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New image of Thackeray's Globules & Bus-sized asteroid flies safely by - Space News (May 25, 2026)
Published 2 days, 10 hours ago
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Episode Transcript
New image of Thackeray's Globules
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day today features a stunning portrait of Thackeray's Globules, a set of dark, knotted clouds silhouetted against the rich blue glow of a star-forming region.[8] At first glance they look almost like smudges or drops of ink, but those irregular brown shapes are actually dense clumps of gas and dust embedded in a much larger nebula. These globules block the light behind them, which is why they appear as dark shapes set against a bright background, and that contrast makes the fine structure inside them really stand out in the new image.[8]
What makes Thackeray's Globules scientifically interesting is that they may represent early stages in the birth of new stars, or in some cases the disruptive aftermath of nearby massive stars blasting their surroundings with radiation and stellar winds.[8] In regions like this, gravity is constantly competing with those powerful external forces: parts of a globule may be collapsing inward to form protostars, while other parts are being eroded and shredded by intense ultraviolet light from young, hot stars nearby. By studying the detailed shapes and edges in images like this, astronomers can infer how fast material is being stripped away and how much might still have time to collapse and light up as future suns. Even though this is just one frame from one patch of sky, it captures that broader story of how messy and dynamic star formation really is.[8]
For the rest of us, the image is a reminder that space is not just empty blackness dotted with stars, but a place filled
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Today's topics:
New image of Thackeray's Globules - NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day showcases Thackeray's Globules, dark dusty clumps inside a glowing star-forming region, offering a striking new look at possible birthplaces of future stars and the complex structure of interstellar clouds. Keywords: Thackeray's Globules, star formation, dark nebula, NASA APOD, interstellar dust.[8]
Bus-sized asteroid flies safely by - NASA’s Asteroid Watch highlights a small, bus-sized asteroid making a safe flyby of Earth today at well over a million miles away, underscoring both the constant traffic in near-Earth space and the value of ongoing tracking for planetary defense. Keywords: near-Earth asteroid, 2026 KW, safe flyby, planetary defense, asteroid tracking.[15]
Upcoming Russian spacewalk at ISS - NASA announces live coverage of a Russian spacewalk at the International Space Station on May 27, where two Roscosmos cosmonauts will work outside the station to continue upgrades and maintenance. Keywords: ISS, Russian spacewalk, Roscosmos, NASA live coverage, orbital operations.[3][21]
SpaceX Starlink launch from Florida - SpaceX is targeting a Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral today to send another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit, part of the company’s ongoing push to expand its global broadband megaconstellation. Keywords: SpaceX, Starlink launch, Falcon 9, Cape Canaveral, satellite internet.[9][44]
Episode Transcript
New image of Thackeray's Globules
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day today features a stunning portrait of Thackeray's Globules, a set of dark, knotted clouds silhouetted against the rich blue glow of a star-forming region.[8] At first glance they look almost like smudges or drops of ink, but those irregular brown shapes are actually dense clumps of gas and dust embedded in a much larger nebula. These globules block the light behind them, which is why they appear as dark shapes set against a bright background, and that contrast makes the fine structure inside them really stand out in the new image.[8]
What makes Thackeray's Globules scientifically interesting is that they may represent early stages in the birth of new stars, or in some cases the disruptive aftermath of nearby massive stars blasting their surroundings with radiation and stellar winds.[8] In regions like this, gravity is constantly competing with those powerful external forces: parts of a globule may be collapsing inward to form protostars, while other parts are being eroded and shredded by intense ultraviolet light from young, hot stars nearby. By studying the detailed shapes and edges in images like this, astronomers can infer how fast material is being stripped away and how much might still have time to collapse and light up as future suns. Even though this is just one frame from one patch of sky, it captures that broader story of how messy and dynamic star formation really is.[8]
For the rest of us, the image is a reminder that space is not just empty blackness dotted with stars, but a place filled