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Antares and Rho Ophiuchi
| Title |
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi |
| Explanation |
Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/antx.html ] so colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990829.html ]. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000111.html ]. Backlit dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ] clouds block starlight and so appear dark [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990511.html ]. Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html ], a red supergiant [ http://www.lcse.umn.edu/research/RedGiant/ ] and one of the brighter stars in the night sky [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html ], lights up the yellow-red clouds on the upper left. Rho Ophiuchi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960312.html ] lies at the center of the blue nebula on the right. The distant globular cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ] M4 is visible just below Antares [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/6134.html ], and to the left of the red cloud engulfing Sigma Scorpii [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1992A%26A...261..203P ]. These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see, emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ]. |
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IC 4603: Reflection Nebula i
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| Title |
IC 4603: Reflection Nebula in Ophiuchius |
| Explanation |
Why does this starfield photograph resemble an impressionistic painting [ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/ ]? The effect is created not by digital trickery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] but by large amounts of interstellar dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ]. Dust, minute globs rich in carbon [ http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/carbon/carbon1.html ] and similar in size [ http://www.lakeair.com/particle.html ] to cigarette smoke [ http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/smoke.html ], frequently starts in the outer atmospheres of large, cool, young stars. The dust [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Li/Li_contents.html ] is dispersed as the star dies and grows as things stick to it in the interstellar medium [ http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/ism/intro.html ]. Dense dust clouds are opaque [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] to visible light [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] and can completely hide background stars. For less dense clouds, the capacity of dust to preferentially reflect blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] starlight becomes important, effectively blooming the stars blue light out and marking the surrounding dust. Nebular gas emissions, typically brightest in red light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], can combine to form areas seemingly created on an artist's canvas. Photographed above [ http://ryutao.main.jp/english/stl_ant.html ] is roughly four square degrees of the nebula IC 4603 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060714.html ] near the bright star Antares [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares ] toward the constellation [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation ] of Ophiuchus [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ophiuchus.html ]. |
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The Colorful Clouds of Rho O
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| Title |
The Colorful Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi |
| Explanation |
The many spectacular colors of the Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/antx.html ] (oh'-fee-yu-kee) clouds highlight the many processes that occur there. The blue regions shine primarily by reflected light. Blue light from the star Rho Ophiuchi [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/legacy/iras_rhooph_gc/captio n.html ] and nearby stars reflects [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/reflection_nebulae.html ] more efficiently off this portion of the nebula than red light. The Earth's daytime sky appears blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] for the same reason. The red and yellow regions shine primarily because of emission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] from the nebula's atomic and molecular gas. Light from nearby blue stars - more energetic than the bright star Antares [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/antares.html ] - knocks electrons [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/welect.html ] away from the gas, which then shines when the electrons recombine with the gas. The dark regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] are caused by dust grains [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Mathis/Mathis1.html ] - born in young stellar atmospheres - which effectively block light emitted behind them. The Rho Ophiuchi star clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000521.html ], well in front of the globular cluster [ http://www.seds.org/messier/glob.html ] M4 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000523.html ] visible above [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/antares.html ] on far lower left, are even more colorful than humans can see [ http://www.colormatters.com/optics.html ] - the clouds emits light in every wavelength band [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] from the radio [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/radio.html ] to the gamma-ray [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/gamma.html ]. |
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IC 4603: Reflection Nebula i
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| Title |
IC 4603: Reflection Nebula in Ophiuchius |
| Explanation |
Why does this starfield photograph resemble an impressionistic painting [ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/ ]? The effect is created not by digital trickery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] but by large amounts of interstellar dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ]. Dust, minute globs rich in carbon [ http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/carbon/carbon1.html ] and similar in size [ http://www.lakeair.com/particle.html ] to cigarette smoke [ http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/smoke.html ], frequently starts in the outer atmospheres of large, cool, young stars. The dust [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Li/Li_contents.html ] is dispersed as the star dies and grows as things stick to it in the interstellar medium [ http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/tof/Outreach/Interstellar/index.html?what1.html ]. Dense dust clouds are opaque [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] to visible light [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] and can completely hide background stars. For less dense clouds, the capacity of dust to preferentially reflect blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] starlight becomes important, effectively blooming the stars blue light out and marking the surrounding dust. Nebular gas emissions, typically brightest in red light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], can combine to form areas seemingly created on an artist's canvas. Photographed above [ http://home.earthlink.net/~gstevens916/pic4603.htm ] is roughly one square degree of the nebula IC 4603 [ http://www.psiaz.com/Schur/astro/filmimagepages/rho.html ] near the bright star Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html ] toward the constellation [ http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/exhibits/constellations/timeline.html ] of Ophiuchus [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ophiuchus.html ]. |
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Antares and Rho Ophiuchi
| Title |
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi |
| Explanation |
Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/antx.html ] so colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960903.html ]. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960606.html ]. Backlit dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961119.html ] clouds block starlight and so appear dark [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961005.html ]. Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970624.html ], a red supergiant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970922.html http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1992AJ%2E%2E%2E%2E104%2E%2E821M&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1 ] and one of the brighter stars in the night sky [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html ], lights up the yellow-red clouds on the upper left. Rho Ophiuchi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960312.html ] lies at the center of the blue nebula on the right. The distant globular cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970916.html ] M4 is visible just below Antares [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/6134.html ], and to the left of the red cloud engulfing Sigma Scorpii [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1992A%26A%2E%2E%2E261%2E%2E203P&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1 ]. These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see, emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/learning_center/basic/emspectrum.html ]. |
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Antares and Rho Ophiuchi
| Title |
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi |
| Explanation |
Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/antx.html ] so colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031229.html ]. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000111.html ]. Backlit dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] clouds block starlight and so appear dark [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ]. Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html ], a red supergiant [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/astro/redsup.html ] and one of the brighter stars in the night sky [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html ], lights up the yellow-red clouds on the upper left. Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/galleries/ism/rhooph.html ] lies at the center of the blue nebula on the right. The distant globular cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ] M4 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000523.html ] is visible just below Antares [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/6134.html ], and to the left of the red cloud engulfing Sigma Scorpii [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1992A%26A...261..203P ]. These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see, emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ]. |
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The Colorful Clouds of Rho O
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| Title |
The Colorful Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi |
| Explanation |
The many spectacular colors of the Rho Ophiuchi [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/antx.html ] (oh'-fee-yu-kee) clouds highlight the many processes that occur there. The blue regions shine primarily by reflected light. Blue light from the star Rho Ophiuchi [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/legacy/iras_rhooph_gc/caption.html ] and nearby stars reflects [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/reflection_nebulae.html ] more efficiently off this portion of the nebula than red light. The Earth's daytime sky appears blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] for the same reason. The red and yellow regions shine primarily because of emission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] from the nebula's atomic and molecular gas. Light from nearby blue stars - more energetic than the bright star Antares [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/antares.html ] - knocks electrons [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/welect.html ] away from the gas, which then shines when the electrons recombine with the gas. The dark regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] are caused by dust grains [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Mathis/Mathis1.html ] - born in young stellar atmospheres - which effectively block light emitted behind them. The Rho Ophiuchi star clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000521.html ], well in front of the globular cluster [ http://www.seds.org/messier/glob.html ] M4 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000523.html ] visible above [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/antares.html ] on far lower left, are even more colorful than humans can see [ http://www.colormatters.com/optics.html ] - the clouds emits light in every wavelength band [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] from the radio [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/radio.html ] to the gamma-ray [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/gamma.html ]. |
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East of Antares
| Title |
East of Antares |
| Explanation |
East of Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020526.html ], dark markings seem to sprawl through the crowded star fields toward the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Cataloged in [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ bib_query?1919ApJ....49....1B ] the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard [ http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/virtualmuseum/ Barnardfull.html ], the obscuring interstellar dust clouds include [ http://www.saguaroastro.org/content/ Best-of-Barnards-Dark-Nebulae.htm ] B72 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050521.html ], B77, B78, and B59, seen in silhouette [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001229.html ] against the starry background. Here, their combined shape suggests smoke rising from a pipe, and so the dark nebula's popular name is the Pipe Nebula. This gorgeous and expansive view [ http://panther-observatory.com/gallery/deepsky/doc/ Pipe_200mm.htm ] was recorded in very dark skies over Hakos, Namibia [ http://www.fallingrain.com/world/WA/40/Hakos.html ]. It covers a full 10 by 7 degree field in the pronounceable [ http://www.astronomyclub.org/learn/Say_What.htm ] constellation Ophiuchus. |
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