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#deepspace
3 posts3 participants0 posts today
Two hours to image tonight’s target. Fingers crossed the clouds and rain stay away! 
NGC 7023, or the Iris Nebula, a reflection nebula (meaning it doesn’t create its own light) in the constellation Cepheus.
It’s 1300 light years away, meaning the photons captured have been quietly traversing the universe for as many years.
The nebula's name comes from its resemblance to an iris flower, with "petals" due to dust reflecting light from a hot, central star.
Imaged last night stacking 3300 ten second exposures.
If we could live forever, imagine drifting through the endless vast sea of the cosmos for billion of years. Not staying in one place but always moving. Of all the things we would have seen.
I'm excited to learn more about this visitor.
Space · Astronomers say new interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS is 'very likely to be the oldest comet we have ever seen'
Space debris is no longer just an orbital problem.
We’re now filling deep space with abandoned probes, defunct rovers, and drifting junk.
The cosmos is becoming a dump — and we have no interstellar trash service.
Full article:
https://brewminate.com/the-final-junkyard-humanitys-growing-problem-with-space-debris-and-deep-space-waste/
Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas · The Final Junkyard: Space Debris and Deep-Space WasteWe have reached for the stars with extraordinary creativity and courage, but with little regard for what we’ve left behind.
Sedna Express: fusion drive + solar sails could reach Sedna in 7 yrs—just in time for its once-in-11k-yr perihelion. Why it matters for policy & investors 
https://spacetech.industryexaminer.com/sedna-express-fusion-solar-sail-propulsion/ #SpaceTech #DeepSpace
Voyager 1 isn’t done yet — not even close 
NASA just pulled off another miracle save: The spacecraft’s primary roll thrusters, offline since 2004, were believed permanently dead
With backup thrusters at risk of failure, JPL engineers gambled on a high-stakes heater reset
If wrong, it could’ve caused a small onboard explosion If right, it would restore control — 15.6 billion miles from Earth
They were right. The thrusters fired. Voyager 1 can still hold its course.
This wasn’t a reboot. It was old-school problem-solving, deep systems knowledge, and the audacity to trust an idea that might just work.
The most distant human object is still flying — because a team believed it could.
#Voyager1 #NASA #Space #Engineering #Resilience #DeepSpace
https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/15/voyager_1_survives_with_thruster_fix/
The Register · NASA keeps ancient Voyager 1 spacecraft alive with Hail Mary thruster fix
First Attempts at Star Trails.
Canon EOS R7 + RF 28mm F2.8 STM.
28mm, f2.8, 10 exposures of 600’’.
#canon #canoneosr7 #eosr7 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #star #stars #startrail #startrails
M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 488 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #whirlpool #whirlpoolgalaxy #m51 #messier51 #messier
“This Thing Shouldn’t Exist”:
#Scientists Stunned by Discovery of a Rogue #BlackHole Silently Drifting Through #DeepSpace Alone
Sustainability Times · “This Thing Shouldn’t Exist”: Scientists Stunned by Discovery of a Rogue Black Hole Silently Drifting Through Deep Space Alone - Sustainability TimesIN A NUTSHELL 🌌 Scientists have confirmed a solitary black hole drifting through space, a breakthrough in astronomical research. 🔭 The discovery was made using advanced tools like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gaia space probe. 🌀 Independent analyses have validated the initial findings, estimating the black hole’s mass at around seven times that
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#China's #DeepSpace program
• 2028: #Tianwen3 to collect samples of #Mars 
, return them to Earth
• 2029: #Tianwen4 to explore #Jupiter 
and its moon #Callisto
• 2030: Habitat to simulate long-duration human #spaceflight
• 2033: #Venus atmosphere sample return
• 2038: Mars research station to study #ISRU 
• 2039: Triton, #Neptune's largest moon, subsurface explorer for its ocean 
#NASA, for the first time since the 1960s, has a credible challenger.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/china-sets-dates-for-some-of-its-most-ambitious-planetary-missions
Ars Technica · As NASA faces cuts, China reveals ambitious plans for planetary exploration
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There are only 2 "#spaceport" so far in #OpenStreetMap which pretended to be one unless they never launched something to #space 
(for a considerable amount of time) : #SpaceportAmerica and #CornRanch (#BlueOrigin's #NewShepard launch site) https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/aeroway%3Asuborbital#values. #SpaceportCornwall 
has never been one (other than for propaganda) https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1105816254
There's a considerable amount of #launchpad 
(#balloon 
, #research #rockets...) https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/search?q=launchpad#values
taginfo.openstreetmap.orgaeroway:suborbital | Keys | OpenStreetMap Taginfo
As #NASA faces cuts, #China reveals ambitious plans for planetary exploration
As NASA faces potential budget cuts, China is unveiling an ambitious series of #deepspace missions -- including Mars sample returns, outer planet exploration, and a future #Mars base. While some of China's plans are aspirational, their track record of successful missions lends credibility to their expanding role in #space.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/china-sets-dates-for-some-of-its-most-ambitious-planetary-missions/
Ars Technica · As NASA faces cuts, China reveals ambitious plans for planetary exploration
The California Nebula.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 + ZWO ASI585MC Pro.
300mm, f2, 180 exposures of 60’’.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #nexstarevolution6 #zwo #zwoasi #zwoasi585mc #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #nebula #california #californianebula #ngc #ngc1499 #s220
M53 Globular Cluster.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 + ZWO ASI585MC Pro.
945mm, f6.3, 150 exposures of 30’’.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #nexstarevolution6 #canon #canoneosr7 #eosr7 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #milkyway #cluster #globular #globularcluster #m53 #messier53 #messier
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 + ZWO ASI585MC Pro.
945mm, f6.3, 150 exposures of 30’’.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #nexstarevolution6 #canon #canoneosr7 #eosr7 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #milkyway #cluster #globular #globularcluster #m53 #messier53 #messier
The Leo Triplet with galaxies M65, M66, and NGC3628.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 418 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #leotriplet #m66 #messier66 #messier #m65 #ngc3628
Jupiter - January 14, 2025
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 + ZWO ASI585MC Pro.
4500mm, f30, derotation from 8 x 2-minute captures, best 100 frames each.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #nexstarevolution6 #zwo #zwoasi #zwoasi585mc #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #solarsystem #planet #planets #jupiter
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#Radiation 
shielding is a mandatory element in the design of an integrated solution to mitigate the effects of radiation during long #DeepSpace voyages for human exploration. #Kevlar has radiation shielding 
performances comparable to Polyethylene, reaching a dose rate reduction of 32 ± 2% and a dose equivalent rate reduction of 55 ± 4% (for a shield of 10 g/cm2). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01707-2
NaturePerformances of Kevlar and Polyethylene as radiation shielding on-board the International Space Station in high latitude radiation environment - Scientific ReportsPassive radiation shielding is a mandatory element in the design of an integrated solution to mitigate the effects of radiation during long deep space voyages for human exploration. Understanding and exploiting the characteristics of materials suitable for radiation shielding in space flights is, therefore, of primary importance. We present here the results of the first space-test on Kevlar and Polyethylene radiation shielding capabilities including direct measurements of the background baseline (no shield). Measurements are performed on-board of the International Space Station (Columbus modulus) during the ALTEA-shield ESA sponsored program. For the first time the shielding capability of such materials has been tested in a radiation environment similar to the deep-space one, thanks to the feature of the ALTEA system, which allows to select only high latitude orbital tracts of the International Space Station. Polyethylene is widely used for radiation shielding in space and therefore it is an excellent benchmark material to be used in comparative investigations. In this work we show that Kevlar has radiation shielding performances comparable to the Polyethylene ones, reaching a dose rate reduction of 32 ± 2% and a dose equivalent rate reduction of 55 ± 4% (for a shield of 10 g/cm2).