@NASAJPL

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory advances science and discovery through NASA robotic missions exploring Earth, the solar system, and the universe.

 Southern California
jpl.nasa.gov
Joined January 2009
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  • Following127
  • Followers3.7M
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Two reminders, stargazers! 👀 Venus hits peak brilliance on Sept. 18 🌓 Sept. 19 is International Observe the Moon Night
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Get more skywatching tips from NASA: go.nasa.gov/whatsup

Skywatching Tips From NASA

NASA's skywatching resources are shared in that same spirit of exploration. We recognize that there's an explorer in each of us, and we want you to remember

science.nasa.gov
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NASA JPL retweeted
NASA Mars
@NASAMars
Sep 16
Sunrise, sunset 🏜️ To mark Curiosity’s 5,000th Martian day on the Red Planet, the rover’s team created this postcard. It combines two panoramas, with blue colors representing images taken in the morning, and yellow colors for the images taken at dusk. 1/2
A panoramic view of a rocky desert landscape. Hills of layered rock stand in the background. The image has two predominant colors: blue tones for the portions of the image captured in the morning, and warmer tones for the portions captured in the eventing. In the foreground is the back half of a robotic Mars rover, with two of its wheels, its top deck, antennas, and its thermal generator visible. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

ALT A panoramic view of a rocky desert landscape. Hills of layered rock stand in the background. The image has two predominant colors: blue tones for the portions of the image captured in the morning, and warmer tones for the portions captured in the eventing. In the foreground is the back half of a robotic Mars rover, with two of its wheels, its top deck, antennas, and its thermal generator visible. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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NASA JPL retweeted
NASA Earth
@NASAEarth
Sep 16
If Earth were a hard marble, its center of mass would stay in the middle – but in reality, the center shifts as seasons move water, ice, and air around the planet. NASA scientists developed a new way to track these motions more precisely, helping improve mapping and navigation.
A 3D digital illustration of Earth with a slice cut away to reveal its internal layers. The exterior shows a realistic view of the globe, focusing on Europe, Asia, and Africa with visible geographic features and grid lines. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

ALT A 3D digital illustration of Earth with a slice cut away to reveal its internal layers. The exterior shows a realistic view of the globe, focusing on Europe, Asia, and Africa with visible geographic features and grid lines. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

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We like the looks of that! 👁️ Congrats to the entire @NASARoman team on this milestone. We're especially excited to see that testing is going well for our Roman Coronagraph, which will demo new ways to directly image planets around other stars! More: go.nasa.gov/4yvDYss

NASA Activates Roman’s Primary Instrument, Checks Out Coronagraph - NASA Science

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow scientists

science.nasa.gov
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
@NASARoman
Sep 15
Sometimes your eyes need a minute to focus when you wake up. Roman's Wide Field Instrument just woke up for the first time EVER, and scientists have started adjusting its "eyes" so they can focus on the bigger picture. Check out its first test image below go.nasa.gov/4j51w30
This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the Wide Field Instrument on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It was taken as an initial performance assessment with the detector array still stowed as it was for launch, far from best focus. Roman’s primary science instrument has opened its eyes to the universe for the first time, revealing a sea of out-of-focus stars, each spread out over many thousands of pixels. The image, which zooms into one detector and zooms again to a single star in the insets, offers a baseline the Roman team will work from to align the telescope’s optics and tune the focus. The team will soon activate the instrument’s fine-guidance system, which will mean Roman can lock onto targets. They’ll also focus the observatory, which will shrink each star’s light to appear as a crisp point, rather than the broad, donut-like features seen here (which appear as expected given the instrument’s present configuration).

ALT This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the Wide Field Instrument on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It was taken as an initial performance assessment with the detector array still stowed as it was for launch, far from best focus. Roman’s primary science instrument has opened its eyes to the universe for the first time, revealing a sea of out-of-focus stars, each spread out over many thousands of pixels. The image, which zooms into one detector and zooms again to a single star in the insets, offers a baseline the Roman team will work from to align the telescope’s optics and tune the focus. The team will soon activate the instrument’s fine-guidance system, which will mean Roman can lock onto targets. They’ll also focus the observatory, which will shrink each star’s light to appear as a crisp point, rather than the broad, donut-like features seen here (which appear as expected given the instrument’s present configuration).

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Nature’s coronagraph. 🌙☀️ Here’s a throwback to the 2024 total solar eclipse, when scientists and citizen scientists used this unique opportunity to collect observations of the innermost corona, helping researchers study how heat and energy move through the solar atmosphere.
A near‑total solar eclipse with the Moon covering most of the Sun. A bright burst of sunlight, known as the “diamond ring” effect, appears on the lower right edge. Soft rays extend outward, and several small, pink solar prominences are visible around the rim of the Sun.

ALT A near‑total solar eclipse with the Moon covering most of the Sun. A bright burst of sunlight, known as the “diamond ring” effect, appears on the lower right edge. Soft rays extend outward, and several small, pink solar prominences are visible around the rim of the Sun.

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NASA JPL retweeted
NASA Earth
@NASAEarth
Sep 9
How will El Niño affect hurricanes? NASA satellites are helping improve predictions. 🌀 NASA and European Sentinel-6 satellites measure sea level height to track changes in ocean heat and better understand shifts in hurricane patterns. The data can help guide disaster response.
Hurricane Melissa as seen from the International Space Station on Oct. 28, 2025. Thick white clouds spiral out from the storm's eye 50 miles south of Jamaica. A panel of the ISS cuts in on the left. Credit: NASA

ALT Hurricane Melissa as seen from the International Space Station on Oct. 28, 2025. Thick white clouds spiral out from the storm's eye 50 miles south of Jamaica. A panel of the ISS cuts in on the left. Credit: NASA

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NASA JPL retweeted
NASA Earth
@NASAEarth
Sep 8
Do you recognize this area? If so, you might be a Star Trek fan! 🖖 This @NASA satellite image shows Vasquez Rocks Natural Area in Southern California. Multiple Star Trek scenes were filmed here, including an iconic battle between Captain James T. Kirk and a reptilian alien.
Natural color satellite image showing the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and surrounding area in Southern California. Most of the landscape is brown and mountainous.The Vasquez Rocks appear as a patch of curved gray stripes just below and to the left of center near Agua Dulce. Palmdale is barely visible in the top right corner and the Bouquet Reservoir is near the top left corner. Credit: NASA

ALT Natural color satellite image showing the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and surrounding area in Southern California. Most of the landscape is brown and mountainous.The Vasquez Rocks appear as a patch of curved gray stripes just below and to the left of center near Agua Dulce. Palmdale is barely visible in the top right corner and the Bouquet Reservoir is near the top left corner. Credit: NASA

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NASA JPL retweeted
NASA Mars
@NASAMars
Sep 1
The Curiosity rover has now been exploring the surface of Mars for more than 5000 Martian days! Each day on Mars, or "sol," is about 24.6 hours long. How did Curiosity and its team mark the occasion? By working, of course. 🪏 1/2
Black-and-white photo of a small, dune-like ripple of sand and soil-like material. The ripple is crossed by a deep rover track.

ALT Black-and-white photo of a small, dune-like ripple of sand and soil-like material. The ripple is crossed by a deep rover track.

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We’ve got our starglasses on! 🤩 Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument has activated. This system of masks, prisms, detectors, and self-flexing mirrors will block out the glare from distant stars and directly image the planets and disks in orbit around them. go.nasa.gov/4gDy8hu
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Earth to Roman! 📡 Our team has deployed Roman’s high-data-rate dish antenna. This antenna will be used to send more than a terabyte of science data down from the observatory daily. science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman…
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What’s up for September? 🔭 The Moon takes the spotlight this month – guiding you to stars, constellations, planets, and even a teapot! Plus, join observers around the world on Sept. 19 for International Observe the Moon Night. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/observethemoon
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Congrats to @NASARoman on a successful launch! We look forward to pushing the boundaries of exoplanet direct imaging together. 🤝
NASA
@NASA
Aug 30
Replying to @NASA
Liftoff! @NASARoman begins its flight to space. The Roman telescope’s wide field of view will generate never-before-seen images, revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.
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UPDATE: All tickets for Explore JPL have been reserved. If you didn't get tickets, please keep checking back over the next several days/weeks, as cancelled and returned tickets will become available again. jpl.nasa.gov/explore-jpl/ Thank you for your interest and excitement!

Explore JPL 2026 | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

jpl.nasa.gov
NASA JPL
@NASAJPL
Aug 27
Set an alarm! ⏰ Explore JPL ticket registration opens this Saturday, August 29th at 9am PDT. If you miss the 9am ticket drop, keep checking back! Cancelled and returned tickets will become available again. Learn more: jpl.nasa.gov/explore-jpl/
A crowd of people observe the Spacecraft Assembly Facility from the observation area at a previous Explore JPL event.

ALT A crowd of people observe the Spacecraft Assembly Facility from the observation area at a previous Explore JPL event.

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What's so cool about the Roman Coronagraph? Well, it's the first *active* coronagraph in space, meaning that it can adjust itself on the fly to help scientists get the clearest glare-free images. The @NASARoman Space Telescope is set to launch on Sunday, Aug. 30!
An engineer at JPL looks at the Roman Coronagraph Instrument's fast steering mirror.

ALT An engineer at JPL looks at the Roman Coronagraph Instrument's fast steering mirror.

A series of color filters on the Color Filter Assembly for the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

ALT A series of color filters on the Color Filter Assembly for the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

JPL engineers assemble the electronics palette for the Roman Coronagraph Instrument.

ALT JPL engineers assemble the electronics palette for the Roman Coronagraph Instrument.

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Learn more: jpl.nasa.gov/missions/the-ro…

The Roman Coronagraph Instrument | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

jpl.nasa.gov
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RT @NASAKennedy: .@Roman is GO for Launch! NASA and SpaceX mission teams polled “GO” during today's Launch Readiness Review. Liftoff of…
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Set an alarm! ⏰ Explore JPL ticket registration opens this Saturday, August 29th at 9am PDT. If you miss the 9am ticket drop, keep checking back! Cancelled and returned tickets will become available again. Learn more: jpl.nasa.gov/explore-jpl/
A crowd of people observe the Spacecraft Assembly Facility from the observation area at a previous Explore JPL event.

ALT A crowd of people observe the Spacecraft Assembly Facility from the observation area at a previous Explore JPL event.

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Tonight, don’t miss the partial lunar eclipse! The Eastern U.S., Canada and South America will get the most complete view, with up to 93% of the Moon in shadow. The eclipse will be partially visible from other areas of North America, Europe, and Africa.
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