5 amazing NASA images that show supermoons, eclipses and nebulae far from Earth | Mint

The various motions of celestial bodies and the universe, including the planets, their rotation on different planes and at different periods – result in a variety of phenomena. Remarkable celestial events such as nebulae, solar and lunar eclipses, all give rise to a wide range of images. When observed from above, these phenomena can prove to be stunning and mesmerizing to watch.

Space agencies like NASA have been sharing images of these celestial events time and again.

NASA had titled this picture, ‘Moon dressed up like Saturn.’ Although in the picture the moon looks slightly larger than its normal size, in reality it is not so.

The Moon is in a faint crescent phase, with much of its surface illuminated by reflected Earthlight, known as the da Vinci glow. The bright crescent is illuminated directly by the Sun from below, which indicates that the Sun must be low above the horizon, suggesting this image was taken before sunrise.

This interesting photo was taken on December 24, 2019, just two days before the moon passed in front of the sun, causing a solar eclipse. In the foreground, the lights of small Guatemalan towns are visible against the backdrop of the giant Pacaya volcano, NASA reported.

The picture shows a supermoon, which appeared in the backdrop of the Poseidon Temple in Greece. This supermoon was the first in a series of four supermoons for the year 2024. The third supermoon is expected in September.

Supermoons appear slightly larger and brighter than a regular full moon because they reach their full phase when they are slightly closer to Earth – closer than 90 percent of all full moons. The supermoon in the image was also considered a blue moon under the definition that it is the third of four full moons occurring in the same season.

Blue moons are not actually blue in color. The second full moon in the same month is often called a blue moon.

We have often heard about solar and lunar eclipses, where the Sun and the Moon are often hidden due to certain astronomical events. This photo taken by NASA shows an unusual moment where the Moon eclipsed the planet Saturn.

The recent eclipse of Saturn, formally known as the eclipse of the Sun, was visible just a few days ago over a large region of Earth – from Peru across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy. NASA said the color image shown is a digital composite of the clearest photographs taken during the event, with adjustments made for color balance and brightness to highlight both the relatively dim Saturn and the much brighter moon.

This exposure was taken from Breda, Catalonia, Spain, just before the eclipse began. Eclipses of Saturn by the moon are expected to occur every month for the rest of the year. However, each event will only be visible to those with clear skies and the right location on Earth.

This image taken by NASA shows a ‘star factory’ called Messier 17, located about 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich Sagittarius constellation.

At that distance, this 1.5-degree-wide field of view would extend for about 150 light-years. The sharp color composite image highlights faint details of the region’s gas and dust clouds against the background of the central galaxy stars with narrowband image data.

According to NASA, stellar winds and energetic radiation from hot, massive stars that had already formed from M17’s reservoir of cosmic gas and dust have slowly destroyed the remaining interstellar matter. This created the nebula’s cavernous appearance and wavy shapes, which can be seen in the image. A popular stop on telescopic tours of the universe, M17 is also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula.

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket was launched from a rotating planet on August 11, 2024, carrying a small satellite on a mission called ‘A Sky Full of SAR’ (Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellites).

The rocket launched into low Earth orbit from the Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island. The NASA image captures the fiery trail of the Electron’s eastward trajectory, set against the southern sea and sky.

The image, made from 50 consecutive frames taken over 2.5 hours, was taken with the camera fixed on a tripod. NASA said the lens was directly over the south celestial pole, which is an extension of the Earth’s rotation axis into space. Although there is no bright star at this location in the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky, the south celestial pole can be identified as the center of a trail of arcs as one looks across the sky.