Beautiful #lightning Shot!

Wow! #lightning

WOW! Great chapter!

“He likes this side of her, a side he’s never seen, the soft, vulnerable, slightly clingy Kate. It’s such a stark contrast to who he sees on a daily basis, different even from the glimpses of vulnerability she’s allowed him to see, and he really likes it.” A post-2x18 AU.

Rated: M

Yes, hugs are very good, especially when one is sad. This makes me feel better.  <hugs>

“Hugs are actually so underrated especially those hugs that are so tight you can literally feel the other person’s heartbeat and for a moment everything feels so calm and safe like nothing can hurt you.” (x)

New satellite technology in action!!! Woo hoo!

One of the first images from NOAA’s new satellite, the GOES 16. Spectacular!

Updated Launch date/time:  Saturday, November 19th at 542 PM EST from Cape Canaveral. 

First of advanced environment satellites arrives at Kennedy.

The United State’s latest and most technologically advanced weather satellite was transported from its assembly facility in Colorado to Kennedy Space Center today, August 22. A joint endeavour between NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the GOES-R satellite weighs in at more than 6,200 pounds. Orbiting more than 22,300 miles above the Earth in Geostationary Transfer Orbit, GOES-R will provide the western hemisphere advanced weather and environmental forecasting technology. GOES-R, which stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, is the first of four third-generation GOES satellites built by Lockheed Martin.

Lofting such a heavy and sensitive satellite across the country required the use of a U.S. Air Force C-5 cargoplane.A t 3:16pm EDT the plane touched down at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Later this evening, the satellite will be transported 17 miles to a clean room facility in nearby Titusville. There, it will undergo unpacking and inspection before prelaunch operations commence. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:40pm EDT on November 4. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will fly in the 541 configuration with a five meter diameter payload fairing, four strap on AJ-60A solid rocket motors, and a single-RL-10 engine on the Centaur upper stage. P/c: NASA, NOAA, Lockheed Martin, Gary Napier.

Solar System: Things to Know  This Week

This week, we’re looking at MAVEN’s exploration of Mars, the Orionid meteor showers, Mercury’s “great valley” and more.

1. Celebrating MAVEN

MAVEN, the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile Evolution, was the second mission selected for our Mars Scout program and the first to explore the planet’s upper atmosphere . It launched on November 18, 2013 and entered orbit around Mars on September 21, 2014. 

+ MAVEN Quick Facts

2. Jupiter Moon Dance

This time-lapse sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images shows Jupiter’s moon Europa as it moved across the planet’s face over the course of 19 minutes. Europa is at the bottom center on Jupiter’s disk, the Great Red Spot to the left and Europa’s shadow to its right. The video was created by combining six snapshots taken in ultraviolet light with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.

+ Learn more

3. The Orionid Meteor Shower

Orionid shower peaks November 28. Look for the constellation Orion in the Southeast sky by 9 p.m. Using binoculars, look for the Orion Nebula. 

4. Comet Warming Up!! 

Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdu áková will brighten to expected stunning binocular visibility in mid to late December, but is near Venus on November 23rd.

+ Track the Comet

5. Mercury’s “Great Valley”

A newly discovered “great valley” in the southern hemisphere of Mercury provides more evidence that the planet closest to the sun is shrinking. Using stereo images from our MESSENGER spacecraft to create a high-resolution map, scientists have discovered that revealed the broad valley – more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) long – extending into the Rembrandt basin, one of the largest and youngest impact basins on Mercury. About 250 miles (400 kilometers) wide and 2 miles (3 kilometers) deep, Mercury’s great valley is smaller than Mars’ Valles Marineris, but larger than North America’s Grand Canyon and wider and deeper than the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.

+ Learn more

Discover the full list of 10 things to know about our solar system this week HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

So adorable! #kittens

Oh Hi there! Hope everything is just going swell 👋🐱❤️✨

Supermoon!

WOW!  It’s Supermoon night, and yep, it’s ‘big,’ well, relatively speaking. Have to watch out for big high tides along the southern New England coast from 11/14-17 with any onshore wind flow.  We’re watching it! 

Found this photo on my Twitter feed.  It’s, well, SUPER!  With proper credit, of course.

Credit:  @brandonsmith_wx , photo taken 11/13/16 in State College, PA USA

Excellent!! Can’t wait to see more!! ;)

#GOES-R #GOES16 #weather #satellite

GOES-16 showcases improved capabilities.

 NOAA has created much hype over the instruments on the new GOES-16 satellite, which launched November 19 as GOES-R. The spacecraft is the most sophisticated weather monitoring satellite ever launched, with instruments over four times as powerful as the current generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites.

For comparison, both the next generation GOES-16 and current generation GOES-13 satellite, which launched in 2006, took a picture of the Western hemisphere at 1:07pm EDT January 15, which are shown above. Weather forecasters will use the higher resolution on GOES-16 and future satellites to make more precise forecasts and weather monitoring.

For a larger resolution, click here.

Love this one! #lightning