Published: Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Instagram users can now experience the wonders and mysteries of the universe through the Chandra X-ray Observatory, as well as other space telescopes. The “Instagram Experience” is an AR filter that places stunning celestial objects right in front of you on your camera.
The debris of stars destroyed by supernova explosions, and the dense clouds of gas and dust that are actively creating stars. Instagram has added the AR filter to celebrate Chandra’s 25th anniversary, NASA’s flagship X ray space telescope that launched on July 23,1999.
Search for “NASAChandraXray”, the account that offers the Instagram Chandra experience. Choose the effect you want from the options tab (which looks like a three-pointed star). You can then save the effect on your camera to apply to your stories or select the “Try It” button to get instant access.
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Kimberly Arcand said, “We’re excited to bring the data from the Universe down to Earth this way,” in a press release. “By allowing people to access cosmic information on their phones through AR, Chandra’s amazing findings are literally at your fingertips.”
What celestial body can you bring to Earth?
Instagram was created using 3D models based on Chandra data, and observations made by other telescopes. It also took a bit of mathematical modelling to bring the cosmic muses into sharp focus.
In recent years, new instruments and technologies have made it possible to create 3D models of objects that were previously only visible as 2D projections onto the celestial globe over Earth. The sophistication of 3D models based on data of distant celestial objects has increased dramatically.
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The public has been offered a wide range of opportunities through virtual, extended, and augmented realities. This program takes those experiences outside the solar system. These innovative concepts are applied to the deepest parts of the cosmos.
Tycho Supernova, and Vela Pulsar are two celestial objects Instagram users can explore (Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO Optical DSS Image Processing NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk/X ray: NASA/CXC/SAO Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, K. Arcand. We won’t ruin all of the celestial objects you can see with this new NASA Program. You’ll be tempted to explore on your own. We will provide you with a few items to start.
The Vela Pulsar appears as two stunning purple arcs, with a faint line running through the center. You will be able to see a neutron-star when you drag this object from 1,000 light years away. It was created by a collapsed massive star.
This neutron star, which is only 12 miles wide (20 km), has a mass that is around twice as large as the sun. Its matter is so dense, a teaspoon of it would weigh more than 1 billion tons if brought to Earth. This is heavier than Mount Everest.
The Vela Pulsar spins so fast that it completes eleven rotations per second. It spins faster than a helicopter’s blades. As it does this, it shoots jets from the poles at a speed of about 70% that of light. These beams create a sweep of almost an entire light-year across the universe.
Artist’s rendition of the Vela Pulsar. Image credit: Science Communication Lab, DESY. The birth of a Neutron Star like the one at the heart of Vela Pulsar is accompanied with a massive cosmic blast called a Supernova. This explosion tears apart a massive star as its core collapses.
NASA’s Instagram experience allows users to explore the most stunning examples of star death.
Tycho’s Supernova Remains, also known by the names SN 1572 and B Cassiopeiae B Cas is a supernova wreckage that lies between 8,000 to 10,000 light-years away from Earth. This supernova was first spotted in 1572 and is named for one of its discoverers: Danish astronomer Tycho Brhe. This supernova is thought to be of Type Ia, which is different from the explosions associated with the birth of neutron stars.
Type Ia supernovas occur when stellar remnants, also known as white dwarfs, pull material away from their companion stars. The matter builds up on the white dwarf, triggering a nuclear blast that destroys the stellar fragment.
Chandra’s X-ray image of the Tycho supernova. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/RIKEN & GSFC/T. Sato et. al. Optical: DS) The Instagram experience features the remains of a second dead star. The Helix Nebula is an expanding cloud made up of stellar material, located around 650-light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius.
The Helix Nebula is located deep within the Aquarius constellation. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. The Helix Nebula, located in Arizona, is a stellar nebula. It was once the outermost layers of a dying sun. The tantrum-throwing star core is at the center of the material marked as a purple dot in the Chandra picture.
The 3D model on the left shows the Cat’s Eye Nebula. On the right is an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Cat’s Eye Nebula. Image credit: Ryan Clairmont, NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA (right). Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)) The Cat’s Eye Nebula is also a planetary nebula, though located further away at 3,262 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Draco. This planetary nebula is visible in fine detail. It shows spirals of gas and dust, as well as expanding shells that were once stellar material.
This NASA Instagram experience is not just about the visuals. This program includes a sonic version of cosmic data, which was created through a “sonification” process. The Chandra accessibility program, which has been running for four years, made this possible.
It’s not the first time NASA and Instagram have teamed up to create an experience based on space. The social media platform has previously allowed users to see the inner workings at NASA mission control and travel into low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station.
Arcand stated that “these Chandra Instagram experiences” are a way to share cosmic data with the general public. We hope this will help reach new audiences and especially those who prefer to receive information via social media.
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Robert Lea, a U.K. science journalist, has published articles in Newsweek, ZME Science, Newsweek, Astronomy, Newsweek, and Physics World. Robert Lea also writes for Elsevier, the European Journal of Physics and Newsweek about science communication. Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the Open University, U.K. Follow him on twitter @sciencef1rst.