A Menagerie of Galaxies: Hubble Captures a Cluster With Galaxies of All Shapes and Sizes
This packed ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week showcases the galaxy cluster ACO S 295, as well as a jostling crowd of background galaxies and foreground…
European Space Agency News
Exploring Earth From Space: Qeshm Island, Iran [Video]
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Qeshm Island – the largest island in Iran. Qeshm Island lies in the Strait of Hormuz, parallel to…
How to Keep Shared Spacesuit “Underwear” Clean?
Spacewalking is a major highlight of any astronaut’s career. But there is a downside: putting on your spacesuit means sharing some previously worn underlayers. A…
Cosmic Silver Lining: Hubble Spots V565 Surrounded by Four Prominent Diffraction Spikes
This Picture of the Week showcases the emission nebula NGC 2313. The bright star V565 — surrounded by four prominent diffraction spikes — illuminates a…
Exploring Earth From Space: Morbihan, France [Video]
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Morbihan – a French department in the south of Brittany. Brittany is an important cultural region in the…
Using 3D Printing in Search for Black Holes
An X-ray telescope designed to search for supermassive black holes could be built using a novel 3D-printing technique called plasma metal deposition. The ESA space…
Our Giant Universe: Hubble Spots Massive Galaxy Cluster With a Wealth of Exciting Possibilities
This detailed image features Abell 3827, a galaxy cluster that offers a wealth of exciting possibilities for study. It was observed by Hubble in order…
Glacier Avalanches – With Potential Dire Consequences – More Common Than Thought
One tends to think of mountain glaciers as slow moving, their gradual passage down a mountainside visible only through a long series of satellite imagery…
Huge Region of Europe Destroyed by Asteroid Impact in Planetary Defense Exercise
In an alternate reality playing out at this year’s International Planetary Defense Conference, a fictional asteroid crashes over Europe, ‘destroying’ a region about 100 km…
“Campfires” on the Sun Offer Clue to Solar Heating Mystery
Computer simulations show that the miniature solar flares nicknamed ‘campfires’, discovered last year by ESA’s Solar Orbiter, are likely driven by a process that may…
SpaceX Dragon Fire
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spits fire as it lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, April 23, 2021, at 05:49 local time. On board are…
Vega Rocket Returns to Service With Successful Launch of 6 Satellites
Liftoff of Vega from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana came at 02:50 BST on April 29 (03:50 CEST; 22:50 local time on April 28) to…
A Diamond Necklace of Cosmic Proportions
The interaction of two doomed stars has created this spectacular ring adorned with bright clumps of gas — a diamond necklace of cosmic proportions. Fittingly…
Dodging Debris to Keep Satellites Safe
Our planet is surrounded by spacecraft helping us study our changing climate, save lives following disasters, deliver global communication and navigation services and help us…
HydroGNSS: Second Scout Satellite Mission Gets the Go-Ahead
Following the selection of the first Scout satellite mission last December, ESA has also given the greenlight to start negotiations with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd…
Satellite Imagery Key to Powering Google Earth Timelapse
One of the most comprehensive pictures of our changing planet is now available to the public. Thanks to the close collaboration between Google Earth, ESA,…
Hubble Snaps a Stunning Close-Up of a Magnificent Spiral Galaxy
This image shows a close-up portrait of the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4603, which lies over 100 million light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus…
Exploring Earth From Space: Space Coast, Florida [Video]
On April 22, 2021, Earth Day, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is planning to return to the International Space Station for his second mission, Alpha. Ahead…