Earthday - Blog Posts
Morning reblog
Ran a little late and just made it Happy Earth Day!!
Love,
Your local Herb cookie
Ran a little late and just made it Happy Earth Day!!
Love,
Your local Herb cookie
Celebrate Earth Day with NASA
"We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." - Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders
On Dec. 24, 1968, Anders snapped this iconic photo of "Earthrise" during the historic Apollo 8 mission. As he and fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell became the first humans to orbit the Moon, they witnessed Earth rising over the Moon's horizon. The image helped spark the first #EarthDay on April 22, 1970.
Anders sat down with Dr. Kate Calvin, our chief scientist and senior climate advisor, to chat about the photo, and NASA’s role in studying our home.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
Earth: Your Home, Our Mission
We pioneer and support an amazing range of advanced technologies and tools to help us better understand our home planet, the solar system and far beyond.
Here are 5 ways our tech improves life here on Earth...
1. Eyes in the Sky Spot Fires on the Ground
Our Earth observing satellites enable conservation groups to spot and monitor fires across vast rainforests, helping them protect our planet on Earth Day and every day.
2. Helping Tractors Drive Themselves
There has been a lot of talk about self-driving cars, but farmers have already been making good use of self-driving tractors for more than a decade - due in part to a partnership between John Deere and our Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Growing food sustainably requires smart technology - our GPS correction algorithms help self-driving tractors steer with precision, cutting down on water and fertilizer waste.
3. Turning Smartphones into Satellites
On Earth Day (and every day), we get nonstop "Earth selfies" thanks to Planet Labs' small satellites, inspired by smartphones and created by a team at our Ames Research Center. The high res imagery helps conservation efforts worldwide.
4. Early Flood Warnings
Monsoons, perhaps the least understood and most erratic weather pattern in the United States, bring rain vital to agriculture and ecosystems, but also threaten lives and property. Severe flash-flooding is common. Roads are washed out. Miles away from the cloudburst, dry gulches become raging torrents in seconds. The storms are often accompanied by driving winds, hail and barrages of lightning.
We are working to get better forecasting information to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Our satellites can track moisture in the air - helping forecasters provide an early warning of flash floods from monsoons.
5. Watching the World's Water
Around the world, agriculture is by far the biggest user of freshwater. Thanks in part to infrared imagery from Landsat, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), we can now map, in real time, how much water a field is using, helping conserve that precious resource.
We use the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. Our observations of Earth’s complex natural environment are critical to understanding how our planet’s natural resources and climate are changing now and could change in the future.
Join the celebration online by using #NASA4Earth.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Earth from Afar
“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” - Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11
This week we're celebrating Earth Day 2018 with some of our favorite images of Earth from afar...
At 7.2 million Miles...and 4 Billion Miles
Voyager famously captured two unique views of our homeworld from afar. One image, taken in 1977 from a distance of 7.3 million miles (11.7 million kilometers) (above), showed the full Earth and full Moon in a single frame for the first time in history. The second (below), taken in 1990 as part of a “family portrait of our solar system from 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers), shows Earth as a tiny blue speck in a ray of sunlight.” This is the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image immortalized by Carl Sagan.
“This was our willingness to see the Earth as a one-pixel object in a far greater cosmos,” Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan said of the image. “It's that humility that science gives us. That weans us from our childhood need to be the center of things. And Voyager gave us that image of the Earth that is so heart tugging because you can't look at that image and not think of how fragile, how fragile our world is. How much we have in common with everyone with whom we share it; our relationship, our relatedness, to everyone on this tiny pixel."
A Bright Flashlight in a Dark Sea of Stars
Our Kepler mission captured Earth’s image as it slipped past at a distance of 94 million miles (151 million kilometers). The reflection was so extraordinarily bright that it created a saber-like saturation bleed across the instrument’s sensors, obscuring the neighboring Moon.
Hello and Goodbye
This beautiful shot of Earth as a dot beneath Saturn’s rings was taken in 2013 as thousands of humans on Earth waved at the exact moment the spacecraft pointed its cameras at our home world. Then, in 2017, Cassini caught this final view of Earth between Saturn’s rings as the spacecraft spiraled in for its Grand Finale at Saturn.
‘Simply Stunning’
"The image is simply stunning. The image of the Earth evokes the famous 'Blue Marble' image taken by astronaut Harrison Schmitt during Apollo 17...which also showed Africa prominently in the picture." -Noah Petro, Deputy Project Scientist for our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission.
Goodbye—for now—at 19,000 mph
As part of an engineering test, our OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this image of Earth and the Moon in January 2018 from a distance of 39.5 million miles (63.6 million kilometers). When the camera acquired the image, the spacecraft was moving away from our home planet at a speed of 19,000 miles per hour (8.5 kilometers per second). Earth is the largest, brightest spot in the center of the image, with the smaller, dimmer Moon appearing to the right. Several constellations are also visible in the surrounding space.
The View from Mars
A human observer with normal vision, standing on Mars, could easily see Earth and the Moon as two distinct, bright "evening stars."
Moon Photobomb
"This image from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the Moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of Earth in 2015. It provides a view of the far side of the Moon, which is never directly visible to us here on Earth. “I found this perspective profoundly moving and only through our satellite views could this have been shared.” - Michael Freilich, Director of our Earth Science Division.
Eight Days Out
Eight days after its final encounter with Earth—the second of two gravitational assists from Earth that helped boost the spacecraft to Jupiter—the Galileo spacecraft looked back and captured this remarkable view of our planet and its Moon. The image was taken from a distance of about 3.9 million miles (6.2 million kilometers).
A Slice of Life
Earth from about 393,000 miles (633,000 kilometers) away, as seen by the European Space Agency’s comet-bound Rosetta spacecraft during its third and final swingby of our home planet in 2009.
So Long Earth
The Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft captured several stunning images of Earth during a gravity assist swingby of our home planet on Aug. 2, 2005.
Earth Science: Taking a Closer Look
Our home planet is a beautiful, dynamic place. Our view from Earth orbit sees a planet at change. Check out more images of our beautiful Earth here.
Join Our Earth Day Celebration!
We pioneer and supports an amazing range of advanced technologies and tools to help scientists and environmental specialists better understand and protect our home planet - from space lasers to virtual reality, small satellites and smartphone apps.
To celebrate Earth Day 2018, April 22, we are highlighting many of these innovative technologies and the amazing applications behind them.
Learn more about our Earth Day plans HERE.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
For NASA, Earth Day is Every Day!
With a fleet of spacecraft orbiting our home planet collecting data on everything from the air we breathe to natural disasters that impact our lives, Earth is always in focus. Join us as we celebrate our home with beautiful views from our unique vantage point of space.
On December 17, 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 snapped this iconic image of planet Earth. Dubbed the Blue Marble, this image was taken as Apollo 17 rocketed toward the moon.
On the way to the moon or from the surface of Mars, our spacecraft have photographed the beauty of Earth from many vantage points. In this image, the most powerful telescope orbiting Mars captured this view of Earth and its moon, showing continent-size detail on the planet and the relative size of the moon. The image combines two separate exposures taken on November 20, 2016, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
In this image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on our Cassini spacecraft captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame.
Our Suomi-NPP satellite also observed the Earth at night. Earth’s "night lights" often have a gee-whiz curiosity for the public , but have also served as a tool for fundamental research for nearly 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness.
You can be mesmerized by the constant swirls in these visualizations of ocean currents. The swirling flows of tens of thousands of ocean currents were captured using the largest computations of their kind ever undertaken, using high-end computing resources at our Ames Research Center.
We’ve all seen iconic photographs of Earth shot by astronauts. But even satellites and robotic spacecraft often get in on the act. The above image, called “Pale Blue Dot,” was taken Voyager 1 in February 1990 from a distance of 4 billion miles.
Our satellites do more than take pretty pictures of Earth. They do everything from measure rainfall to observe weather patterns. The ten satellites in the Global Precipitation Measurement Constellation have provided unprecedented information about rain and snow fall across the entire Earth. This visualization shows the constellation in action, taking precipitation measurements underneath the satellite orbits.
In an homage to Apollo 17′s “Blue Marble” image, Suomi-NPP, a joint NASA-NOAA Earth-observing satellite, made this composite image, by making a number of swaths of Earth's surface on January 4, 2012.
What’s your favorite aspect of planet Earth? These kids have their own ideas. You can even “adopt” parts of the planet. Which one of the 64,000 locations will you get?
Our home planet is constantly changing, which is why our fleet of Earth-observing satellites continuously monitor the globe, recording every moment of what they see. Luckily for us, many of the views are not only deeply informative but also awe-inspiring.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Happy Earth Day!
It’s Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate than to show you a glimpse of our various efforts to protect and understand our home planet.
We’re able to use the vantage point of space to improve our understanding of the most complex planet we’ve seen yet…EARTH! Our Earth-observing satellites, airborne research and field campaigns are designed to observe our planet’s dynamic systems – oceans, ice sheets, forests and atmosphere – and improve our ability to understand how our planet is changing.
Here are a few of our Earth campaigns that you should know about:
KORUS-AQ (Korea U.S. - Air Quality)
Our KORUS-AQ airborne science experiment taking to the field in South Korea is part of a long-term, international project to take air quality observations from space to the next level and better inform decisions on how to protect the air we breathe. Field missions like KORUS-AQ provide opportunities to test and improve the instruments using simulators that measure above and below aircraft, while helping to infer what people breathe at the surface.
This campaign will assess air quality across urban, rural and coastal South Korea using observations from aircraft, ground sites, ships and satellites to test air quality models and remote sensing methods.
NAAMES (North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study)
Our NAAMES study takes to the sea and air in order to study how the world’s largest plankton bloom gives rise to small organic particles that influence clouds and climate. This study will collect data during ship and aircraft measurement campaigns and combine the data with continuous satellite and ocean sensor readings.
IceBridge
Operation IceBridge is our survey of polar ice, and is kicking off its eighth spring Arctic campaign. This mission has gathered large volumes of data on changes in the elevation of the ice sheet and its internal structure. It’s readings of the thickness of sea ice and its snow cover have helped scientists improve forecasts for the summer melt season and have enhanced the understanding of variations in ice thickness distribution from year to year.
GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement)
GPM is an international satellite mission to provide next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours. We launched this mission with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2014. GPM contributes to advancing our understanding of Earth’s water and energy cycles, improves forecasting of extreme events and extends current capabilities of using satellite precipitation information to directly benefit society.
Find information about all of our Earth-studying missions HERE.
Celebrate Earth Day with Us!
Want to participate in Earth Day with us? Share on social media what you’re doing to celebrate and improve our home planet. We’ll be sharing aspects of a “day in the life” of our Earth science research. Use the tag #24Seven to join the conversation. Details: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-earth-day-24seven-social-media-event
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
🇧🇷 A terra ensina-nos mais acerca de nós próprios do que todos os livros. Porque ela nos resiste.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
🇺🇲 The earth teaches us more about ourselves than all books. Because it resists us.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
today is earth day! in honor of Mother Earth let’s guillotine every ceo that’s willfully contributing to climate change despite having billions of dollars that could be used to stop it!
Star trails 🌠 Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfo7xMjZEW/?igshid=1ux6s59m74unr
The famous eagle aurora 💯🔥 Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #aurora https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeUQFpDef6/?igshid=850hd4voqe7m
Coolest and creative animation of space travel 💯 Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDdLaJCj0bN/?igshid=1roj7yjw1j2og
Swipe left ➡️ 2 planets, one star and a comet all lying in the same plane 💯🔥. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDb1WISDOpl/?igshid=1m297vhjh67zc
VTOL - Vertical Take off and Landing of an Aircraft. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #vtol #vtolaircraft #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology https://www.instagram.com/p/CDaTp7sDd6D/?igshid=1ordj32jbdabu
Once in a blue moon on the arc of a tree. Follow us for more interesting updates on @the_astrophysics_forum . Does an alignment like this occur only once in a blue moon? No, although it was during a blue moon that this single-shot image was taken. During a full moon that happened to be the second of the month -- the situation that defines a blue moon -- the photographer created the juxtaposition in late January by quickly moving around to find just the right spot to get the background Moon superposed behind the arc of a foreground tree. Unfortunately, in this case, there seemed no other way than getting bogged down in mud and resting the camera on a barbed-wire fence. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZKtTkD57R/?igshid=wpnuzj6643qe
Sand dunes on gale crater of mars. Follow us for more interesting updates @the_astrophysics_forum . A new type of dune, called “wind-drag ripples,” found last year by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater. The dune is a part of the Bagnold Dune Field, on the the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The images were taken in early morning, with the camera looking in the direction of the sun. This mosaic combining the images has been processed to brighten it and make the ripples more visible. The sand is very dark, both from the morning shadows and from the intrinsic darkness of the basaltic minerals that dominate its composition. The base of Mount Sharp can be seen beyond the dunes. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem (at Mars) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDYLFTFDhfL/?igshid=jlnn7ii4i22f
Escatic timelapse of our milkyway galaxy containing plethora of stars in the sky from the waters. Do follow us for interesting updates @the_astrophysics_forum . Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDWeDLyDE89/?igshid=1uh54ldpzzih7
Psyche it is ! Follow us to explore more with us @the_astrophysics_forum .⬇️ The Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. What makes the asteroid Psyche unique is that it appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system. Deep within rocky, terrestrial planets - including Earth - scientists infer the presence of metallic cores, but these lie unreachably far below the planets' rocky mantles and crusts. Because we cannot see or measure Earth's core directly, Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets. The mission is led by Arizona State University. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for mission management, operations and navigation. The spacecraft's solar-electric propulsion chassis will be built by Maxar (formerly SSL) with a payload that includes an imager, magnetometer, and a gamma-ray spectrometer. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #psyche #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #jupiter #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTn8J0DvdG/?igshid=jg42dzpqix7c
Watch this interesting simulation about the mysteries of the universe 😍💯. Space continues raising more and questions to the humanity with many of them yet remaining unanswered. The Universe has phenomena that people might be unable to explain. ⠀ 👽 Is there life on Mars? 💫 Is it possible to overcome the speed of light? 🌌 Where is the edge of the Universe and how fast one can reach it? ☄ What is inside a black hole? Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDS9PpfjHAn/?igshid=12ir2xn53k9gk
SWIPE FOR MORE ➡️ NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover lifted off successfully today, July 30, at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. follow us to explore more at @the_astrophysics_forum . The rover will take about seven months to travel to the Red Planet and, on Feb. 18, 2021, will land in Mars' Jezero Crater to search for signs of life, explore the planet's geology and much more. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #perserverance #mars2020 #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology (at Cape Canaveral NASA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDRKB0ND3R0/?igshid=suds0lgn488y
Radhika Lakhani and Vaidehi Vekariya, both studying in 10th grade, were working on a school project when they discovered the asteroid, which they named HLV2514. Follow us to explore more with us @the_astrophysics_forum . The girls, from the city of Surat in the western Indian state of Gujarat, were participating in a Space India and NASA project, which allows students to analyze images taken by a telescope positioned at the University of Hawaii. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDP4Y3Fjy8e/?igshid=1vvuug3d8zw9e
Beautiful 24 hour timelapse of the Fall Equinox. Wait for it till the end 💯. Follow us to explore more with us @the_astrophysics_forum . Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOsgeKDMgD/?igshid=5n0xpt0nldi2
The Dragon V2, designed to be an reusable spacecraft able to transport astronauts into space and back to Earth. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched from Launch Complex 39A on NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #falcon9 #launchamerica #crewdragon #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #mars #galaxy #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics https://www.instagram.com/p/CDNtHF3j_yl/?igshid=1bmhtlw9cyxd5
Why would clouds form a hexagon on Saturn? Follow us to explore more with us @the_astrophysics_forum. Nobody is sure. Originally discovered during the Voyager flybys of Saturn in the 1980s, nobody has ever seen anything like it anywhere else in the Solar System. Acquiring its first sunlit views of far northern Saturn in late 2012, the Cassini spacecraft's wide-angle camera recorded this stunning, false-color image of the ringed planet's north pole. The composite of near-infrared image data results in red hues for low clouds and green for high ones, giving the Saturnian cloudscape a vivid appearance. This and similar images show the stability of the hexagon even 20+ years after Voyager. Movies of Saturn's North Pole show the cloud structure maintaining its hexagonal structure while rotating. Unlike individual clouds appearing like a hexagon on Earth, the Saturn cloud pattern appears to have six well defined sides of nearly equal length. Four Earths could fit inside the hexagon. Tighten your seatbelts and get ready to explore endless universe 🚀 Make sure you follow us @the_astrophysics_forum To stay on board 👨🚀 . . . . . . . #saturn #saturnhexagon #spacex #elonmusk #space #nasa #isro #universetoday #universe #hubbletelescope #hubble #milkywaychasers #milkyway #spacetime #spaceexploration #spacetravel #deepspace #astronomy #neildegrassetyson #astronomer #blackhole #earthday #earth #science #astronaut #planets #astrophysics #cosmology #nebula #solarsystem https://www.instagram.com/p/CDK5eXgjVPs/?igshid=ponilu3snxkk