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A Path To Orion
| Title |
A Path To Orion |
| Explanation |
Last Saturday, the Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html ] lit up the night as it climbed into orbit above planet Earth [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/ multimedia/fd1/fd1_gallery.html ]. From Oak Hill, Florida, USA - about 30 miles north of the Kennedy Space Center - design engineer Andrew Arigema tracked the shuttle and recorded a four minute time exposure of the exhaust plume along Discovery's path against the background of the starry sky. At the upper left, the end of the drifting plume is punctuated by [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051013.html ] Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka in a vertical line, the belt stars of Orion [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ index.html ]. To the right of the belt stars, the pinkish jewel in Orion's [ http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/planetarium/constellations/ orion.html ] sword is not a star at all, but the great Orion Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061120.html ]. Still farther to the right, at the foot of the hunter, lies Rigel, the brightest star in view. Rigel is [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/rigel.html ] a hot supergiant star some 700 light-years in the distance. |
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The Orion Deep Field
| Title |
The Orion Deep Field |
| Explanation |
Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030207.html ] most recognizable constellations [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/ 88constellations.html ], the glowing Orion Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020213.html ] and the dark Horsehead Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010426.html ] are contrasting cosmic vistas. But even fainter filaments of glowing gas are easily traced throughout the region in this stunning composite image [ http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/ODFNM.html ] that includes exposures filtered to record emission from hydrogen atoms [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980828.html ]. The view reveals extensive nebulosities [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020530.html ] associated with the giant Orion Molecular Cloud complex [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/oricloud.html ], itself hundreds of light-years across. A magnificent emission region, the Orion Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n1976x.html ] (aka M42) lies at the upper right of the picture. Immediately to its left are a cluster of prominent bluish reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031002.html ] sometimes called the Running Man. The Horsehead [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/b33x.html ] nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long red glow left of center. Alnitak [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ belt.html ] is the easternmost star in Orion's belt and the brightest star to the left of the Horsehead. Below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990713.html ], with clouds of bright emission and dramatic dark dust lanes. Completing the trio of Orion's belt [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061229.html ] stars, bluish Alnilam and Mintaka form a line with Alnitak, extending to the upper left. |
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Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka
| Title |
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka |
| Explanation |
Alnitak [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/alnitak.html ], Alnilam [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/alnilam.html ], and Mintaka [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/mintaka.html ], are the bright bluish stars from east to west (left to right) along the diagonal in this gorgeous cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ belt.html ], these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie about 1,500 light-years away, born of Orion's [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ optical.html ] well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have intriguing and some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051130.html ] Nebula and Flame Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990713.html ] near Alnitak at the lower left. The famous Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061216.html ] Nebula itself lies off the bottom of this star field that covers an impressive 4.4x3.5 degrees on the sky. The color picture was composited from digitized [ http://www-gsss.stsci.edu/SkySurveys/SkySurveys.htm ] black and white photographic plates recorded through red and blue astronomical filters, with a computer synthesized green channel. The plates were taken using the Samuel Oschin Telescope [ http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/sot.html ], a wide-field survey instrument at Palomar Observatory [ http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/ ], between 1987 and 1991. |
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Orion on Film
| Title |
Orion on Film |
| Explanation |
Orion [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/ Orion.html ], the Hunter, is one of the most easily recognizable constellations [ http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Puzzles/Connect/ Connect.asp ] in planet Earth's night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021115.html ]. But Orion's stars [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ optical.html ] and nebulae [ http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Student_Work/Astronomy95/ orionpleiades.html ] don't look quite as colorful [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961202.html ] to the eye as they do in this lovely photograph, taken last month from Vekol Ranch south of Phoenix [ http://www.psiaz.com/polakis/azsites/azsites.html ], Arizona, USA. The celestial scene [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021225.html ] was recorded in a five minute time exposure using high-speed color print film and a 35mm camera mounted [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/I07/ I0702/I0702.HTM ] on a small telescope. In the picture, cool red giant Betelgeuse [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/betelgeuse.html ] takes on a yellowish tint as the brightest star at the upper left. Otherwise Orion's hot blue stars are numerous, with supergiant Rigel [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/ rigel.html ] balancing Betelgeuse at the lower right, Bellatrix [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ hr/1790.html ] at the upper right, and Saiph [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ hr/2004.html ] at the lower left. Lined up in Orion's belt [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/ OrionTourCenter/belt.html ] (left to right) are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka all about 1,500 light-years away, born of the constellation's well studied interstellar clouds [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/oricloud.html ]. And if the middle "star" of Orion's sword looks reddish and fuzzy to you, it should. It's the stellar nursery known as the Great Nebula of Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021220.html ]. |
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Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka
| Title |
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka |
| Explanation |
Alnitak [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/alnitak.html ], Alnilam [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/alnilam.html ], and Mintaka [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/mintaka.html ], are the bright bluish stars from east to west (left to right) along the diagonal in this gorgeous cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ belt.html ], these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie about 1,500 light-years away, born of Orion's [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ optical.html ] well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have intriguing and some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010426.html ] Nebula and Flame Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990713.html ] near Alnitak at the lower left. The famous Orion Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050918.html ] itself lies off the bottom of this star field that covers an impressive 4.4x3.5 degrees on the sky. The color picture was composited from digitized [ http://www-gsss.stsci.edu/Dss/dss_home.HTM ] black and white photographic plates recorded through red and blue astronomical filters, with a computer synthesized green channel. The plates were taken using the Samuel Oschin Telescope [ http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/sot.html ], a wide-field survey instrument at Palomar Observatory [ http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/ ], between 1987 and 1991. |
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