction?

On the night of May 18, our Moon and Venus had a celestial meetup, called a conjunction. Their position in the sky made them appear close together, despite being millions of miles apart in space.

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

#NASA #Moon #Venus #Conjunction

What does the Milky Way look like from space?

This photo was taken by NASA astronaut Chris Williams on April 13, 2026, from a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. If you can find a dark enough sky, you may be able to see a similar view back on Earth!

Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

#NASA #Space #Stargazing

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature."⁣
⁣
@astro_jessica took this picture of Lake Argentino surrounded by the snow-capped Andes Mountains in Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina as the @ISS was orbiting 269 miles above South America's Patagonia region. The lake gets its striking blue color from multiple active glaciers that feed the lake with their finely ground glacial sediment.⁣
⁣
Credit: NASA/Jessica Meir⁣
⁣
#NASA #Earth #Lake #Thoreau

POV: You’re coming home after a journey around the Moon. 🌕

Before reentering Earth’s atmosphere at the end of Artemis II, the Orion spacecraft’s crew module — carrying the astronauts — separated from the European-built service module that provided propulsion and power throughout the mission. This view of the separation was captured by cameras located on the service module’s solar array wings.

Credit: NASA

“It’s great to be with you in the people’s house.”

This week, NASA’s Artemis II crew visited the U.S. Capitol to speak with lawmakers, congressional staff, and special guests about their historic 10-day mission around the Moon and back.

And, yes, Rise was there too!

Credit: NASA/Max van Otterdyk

Pretty in purple 💜

You’re looking at Messier 101, otherwise known as the Pinwheel Galaxy. This dazzling photo was taken by @NASAChandraXray and includes data from a variety of other telescopes. This galaxy appears purple because Chandra represents its X-ray data in pink and purple tones. Other wavelengths of light, like visible and infrared, are shown in different colors.

Showing these different wavelengths of light together in one composite image helps scientists study the stars and celestial activity present in galaxies like Messier 101.

Credit: X-ray: Chandra: ASA/CXC/JHU/K. Kuntz et al.; UV/Optical: XMM-Newton: ESA/XMM/R. Willatt; Optical: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI/JHU/K. Kuntz et al.; Ground-based: R. J. GaBany; IR: Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/K. Gordon; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare, K.Arcand

#NASA #Galaxy #Purple