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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0504/heic0506b_hst.jpg

 

Explanation: The dust sculptures of the Eagle Nebula are evaporating. As powerful starlight whittles away these cool cosmic mountains, the statuesque pillars that remain might be imagined as mythical beasts. Pictured above is one of several striking dust pillars of the Eagle Nebula that might be described as a gigantic alien fairy. This fairy, however, is ten light years tall and spews radiation much hotter than common fire. The greater Eagle Nebula, M16, is actually a giant evaporating shell of gas and dust inside of which is a growing cavity filled with a spectacular stellar nursery currently forming an open cluster of stars. The above image in scientifically re-assigned colors was released as part of the fifteenth anniversary celebration of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0505/mz3_hst.jpg

 

Explanation: Why isn't this ant a big sphere? Planetary nebula Mz3 is being cast off by a star similar to our Sun that is, surely, round. Why then would the gas that is streaming away create an ant-shaped nebula that is distinctly not round? Clues might include the high 1000-kilometer per second speed of the expelled gas, the light-year long length of the structure, and the magnetism of the star visible above at the nebula's center. One possible answer is that Mz3 is hiding a second, dimmer star that orbits close in to the bright star. A competing hypothesis holds that the central star's own spin and magnetic field are channeling the gas. Since the central star appears to be so similar to our own Sun, astronomers hope that increased understanding of the history of this giant space ant can provide useful insight into the likely future of our own Sun and Earth.

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0505/ngc6559_cfht.jpgExplanation: When stars form, pandemonium reigns. A textbook case is the star forming region NGC 6559. Visible above are red glowing emission nebulas of hydrogen, blue reflection nebulas of dust, dark absorption nebulas of dust, and the stars that formed from them. The first massive stars formed from the dense gas will emit energetic light and winds that erode, fragment, and sculpt their birthplace. And then they explode. The resulting morass can be as beautiful as it is complex. After tens of millions of years, the dust boils away, the gas gets swept away, and all that is left is a naked open cluster of stars.
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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0505/sombrero_spitzer.jpg

 

Explanation: This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is part of the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy, one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The dark band of dust that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy in optical light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The above image shows the infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-color on an existing image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in optical light. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light years across and lies 28 million light years away. M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the constellation of Virgo.

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http://www.universetoday.com/am/uploads/2005-0629deep-full.jpg

 

Artist illustration of Deep Impact with Comet Tempel 1.

Image credit: NASA/JPL.

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/fomalhaut_hst_c70.jpg

 

Explanation: Fomalhaut (sounds like "foam-a-lot") is a bright, young, star, a mere 25 light-year trip from planet Earth in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Earlier infrared observations identified a torus of cold material surrounding the nearby star but the panels above detail the sharpest ever visible light-image of Fomalhaut's dusty debris ring, recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope's ACS camera. Overwhelming glare from the star is masked by an occulting disk in the camera's coronagraph. The off-center ring with a sharp inner boundary is taken to be strong evidence of a massive planet orbiting far from Fomalhaut, shaping and maintaining the ring's inner edge. Starting 133 astronomical units (Earth-Sun distances) from Fomalhaut, the dusty ring itself is likely a larger, younger analog of our own Kuiper Belt - the solar system's outer reservoir of icy bodies.

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QUOTE (RushRevisited @ Jul 1 2005, 03:22 PM)
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/fomalhaut_hst_c70.jpg

Explanation: Fomalhaut (sounds like "foam-a-lot") is a bright, young, star, a mere 25 light-year trip from planet Earth in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Earlier infrared observations identified a torus of cold material surrounding the nearby star but the panels above detail the sharpest ever visible light-image of Fomalhaut's dusty debris ring, recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope's ACS camera. Overwhelming glare from the star is masked by an occulting disk in the camera's coronagraph. The off-center ring with a sharp inner boundary is taken to be strong evidence of a massive planet orbiting far from Fomalhaut, shaping and maintaining the ring's inner edge. Starting 133 astronomical units (Earth-Sun distances) from Fomalhaut, the dusty ring itself is likely a larger, younger analog of our own Kuiper Belt - the solar system's outer reservoir of icy bodies.

new_thumbsupsmileyanim.gif I love this stuff!

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That's no moon; it's a space station http://usera.imagecave.com/RolindaBonz/Confused.gif

 

 

 

THE FOLLOWING ISS SIGHTINGS ARE POSSIBLE FROM WED JUN 22 TO MON JUL 04

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATION MAX ELEV APPROACH DEPARTURE

DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)

 

ISS Tue Jun 28/04:52 AM 2 26 11 above NNW 26 above N

ISS Tue Jun 28/09:16 PM 5 83 11 above SW 12 above NE

ISS Wed Jun 29/08:08 PM 4 20 10 above S 11 above E

ISS Wed Jun 29/09:47 PM < 1 14 14 above N 10 above NNE

ISS Thr Jun 30/04:09 AM 5 38 11 above NNW 10 above ESE

ISS Thr Jun 30/08:34 PM 6 80 10 above SW 10 above NE

ISS Fri Jul 01/04:36 AM 5 40 10 above WNW 11 above SSE

ISS Fri Jul 01/09:06 PM < 1 12 12 above N 10 above NNE

ISS Sat Jul 02/03:27 AM 5 46 11 above NW 11 above ESE

ISS Sun Jul 03/08:24 PM < 1 12 12 above N 10 above N

 

I watched it cross the Phoenix sky last night. Thanks, Mike new_thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

 

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/ngc4565_gendler.jpg

 

Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky as it lies in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp color image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core dominated by light from a population of older, yellowish stars. The core is dramatically cut by obscuring dust lanes which lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. A large island universe similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 4565 is only about 30 million light-years distant, but over 100,000 light-years in diameter. In fact, some consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.

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QUOTE (RushRevisited @ Jul 8 2005, 08:08 AM)
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/ngc4565_gendler.jpg

Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky as it lies in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp color image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core dominated by light from a population of older, yellowish stars. The core is dramatically cut by obscuring dust lanes which lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. A large island universe similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 4565 is only about 30 million light-years distant, but over 100,000 light-years in diameter. In fact, some consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.

Some of this information is unfathomable in my feeble mind. I can't imagine how vast space is. unsure.gif

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One thing that comes in handy when you're lying in a field with your sweetheart at night and the stars are shining brightly overhead is knowing some constellations. I'm in a romantic state, so I'll devote the next few posts of mine to this.

 

1. Ursa Major / The Big Dipper / The Great Bear

 

Most of us can probably find the Big Dipper without any great difficulty on a clear night, even city-dwellers. It looks like a frying pan with a crooked handle:

 

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/amirror/ursamajor2a.gif

 

Once you're both looking at the same place in the sky, you can begin tracing the outline of the Great Bear:

 

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/amirror/ursa_major.gif

 

It takes some practice and imagination, but it's guaranteed to work. smile.gif

 

Of course you want to make sure you know the difference between the Big and Little Dippers. The tip of the Little Dipper's handle is the North Star, Polaris:

 

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/amirror/little_dipper_sm.gif

 

Next time: The Little Dipper.

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QUOTE (Alsgalpal @ Jul 23 2005, 01:02 PM)
Great!  I have always wondered about the little dipper.  I have never been able to find it.  Now I know where to look.  Thanks.  new_thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

OMG!!!

icon_really_happy_guy.gif icon_really_happy_guy.gif icon_really_happy_guy.gif

 

 

I know, I know, I know.

 

You can't say anything around me. rofl3.gif

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/RingNebGal_hallas_c1.jpg

 

Explanation: This gorgeous celestial vista is centered on one of the Milky Way's own planetary nebulae, M57, the famous Ring Nebula. The wide view is a composite of three exposures; one to record the details of the inner roughly one light-year span of the familiar nebula, one to record the surprisingly intricate but faint outer rings of glowing hydrogen gas, and one to pick up the rich assortment of distant background galaxies. By chance, one of the background galaxies, IC 1296 at the upper left, is close enough to show its barred, spiral structure making an attractive visual comparison with M57. Interestingly, though IC 1296 is 200 million light-years away compared to only 2 thousand light-years for M57, a faint ring is also apparent around the outer reaches of the distant spiral galaxy.

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QUOTE (Inthend @ Jul 25 2005, 03:01 PM)
I call it "A View to a Kill"

Went to see Duran Duran last week. Yes they're back. sorry

very pretty

ohmy.gif

 

 

 

You are so lucky!!! I would love to see them!!! blush4.gif

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0305/chicagofall_navarro.jpg

 

Explanation: If you wait long enough, a piece of outer space itself will come right to you. As Colby Navarro worked innocently on the computer, a rock from space crashed through the roof, struck the printer, banged off the wall, and came to rest near the filing cabinet. This occurred around midnight on March 26, 2003 in Park Forest, Illinois, USA, near Chicago. The meteorite, measuring about 10 cm across, was one of several that fell near Chicago that day as part of a tremendous fireball. Pictured above is the resulting hole in the ceiling, while the inset image shows the wall dent and the meteorite itself. Although the vast majority of meteors is much smaller and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, the average homeowner should expect to repair direct meteor damage every hundred million years.

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0507/abell39_misti_c50.jpg

 

Explanation: Ghostly in appearance, Abell 39 is a remarkably simple, spherical nebula about five light-years across. Well within our own Milky Way galaxy, the cosmic sphere is roughly 7,000 light-years distant toward the constellation Hercules. Abell 39 is a planetary nebula, formed as a once sun-like star's outer atmosphere was expelled over a period of thousands of years. Still visible, the nebula's central star is evolving into a hot white dwarf. Although faint, the nebula's simple geometry has proven to be a boon to astronomers exploring the chemical abundances and life cycles of stars. In this deep image recorded under dark night skies, very distant background galaxies can be found -- some visible right through the nebula itself.

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