Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Resources

The Traveler - Gifs

This image shows the same blue cartoon character in a variety of animated GIFs. The character, called The Traveler, has one eye and an antenna on the top of their head, and they are wearing a green spacesuit and a bubble-shaped clear helmet. In the top row, there are four different animations. In the first, they are putting a pair of binoculars up to their eye, then looking out wide-eyed. In the second, they are pulling their hands toward their face and hearts rise upward. In the third, they are jumping for joy. In the fourth they are pulling a pair of binoculars from their side, then putting it up to their eye. The bottom row shows two more animations. The first has them lifting a camera to their eye and snapping a picture with the flash going off. In the last one, they are walking toward the right with a suitcase in their hand. The suitcase is plastered with illegible stickers. There is text below each animation with a couple of words or a phrase describing each animation.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Published: April 11, 2023

This character is defined by boundless enthusiasm, a bit of naivete, and a childlike love of exploration and discovery.

ENLARGE

Explore the Universe

Related

An illustration of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
More
This illustration shows NASA's Roman mission in shades of blue. A multi-sided cylindrical body has an opening at its top. Exending from the opening are panels along the top half. A flat panel on the back represents the solar panel. Along the side of the body a few instruments are visible.
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
An illustration of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope.
More
This illustration shows NASA's Kepler mission in shades of blue. The main body of the spacecraft is cylindrical in shape, with a slanted top and a base that attaches to a structure wrapping around half of the main body of the craft.
Kepler Space Telescope
A circular illustration of a supernova.
More
A large circular shape with rounded waves around the edge, this graphic gives the appearance of a flower. Smaller transparent circles with the same wavy edge are layered inward to create an inner starburst shape. While the outer rings are a muddy, light red color, the inner starburst shape is a darker color with green around its edge and dark blue in the center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Supernova (Red)
An illustration of NASA's COBE spacecraft.
More
COBE is illustrated in light and dark blues. With two wings made up of three rectangular solar arrays each, the spacecraft's main body is made up of a striped, multi-sided cylinder with an attached cone-shaped structure on top.
COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer)
An illustration showing a face-on view of a black hole.
More
A graphic shows a dark but diffuse purple ring that is centered in the image. The dark purple fades into a bright purple, then a light blue that fades lighter towards the center where there is a bold, black circle.
Black Hole
An illustration of JAXA's Suzaku spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows the Suzaku spacecraft in shades of blue. The long body of the spacecraft is narrower at the top than at the bottom, which has a hollow area underneath. Solar panels extend to either side of the widest part of the body. Round circles representing the telescopes extend from the top of the narrowest part of the body.
Suzaku
An illustration of NASA's GALEX spacecraft.
More
GALEX is illustrated in multiple shades of blue. The spacecraft body is made up of a hexagonal object topped by a cylindrical object. Solar panels extend to either side.
GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer)
An illustration of NASA's WISE spacecraft.
More
This illustration of NASA's WISE mission shows the spacecraft in shades of blue. WISE has a short, multi-sided cylindrical main body that connects to a thinner and longer open cylindrical piece. The craft's main body is attached to a large, flat panel on top.
WISE/NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared survey Explorer)
An illustration of one of NASA's OAO spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows one of NASA's OAO spacecraft in shades of blue. The body of the satellite is an octagon. The telescope opening is embedded at the top of the octagon, which also has a flap that is open. Two-layered solar panels are attached on both sides. Antennae extend from the top and bottom.
OAO (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory)
An illustration of NASA’s BurstCube spacecraft.
More
A graphic of BurstCube is shown in light and dark shades of blue. The satellite’s body is rectangular, with the long side facing the viewer. Solar panels are attached to the short, left-hand side.
BurstCube
An illustration of NASA’s CGRO spacecraft.
More
A graphic of CGRO is shown in light and dark shades of blue. The body of the spacecraft is rectangular, topped with two circular objects. Solar panels extend to either side, and a long pole with a small satellite dish at the end extends from the front end of the spacecraft.
CGRO (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory)
An angled oval illustration of a supernova.
More
A large oval shape on an angled tilt with rounded waves around the edge, this graphic has a flower-like appearance. Smaller transparent circles with the same wavy edge are layered inward to create an inner starburst shape. The outer rings are a very yellow green color and they move inward into different light orange colors and finally to a center oval shape that is a dark blue and appears like a starburst because of the waved outlines that lay on top. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Supernova (Yellow)
An illustration of ESA's XMM Newton observatory.
More
This illustration shows ESA's XMM-Newton observatory in shades of blue. Overall, the craft is dragonfly-shaped with a long, cylindrical body and an open "head" from which two solar array "wings" extend.
XMM Newton (X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton)
An illustration of ESA’s INTEGRAL spacecraft.
More
This INTEGRAL illustration shows the space telescope in shades of blue. The main body of the spacecraft is made of an octagonal base. A long rectangle extends from the base above a cylinder. Solar panels extend from either side of the base.
INTEGRAL (International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory)
An illustration of NASA's RXTE satellite.
More
This illustration shows NASA's RXTE satellite in shades of blue. The satellite's main body is shaped like a rectangular box with two solar array "wings," one on either side.
RXTE (Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.An illustration of a planetary nebula. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.
More
A transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, light haze. Extending out from the center in opposite directions are plumes of color that form the hourglass shape. Each starts as blue near the central circle, then fades into a purplish pink color. The outline of the hourglass shape is wavy and white dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Pink)
An illustration of a pink and purple star-forming nebula.
More
A large, amorphous blob in a subtle tear drop shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping, starting with a small blue haze around the edge and moving inward to a dark purple, a redder purple, and then a brighter purple. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the center of this shape is a bright white oval cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version One, Purple)
An illustration showing an irregular galaxy.
More
A rounded, boomerang-shaped diffuse purple blob that's darker around the rim with a light, whitish center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Irregular Galaxy (Version Two)
An illustration of NASA's PIPER instrument.
More
This illustration shows NASA's PIPER instrument in shades of blue. Piper has a cage-like structure with a large cylinder inside of it and smaller boxes attached around it. Long thin support pieces extend from the body upward, which will attach the payload to a large balloon.
PIPER (Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer)
An illustration showing a blue, front view of a barred spiral galaxy.
More
A background of medium, bright blue shows a bright, white, thin line that creates an oblong, elongated swirl that connects in the middle with a lighter blue, diffuse cloud. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Barred Spiral Galaxy (Front View, Blue)
 An illustration of ESA's Euclid spacecraft.
More
An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting Euclid. The spacecraft has a cylindrical body with an open top and a flat, square base as well as a flat panel along its back.
Euclid
An illustration of NASA's Fermi spacecraft.
More
Fermi is illustrated in multiple shades of blue. With two "wings" coming out of its sides, each with three panels of solar arrays, the main body of the spacecraft is box-shaped. It has a main body with one open side with small components visible within and a smaller, darker box on top.
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
An illustration showing a purple, side view of a barred spiral galaxy.
More
An illustration has an elongated oval in light purple stretching across the center, outlined in light blue. Behind the strip is a diffuse, yellowish cloud of color that fades into a medium, bright purple. All over the image are white speckles, representing stars.
Barred Spiral Galaxy (Side View, Purple)
An illustration showing an edge-on view of a black hole.
More
A graphic shows a central black circle outlined in white. This circle is surrounded by a black ring which is surrounded by a light blue ring which then fades outward into bright and then dark and diffuse purple. Across the middle of the image is a light blue line that gives the appearance of a ring around the circular object.
Black Hole (Side View)
An illustration of NASA's SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747 aircraft.
More
This illustration shows NASA's SOFIA in shades of blue. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, and so it is shaped like a commercial airplane, with the NASA and German Aerospace Center (DLR) logos on its tail.
SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy)

Explore the Universe

Universe News

Two neutron stars begin to merge in this illustration, blasting a jet of high-speed particles and producing a cloud of debris.
More
Neutron Stars Collide
Neutron Stars Collide
A group of galaxies is plunging into the Coma galaxy cluster and leaving behind an enormous tail of superheated gas.
More
Galaxies Go on a Deep Dive and Leave Fiery Tail Behind
Galaxies Go on a Deep Dive and Leave Fiery Tail Behind
JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, which will devote about 32 days of telescope time to uncover and characterize faint, distant galaxies.
More
Early Universe Crackled With Bursts of Star Formation, Webb Shows
Early Universe Crackled With Bursts of Star Formation, Webb Shows
This moody image shows a galaxy named Messier 85, captured in all its delicate, hazy glory by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
More
Hubble Gazes at a Hazy Galaxy
Hubble Gazes at a Hazy Galaxy
A delicate tracery of dust and bright star clusters threads across this image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
More
NASA's Webb Space Telescope Peers Behind Bars
NASA's Webb Space Telescope Peers Behind Bars
Today sensors on orbiting satellites like NASA’s Swift and Fermi missions detect a GRB somewhere in the sky about once a day on average.
More
NASA Looks Back at 50 Years of Gamma-Ray Burst Science
NASA Looks Back at 50 Years of Gamma-Ray Burst Science
Scientists identified water vapor in the atmosphere of WASP-18 b, and made a temperature map of the planet.
More
Webb Maps and Finds Traces of Water in an Ultra-hot Gas Giant's Atmosphere
Webb Maps and Finds Traces of Water in an Ultra-hot Gas Giant's Atmosphere
A team of astrophysicists and citizen scientists have identified what may be some of the last planets Kepler space telescope observed.
More
Astronomers Discover Planets in NASA Kepler's Final Days of Observations
Astronomers Discover Planets in NASA Kepler's Final Days of Observations
The jellyfish galaxy JW39 hangs serenely in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
More
Hubble Captures a Drifting Galaxy
Hubble Captures a Drifting Galaxy
Four images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope of two galaxies, a nebula, and a star cluster.
More
NASA's Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views
NASA's Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views
Astronomers have come up with some of their best evidence yet for the presence of an "intermediate-sized" black hole.
More
NASA's Hubble Hunts for Intermediate-Sized Black Hole Close to Home
NASA's Hubble Hunts for Intermediate-Sized Black Hole Close to Home
Scores of baby stars shrouded by dust are revealed in this infrared image of the star-forming region NGC 2174, as seen by Spitzer Space Telescope.
More
Baby Stars in the Orion Constellation
Baby Stars in the Orion Constellation