Goddard's Astrophysics Gallery

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Explore the temperatures of the cosmos, from absolute zero to the hottest temperatures yet achieved, with this infographic. Targets for the XRISM mission include supernova remnants, binary systems with stellar-mass black holes, galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, and vast clusters of galaxies.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott WiessingerMachine-readable PDF copy || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_small.jpg (1383x2048) [1.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.png (5530x8192) [60.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.jpg (5530x8192) [10.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_8bit.png (5530x8192) [24.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.png (2765x4096) [7.0 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.jpg (2765x4096) [4.7 MB] ||

A brief overview of the James Webb Space Telescope mission from its construction, launch, and complex unfolding to the incredible science it achieves. ||

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is unfolding the universe, and revealing sights humanity has never seen before. In this video, astronomers describe working with the telescope and how the images and data are collected. From first images to routine operations: experts at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD explain how the images are processed, and turned from raw data to the spectacular full-color images seen on the internet. ||

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Explore this infographic to learn more about ComPair and scientific ballooning.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMachine-readable PDF copy || ComPair_Infographic_Final.jpg (5100x6600) [3.3 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final.png (5100x6600) [11.7 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final-half.jpg (2550x3300) [1.3 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final-half.png (2550x3300) [3.8 MB] ||

A brief overview of the James Webb Space Telescope mission from its construction, launch, and complex unfolding to the incredible science it achieves. ||

The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful space telescope ever made and the most complex one yet designed. Did you know that the telescope's history stretches back before the Hubble Space Telescope was launched? This video explores the various early concept designs for Webb, including the criteria and the players. Learn more about Webb's final design, how it evolved, and how the completed telescope was tested and prepared for its historic launch. ||

Complete animation sequence.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab || GRB_Sequence_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [1.6 MB] || 20378_GRB_Sequence_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [41.7 MB] || 20378_GRB_Sequence_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [109.7 MB] || 20378_GRB_Sequence_ProRes_3840x2160_30.mov (3840x2160) [1.4 GB] ||

Watch to learn how an update to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory allowed it to catch a supersized black hole in a distant galaxy munching repeatedly on a circling star. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Teapot Waltz" by Benjamin Parsons from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Repeating_TDE_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [446.8 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [63.3 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [1.2 GB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_sub100.mp4 (1920x1080) [89.7 MB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [186.2 MB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [1.7 KB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.6 KB] ||

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Explore this infographic to learn more about ComPair and scientific ballooning.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMachine-readable PDF copy || ComPair_Infographic_Final.jpg (5100x6600) [3.3 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final.png (5100x6600) [11.7 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final-half.jpg (2550x3300) [1.3 MB] || ComPair_Infographic_Final-half.png (2550x3300) [3.8 MB] ||

Get ready to take off on a Halloween adventure with these pumpkin stencils featuring our fearless Traveler and their stellar friends! ||

Watch to learn how an update to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory allowed it to catch a supersized black hole in a distant galaxy munching repeatedly on a circling star. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Teapot Waltz" by Benjamin Parsons from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Repeating_TDE_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [446.8 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [63.3 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [1.2 GB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_sub100.mp4 (1920x1080) [89.7 MB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [186.2 MB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [1.7 KB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.6 KB] ||

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben StoneJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves Background Story - by Peter LarsenData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail.jpg (3840x2160) [2.2 MB] || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [75.1 KB] || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [6.3 KB] || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [412.9 MB] || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [43.3 GB] || Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_Best_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.5 GB] || Spectroscopy_Explained.mp4 (3840x2160) [1.1 GB] || Spectroscopy_Explained.webm (3840x2160) [125.6 MB] || SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.srt [11.1 KB] || SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.vtt [10.5 KB] ||

Watch to learn how an update to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory allowed it to catch a supersized black hole in a distant galaxy munching repeatedly on a circling star. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Teapot Waltz" by Benjamin Parsons from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Repeating_TDE_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [446.8 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [63.3 KB] || Repeating_TDE_Still_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [1.2 GB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_sub100.mp4 (1920x1080) [89.7 MB] || 14408_Repeating_TDE_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [186.2 MB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [1.7 KB] || Repeating_TDE_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.6 KB] ||

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Explore the temperatures of the cosmos, from absolute zero to the hottest temperatures yet achieved, with this infographic. Targets for the XRISM mission include supernova remnants, binary systems with stellar-mass black holes, galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, and vast clusters of galaxies.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott WiessingerMachine-readable PDF copy || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_small.jpg (1383x2048) [1.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.png (5530x8192) [60.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.jpg (5530x8192) [10.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_8bit.png (5530x8192) [24.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.png (2765x4096) [7.0 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.jpg (2765x4096) [4.7 MB] ||

The XRISM spacecraft during acoustic testing at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center in December 2022. These and other tests confirm that the spacecraft can withstand the severe vibrations and sounds of its rocket launch.Credit: JAXA || XRISM_Acoustic_12_23_22.jpg (2832x4240) [6.9 MB] ||

Explore the temperatures of the cosmos, from absolute zero to the hottest temperatures yet achieved, with this infographic. Targets for the XRISM mission include supernova remnants, binary systems with stellar-mass black holes, galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, and vast clusters of galaxies.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott WiessingerMachine-readable PDF copy || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_small.jpg (1383x2048) [1.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.png (5530x8192) [60.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.jpg (5530x8192) [10.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_8bit.png (5530x8192) [24.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.png (2765x4096) [7.0 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.jpg (2765x4096) [4.7 MB] ||

This periodic table depicts the primary source on Earth for each element. In cases where two sources contribute fairly equally, both appear. || PeriodicTableOrigins2_print.jpg (1024x682) [251.7 KB] || PeriodicTableOrigins2_Large.png (25042x16695) [52.0 MB] || PeriodicTableOrigins2.png (6000x4000) [3.4 MB] || PeriodicTableOrigins2.jpg (6000x4000) [2.2 MB] || PeriodicTableOrigins2_searchweb.png (320x180) [82.4 KB] || PeriodicTableOrigins2_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] ||

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a NASA scientific balloon mission that will fly to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere to study twisty patterns of light in the universe’s “baby picture.” This infographic highlights some facts about PIPER’s instruments, capabilities and goals.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMachine-readable PDF copy || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL_Medium.jpg (1500x1941) [902.2 KB] || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL_Small.jpg (1000x1294) [469.6 KB] || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL.jpg (5100x6600) [6.6 MB] || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL.png (5100x6600) [15.3 MB] || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL_half.jpg (2550x3300) [1.7 MB] || PIPER_Infographic_FINAL_half.png (2550x3300) [6.9 MB] ||

Artist's interpretation of the Big Bang, with representations of the early universe and its expansion. || BigBang_final-v01_162_print.jpg (1024x576) [187.9 KB] || BigBang_final-v01_162.png (5760x3240) [28.0 MB] || BigBang_final-v01_162_searchweb.png (320x180) [96.3 KB] || BigBang_final-v01_162_web.png (320x180) [96.3 KB] || BigBang_final-v01_162_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || 12656_Big_Bang_1080.mov (1920x1080) [112.4 MB] || 12656_Big_Bang_1080.webm (1920x1080) [3.0 MB] || 12656_Big_Bang_ProRes_5760x3240_30.mov (5760x3240) [1.9 GB] || frames/5760x3240_16x9_30p/ (5760x3240) [64.0 KB] || 12656_Big_Bang_4K.mov (3840x2160) [84.8 MB] || 12656_Big_Bang_4k.m4v (3840x2160) [93.5 MB] ||

Watch this video to learn about time-domain astronomy and how time will be a key element in the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's galactic bulge survey.Music: "Elapsing Time" and "Beyond Truth" from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Roman_TDA-GBS_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [716.0 KB] || Roman_TDA-GBS_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [206.4 KB] || Roman_TDA-GBS_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [95.5 KB] || Roman_TDA-GBS_Still_thm.png (80x40) [7.0 KB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [4.0 GB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_Best.mp4 (1920x1080) [744.2 MB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_Good.mp4 (1920x1080) [215.7 MB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_Sub100.mp4 (1920x1080) [91.9 MB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_Good.webm (1920x1080) [32.2 MB] || 14438_Roman_TimeDomain_GalacticBulgeSurvey_Captions.en_US.srt [6.0 KB] ||

A brief overview of the James Webb Space Telescope mission from its construction, launch, and complex unfolding to the incredible science it achieves. ||

Around a different star, Earth may never have developed life at all. So what makes a star friendly to life? We joined two rocket teams as they traveled to the remote Northern Territory of Australia to capture light from our closest stellar neighbors to help reveal the answer. Follow their journey in the 6-part video series High Above Down Under. Episodes released weekly starting June 27, 2023. ||

LP 791-18 d, illustrated here in an artist's concept, is an Earth-size world about 90 light-years away. The gravitational tug from a more massive planet in the system, shown as a blue disk in the background, may result in internal heating and volcanic eruptions – as much as Jupiter’s moon Io, the most geologically active body in the solar system. Astronomers discovered and studied the planet using data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) along with many other observatories.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KRBwyle) || LP79118d_BeautyShot.jpg (2048x1152) [130.9 KB] || LP79118d_Temperate_Earth_BeautyShot_Full.jpg (5760x3240) [2.2 MB] || LP79118d_Temperate_Earth_BeautyShot_Full.png (5760x3240) [12.4 MB] || LP79118d_BeautyShot_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.9 KB] || LP79118d_BeautyShot_thm.png (80x40) [5.1 KB] ||

Explore the temperatures of the cosmos, from absolute zero to the hottest temperatures yet achieved, with this infographic. Targets for the XRISM mission include supernova remnants, binary systems with stellar-mass black holes, galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, and vast clusters of galaxies.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott WiessingerMachine-readable PDF copy || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_small.jpg (1383x2048) [1.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.png (5530x8192) [60.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Full.jpg (5530x8192) [10.3 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_8bit.png (5530x8192) [24.5 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.png (2765x4096) [7.0 MB] || Cosmic_Temperatures_Infographic_Final_Half.jpg (2765x4096) [4.7 MB] ||

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken over 1.5 million observations over the past 32 years. One of them is the breathtaking Nebula known as the N44 Superbubble.N44 is a complex nebula filled with glowing hydrogen gas, dark lanes of dust, massive stars, and many populations of stars of different ages. One of its most distinctive features, however, is the dark, starry gap called a “superbubble,” visible in the upper central region. In this video, Dr. Ken Carpenter takes us on a journey through the Nebula, teaching us some of the interesting science behind this famous Hubble image.For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Video Credit:Hubble Space Telescope AnimationCredit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser; L. L. Christensen), A. Fujii, Robert Gendler, Digitized Sky SurveyPanther Observatory, Steve Cannistra, Michael Pierce, Robert Berrington (Indiana University), NigelSharp, Mark Hanna (NOAO)/WIYN/NSFMusic Credit:"Transcode" by Lee Groves [PRS], and Peter George Marett [PRS] via Universal Production Music“Cosmic Call” by Immersive Music via Shutterstock Music ||

The Cartwheel Galaxy, a rare ring galaxy once shrouded in dust and mystery, has been unveiled by the imaging capabilities of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The galaxy, which formed as a result of a collision between a large spiral galaxy and another smaller galaxy, not only retained a lot of its spiral character, but has also experienced massive changes throughout its structure. Webb’s high-precision instruments resolved individual stars and star-forming regions within the Cartwheel, and revealed the behavior of the black hole within its galactic center. These new details provide a renewed understanding of a galaxy in the midst of a slow transformation. || cartwheel_348_print.jpg (1024x576) [152.0 KB] || cartwheel_348.png (3840x2160) [9.1 MB] ||

NGC 3372: Eta Carinae Nebula || eta-carina-cliffs_1.00001_print.jpg (1024x576) [111.2 KB] || eta-carina-cliffs_1.00001_searchweb.png (320x180) [56.4 KB] || eta-carina-cliffs_1.00001_thm.png (80x40) [4.5 KB] || eta-carina-cliffs_1.mp4 (1920x1080) [17.2 MB] || eta-carina-cliffs_1.webm (1920x1080) [2.2 MB] ||

This gallery gathers together visualizations and narrated videos about black holes. A black hole is a celestial object whose gravity is so intense that even light cannot escape it. Astronomers observe two main types of black holes. Stellar-mass black holes contain three to dozens of times the mass of our Sun. They form when the cores of very massive stars run out of fuel and collapse under their own weight, compressing large amounts of matter into a tiny space. Supermassive black holes, with masses up to billions of times the Sun’s, can be found at the centers of most big galaxies. Although a black hole does not emit light, matter falling toward it collects in a hot, glowing accretion disk that astronomers can detect.

An exoplanet is a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun. Of particular interest are planets that may orbit in their star’s habitable zone, the distance from a star where temperatures allow liquid water to persist on a planet’s surface, given a suitable atmosphere. Since water is necessary for life as we know it, its presence is required for worlds to be considered capable of supporting life. Exoplanets can also teach us more about planets in the universe, such as the diversity of planets in the galaxy, how they interact with their host stars and with each other, and how common solar systems like ours really are. Using a wide variety of methods, astronomers have discovered more than 3,700 exoplanets to date, largely thanks to NASA's Kepler/K2 mission. Other NASA missions also play a key role in detecting exoplanets. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which launched in April 2018, will monitor 200,000 of the brightest dwarf stars for transiting exoplanets. Future missions like the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to study these discovered planets in greater detail, helping determine their composition. Researchers in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration are leveraging work across disciplines to better understand exoplanets. Areas like planet-star interactions, planetary formation, and even study of the Earth itself enable researchers to develop tools to learn more about how exoplanets evolve, and what ingredients are necessary to support life.

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has completed its primary mission, and it will continue to explore the high-energy cosmos in unprecedented detail. These pages gather together media products associated with Fermi news releases starting before its 2008 launch, when it was known as GLAST. Fermi detects gamma rays, the most powerful form of light, with energies thousands to billions of times greater than the visible spectrum. The mission has discovered pulsars, proved that supernova remnants can accelerate particles to near the speed of light, monitored eruptions of black holes in distant galaxies, and found giant bubbles linked to the central black hole in our own galaxy. For more information about the Fermi mission, visit its NASA webpage.

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory provides astronomers with a unique tool for exploring many different classes of astronomical phenomena, from gamma-ray bursts and supernovae to spinning neutron stars, outbursts from black holes, and even exoplanets, comets and asteroids. These pages gather together media products associated with Swift news releases.For more information about the Swift mission, visit its NASA webpage.

Backend video content to support the Webb AR app!