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Hubble Observes Ghostly Cloud Alive with Star Formation A seemingly serene landscape of gas and dust is hopping with star formation behind the scenes.NASA, ESA, and K. Stapelfeldt (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) Download this image (84.5 MB)

While this eerie NASA Hubble Space Telescope image may look ghostly, it’s actually full of new life. Lupus 3 is a star-forming cloud about 500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. 

White wisps of gas swirl throughout the region, and in the lower-left corner resides a dark dust cloud. Bright T Tauri stars shine at the left, bottom right, and upper center, while other young stellar objects dot the image.

T Tauri stars are actively forming stars in a specific stage of formation. In this stage, the enveloping gas and dust dissipates from radiation and stellar winds, or outflows of particles from the emerging star. T Tauri stars are typically less than 10 million years old and vary in brightness both randomly and periodically due to the environment and nature of a forming star. The random variations may be due to instabilities in the accretion disk of dust and gas around the star, material from that disk falling onto the star and being consumed, and flares on the star’s surface. The more regular, periodic changes may be caused by giant sunspots rotating in and out of view. 

T Tauri stars are in the process of contracting under the force of gravity as they become main sequence stars which fuse hydrogen to helium in their cores. Studying these stars can help astronomers better understand the star formation process.

New images added every day between January 12-17, 2026! Follow @NASAHubble on social media for the latest Hubble images and news and see Hubble’s Stellar Construction Zones for more images of young stellar objects.

Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Explore More Exploring the Birth of Stars Hubble’s Nebulae Hubble’s Star Clusters

Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2026 LocationNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms

• Hubble Space Telescope
• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Protostars
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Additive Manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, will be an absolutely critical technology for any long-term settlement on another world. Its ability to take a generic input, such as plastic strips or metal powder, and turn it into any shape of tool an astronaut will need is an absolute game changer. But the chemistry behind these technologies is complicated, and their applications are extremely varied, ranging from creating bricks for settlements to plastics for everything from cups to toothbrush holders. A new paper available in pre-print on arXiv from Zane Mebruer and Wan Shou of the University of Arkansas, explores one specific aspect of a particularly important type of 3D printing, and realized that they could save millions of dollars on Mars missions by simply using the planet’s atmosphere to help print metal parts.

The James Webb Space Telescope has picked up the light from a massive star that exploded about a billion years after the birth of the universe

The James Webb Space Telescope has picked up the light from a massive star that exploded about a billion years after the birth of the universe

Understanding a molecule that plays a key role in nitrogen fixing – a chemical process that enables life on Earth – has long been thought of as problem for quantum computers, but now a classical computer may have solved it

Understanding a molecule that plays a key role in nitrogen fixing – a chemical process that enables life on Earth – has long been thought of as problem for quantum computers, but now a classical computer may have solved it

A distinctive nebula inside the constellation Lyra holds a never-before-seen cloud of iron atoms—and researchers aren’t sure why

Stars emit lots of green light, but our eyes don’t let us see them that way

This mysterious type of fat cell may play an important role in heart health, new research shows

A break down of why Venezuela’s oil boom is clashing with a hotter, more fragile planet

This winter the biggest planet is the brightest. The brightest star pins the Winter Triangle. And did you know Capella and Rigel march in step?

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 16 – 25 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image over the South Atlantic Ocean features a close-up view of the A23a iceberg, once the world’s largest. The unusually cloud-free image shows the first signs that the iceberg will soon disintegrate completely.

Using a chess computer to advise you on just three moves during a game dramatically increases your chances of winning in a way that is difficult for others to spot

Using a chess computer to advise you on just three moves during a game dramatically increases your chances of winning in a way that is difficult for others to spot

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As NASA moves closer to launch of the Artemis II test flight, the agency soon will roll its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad for the first time at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final integration, testing, and launch rehearsals. NASA is targeting no earlier.

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Oregon Air National Guard ground crew guides one of the NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft onto the ramp at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The retired U.S. Air Force F-15s come from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing and will transition from military service to support NASA’s flight research fleet. NASA/Christopher LC Clark Oregon Air National Guard and NASA flight crew look out across the desert while awaiting the arrival of the NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025NASA/Christopher LC Clark NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft arrive at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The two retired U.S. Air Force F-15s will support ongoing supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities Project and the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft.NASA/Christopher LC Clark NASA staff and Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing crew pose for a group photo at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The group stands in front of one of two F-15 aircraft added to the agency’s flight research fleet.NASA/Christopher LC Clark Oregon Air National Guard pilots deliver NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft begin their new role supporting NASA’s flight research.NASA/Christopher LC Clark

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

The F-15s will support supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, including testing for the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. One of the aircraft will return to the air as an active NASA research aircraft. The second will be used for parts to support long-term fleet sustainment.

“These two aircraft will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project” said Troy Asher, director for flight operations at NASA Armstrong. “They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.”

The aircraft came from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft arrived at NASA Armstrong Dec. 22, 2025. 

“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s,” Asher said. “Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.”

The F-15s allow NASA to operate in high-speed, high-altitude flight-testing environments. The aircraft can carry experimental hardware externally – under its wings or slung under the center – and can be modified to support flight research.

Now that these aircraft have joined NASA’s fleet, the team at Armstrong can modify their software, systems, and flight controls to suit mission needs. The F-15’s ground clearance allows researchers to install instruments and experiments that would not fit beneath many other aircraft.

NASA has already been operating two F-15s modified so their pilots can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet, the top of the flight envelop for the X-59, which will cruise at 55,000 feet. The new F-15 that will fly for NASA will receive the same modification, allowing for operations at altitudes most standard aircraft cannot reach. The combination of capability, capacity, and adaptability makes the F-15s uniquely suited for flight research at NASA Armstrong.

“The priority is for them to successfully support the X-59 through completion of that mission,” Asher said. “And over the longer term, these aircraft will help position NASA to continue supporting advanced aeronautics research and partnerships.”

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Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2026 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.gov Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
• Ames Research Center
• Armstrong Flight Research Center
• Commercial Supersonic Technology
• Flight Demos Capabilities
• Glenn Research Center
• Langley Research Center
• Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
• Quesst (X-59)
• Supersonic Flight

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Oregon Air National Guard ground crew guides one of the NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft onto the ramp at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The retired U.S. Air Force F-15s come from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing and will transition from military service to support NASA’s flight research fleet. NASA/Christopher LC Clark Oregon Air National Guard and NASA flight crew look out across the desert while awaiting the arrival of the NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025NASA/Christopher LC Clark NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft arrive at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The two retired U.S. Air Force F-15s will support ongoing supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities Project and the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft.NASA/Christopher LC Clark NASA staff and Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing crew pose for a group photo at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The group stands in front of one of two F-15 aircraft added to the agency’s flight research fleet.NASA/Christopher LC Clark Oregon Air National Guard pilots deliver NASA’s newest F-15 aircraft from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft begin their new role supporting NASA’s flight research.NASA/Christopher LC Clark

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

The F-15s will support supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, including testing for the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. One of the aircraft will return to the air as an active NASA research aircraft. The second will be used for parts to support long-term fleet sustainment.

“These two aircraft will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project” said Troy Asher, director for flight operations at NASA Armstrong. “They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.”

The aircraft came from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft arrived at NASA Armstrong Dec. 22, 2025. 

“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s,” Asher said. “Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.”

The F-15s allow NASA to operate in high-speed, high-altitude flight-testing environments. The aircraft can carry experimental hardware externally – under its wings or slung under the center – and can be modified to support flight research.

Now that these aircraft have joined NASA’s fleet, the team at Armstrong can modify their software, systems, and flight controls to suit mission needs. The F-15’s ground clearance allows researchers to install instruments and experiments that would not fit beneath many other aircraft.

NASA has already been operating two F-15s modified so their pilots can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet, the top of the flight envelop for the X-59, which will cruise at 55,000 feet. The new F-15 that will fly for NASA will receive the same modification, allowing for operations at altitudes most standard aircraft cannot reach. The combination of capability, capacity, and adaptability makes the F-15s uniquely suited for flight research at NASA Armstrong.

“The priority is for them to successfully support the X-59 through completion of that mission,” Asher said. “And over the longer term, these aircraft will help position NASA to continue supporting advanced aeronautics research and partnerships.”

Share

Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2026 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.gov Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
• Ames Research Center
• Armstrong Flight Research Center
• Commercial Supersonic Technology
• Flight Demos Capabilities
• Glenn Research Center
• Langley Research Center
• Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
• Quesst (X-59)
• Supersonic Flight

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Editor’s Note, Jan. 13, 2026: Mission controllers received full acquisition of signal from the Pandora…

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