
ISS and Space Missions Capture Mt. Etna Eruption, Io Volcanic Activity, Venus-Jupiter Conjunction, and Neptune Images
Recent images and observations from various space missions and the International Space Station (ISS) have provided remarkable views of Earth and celestial bodies. An astronaut aboard the ISS captured a photo looking downward at the twin volcanoes Parinacota and Pomerape in the Andes Mountains. The ISS orbits approximately 400 kilometers above Earth, a distance comparable to driving from New York to Washington. The station has also provided views of the vast Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as detailed images of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and India illuminated by sunlight above the clouds. NASA documented an eruption of Mt. Etna from the ISS, while China's Chang'e 6 probe captured images of the far side of the Moon. The James Webb Space Telescope produced images of Neptune, including its ring system and moon Triton, and NASA shared images depicting seasonal changes on Saturn. Additionally, a sequence of images from NASA's New Horizons mission showed volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io, with material erupting 330 kilometers above its surface. The Japanese Kaguya spacecraft captured the Earthrise from lunar orbit, a phenomenon unique to orbit as the Moon always faces Earth with the same side. JAXA released the clearest image ever taken of Venus. Historical space photography was also noted, including Neil Armstrong's 1969 Earth photo during the first moon landing and an Apollo 14 mission image showing astronaut Edgar Mitchell deploying seismic equipment on the Moon. Astronomical events include the upcoming close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter visible in the morning sky without a telescope. Observations from Earth include the Summer Triangle constellation, and a recent total eclipse of the Sun on Saturn was observed, featuring Titan's shadow transit.
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- Richard H. Ebright
Just returned from viewing a total eclipse of the sun on Saturn (Titan shadow transit). https://t.co/vfXap7PtgI
- Stuart Atkinson
Did a little more work on my SeeStar M13 image from last night. Looking forward to some clearer nights later in the month so I can do some serious imaging of M33 & maybe finally take that mosaic of the Veil Nebula I've been wanting to take since I was knee-high to R2D2... :-) https://t.co/AgB8fDYw4s
- Black Hole
A Year on Earth This animation is made up of footage from the GOES geostationary satellite. It shows how sunlight hits the Earth at the same time of day throughout the year. As the angle of incoming sunlight changes, so do the seasons. https://t.co/jURYR2XkBn
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