Featured Image | PASSC News | Space Tidbits

This page showcases space images from various sources, missions and targets. These images change often so check back! PASSC News includes the activities the of PASSC team and updates to the Earth Impact Database.

Featured Images:

this is an image of teh asteroid Vesta
 

 

Target: Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Mission: Rosetta

Instrument: NAVCAM

Feature: Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, 329km from nucleus

Description:

"Enhanced NAVCAM image of Comet 67P/C-G taken on 27 March 2016, 329 km from the comet nucleus. In February and March, Rosetta spent several weeks at very close distances from the comet nucleus, which overfilled the field of view of the NAVCAM, providing us with striking views of the surface. During the current excursion, instead, we can enjoy again a view of the full nucleus and the environment around it.

In this CometWatch image, the small comet lobe is on the left and the large one on the right. The image was taken at a very large phase angle of about 159 degrees, meaning that the comet lies between the spacecraft and the Sun, and that all three are very close to being on the same line.

In this configuration, the nucleus appears backlit, with only a few portions of the illuminated surface visible from this view – in the upper and upper right part of the nucleus.

Thanks to the combination of a long, four-second exposure, no attenuation filter and a low-gain setting on the analogue signal processor of NAVCAM (a setting that is used to image bright targets), the image reveals the bright environment of the comet, displaying beautiful outflows of activity streaming away from the nucleus in various directions."

Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM. Click here for image page and other images of Comet 67P/C-G.
Click here for further reading about this photo.

 

 

 

Target: S Rings

Mission: Cassini-Huygens

Instrument: Imaging Science Subsystem – Narrow Angle

Feature: Saturn's Rings

Description:

"Most planetary rings appear to be shaped, at least in part, by moons orbiting their planets, but nowhere is that more evident than in Saturn's F ring. Filled with kinks, jets, strands and gores, the F ring has been sculpted by its two neighboring moons Prometheus (seen here) and Pandora. Even more amazing is the fact that the moons remain hard at work reshaping the ring even today.

Prometheus (53 miles, or 86 kilometers across) shapes the F ring through consistent, repeated gravitational nudges and occasionally enters the ring itself (clearing out material and creating a "gore" feature, see PIA12785). Although the gravitational force of Prometheus is much smaller than that of Saturn, even small nudges can tweak the ring particles' orbits to create new patterns in the ring.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 12 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 21 2016."

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/ESA. Click here for image page, and click here for further reading about Saturn's rings.

 

PASSC News

Coming Soon.....

More News from:
2014-2016
2013
2012
2011
2010

Space Tidbits

The International Space Station completed its 100,000th orbit on May 16th, 2016! Click here.
 
David Saint-Jacques will be the next Canadian in space. Click here or here to learn more.
 
NASA has directly observed magnetic reconnection for the first time, thanks to the
Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. Click here.
 
Want to follow NASA scientists and engineers? Visit NASA's eyes to find out how.
 
"Bright spots and color differences revealed on Ceres". Read more.
 
NASA's Fireball and Bolide report: Click here.
 
"If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel"; Click here for a "tediously accurate scale model of the solar system".
 
Changes in Jupiter's Great Red Spot captured by Hubble's Planetary Portrait. Read more.
 
"Dark Matter Dwarf Galaxy Found Hidden in Spacetime Warp". Read full article here.
 
Global Geologic Map of Ganymede released! Click here.
 
Photos of Pluto from the New Horizons mission show that 'It's Complicated'; Find out why here.
 
"The Rock that Appeared Out of Nowhere on Mars". Read more.
 
Click here to see a colorized flyover movie over the two largest seas on Saturn's moon Titan, from NASA's Cassini mission.
 
MAVEN is the first mission to study the Martian upper atmosphere and investigate "where did the water go?",
which is still a huge mystery regarding Mars.
 
"Top 20 Awesome Facts About Space". Click here.
 
Click here to read about NASA-inspired innovations that apply to everyday life! "NASA Spinoffs".
 
Cassini-Hyugens mission has confirmed speculation of hydrocarbon lakes and seas on Titan; read more.
 
Global Geologic Map of Ganymede released! Click here.
 
Comparison of driving distances of rover on the Moon and Mars
Read more
 
Scientists Favor Four ExoMars Landing Sites
Click here for full story
 
NASA's Kepler Telescope Discovers First Earth-Size Planet in 'Habitable Zone'
Click here for full story
 
The Kelper-223 System may provide clues to the migration of some planets in our solar system. Read more.
 
Are you a non-scientist interested in helping scientists map rocky planets?
Click here for information about how to become a Citizen Scientist!
 
Are you a Graduate Student in planetary science?
Click here for information about travel grants available from Uwingu
 
NASA Rover Finds Conditions Once Suited For Ancient Life On Mars
Read more
 
Researchers Identify Water Rich Meteorite Linked To Mars Crust
Read more
 
Meteorite fragments found and confirmed from Russian fireball
Read more
 
 

OTHER INFORMATION:

** Click here for graduate opportunities **

We have extra copies of USGS I-MAPS available for distribution. Please Click here for more information and to request a copy**. Please indicate what school/college/university/course you are affiliated with.

Click here for MSL Curiosity Rover "What's New".

Click here for the official "Martian Diaries" Blog!

Click here for MSL Daily Weather Reports from Mars! Click here for more information about REMS (Rover Environmental Monitoring Station).

The PASSC team at UNB is part of the APXS instrument team: Canada's instrument! Click here for information about the APXS and MSL from the Canadian Space Agency. Click here for information about our team's MSL activities in PASSC news.

 

 

PASSC Director: John Spray
Data Manager: Beverley Elliott

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