A new NASA project allows Instagram users to experience the wonders of the universe as seen by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and other space telescopes. It’s an augmented reality (AR) filter called an “Instagram experience” that takes stunningly beautiful celestial objects and places them right next to you on camera.
This includes the wreckage of stars destroyed in massive supernova explosions and dense clouds of cosmic gas and dust where stars are actively being forged. The AR filter was added to Instagram to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Chandra, NASA’s flagship X-ray space telescope, which was launched on July 23, 1999.
To use the Instagram Chandra experience, search for the “NASAChandraXray” account. Select the effect options (the tab that looks like three four-pointed stars) and select the one you want. You can then save the effect to your camera and apply it to your Stories, or select the ‘Try It’ button for instant access.
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“We are excited to bring data from the universe to Earth in this way,” Kimberly Arcand, visualization and emerging technology scientist at Chandra X-ray Center, said in a statement. “Giving people access to cosmic data on their phones and through AR literally puts Chandra’s amazing discoveries within reach.”
Which celestial bodies can you bring to Earth?
The Instagram experience was generated using 3D models created from Chandra data and observations from other telescopes. It also took a bit of mathematical modeling to visualize those cosmic muses.
Such 3D modeling of objects, typically thought of as 2D projections onto the celestial sphere above Earth, has only become possible in recent years thanks to new tools and techniques. This has led to an explosion in the sophistication of data-driven 3D models of distant celestial bodies.
As this technology has boomed, so have the possibilities offered to the public through virtual, extended and augmented reality. This program extends those experiences beyond the solar system. It applies this innovative concept to the depths of the cosmos.
We won’t spoil all the celestial objects you can experience with this new NASA program. You want to discover it yourself. We do offer you a number of objects to get you started.
The Vela pulsar is seen as a beautiful pair of purple arcs with a faint bar through the center. When you grab this object and drag it from its home 1,000 light-years away, you are actually seeing a neutron star that was formed when a massive star collapsed.
Although this neutron star is only twenty kilometers wide, it has a mass about twice that of the Sun. That means the matter it contains is so dense that a tablespoon of it brought to Earth would weigh more than 1 billion tons. That is heavier than Mount Everest.
The Vela pulsar spins so fast that it makes eleven rotations per second. That means it spins faster than the blades of a helicopter. And as it does so, it shoots jets out of the poles at about 70% the speed of light. These rays create an almost light-year long movement through the universe.
The birth of a neutron star like the one at the heart of the Vela pulsar is accompanied by a massive cosmic explosion called a supernova, which tears a massive star apart as the star’s core collapses.
NASA’s new Instagram experience gives users the chance to discover one of the most striking examples of such star death.
Tycho’s supernova remnant, also known as SN 1572 or B Cassiopeiae (B Cas), is the name given to supernova wreckage located between 8,000 and 10,000 light-years from Earth. This supernova was first noticed in 1572 and is named after one of its discoverers, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. This is believed to be a Type Ia supernova, which is a bit different from the explosions that represent the birth of a neutron star.
Type Ia supernovae occur when stellar remnants called white dwarfs drag material away from a companion star. This matter piles up on the white dwarf until it causes a nuclear explosion that completely destroys the stellar remnant.
The Instagram experience also features the remains of another dead star. This is found in the form of the Helix Nebula, an expanding cloud of stellar material located about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.
The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula (which, confusingly, has nothing to do with planets), an expanding shell of gas and dust that once formed the outer layers of a dying star. The core of this material, marked as a purple blob in the Chandra image, consists of a tantrum-throwing stellar core
The Cat’s Eye Nebula is also a planetary nebula, but is located further away, 3262 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Dragon. This planetary nebula can be seen in great detail, revealing twisted spirals of dust and gas and expanding shells of what was once stellar material.
However, this NASA Instagram experience isn’t just about the images. The program also contains cosmic data converted into sound through a process called ‘sonification’. This was made possible as part of a Chandra accessibility program that has been active for the past four years.
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— These supernovae create a storm and contribute to cosmic life and death
This isn’t the first time NASA has teamed up with Instagram to create a space experience. Users of the social media platform have previously been able to explore the inner workings of NASA mission control, travel to low Earth orbit on the International Space Station (ISS) and drive over Mars on the Perseverance rover.
“These Chandra Instagram experiences are another way to share this cosmic data with the public,” Arcand said. “We hope this helps reach new audiences, especially those who prefer to get their information through social media.”