Holiday Card 2022

2022 Highlights

As we look forward to supporting new missions, including the anticipated launches of Euclid and Lunar Trailblazer in 2023, we also look back at some highlights from 2022.

Dust in Orion Constellation

A new infrared image of the Orion Nebula has been created using archival science data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), as well as ESA's Herschel Space Observatory. A recent study using these datasets have refined our understanding on how frequently—and for how long—forming stars undergo "feeding" episodes that pull in some of the surrounding material enabling their growth.

credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech

Naming of ZTF-discovered asteroid 'Ayló'chaxnim

On June 7, at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in the forested mountain outside San Diego, members of the Pauma band of indigenous peoples gathered to celebrate the naming of the first known asteroid to circle entirely within the orbit of Venus. The asteroid was originally discovered in 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, or ZTF, which operates at the Palomar Observatory.

credit: Palomar Observatory/Caltech

Cosmic Milestone: NASA Confirms 5,000 Exoplanets

Exoplanet science continues to advance, including 2022’s milestone of 5,000 confirmed exoplanets in NASA’s Exoplanet Archive, managed at IPAC by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI).

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech