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AURA Astronomy

@aura-astronomy.bsky.social
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AURA is a leading organization in developing and operating world-class facilities to deliver forefront #astronomy #science #telescope #astrophysics #NASA #NSF

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14/10/2026
Join upcoming conferences, workshops, and other astronomy community events, including the Rocky Worlds DDT Workshop and 30 Years of STIS and the Future of UV Astronomy, organized by STScI in Baltimore, Maryland. Links and recordings to recent events are included: bit.ly/4ewIwqW 🔭 🧪 ☄️
The words STScI events run over top a colorful image of space.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14/10/2026
“All of Roman’s sweeping surveys will rely on the Wide Field Instrument. Many of the mission’s primary goals, like studying dark matter and dark energy, wouldn’t be possible without it, so it’s both exciting and a huge relief to see that it’s working well!” #NASARoman 🔭
science.nasa.gov
NASA Roman Team Checks Out Main Instrument, Sharpens Telescope’s Focus - NASA Science
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team completed a marathon of activities to fine-tune the observatory’s vision and prepare the primary instrument for
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14/10/2026
The Helix Nebula has caught many telescopes’ “eyes.” Zoom to a portion of the planetary nebula and compare Hubble (visible light), Spitzer (infrared), and #NASAWebb (near-infrared) images. Notice how the resolution and details change. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. 🔭
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NASA Webb Telescope @nasawebb.extwitter.link · 08/10/2026
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) - enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant universe - were first discovered in 2007. Their origins are difficult to pinpoint, but Webb found the host galaxy to the most distant FRB seen to date. t.co/nd2NQqrRdX 🔗 go.nasa.gov/4emggqZ
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/10/2026
A night at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory✨ Beneath the Milky Way, Rubin shares the scene with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and the faint red Cobold Nebula. 🔭🧪 Over the next decade, Rubin will scan this sky over and over, building an ever-deeper view of the changing Universe🌌
A stunning night sky showcasing the vibrant, colorful Milky Way galaxy arching above a boot-shaped observatory on a hill, with countless stars and cosmic dust visible in the clear atmosphere.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 09/10/2026
#NASAWebb peered into the Flame Nebula, locating the faint infrared signatures of several brown dwarfs, objects so small that their cores will never sustain nuclear fusion of hydrogen. The smallest among them is two to three times the mass of Jupiter: bit.ly/4iZyqC8 🔭
A collage of four images showing a dusty nebula. Two-thirds of the collage is taken up by a single image of the nebula, while the remaining third shows three insets stacked on top of each other. In the largest image at left, there is an orange and yellow fang-like cloud of matter that cuts this section in two. The top side of the fang shows more clouds of a dark brown shade, while the bottom shows filaments of light brown. There are a number of bright blue and red points of light spread throughout, three of which are circled in white and labeled with a number from one to three. Circle 1 is located at about 9 o’clock in the middle of the fang-like cloud, while Circle 2 is at about 2 o’clock and Circle 3 is located at about 4 o’clock, toward the bottom left. Each circle magnifies an individual object, which is shown in the three squares to the right, labeled 1 to 3 from top to bottom. Each image contains a single, fuzzy point of light in the middle.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 09/10/2026
Launching #NASARoman was only the beginning! Listen as STScI staff shares what they’re looking forward to as Roman begins its next chapter in space. 🔭
youtube.com
Science Bound: Roman Space Telescope Launch Was Only the Beginning! #shorts
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 09/10/2026
We recently had a couple of very special visitors at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory: Andean condors! 🦅 They're some of the largest flying birds on Earth, with wingspans more than 10 feet (3 m). Soaring with air currents, they can go huge distances while barely flapping their wings! 🔭🧪
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 12/10/2026
Discover the latest on the mysterious Little Red Dots in the early universe discovered by #NASAWebb in late 2022. Catch up on other astronomy news you may have missed on ViewSpace: viewspace.org/video_library?tags=16…
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 07/10/2026
How does the universe work? How did we get here? Are we alone? These are three major questions that drive the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, an opportunity for recent postdoctoral scientists. Learn more and apply: bit.ly/4xjrMu3 🔭 ☄️
Logo of the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, with the letters NHFP in blue. Surrounding the letters are illustrations of a galaxy, planet, supermassive black hole jet within a central galaxy, and stars, also in blue. Two red curving lines encircle the blue letters and pictures.
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
From AURA managed NSF NOIRLab: Cause baby, you're a firework 🎤🎆🔭 noirlab.edu/public/news/... This is Pa 30, an explosive cloud of gas and dust bursting from a central hot blue star. Astronomers say it’s the likely remnant of a supernova that people on Earth saw in the year 1181.
Bright orange chrysanthemum of strands on a starry background
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 02/10/2026
If galaxies had signature dance moves, this one's would be the spiral swirl 💃🌀 Meet Z 36-24, a barred spiral galaxy with two swirly arms. Bars are a common feature in spiral galaxies, where the arms connect to a straight bar of stars across its center. 🔭🧪
Spiral galaxy with bright core and swirling arms surrounded by numerous distant stars and galaxies in deep space.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 02/10/2026
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is seeking a a Branch Manager - Facilities to oversee the safety, maintenance, operation, and long-term planning of Institute facilities and infrastructure: bit.ly/4y2xZem
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 02/10/2026
Astronomers: Join us for the Rocky Worlds DDT Workshop, a community gathering focused on the science enabled by the Rocky Worlds Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) program, at STScI on November 16-18. Registration closes October 16: bit.ly/4edubQ7 🔭
A banner for the Rocky Worlds DDT Workshop, detailing "Data Challenge Results & Rocky Worlds DDT Science" from November 16 to 18, 2026. It features a red planet and small yellow planet on the right side, with the Rocky Worlds logo and colorful blocks at the bottom.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 05/10/2026
NEW: A surprising chemical clue has broken open a Hubble cold case from 1999. Astronomers now suspect the mystery signatures in the data are from a second-generation planet that formed from gas and dust ejected by a dying star: news.stsci.edu/46WpciV 🔭
Illustration labeled Artist’s Concept at bottom right. A gaseous planet in the right foreground, seen mostly in silhouette, orbits a small, white star in the background at left. The star is surrounded by a thin, bright white disk tilted from lower left to upper right. A semi-transparent tail of material comes off the planet toward upper right. Distant stars dot the black background of space.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 05/10/2026
While mountains give us high-altitude dark skies, they disrupt smooth airflow, forcing the air to break into turbulent pockets. This atmospheric jitter is called "seeing." NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory was intentionally built where coastal airflow passes smoothly over the ridge. 🔭🧪
Observatory perched atop a rocky mountain with layered hills fading into the distance under a golden sunset sky.Sunset casting warm orange light over high desert mountains with an observatory perched on a ridge at left.Rubin Observatory perched atop its mountain summit site on Cerro Pachón. The observatory is boot-shaped at lower left with long white service building extending left and silver dome sticking up. The dome's vertical slit is open, revealing the telescope in the blackness within. The night sky is peppered with the pinpricks of stars. The Little Beehive Cluster of stars is a denser collection of pinpricks to the upper right of the observatory.Illustration showing smooth ocean air flowing over a mountain, with turbulence forming on the mountain's opposite side. Two insets show the impact of turbulence on an image of a star: without turbulence the star is sharp, while with turbulence it's blurred. Text reads "A site chosen for steady air. Smooth, stable air flows in from the ocean..then gets disrupted by mountains, creating turbulence."
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 06/10/2026
Have you seen today's Google Doodle? 🎆 Learn more about the colorful clouds of NGC 7129: go.nasa.gov/4rNzF9M
A cosmic-themed Google Doodle featuring a nebula with vibrant colors including yellows, pinks, and blues. Stars are scattered throughout the image, and the word "Google" is centered in white text.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 07/10/2026
Interactive: Explore the details of NGC 7129 to uncover the hidden features and activity within the clouds of this young star-forming region. Venture to individual points of interest or follow guided tours through related locations and stories. 🔭
science.nasa.gov
NASA's Webb Captures Commotion From Nebula's Stellar Jets - NASA Science
A cauldron of cosmic creation is being revealed in a new image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Webb has unveiled numerous stars formerly hidden by
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
AURA welcomes Dr. Beth Willman, new Interim Director of NSF NOIRLab, who will take over from Dr. Pat McCarthy as AURA begins the search for a permanent Director. AURA is extremely thankful to Pat McCarthy for his service to NOIRLab & to the U.S. astronomical community. 🔭 bit.ly/4zfVgKL
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 01/10/2026
#NASAWebb has provided a crash course on planet-shattering collisions, providing clues to the amount of energy in their collisions. (1/6) 🧵 🔭 🧪
Artist’s concept of a star and its debris disk against the black background of space. The star is in the background, right of center, and depicted as a small, luminous sphere. The debris disk is a large blue ring that encircles the star. The debris disk is angled toward the viewer, so that the portion nearest to the viewer extends beyond the bottom frame of the illustration. Many dark, rocky fragments are scattered throughout the debris disk. In the foreground, toward the left, is a small planetary embryo colliding into the left side of a larger spherical object. The impact site glows bright yellow and orange and has a mottled appearance, as though chunks of both colliding bodies are breaking up and being destroyed. Orange-yellow streams of vapor extend outward from the collision area. Behind the debris disk and its star are many small stars in the background. A label in the bottom right corner reads “Artist’s Concept.”
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 01/10/2026
Not a bad office view🌌 This image of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory shows the Milky Way & the ghostly glow of zodiacal light caused by sunlight reflecting off Solar System dust. Zodiacal light is faint, but Cerro Pachón's dark skies make it possible to see! 🔭🧪
Large boot-shaped observatory building under a clear star-filled night sky on a mountain. The glowing band of the Milky Way stretches low and parallel to the horizon on the left, while the faint, barely-there haze of zodiacal light stretches diagonally up and right.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 01/10/2026
"Let's just take a closer look." Famous last words. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory images reveal stars, galaxy clusters, nebulae, and a mindblowing number of distant galaxies hiding in the background. 🔭🧪 So go ahead. Zoom in. You might want to clear your schedule. ➡️ skyviewer.app
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Cycle 6 JWST 🔭 Call for Proposals deadline has been extended to October 1, at 5 pm Eastern Time (US) due to APT server issues. For updates, please check: “Late Breaking News” at the Call for Proposals jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...
static.klipy.com
Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
ALT: Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 01/10/2026
#NASAWebb data is helping scientists identify the types of collisions—high or lower energy—occurring between Moon- and Mars-sized objects in young stellar environments. Our solar system is thought to have undergone similar events to form the Moon: news.stsci.edu/47mLryB
Artist’s concept of a star and its debris disk against the black background of space. The star is in the background, right of center, and depicted as a small, luminous sphere. The debris disk is a large blue ring that encircles the star. The debris disk is angled toward the viewer, so that the portion nearest to the viewer extends beyond the bottom frame of the illustration. Many dark, rocky fragments are scattered throughout the debris disk. In the foreground, toward the left, is a small planetary body colliding with a larger spherical object on its right. The impact site glows bright yellow and orange and has a lava-like appearance, as though chunks of both colliding bodies are breaking up and being destroyed. Orange-yellow streams of vapor extend outward from the collision area. Behind the debris disk and its star are many small stars in the background. A label in the bottom right corner reads “Artist’s Concept.”
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 30/09/2026
ICYMI: Over the summer #NASAWebb discovered a new exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris system, using a new method. Catch up on more news you may have missed on ViewSpace: viewspace.org/video_library?tags=16…
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 30/09/2026
#NASARoman’s fine-guidance system, which allows the observatory to lock very steadily onto its targets during observations, passed a spate of tests from Sept. 15 to 21. Then on Sept. 22, the mission’s Coronagraph Instrument opened its eyes to cosmic light for the very first time.
science.nasa.gov
NASA Checks Roman Guidance System, Takes First Coronagraph Observation - NASA Science
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's fine-guidance system, which allows the observatory to lock very steadily onto its targets during observations,
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 25/09/2026
Welcome to Chile, SLAC LSST Camera team colleagues! They arrived from California last week for scheduled camera work during NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s planned engineering downtime. This engineering period will last about three weeks in total. 🔭🧪
A "selfie" from two workers wearing helmets and safety vests using Rubin's primary mirror. They're standing on a metal platform with metal structural beams reflected behind them. Five workers wearing safety gear inside Rubin's dome next to a curved concrete wall. A person in red safety gear and yellow helmet laying on a platform while working on Rubin's giant digital camera. Two people working on computers in an office with safety hard hats and high-visibility vests nearby.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 26/09/2026
Choose your favorite NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory palette! 🎨✨ Rubin sees a wider range of colors than our eyes do, and when mapped to colors we do see: 🔴 Redder galaxies are farther. 🔵 Blue stars are hotter. 🌈 In the Trifid & Lagoon Nebulae, pink traces hydrogen while blue reveals hot stars. 🔭🧪
Dense starfield with faint clouds of interstellar dust, filled with white, orange, and blue stars. A few brighter blue and orange stars stand out. A horizontal palette bar at the bottom shows blue, gray, orange, brown, and cream swatches.A large pink-red nebula cloud with dark dust lanes at center-left and a smaller blue-pink nebula upper right in a dense, tan Milky Way star field. Bottom palette strip shows pink, slate blue, orange, tan, and brown swatches.Deep field packed with faint galaxies and stars. A few bright blue and orange foreground stars stand out among thousands of galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A color palette strip at bottom shows black, dark blue, beige, tan, and gray swatches.Deep field packed with faint galaxies and stars. Bright blue and orange foreground stars show diffraction spikes. Large elliptical galaxies cluster at left and right amid thousand of other galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A color palette strip runs along the bottom showing tan, light blue, bright blue, red, and black.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 28/09/2026
#NASAWebb observed galaxy Messier 51 to uncover how star clusters form. This close-up of one of its spiral arms reveals white star clusters among red and orange gas clumps. Credit: ESA, NASA, CSA, A. Pedrini, A. Adamo (Stockholm University), FEAST JWST team.
A large, long portion of one of the spiral arms in spiral galaxy Messier 51. Red-orange, clumpy filaments of gas and dust stretch in a chain from left to right to comprise the arm. Shining cyan bubbles light up parts of the gas clouds from within, and gaps expose bright star clusters in these bubbles as glowing white dots. The whole image is dotted with small, point-like stars. A faint blue glow around the arm illuminates the otherwise dark background.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 23/09/2026
One of the most transformational telescopes of modern time has reached another major milestone—200,000 orbits around Earth. Hubble’s observation from that day is a part of its defining legacy, measuring the expansion rate of the universe: go.nasa.gov/4h812b9 🔭
Dozens of galaxies on the black background of space observed by Hubble. Most of the galaxies are small white splotches. Some galaxies are more oval shaped, others are circular. Toward the center-left is a larger, fuzzy white oval.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 23/09/2026
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is seeking a Principal AWS Cloud Cybersecurity Automation & Systems (CACS) Engineer to join our team supporting NASA flagship space telescope missions that are transforming our understanding of the universe: bit.ly/4hajDmP
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/09/2026
In the sky above NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory shines the Pleiades (M45): an open star cluster with at least 1000 stars!✨ Its bright stars are too bright for Rubin's sensitive camera to capture for study, but Rubin will observe many other clusters & help scientists study how stars evolve. 🔭🧪
Large observatory with angular silver dome under a clear night sky filled with stars. A bright, blue star cluster sits above the observatory dome.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 24/09/2026
Imagine looking up and watching a star suddenly lose 99% of its light. These stars are a rare type of variable star called an R Coronae Borealis. They suddenly puff out huge clouds of dust, blocking nearly all their light for months before returning to normal.🔭🧪
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 25/09/2026
When two galaxies meet a “fireworks” show of star formation can occur. When #NASAWebb peered at starburst galaxy Messier 82 in infrared light, it pierced through dust to reveal hot galactic wind extending from the core where millions of stars are being born. 🔭
youtube.com
The Cigar Galaxy Lighting Up Under James Webb Space Telescope's Infrared Gaze
Scientifically known as Messier 82 (M82), the Cigar Galaxy forming stars at a rate that far exceeds the norm. Galaxies with this level of intense star formation are known as starburst galaxies. This phase of chaotic creation is often sparked by interact...
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 25/09/2026
Astronomers estimate that there are 500,000 stars within this #NASAWebb image of Sagittarius C. One of the most densely packed areas lies within the dark, U-shaped region at the top left of the cyan-colored cloud of ionized hydrogen: bit.ly/4zeme64
A funnel-shaped region of space appears darker than its surroundings with fewer stars. It is wider at the top edge of the image, narrowing toward the bottom. At the bottom, a small clump of red and white appears to shoot out streamers upward and left. A large, bright, cyan-colored area surrounds the lower portion of the funnel-shaped dark area, forming a rough U shape. The cyan-colored area has needle-like, linear structures and becomes more diffuse in the center. The right side is dominated by clouds of orange and red, with a purple haze. There are thousands of pinpoints of light, a multitude of stars, throughout the view.
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NASA Webb Telescope @nasawebb.extwitter.link · 25/09/2026
Free downloadable mini poster of Webb's look at Centaurus A! t.co/EiH4etrbG9 🔗 science.nasa.gov/asset/webb...
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 25/09/2026
NASA has now confirmed all ground stations supporting the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope are ready to receive the mission’s high volume of data once science operations begin by early 2027. #NASARoman 🔭
science.nasa.gov
NASA’s Roman Team Confirms Ground Stations Receiving Data - NASA Science
NASA has now confirmed all ground stations supporting the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope are ready to receive the mission’s high volume of data
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 18/09/2026
Baltimore City Public Schools alumni carry a universe-sized impact. 🪐 Decades before contemporary engineers took the reins to operate cutting-edge observatories, City Schools trailblazers were pioneering technologies and shaping NASA's most critical missions.
baltimorecityschools.org
The Only Limit for City Schools Students Is the Stars: How Baltimore City Public Schools Alumni Are Shaping the Universe
Baltimore City Public Schools alumni carry a universe-sized impact. Decades before contemporary eng...
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 22/09/2026
Planets beyond our Solar System are extremely difficult to observe. It’s equivalent to trying to take a photograph of a firefly next to a lighthouse from thousands of miles away. TONIGHT at 7 p.m. ET, STScI's Dr. Emily Rickman will chat about the Webb technology behind imaging alien worlds. 🔭
youtube.com
How to Image Alien Worlds
Planets beyond our Solar System, known as exoplanets, are extremely difficult to observe. It's equivalent to trying to take a photograph of a firefly next to a lighthouse from thousands of miles away. The James Webb Space Telescope includes sophisticat...
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 18/09/2026
Scientists call this region the Extreme Outer Galaxy due to its location at the edge of our Milky Way. It contains two massive molecular clouds from which clusters of stars are actively forming, as captured in this #NASAWebb image: bit.ly/4fRIdZ4
A star-forming region. At center right is a compact star cluster composed of luminous red, blue, and white points of light. Faint jets with clumpy, diffuse material extend in various directions from the bright cluster. Above and to the right is a smaller cluster of stars. Translucent red wisps of material stretch across the scene. Background galaxies are scattered across this swath of space, appearing as small blue-white and orange-white dots or fuzzy, thin disks.
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Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Roman had a bake-out. We had a bake-off. 🎂🚀 While #NASARoman warmed up to help release condensed gases, @stsci.edu staff fired up their ovens to lock in delicious flavors. The results were out of this world! 🔭🧁 #ExpandingOurView #GreatRomanBakeOff
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 16/09/2026
Hubble has observed many Messier catalog items over 35+ years, including the Orion Nebula, the Omega Nebula, globular star cluster Messier 75, and galaxy Messier 109. Scroll through Hubble’s Messier images, and find your favorite: go.nasa.gov/3Ui2kHl 🔭
Messier 42: A vibrant and colorful image of the Orion Nebula, showcasing swirling clouds of gas and dust in hues of purple, pink, and orange, dotted with bright stars. The nebula is set against a dark cosmic background.Messier 17: The Omega Nebula features a dense field of stars and interstellar dust clouds. The image showcases vibrant blues, with bright stars scattered throughout the nebula.Messier 75: A densely packed star cluster, known as Messier 75 (M75), fills the image. The center radiates brightly with numerous stars, surrounded by a halo of smaller, glimmering stars. The background is black.Messier 109: A large spiral galaxy with a bright core surrounded by swirling dust and stars. The image depicts various shades of blue, illustrating large dust lanes and bright groups of stars.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026
#NASARoman activated the Wide Field Instrument—a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow it to explore wide swaths of the cosmos quickly. This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the instrument—taken as an initial performance assessment: go.nasa.gov/4rg4qEc
At the top, a grid of 21 panels shows a series of blue images with tiny neon green and yellow circles. A larger image highlights a section of the grid with circular patterns, and an inset presents a detailed star-like diffraction pattern. The colors consist of blue, green, and yellow.
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US National Gemini Office @usngo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Thanks to the efforts of our Engineering (and other) teams, Gemini South is going back to the sky tonight (Sep 15th) after the largest and most impactful winter storm to hit Chile since 1954! Let's hope for great weather and a safe return to operations! #astronomy
This image of the Gemini South telescope is so bright that it is hard to believe it was captured at night. Gemini South is the southern half of the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. The wedge-shaped light on the right side of the photo is not from an artificial source (although there are city lights below it), but is a natural phenomenon known as zodiacal light. This occurs when sunlight scatters off dust particles in the plane of our Solar System, illuminating part of the sky after sundown or before sunrise. The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky, as seen from Earth, and the apparent path of the planets. Gemini Observatory is named after one section of the zodiacal belt: Gemini, the constellation of the Twins.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026
“As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. #NASARoman 🔭
science.nasa.gov
Fuel Savings Double Potential Lifetime for NASA's Roman Mission - NASA Science
The results are in: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's very accurate first mid-course correction, along with other fuel savings, are expected to more
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026
This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 sits just 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. Cold clouds of molecular hydrogen gas collapse to form new stars, creating glowing, sculpted scenes like this one. (1/5) 🧵 🔭
A star-forming region. The left two thirds is blanketed in thick clouds of green and yellow gas and dust that form swirling patterns. Some of the gas is spread into thin, thread-like wisps. The right third shows a black background speckled with stars and multi-colored dots that are distant galaxies. Bright stars are scattered throughout the clouds, with the densest cluster situated in the center. Each is crowned with six long spikes and two shorter spikes created by the optics of the telescope’s mirrors. In the upper right, a couple of hidden stars blast out long, glowing jets of material that glow in blue.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 09/09/2026
“Hubble and Webb are like looking through a keyhole at an individual object,” says Kristen McQuinn, who heads the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission office at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. “With Roman, it’s like opening the door, and now you see everything." 🔭 #NASARoman
astronomy.com
How Roman will unlock the universe
This next-generation space telescope will blow past its predecessors to answer questions about everything from stars and planets to dark matter and dark energy.
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