Go on.
Stare at it.⁣
👁️
👁️
⁣
The legend of Medusa holds that anyone who gazed at her directly would transform into stone.
Thankfully you can feast your eyes without fear on this @nasahubble image of the Medusa merger,
a galaxy that is actually the collision of two galaxies formed billions of years ago.
⁣⁣⁣⁣
The streams of stars and dust,
seen rising from the top of the merged galaxy,
resemble the writhing snakes that Medusa,
a monster in ancient Greek mythology,
famously had on her head in place of hair,
lending the object its intriguing name.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣ #nasa #space #galaxy #astronomy #medusa #snakehairdontcare

"Entranced by the eerie dance of the Southern lights,
I can’t help but remember sitting next to my children watching the movie “Frozen,”
listening to “Let it go.
Let it go.”
I'm looking forward to reuniting with my family and loved ones tomorrow."⁣
⁣
That's what astronaut Nick Hague (@astrohague)
tweeted on Oct.
2 as he was preparing to return to Earth.
The image is of an aurora,
a phenomenon that occurs when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field.
Astronauts aboard the @iss are frequently treated to views of aurorae as they orbit Earth at 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).
Hague and his two crewmates,
cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and visiting astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates,
are scheduled to touch down at 7am ET on Oct.
3.
⁣
⁣ #nasa #aurora #space #iss #beauty #views

What can you look up and see?
🔭🔵
🌝

Join the global celebration of International Observe the Moon Night on Oct.
5th,
then try to catch the ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune,
which are well placed for viewing in the late night sky.

Watch this video to discover when and where to look up!