Ever since the Hubble Ultra Deep Field was first taken in 2006, it has challenged our notions of our place in the universe.  It was a somewhat risky observation to take  because it required so much Hubble time and it was pointed at a rather unremarkable section of sky, it wasn’t clear whether the time would be well spent.

Turns out it was.  And then some.

Over the years, astronomers using #Hubble  have continued adding observations at varying wavelengths, from Optical to Infrared. As they did this, the number of galaxies seen in that tiny patch of sky grew.

And now, astronomers have added the Ultraviolet to the HUDF.  Last week, astronomers using the WFC3/UVIS instrument have released another look at this famous area of sky.  Please join +Tony Darnell Dr. +Carol Christian and +Scott Lewis as they discuss how this image was enhanced in the UV with the member of the science team that took it.

We look forward to seeing you there and as always, we encourage your comments and questions.

Here is a link to the Press Release of the updated HUDF along with links to download it yourself:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2014/27/

For a complete schedule of upcoming hangouts, visit this page often:
http://hubblesite.org/get_involved/hubble_hangouts/

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It’s been about six months since we’ve last checked in with the #FrontierFields team back at the January AAS and we thought it was time to get together to see how things were progressing.

Frontier Fields is one of the most ambitious #Hubble observing programs ever launched. It will stare at six different clusters in varying places in the sky for over 560 orbits in an attempt to answer, among other things: Are what we see in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field images typical?  Are the 10,000 galaxies seen in that small patch of sky unique or are they everywhere?

The Frontier Fields team is eight months into it’s three year program and we will be holding regular hangouts throughout to touch base with the effort and learn what, if any, new discoveries are coming out of the Frontier Fields images.

Please join +Tony Darnell,+Carol Christian and +Scott Lewis  as they discuss the latest developments and discoveries from the Frontier Fields science team.

Here is a link to the first Frontier Fields Hangout:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/104933578966497599647/events/cpl8pr6rjvls7en3c9ltrgelc80

Here is a link to Jennifer Lotz at AAS 223:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/42807962

For a complete schedule of upcoming hangouts, visit this page often:
http://hubblesite.org/get_involved/hubble_hangouts/

Backyard stargazers get a monthly guide to the northern hemisphere’s skywatching events with “Tonight’s Sky.” June boasts an intriguing variety of planets and stars.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes — and other astronomy videos — at HubbleSite.org.

Visit Tonight’s Sky on HubbleSite.
http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/tonights_sky

The Gaseous Universe
Dr. Andrew Fox, Space Telescope Science Institute

In our everyday lives, we deal mainly with the solid and liquid forms of matter. In astrophysics, however, gas plays a prominent role throughout the Universe; from planetary and stellar atmospheres to the vast expanses of interstellar and intergalactic space. Gas clouds are also critical to the formation and development of stars and the life cycle of galaxies. Observations of light emitted by gaseous matter in these various environments provides a large and important component of our knowledge of the cosmos. Join us, for a gas-tronomical feast for the mind.

Host: Zolt Levay

Recorded live on June 3, 2014 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, USA

For more information: http://hubblesite.org/about_us/public_talks/

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Using +Hubble Space Telescope observations from the past and including recent observations this year, astronomers have measured the diameter of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot at approximately 10,250 miles across, the smallest ever measured.

Astronomers have known that the giant storm feature on Jupiter has been shrinking since the 1930s, and now we have several decades of observations that show just how much and at what rate.

By comparison, the Great Red Spot was 14,500 miles across when NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Jupiter in 1979.

Starting in 2012, amateur observations revealed a noticeable increase in the spot’s shrinkage rate. The GRS’s “waistline” is getting smaller by 580 miles per year. The shape of the GRS has changed from an oval to a circle. The cause behind the shrinking has yet to be explained.

These new observations also show that very small eddies are feeding into the storm and my be responsible for the sudden change  by altering the dynamics and energy of the Great Red Spot.

Please join +Tony Darnell and +Carol Christian as they discuss these new observations with Dr. Amy Simon and others and bring your questions and comments.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Here is the link to the press release from last Thursday:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2014/24/

The James Webb Space Telescope will have four “cameras” at its disposal to explore the universe. The Near-Infrared Camera, or NIRCAM, will focus its attention on distant galaxies and help us learn more about planets around other stars. But NIRCAM is unique. Its vision will also be used to help align the telescope, a critical step in making the observatory function properly. Join “Behind the Webb” Host Mary Estacion as she visits the Lockheed Martin facility in Palo Alto, California to find out more about the making of NIRCAM.

“Behind the Webb” is an ongoing series that follows the construction of the Webb Space Telescope, Hubble’s successor. Find more episodes at Hubblesite.org.

“Behind the Webb” archive:
http://webbtelescope.org/webb_telescope/behind_the_webb/archive/

This video is the stereo 3D version of “Evaporating Peaks: Pillars in the Monkey Head Nebula”. Note that the zoom is 2D, and only the second part of the sequence has stereo 3D.

The Monkey Head Nebula (also known as NGC 2174) is a star-forming region in which bright, newborn stars near the center of the nebula illuminate the surrounding gas with energetic radiation. This radiation, along with strong stellar winds, erodes away the lower density gas. Pockets of higher density gas resist this erosion, and form pillars and peaks along the inner edge of the roughly circular cloud.

This video showcases visible and infrared light views of a collection of pillars along one edge of the nebula. The sequence begins with a view of the night sky near the constellation of Gemini and Orion. The view zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 to reveal a Hubble Space Telescope visible light view of the top of this region of pillars.

A cross-fade transitions not only between Hubble’s visible and infrared light views, but also from a two-dimensional image to a three-dimensional sculpted model of the region. The camera then pulls back to reveal the landscape of evaporating peaks of gas and dust surrounded by stars. Note that the visualization is intended to be a reasonable interpretation (not scientifically accurate) and that distances within the model are significantly compressed.

For more information and to download this video, go to the HubbleSite video page:
http://hubblesite.org/videos/video_details/24-evaporating-peaks-3d-pillars-in-the-monkey-head