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APOD: 2026 August 8 – A Messier Moment for Tempel 2

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APOD: 2026 August 8 – A Messier Moment for Tempel 2

 

APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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.

Greenish cometary coma of 10P/Tempel 2 and globular star cluster M30

A Messier Moment for Tempel 2

Explanation: Which of these is not a comet? You guessed it – the one on the right is a globular star cluster. The diffuse greenish coma of periodic comet 10P/Tempel 2 is at left in the frame. In fact the globular star cluster is Messier 30, also known as M30, or the 30th entry in astronomer Charles Messier’s catalog of things which are not comets. The well-known 18th century astronomer kept a list of objects he observed, now his famous Messier Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters, which did not move from night to night against the background stars and so were not the comets he was hunting for. So the famous comet hunter would get the correct answer too, even though his telescope would show both 10P/Tempel 2 and distant star cluster as similar looking faint and fuzzy objects in his field of view. Recorded on July 29, this modern telescopic image captures periodic comet Tempel 2 as it briefly swept close on the sky to M30. While the periodic comet’s faint, narrow, orbital dust trail seems to pierce the globular star cluster, Tempel 2 was a mere 3.5 light-minutes away. Messier 30 is some 28,000 light-years distant.

Tomorrow’s picture: Contemplating the Sun

Date August 8, 2026
Credit & Copyright Dan Bartlett
Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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Space Station Crew Wraps Busy Week, Plans New Date for US Spacewalk 97

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Space Station Crew Wraps Busy Week, Plans New Date for US Spacewalk 97

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shared a pictured of herself during a spacewalk taken by NASA astronaut Anil Menon on her Instagram page.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shared a pictured of herself during a spacewalk on her Instagram page taken by NASA astronaut Anil Menon.
Instagram/@Astro_Jessica

On Aug. 6, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon concluded a 6-hour, 27-minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Meir and Menon successfully completed their primary objective of preparing the 3B power channel for the future installation of a roll out solar array. Toward the end of the spacewalk, a carbon dioxide sensor on Menon’s spacesuit indicated an unexpected data reading. Menon reported no other issues during the spacewalk.

Although the sensor returned to normal readings following removal of the suit, engineers on the ground will continue to evaluate over the coming days whether to change suits for the next spacewalk. As a result, NASA will move the next spacewalk to replace a Space-to-Ground antenna on the space station to Tuesday, Aug. 18. As of now, the third planned spacewalk this month remains scheduled on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The agency will provide additional spacewalk details early next week.

Afterward, the NASA astronauts joined flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) for a post-spacewalk briefing with mission controllers on the ground. The quartet discussed their experiences with the engineers to ensure readiness for future spacewalks. Hathaway and Adenot helped the astronauts in and out of their spacesuits and monitored their spacewalking tasks on Thursday.

On Friday, NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway of studied Canadarm2 robotic arm operations planned to support the next spacewalk. NASA will soon name the spacewalkers who will replace a space-to-ground antenna to maintain high-speed data and communication transmissions between Mission Control Center and the space station.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot was back on exercise research working out with new and advanced gear to inform countermeasures that may improve muscle and bone health in microgravity. She first wore the EasyMotion-2 suit that sent electrical impulses and triggered muscle contractions to supplement her workout session on the advanced resistive exercise device in the Tranquility module. Afterward, she moved into the Columbus laboratory module and performed rope pull exercises on the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D). Researchers are evaluating the E4D’s effectiveness for use on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Numerous science investigations and lab maintenance tasks also kept the three Expedition 75 cosmonauts busy at the end of the week. Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev started his shift measuring his blood pressure while wearing a series of cuffs on his arm, wrist, and fingers for a circulation system study. He wrapped up his day inspecting and cleaning smoke detectors in the Rassvet module. Flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov set up an automated Earth photography session to capture European and Asian landmarks then tested artificial intelligence tools to improve crew operations. Flight engineer Anna Kikina worked in the Zarya module photographing areas to identify optimal stowage locations and locate hardware.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

2026 IGARSS Hyperwall Schedule

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2026 IGARSS Hyperwall Schedule

IGARSS 2026

Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #100) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below.

MONDAY, AUGUST 10

3:00 PM  Technology Enabling the Future of Earth Science Mike Seablom
3:15 PM 
Discovery Earth: New Missions & Technical Innovation Advancing Earth System Insights		 Karen St. Germain

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11

10:00 AM STELLA: Open-Source Multisenor Platforms For Real-Time Environmental Monitoring Mike Taylor
10:15 AM NOAA Geostationary Satellites: Valuable Data for both Research and Operational Use Dan Lindsey
3:00 PM  Discovering Mineral Resources with NASA Imaging Spectroscopy Robert O. Green
3:15 PM 
The Importance of Satellite Ocean Observations at NOAA		 Paul Chang

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12

10:00 AM Enabling Earth Science Data to Serve Society Joel Scott
10:15 AM Microwaving the Solar System Shannon Brown
3:00 PM  NISAR Updates, One Year After Launch Paul Rosen, Marco Lavalle
3:15 PM 
Office of the Chief Science Data Officer: Data Driven Exploration		 Lauren Leese

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NASA’s IXPE Studies Magnetar

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NASA’s IXPE Studies Magnetar

This artist’s concept depicts magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408, a rapidly rotating neutron star with magnetic fields over a trillion times stronger than Earth’s. Blue curves emanating from the star's two magnetic poles represent the magnetic field lines. The magnetar is a significant emitter of radio and X-ray radiation, with their peaks offset during its 2.1-second rotation period. This indicates the primary X-ray emitter is a secondary “hot spot” offset from the magnetic axis. These emitters are depicted as conical sections: the lighter blue radio emission peaks at the magnetic field's symmetry axis, while the darker blue X-ray emission peaks below.
NASA/Pablo Garcia

Scientists using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) conducted more than 140 hours of observations of the magnetar 1E 1547-5408, shown in this Aug. 5, 2026, artist’s concept, between March and April 2025. In doing so, they may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed.

Magnetars are a special class of neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, the strongest of any object in the observable universe, around a trillion times stronger than the strongest permanent magnets ever built on Earth.

Image credit: NASA/Pablo Garcia

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NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon 

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NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon 

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NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon 

The Handheld Lunar Electrostatic Dust Mitigation (LEDM) tool is tested inside the Lunar Development and Test Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Credits:
NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Before astronauts return to the Moon’s surface through NASA’s Artemis program, the hardware they depend on must first prove it can survive the unforgiving lunar environment. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers at the Lunar Development and Test Facility are tackling one of exploration’s biggest challenges: Moon dust. 

Unlike sand on Earth, lunar dust is sharp, abrasive, and clings to nearly everything. Without mitigation, lunar dust could damage equipment and spacesuits while posing health risks to astronauts. Understanding and mitigating the effects of lunar dust is essential as astronauts prepare to live and work on the surface of the Moon.  

The Handheld Lunar Electrostatic Dust Mitigation tool is tested inside the Lunar Development and Test Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Located within the Energy Systems Test Area and managed by NASA engineers, the Lunar Development and Test Facility supports the development and testing of hardware in simulated lunar conditions. Engineers evaluate systems and subsystems inside vacuum chambers using lunar regolith simulant to better understand how spacesuits, spacecraft components, and mechanisms with moving parts and joints will perform during future Artemis missions. 

Lunar spacewalking tools undergo a dust mitigation test inside Johnson’s thermal vacuum chamber. 
NASA/Bill Stafford

NASA Johnson’s Propulsion and Power Division developed specialized systems that make the facility’s lunar simulations possible. The facility includes a dust containment and preparation laboratory for ambient testing, a 3-foot cube vacuum chamber, and a 15-foot thermal vacuum chamber. 

Inside the chamber, engineers test hardware under realistic lunar conditions using lunar regolith simulant. The chamber uses a closed-loop nitrogen system to recreate the harsh lunar environment.  

“The facility helps develop and test technologies needed for long-duration lunar exploration,” said Mike Salinas, Propulsion and Power Division branch deputy chief. “Engineers are advancing techniques to extract resources from lunar regolith, which can be turned into oxygen for astronauts and liquid oxygen for rocket propellant.” 

The spirit of exploration extends beyond the facility’s walls. Its exterior features a large-scale mural depicting astronauts exploring the lunar surface beneath a view of the cosmos. Completed in 2024 by artist Sebastian Boileau, the artwork celebrates the innovation, ingenuity, and discovery happening inside the building every day. 

Artist Sebastien Boileau, left, and Margaret Braun pose in front of Johnson’s Lunar Development and Test Facility after the mural’s completion on Feb. 7, 2024.
NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Now, anyone can step inside the facility from anywhere. Explore NASA’s new 3D virtual tour of the Lunar Development and Test Facility to see where engineers are helping prepare the technologies that support this Golden Age of exploration and innovation.  

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Aug 07, 2026

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