Supercomputer simulations of planeratry evolution. Part 1: Turbulent Molecular Cloud Nebula with Protostellar ObjectsThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Alexei Kritsuk and Michael Norman to visualize a computational data set of a turbulent molecular cloud nebula forming protostellar objects and accretion disks approximately 100 AU in diameter, on the order of the size of our solar system. AVL used its Amore software to interpolate and render the Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulation generated from ENZO code for cosmology and astrophysics. The AMR simulation was developed by Drs. Kritsuk and Norman at the Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics. The AMR simulation generated more than 2 terabytes of data and follows star formation processes in a self-gravitating turbulent molecular cloud with a dynamic range of half-a-million in linear scale, resolving both the large-scale filamentary structure of the molecular cloud (~5 parsec) and accretion disks around emerging young protostellar objects (down to 2 AU). Part 2: Protoplanetary Disk and Planet FormationThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Dr. Aaron Boley to visualize the 16,000 year evolution of a young, isolated protoplanetary disk which surrounds a newly-formed protostar. The disk forms spiral arms and a dense clump as a result of gravitational collapse. Dr. Aaron Boley developed this computational model to investigate the response of young disks to mass accretion from their surrounding envelopes, including the direct formation of planets and brown dwarfs through gravitational instability. The main formation mechanism for gas giant planets has been debated within the scientific community for over a decade. One of these theories is 'direct formation through gravitational instability.' If the self-gravity of the gas overwhelms the disk's thermal pressure and the stabilizing effect of differential rotation, the gas closest to the protostar rotates faster than gas farther away. In this scenario, regions of the gaseous disk collapse and form a planet directly. The study, presented in Boley (2009), explores whether mass accretion in the outer regions of disks can lead to such disk fragmentation. The simulations show that clumps can form in situ at large disk radii. If the clumps survive, they can become gas giants on wide orbits, e.g., Fomalhaut b, or even more massive objects called brown dwarfs. Whether a disk forms planets at large radii and, if so, the number of planets that form, depend on how much of the envelope mass is distributed at large distances from the protostar. The results of the simulations suggest that there are two modes of gas giant planet formation. The first mode occurs early in the disk's lifetime, at large radii, and through the disk instability mechanism. After the main accretion phase is over, gas giants can form in the inner disk, over a period of a million years, through the core accretion mechanism, which researchers are addressing in other studies.Thanks to R. H. Durisen, L. Mayer, and G. Lake for comments and discussions relating to this research. This study was supported in part by the University of Zurich, Institute for Theoretical Physics, and by a Swiss Federal Grant. Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High-End Computing (HEC) Program through the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames Research Center.AVL at NCSA, University of Illinois. ||

Animation comparing the relative sizes of James Webb's primary mirror to Hubble's primary mirror. ||

Science Writer Laura Betz takes us behind the scenes inside the world's largest clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Explore where Hubble was built and where its successor the James Webb Space Telescope is being assembled today. See the special gowning process engineers go through on a daily basis to enter this super clean environment.This tour gives you a 360 look from the unique filter wall to the storage of Webb's 18 gold plated mirrors. Check out Goddard's Space Environment Simulator, a massive thermal vacuum chamber where scientists and engineers cryo-tested the heart of the telescope, ISIM, by lowering the temperature of the structure to 42 Kelvin (-384.1 Fahrenheit or -231.1 Celsius) and below to ensure that it can withstand the frigid temperatures Webb will face one million miles out in space. ||

Music credit: "Neighborhood Conspiracy" by Brice Davoli [SACEM]; Koka Media [SACEM], Universal Publishing Production Music (France) [SACEM]; Killer Tracks Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || hubble_phobos_thumbnail.png (1920x1080) [838.6 KB] || hubble_phobos_thumbnail_print.jpg (1024x576) [33.6 KB] || hubble_phobos_thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [32.3 KB] || hubble_phobos_thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [2.9 KB] || hubble_phobos_photobomb.mp4 (1920x1080) [114.7 MB] || hubble_phobos_photobomb.webm (1920x1080) [12.8 MB] || hubble_phobos_photobomb.mov (1920x1080) [2.9 GB] || hubble_phobos_photobomb.en_US.srt [1.2 KB] || hubble_phobos_photobomb.en_US.vtt [1.2 KB] ||

The James Webb Space Telescope live shots have been postponed until a later date. For more information, visit the links below:Gallery page with extended b-roll and animations here.By the Dozen: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mirrors. || Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_1.15.17_PM.png (1460x772) [1.8 MB] || Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_1.15.17_PM_print.jpg (1024x541) [129.2 KB] || Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_1.15.17_PM_searchweb.png (320x180) [102.1 KB] || Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_1.15.17_PM_thm.png (80x40) [9.4 KB] ||

A compilation of Webb Telescope videos. || IMAGE-Video_Comp_Reel-20170.jpg (1920x1080) [903.3 KB] || IMAGE-Video_Comp_Reel-20170_print.jpg (1024x576) [511.9 KB] || IMAGE-Video_Comp_Reel-20170_searchweb.png (320x180) [104.6 KB] || IMAGE-Video_Comp_Reel-20170_web.png (320x180) [104.6 KB] || IMAGE-Video_Comp_Reel-20170_thm.png (80x40) [8.0 KB] || Webb_AAS_Loop_Video2017.mp4 (1920x1080) [974.0 MB] || Webb_AAS_Loop_Video2017.webm (1920x1080) [106.5 MB] ||

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully passed another series of critical testing milestones on its march to the launchpad. In recent acoustic and vibration tests, technicians and engineers exposed Webb's spacecraft element to brutal dynamic mechnical environmental conditions to ensure it will endure the rigors of a rocket launch to space. ||

Music credit: "High Heelz" by Donn Wilkerson [BMI] and Lance Sumner [BMI]; Killer Tracks BMI; Killer Tracks Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || Hubble_black_hole_birth_thumbnail.png (1920x1080) [3.4 MB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_thumbnail_print.jpg (1024x576) [163.2 KB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [126.7 KB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [7.9 KB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_H264.mp4 (1920x1080) [228.3 MB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_H264.webm (1920x1080) [26.8 MB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth_APR422.mov (1920x1080) [5.8 GB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth.en_US.srt [4.7 KB] || Hubble_black_hole_birth.en_US.vtt [4.7 KB] ||

Interviews and b-roll of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, "the Mother of Hubble." Dr. Roman, born May 16, 1925, began working at NASA in 1959 and served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy. ||

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas, roll the James Webb Space Telescope into Chamber A for future cryogenic testing. ||