2026-08-10 14:48
2026-08-10 10:29
2026-08-10 17:30
2026-08-10 13:45
2026-08-10 10:10
2026-08-10 18:08
2 min read
Teaching the beautiful and inspirational science of astronomy using only the conceptual framework offered by a traditional textbook – without incorporating the wealth of incredible resources, images and activities from NASA – falls short of the more modern, active learning experience that could better serve students evolving learning strategies. Three project teams from the NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program – NASA Community College Network (NCCN, led by the SETI Institute) and five of their expert community college instructors; Infiniscope (led by Arizona State University, ASU); and NASA Treks – set out to address this challenge.
In June 2026, these teams gathered for a virtual workshop to lay the groundwork for incorporating active learning components drawn from NASA’s extensive education and visualization resource pool and the widely used but traditionally structured OpenStax Astronomy 101 textbook into Relevant Engaging Active Learning (REAL) courseware for introductory Astronomy, while preserving the core content and clear explanatory narrative of the text.
Over the following two weeks, the instructors each adopted one of the opening five chapters of OpenStax, enhancing the content with active learning modules with an emphasis on materials developed by SciAct project teams, such as NASA Treks, Universe of Learning, and Cosmic Data Stories, to name a few. The results of their efforts were presented in a wrap-up presentation in July and will be field-tested in community college classrooms in Fall 2026.
This workshop served as a proof of concept for exploring whether an existing textbook can be effectively adapted into an active learning tool that will enhance students’ understanding of fundamental astronomical concepts. Next steps will include expanding the program and diving back into OpenStax to systematically reimagine the material into an active learning tool that covers the entire book – and therefore, the entire Universe! Importantly, this effort highlights new and highly impactful possibilities for the dissemination of NASA SciAct resources.
Special thanks to the five community college instructors and their invaluable wisdom, experience, and skills: Carver Bierson (Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale Arizona), Dan Chase (Modesto Community College, Modesto, California), Dennis Just (Pima Community College, Pima, Arizona), Steve Tuckey (Jackson College, Jackson, Michigan) and Sally Watt (Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona).
NCCN, Infiniscope, NASA Treks, and many of the projects that contributed learning materials are supported by NASA cooperative agreement awards and are part of the NASA Science Activation Program portfolio, which connects learners with authentic NASA science experiences through partnerships with educators and community organizations.
2026-08-10 16:30
As NASA+ continues its expansion across multiple streaming platforms to bring space closer to home, NASA announced Monday programming is next heading to discovery+ and HBO Max. A continuous live feed of NASA+ programming is streaming on discovery+ live channels, while HBO Max will stream NASA’s special events, including the Artemis III mission in 2027.
Viewers on those platforms can stream NASA+ content in Dolby Vision on supported devices, which will bring space exploration to life with vivid colors, sharper contrast, brighter imagery, and richer detail. This enhanced streaming experience will help viewers experience space coverage in a uniquely immersive way.
Future programming may include science mission launches, a test flight for rendezvous and docking with human landing systems, robotic lunar deliveries, the first crewed mission to the Moon under Artemis, and more. As always, NASA+ also remains available for free, with no ads, through the NASA app and on the agency’s website.
“The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience and we continue to honor that commitment,” said Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+ at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. “Artemis II captured the hearts and minds of viewers globally, inspiring the Artemis generation. As we return to the Moon to stay, our goal is to provide transparent, engaging content coverage every step of the way.”
Earlier this year during its Ignition event, NASA shared plans for a bold path forward for the agency, including increasing its cadence of Artemis missions to the lunar surface, and building the first Moon Base, among other agency priorities. These continuous streaming agreements strengthen NASA’s promise to public engagement, making the agency’s mission and educational content available on multiple devices for viewers on their preferred channels
For more about NASA’s missions, visit:
-end-
Jennifer Dooren / Lauren Low
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
jennifer.m.dooren@nasa.gov / lauren.e.low@nasa.gov
2026-08-10 14:00

Observing across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as the “mane” of hazy, comet-shaped objects. Now Webb has captured a clearer, more detailed view of the Lion Nebula due to its high-resolution imaging.

At first glance the nebula’s overall structure in Webb’s infrared images, with both the NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) instruments, may look quite similar to Hubble’s earlier visible-light view. However, Webb’s infrared vision highlights features like compact clumps of dust and a haze of ionized gas. It’s taken several thousand years for this collection of gas and dust to reach its current shape, and the nebula’s components continue to be altered.
The source of these constant changes and the reason for the Lion Nebula’s distinct appearance is located at the center: the remains of a dying star. Though it looks like the button nose of the lion, its energy and radiation are powering the intricate structures seen here.

Massive stars undergo supernova explosions at the end of their lives, but these kinds of events are few and far in between. Most of the universe’s stars have lower masses, like the one belonging to NGC 2392. When a lower-mass star can no longer sustain itself with nuclear reactions in its core, the star becomes unstable and pulsates, losing its mass by shedding its outer layers, which then turn into shells of gas and dust called a planetary nebula. (Stars at this life stage are responsible for producing much of the universe’s observable dust.) The star’s radiation drives the ejected material away, leaving behind the very hot stellar core, also known as a white dwarf.
In the Lion Nebula’s case, the death of the oxygen-rich central star has left behind a white dwarf that is “cooking” everything from the inside and producing a bubble of ionized gas as it does. The gas bubble, which forms the lion’s face, is expanding over time and destroying dust that is in its path. Understanding why the swept-up gas has a complex structure of rings and shells, a common feature in planetary nebulae, is an ongoing endeavor.
The mane of the lion is the interior of a dust shell that is being illuminated by the white dwarf at the center. The tufts of hair, which look like cometary tails of material, are compact clumps of dust that have survived the stellar core’s radiation and protect the material that lies behind them.
Webb’s imagery “freezes” this planetary nebula in time, though the star’s death, and its tumultuous effects, go on. NGC 2392 will continue to undergo changes as its gas and dust migrate away from the stellar core. Astronomers estimate the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years — a relatively short period in astronomical terms.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
To learn more about Webb, visit:
The following sections contain links to download this article’s images and videos in all available resolutions followed by related information links, media contacts, and if available, research paper and Spanish translation links.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope imaged the planetary nebula NGC 2392, the Lion Nebula, using the observatory’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The central star’s remains are responsible for the nebula’s structure, including a lion face-shaped bubble of ionized gas and dust “mane.”
Explore more: Sonification of NGC 2392
View more: Hubble Image of NGC 2392
View more: Chandra X-ray Observatory Image of NGC 2392
More Webb: News | Images | Science | Home Page
Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov
Abigail Major
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Maryland
Christine Pulliam
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Maryland
2026-08-10 13:59

A new school year brings fresh opportunities to get involved with NASA. Whether you’re curious about space or eager to build real STEM skills, NASA offers a world of experiences putting you close to the action. As we enter a new golden age of exploration, there’s no better time to jump in, try something bold, and see where your curiosity takes you.
NASA opens the door to authentic mission experiences through internships and student challenges. As members of the NASA team, interns work on genuine agency projects and gain industry-ready skills, all with the guidance of NASA mentors. Visit NASA’s internships website to learn more about current vacancies, deadlines, eligibility requirements, and more.
Through NASA’s student challenges and competitions, student teams tackle some of the critical technical hurdles facing mission planners. Flex your innovative muscles and sharpen your collaborative and problem-solving skills while developing, prototyping, and testing your team’s designs. Check out the full list of NASA STEM challenges and opportunities, choose one that fits your interests, and assemble your team.
The future of aerospace depends on a steady pipeline of skilled technical experts ready to make missions and ideas a reality. NASA invites students in high school, community college, and career technical education programs to join in-person and virtual events to explore these important career paths.
NASA Career Technical Education Days bring students on-site to meet NASA skilled technical workers who share what their jobs are like, how they built their careers, and the skills, training, and certifications that have helped them succeed. During NASA’s Next Gen STEM Virtual Career Connections , students interact live with technical experts supporting the agency’s missions. Students and teachers can learn more on the Next Gen STEM for Careers website.
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate invites you to help make real discoveries through science projects powered by volunteers. Join from anywhere, whenever it fits your schedule, and start working with authentic mission data. Help identify comets and asteroids, hunt for binary star systems, and more. Find the project that’s right for you on the list of current citizen science projects.
Don’t miss out on NASA’s biggest mission milestones this school year! Up first is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch no earlier than 7:20 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30. This powerful new observatory has a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope. Be a virtual guest for launch and learn more about the telescope with fun activities provided by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. You can also sign up to be a virtual guest for NASA’s next crewed launch to the International Space Station, SpaceX Crew-13, set to launch in September.
And be sure to follow NASA’s continuing crew training and hardware preparations for Artemis III. Set to launch into Earth orbit in 2027, the flight will test rendezvous and docking capabilities with commercial human landing systems – landers that will carry astronauts to the lunar surface on Artemis IV and future missions to the Moon.
Schools, classrooms, and community-based student groups have further options to engage with NASA and its people. Through In-Flight STEM Downlinks, students have their pre-recorded questions answered live by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, demonstrating how STEM careers reach far beyond Earth. Additionally, the NASA Engages public outreach program connects agency experts with student audiences to share mission and science updates, helping people discover how NASA’s work unfolds and how they can be part of the journey.
This school year, whether you’re interested in aerospace jobs or eager to dive into authentic STEM challenges, you’ll find an array of activities and career exploration tools on NASA’s Learning Resources website. Explore exciting NASA student opportunities and subscribe to the weekly NASA EXPRESS email newsletter for the latest NASA STEM opportunities and updates!
2026-08-10 04:05
APOD
APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

Explanation: Each of these pairs of galaxies is different. The two galaxies at the top are likely not interacting, at least presently. However, the top galaxy with the blue stripe, NGC 4650A, is a polar ring galaxy and may be the result of a past galaxy collision. The two galaxies in the middle of the featured image appear like they could be interacting gravitationally — but their relative speeds make this unlikely. Of these two, the larger galaxy, NGC 4650, is a spiral galaxy with a bright bar of stars across its center. The two galaxies at the bottom are actively interacting. Possibly in a billion years or so, NGC 4622A and NGC 4622B will merge and become one single galaxy. All of these galaxies are likely members of the larger Centaurus Galaxy Cluster.
Tomorrow’s picture: many moons
| Date: | August 10, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit & Copyright: | Rafael Sampaio |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
2026-08-10 20:53
2026-08-10 20:04
2026-08-10 18:31
2026-08-10 18:30
2026-08-10 18:27