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Nova Over Iran
| Title |
Nova Over Iran |
| Explanation |
A bright new nova is being studied by astronomers. The officially dubbed Nova Scorpii 2007 [ http://www.aavso.org/publications/specialnotice/33.shtml ] has become so bright in recent days that it is now visible [ http://skytonight.com/observing/home/Nova-Sco-2007.html ] to the unaided eye. Adventurous early morning sky enthusiasts [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040808.html ] should look in dark skies toward the constellation of the Scorpion [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Scorpius.html ], just below Jupiter and Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html ]. The above image may help as a sky chart. A nova [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060224.html ] this bright occurs only every few [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova#Bright_novae_since_1890 ] years. Novas [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/novae/novae.html ] are caused by thermonuclear explosions [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KoZS-PX3VM ] casting off the outer layers of a white dwarf [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_dwarf ] star. Pictured above on Friday, the nova was being studied through a small telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050413.html ] as it appeared over the Varzaneh Desert in Isfahan [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isfahan ], Iran [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran ]. The nova [ http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=234 ] will likely fade but remain visible with binoculars [ http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/newql.pl?name=V1280%20Sco&output=html ] for at least a few more days. |
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A Scorpius Sky Spectacular
| Title |
A Scorpius Sky Spectacular |
| Explanation |
If Scorpius looked this good to the unaided eye, humans might remember it better. Scorpius [ http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/scorpius/ ] more typically appears as a few bright stars in a well known but rarely pointed out zodiacal [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac ] constellation [ http://www.fillingthesky.com/constellationhistory.html ]. To get a spectacular image like this [ http://astrosurf.com/sguisard/Pagim/Scorpius_constellation-LHRVB-50mm.html ], though, one needs a good camera [ http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm ], color filters [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_%28optics%29 ], and a digital image processor. To bring out detail, the above image [ http://astrosurf.com/sguisard/Pagim/Scorpius_constellation-LHRVB-50mm.html ] not only involved long duration exposures taken in several colors, but one exposure in a very specific red color [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050930.html ] emitted by hydrogen [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/1.html ] that brings out great detail. The resulting image [ http://astrosurf.com/sguisard/Pagim/Scorpius_constellation-LHRVB-50mm.html ] shows many breathtaking features. Vertically across the image left is part of the plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050605.html ] of our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ]. Visible there are vast clouds of bright stars and long filaments of dark dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ]. Jutting out diagonally from the Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070123.html ] in the image center are dark dust bands known as the Dark River [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040809.html ]. This river connects to several bright stars on the right that are part of Scorpius' head and claws [ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/scorpius.htm ], and include the bright star Antares [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/antares.html ]. Above and right of Antares is an even brighter planet Jupiter. Numerous red emission nebulas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] and blue reflection nebulas [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflection_nebula ] are visible throughout the image. Scorpius [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion ] appears prominently in southern skies after sunset during the middle of the year. |
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