NASA Planet Hunter TESS satellite takes an amazing picture of 200,000 stars
Last year, as part of a Rocket 9 launch, NASA sent the TESS satellite into space. It’s mission, to hunt out planets. Ideally ones similar to our own. Having just completed an orbit of the moon as part of a great orbit planned, while on its travels NASA decided to take a little snapshot. This isn’t any ordinary picture though.
The image, as can be seen below, was taken by the TESS satellite and contains around 200,000 separate stars. This represents what is perhaps one of the most incredible images taken from space. It is certainly amazing to look at.
The picture was taken around 4000 miles from the surface of the moon and was done so using one of the satellites 4 cameras using a 2-second exposure.
Amazing pictures from somewhere near the moon
Now NASA didn’t send TESS up into space just to take pictures like this. We must admit though, it is exceptionally impressive. The more we see images like this, the more we can appreciate just what an infinitesimally small spec our little planet is in the grand scheme of things.
The satellite has been designed to specifically focus on stars, deliberately looking for dips in the brightness. From this, it can look to ascertain if the drop in light is due to a planet passing by in its own orbit.
Although impressive, the image from a scientific aspect isn’t much use. The first ‘scientific’ grade image from the TESS satellite will be released in June this year. If this is anything to judge it by though, we can surely expect even more amazing images in the very near future.
What do you think? Are you impressed with the picture? Are you looking forward to what else it can show us? – Let us know in the comments!
