|
|
Mount Saint Helens
| title |
Mount Saint Helens |
| description |
Mount Saint Helens exemplifies how Earth's topographic form can change greatly even within our lifetimes. The mountain is one of several prominent volcanoes of the Cascade Range that stretches from British Columbia, Canada, southward through Washington, Oregon and into northern California. Mount Adams (left background) and Mount Hood (right background) are also seen in this view, which was created entirely from elevation data produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Prior to 1980, Mount Saint Helens had a shape roughly similar to other Cascade peaks, a tall, bold, irregular conic form that rose to 9,677 feet (2,950 meters). However, the explosive eruption of May 18, 1980, caused the upper 1,300 feet (400 meters) of the mountain to collapse, slide and spread northward, covering much of the adjacent terrain (lower left), leaving a crater atop the greatly shortened mountain. Subsequent eruptions built a volcanic dome within the crater, and the high rainfall of this area lead to substantial erosion of the poorly consolidated landslide material. Eruptions at Mount Saint Helens subsided in 1986, but renewed volcanic activity here and at other Cascade volcanoes is inevitable. Predicting such eruptions still presents challenges, but migration of magma within these volcanoes often produces distinctive seismic activity and minor but measurable topographic changes that can give warning of a potential eruption. Image credit: NASA/JPL/NGA |
|
Hubble Resolves Quasars' Hos
…
| Title |
Hubble Resolves Quasars' Host Galaxies |
|
Hubble Space Telescope Finds
…
| Title |
Hubble Space Telescope Finds Stellar Graveyard |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
How White Dwarfs Get Their '
…
| Title |
How White Dwarfs Get Their 'Kicks' |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
How White Dwarfs Get Their '
…
| Title |
How White Dwarfs Get Their 'Kicks' |
|
How White Dwarfs Get Their '
…
| Title |
How White Dwarfs Get Their 'Kicks' |
|
How White Dwarfs Get Their '
…
| Title |
How White Dwarfs Get Their 'Kicks' |
|
Spacelab-1 module in orbiter
…
| Name of Image |
Spacelab-1 module in orbiter Columbia's payload bay |
| Date of Image |
1983-11-28 |
| Full Description |
A Space Shuttle mission STS-9 onboard view show's Spacelab-1 (SL-1) module in orbiter Columbia's payload bay. Spacelab-1 was a cooperative venture of NASA and the European Space Agency. Scientists from eleven European nations plus Canada, Japan and the U.S. provided instruments and experimental procedures for over 70 different investigations in five research areas of disciplines: astronomy and solar physics, space plasma physics, atmospheric physics and Earth observations, life sciences and materials science. |
|
Life and Microgravity Spacel
…
| Name of Image |
Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) Loaded Into Shuttle Cargo Bay |
| Date of Image |
1996-04-23 |
| Full Description |
Launched on June 20, 1996, the STS-78 mission?s primary payload was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), which was managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). During the 17 day space flight, the crew conducted a diverse slate of experiments divided into a mix of life science and microgravity investigations. In a manner very similar to future International Space Station operations, LMS researchers from the United States and their European counterparts shared resources such as crew time and equipment. Five space agencies (NASA/USA, European Space Agency/Europe (ESA), French Space Agency/France, Canadian Space Agency /Canada, and Italian Space Agency/Italy) along with research scientists from 10 countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the LMS. This photo shows the LMS spacelab being installed in the payload bay of the orbiter Columbia during preflight preparations. |
|
STS-78 Crew Portrait
| Name of Image |
STS-78 Crew Portrait |
| Date of Image |
1996-04-01 |
| Full Description |
The crew assigned to the STS-78 mission included (seated left to right) Terrence T. (Tom) Henricks, commander, and Kevin R. Kregel, pilot. Standing, left to right, are Jean-Jacques Favier (CNES), payload specialist, Richard M. Linneham, mission specialist, Susan J. Helms, payload commander, Charles E. Brady, mission specialist, and Robert Brent Thirsk (CSA). Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on June 20, 1996 at 10:49:00 am (EDT), the STS-78 mission?s primary payloads was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS). Five space agencies (NASA/USA, European Space Agency/Europe (ESA), French Space Agency/France, Canadian Space Agency /Canada, and Italian Space Agency/Italy) along with research scientists from 10 countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the LMS. |
|
Life and Microgravity Spacel
…
| Name of Image |
Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) Loaded Into Shuttle Cargo Bay |
| Date of Image |
1996-04-23 |
| Full Description |
Launched on June 20, 1996, the STS-78 mission?s primary payload was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), which was managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). During the 17 day space flight, the crew conducted a diverse slate of experiments divided into a mix of life science and microgravity investigations. In a manner very similar to future International Space Station operations, LMS researchers from the United States and their European counterparts shared resources such as crew time and equipment. Five space agencies (NASA/USA, European Space Agency/Europe (ESA), French Space Agency/France, Canadian Space Agency /Canada, and Italian Space Agency/Italy) along with research scientists from 10 countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the LMS. This photo shows the LMS being installed in the payload bay of the orbiter Columbia during preflight preparations. |
|
View of Life and Microgravit
…
| Name of Image |
View of Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) Module in Cargo Bay |
| Date of Image |
1996-06-20 |
| Full Description |
Launched on June 20, 1996, the STS-78 mission?s primary payload was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), which was managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). During the 17 day space flight, the crew conducted a diverse slate of experiments divided into a mix of life science and microgravity investigations. In a manner very similar to future International Space Station operations, LMS researchers from the United States and their European counterparts shared resources such as crew time and equipment. Five space agencies (NASA/USA, European Space Agency/Europe (ESA), French Space Agency/France, Canadian Space Agency /Canada, and Italian Space Agency/Italy) along with research scientists from 10 countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the LMS. This onboard photo represents a view of the LMS Module in the Cargo Bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia. |
|
Burn Scars in the Pacific No
…
| Title |
Burn Scars in the Pacific Northwest |
| Description |
Fire season is winding down in western North America, but this false-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite reveals the season?s fire-scarred landscape. Vegetation is in shades of green, while burned areas are red. Scars dot the Northern Rockies from Canada (roughly top half of image) to Montana (bottom right) and Idaho, to its west. Additional large scars are visible in the Coast Mountains (left) which stretch from British Columbia, Canada, southward into Washington. Clouds are white and light blue, lakes and rivers are dark blue, and snow is bright blue. Naturally bare ground (or extremely low vegetation), such as on the highest mountains ridges at top center, or in the Columbia River Basin (bottom center), is pinkish tan. MODIS captured this image on October 4, 2003. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires In Alaska and Northern
…
| Title |
Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada |
| Description |
On August 17, 2004, fires (red dots) burned across Alaska and northern Canada, spreading smoke across thousands of square kilometers. The fire season in Alaska has been very active since mid-June when record-breaking numbers of lightning strikes touched off scores of fires over several days. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Terra satellite spans Alaska (left), Yukon Territory (right), and British Columbia (bottom right). At lower left is the Gulf of Alaska. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires In Alaska and Northern
…
| Title |
Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada |
| Description |
Ribbons of smoke from fires in Alaska and northern Canada swirl over the Gulf of Alaska (lower left) and British Columbia (lower right) on August 15, 2004. The image is a combination of three Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images on that day: two from MODIS on the Aqua satellite, and one from the MODIS on the Terra satellite. Actively burning fires have been marked with red dots in the image. Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in British Columbia
| Title |
Fires in British Columbia |
| Description |
The Okanagan Mountain Park Fire rages through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, in this false-color infrared image captured by the IKONOS satellite on August 21, 2003. The burned region appears dark greenish grey in the upper portion of image. The dark red regions in the image are unburned forest and the lighter red patches are cleared land. The northern reaches of this fire (just out of the image) destroyed or damaged 247 homes in and around the city of Kelowna as of August 26, 2003, and forced 16,000 people to flee. An additional 25,000 people were prepared to evacuate. The fire was discovered on August 16, 2003, and as of August 27, 2003, had burned more than 200 square kilometers of land. In the expanded version of the image, the city of Penticton on the southern tip of Lake Okanagan remains mostly untouched. Image courtesy Space Imaging |
|
Fires in British Columbia
| Title |
Fires in British Columbia |
| Description |
The Okanagan Mountain Park Fire rages through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, in this false-color infrared image captured by the IKONOS satellite on August 21, 2003. The burned region appears dark greenish grey in the upper portion of image. The dark red regions in the image are unburned forest and the lighter red patches are cleared land. The northern reaches of this fire (just out of the image) destroyed or damaged 247 homes in and around the city of Kelowna as of August 26, 2003, and forced 16,000 people to flee. An additional 25,000 people were prepared to evacuate. The fire was discovered on August 16, 2003, and as of August 27, 2003, had burned more than 200 square kilometers of land. In the expanded version of the image, the city of Penticton on the southern tip of Lake Okanagan remains mostly untouched. Image courtesy Space Imaging |
|
Fires in British Columbia
| Title |
Fires in British Columbia |
| Description |
A large fire in western British Columbia was spilling smoke down over the glacier-covered slopes of the Coast Range Mountains on July 28, 2004. In the deeply carved valleys between the white-capped peaks, turquoise rivers thick with finely ground glacial sediment flow out to the Pacific Ocean through the narrow gap between Vancouver Island (bottom left) and mainland Canada. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image, and the places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. The high-resolution image provided above is 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in Central Canada
| Title |
Fires in Central Canada |
| Description |
A blanket of smoke from scores of wildfires hung over central Canada on July 4, 2006. This image of the area was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite that afternoon at 2:40 p.m. Central Standard Time. Places where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. In this image, fires are burning in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Smoke appears light gray or yellow-gray, where it is very thick. The smoke spreads over a wide area, reaching northward into Northwest Territories and eastward into Manitoba. Several thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes because of various wildfires throughout western and central Canada off and on since late June. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Fires in Montana and Alberta
| Title |
Fires in Montana and Alberta |
| Description |
The Lost Creek Fire (center) continued to grow on August 1, 2003. The blaze is on the border of Alberta and British Columbia Provinces in western Canada. This image of the fire, and others to south in Glacier National Park in Montana, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Active fire detections captured by the sensor have been marked in yellow (this image) and with a red outline in the high-resolution image. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in Northern Washington
| Title |
Fires in Northern Washington |
| Description |
In the mountains of northern Washington, the Tripod Complex Fire burned from July into August. This image of the region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 6, 2006. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. The actively burning parts of the Tripod Complex make two rough circles in the rugged terrain northeast of the city of Twisp. Smoke billows thickly across the state and into British Columbia, Canada. According to the August 7 report from the National Interagency Fire Center, [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] the Tripod Complex Fire had grown to an estimated 57, 535 acres, and firefighters had it about 10 percent contained. Numerous residences and other structures were threatened by the fire, which was burning through timber that had been killed by beetle infestation. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires in the Northern Rockie
…
| Title |
Fires in the Northern Rockies |
| Description |
More than 20 large fires are burning in the Northern Rockies region of Montana and Idaho as of September 4, 2003. Nearly half a million acres in the U.S. have been affected by the fires, which are marked in red in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on September 2. Additional fires have been burning for weeks in the Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, to the north. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in the Northern Rockie
…
| Title |
Fires in the Northern Rockies |
| Description |
More than 20 large fires are burning in the Northern Rockies region of Montana and Idaho as of September 4, 2003. Nearly half a million acres in the U.S. have been affected by the fires, which are marked in red in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on September 2. Additional fires have been burning for weeks in the Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, to the north. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in the Northern Rockie
…
| Title |
Fires in the Northern Rockies |
| Description |
On September 6, 2003, dozens of large fires were burning in the northern Rockies of British Columbia (top), Montana (bottom right), Idaho (bottom center), and Washington (bottom left). In Montana, a line of fires stretches southward from the U.S.-Canada border for 190 kilometers (118 miles), creating a wall of smoke that hangs over the Lewis Range Mountains east of Flathead Lake. This image of the fires (marked in red) was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on September 6. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Three Sisters Volcanoes
| Title |
Three Sisters Volcanoes |
| Description |
The ground near one of the long-dormant Three Sisters volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains of west-central Oregon has risen approximately 10 centimeters in a 10-by-20-km parcel since 1996, meaning that magma or underground lava is slowly flowing into the area, according to a research team from the U.S. Geological Survey. The Three Sisters area?which contains five volcanoes?is only about 170 miles from Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980. Both are part of the Cascades Range, a line of 27 volcanoes stretching from British Columbia in Canada to northern California. This perspective view was created by draping a simulated natural color ASTER image over digital topography from the U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset. Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
Ten thousand people have been evacuated from their homes in parts of Canada over the past week, as wildfires blaze across the country. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite was captured on August 3, 2003, and shows numerous actively burning fires marked with red dots. The town of Barriere in British Columbia is one of the devastated communities, with an estimated 70 houses burned already. According to news reports, fires are completely surrounding the town, which is located near the large cluster of red dots just south of the center of this image. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
On August 1, 2003, dozens of large fires were burning across western North America in Canada (top half of image) and the United States (bottom half). Huge plumes of smoke were streaming northeastward from massive fires in Canada's British Columbia (left) and Alberta (right) provinces, while across the international border, fires were burning in (left to right) Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
This Ikonos image shows the smoldering burned area of a massive fire that swept through the village of Louis Creek and toward the town of Barriere, British Columbia in early August 2003. This image was captured on Friday, August 8, and uses the sensor's observations in the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum so living vegetation is seen in red (right of image) and burned vegetation is charcoal (left). According to news reports, the fire destroyed the sawmill-village of Louis Creek, seen to the southeast of the hump in the North Thompson River (northwest of center). Barriere is seen in the top center of the image and is slightly covered by smoke and clouds. Image courtesy Space Imaging. |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
On July 31, 2003, Ikonos captured this high-resolution image of southwestern British Columbia?s Chilko Lake Fire still smoldering. Surrounded by a large purplish-gray burned area, an isolated area of green vegetation (center) is harboring several actively burning areas, from which smoke plumes drift eastward. Image courtesy Space Imaging. |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
The large fires currently burning in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States are producing a significant amount of air pollution, as indicated by the elevated levels of carbon monoxide over the region. This false-color image shows the concentrations of carbon monoxide at an altitude of roughly 3 km (700 millibars) in the atmosphere. These data were taken by the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument aboard NASA?s Terra satellite for the period Aug. 1-7, 2003. The colors represent the mixing ratios of carbon monoxide in the air, given in parts per billion by volume. The gray areas in the image show where no data were collected, either due to persistent cloud cover or gaps between satellite viewing swaths. Carbon monoxide is produced as a result of incomplete combustion during burning. It is important to scientists due to its impact on the chemistry in the lower atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is a good indicator of air pollution and its presence adversely affects the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself. The regions of high carbon monoxide are observed downwind of the fires currently burning in Canada's British Columbia (left) and Alberta (right) provinces, while across the border in the United States, intense plumes of carbon monoxide are being emitted from the fires burning in Idaho and Montana. Because carbon monoxide is persistent in the air for several weeks, it clearly shows the transport of pollution plumes from the region of the fires northeastwards over Canada. Image courtesy the NCAR [ http://www.eos.ucar.edu/mopitt/ ] and University of Toronto [ http://www.atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca/MOPITT/home.html ] MOPITT Teams |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
Dozens of large fires were burning across British Columbia, which dominates the upper left of this scene, on August 21, 2003. Hundreds of residents in this mountainous Canadian province are already evacuated, and thousands more are on alert. Thick smoke chokes the skies and the fires spread rapidly through the forested terrain. This image of the fires, marked with yellow dots, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on August 21. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC> |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
Dozens of large fires were burning across British Columbia, which dominates the upper left of this scene, on August 21, 2003. Hundreds of residents in this mountainous Canadian province are already evacuated, and thousands more are on alert. Thick smoke chokes the skies and the fires spread rapidly through the forested terrain. This image of the fires, marked with yellow dots, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on August 21. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC> |
|
Fires in Western Canada
| Title |
Fires in Western Canada |
| Description |
Dozens of large fires were burning across British Columbia, Canada, on August 20, 2003. The fires (marked with yellow) have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and put thousands on evacuation alert. This image of the fires was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. British Columbia is at top left, with Alberta to the east. At the bottom are Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Manicouagan Impact Crater on
…
| Title |
Manicouagan Impact Crater on Earth |
| Explanation |
The Manicouagan Crater [ http://www.linkdirectory.com/airphoto/1030.html ] in northern Canada [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html ] is one of the oldest impact craters [ http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/craters/impact_home.html ] known. Formed during a surely tremendous impact [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990711.html ] about 200 million years ago, the present day terrain supports a 70-kilometer diameter hydroelectric reservoir [ http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-26.html ] in the telltale form of an annular lake [ http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=40640 ]. The crater itself has been worn away by the passing of glaciers [ http://www.glacier.rice.edu/land/5_whatisaglacier.html ] and other erosional processes. Still, the hard rock [ http://duke.usask.ca/~reeves/prog/geoe118/geoe118.011.html ] at the impact site has preserved much of the complex impact structure [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960120.html ] and so allows scientists a leading case to help understand large impact features on Earth [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/impacts.html ] and other [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ap960906.html ] Solar System bodies. Also visible above [ http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/lores.cgi?PHOTO=STS009-48-3139 ] is the vertical fin of the Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990411.html ] Columbia from which the picture was taken in 1983. |
|
Kalamalka Lake Eclipse
| Title |
Kalamalka Lake Eclipse |
| Explanation |
Recorded on August 28th [ http://www.spaceweather.com/eclipses/ gallery_28aug07_page2.htm ], this serene total lunar eclipse sequence looks southwest down Kalamalka Lake toward the lights of Coldstream [ http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Coldstream,+BC,+Canada&ie=UTF8 &ll=50.225355,-119.268951&spn=0.240294,0.320663&t=h&z=11&om=1 ], British Columbia. An exposure every 4 minutes captured the Moon's position and eclipse phase, until the Moon set behind the town lights and a hill on the horizon. In fact, the sequence effectively measures the duration of the total phase of the eclipse [ http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html ]. Around 270 BC, the Greek astronomer Aristarchus [ http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/ Mathematicians/Aristarchus.html ] also measured the duration of lunar eclipses - though probably without the benefit of digital clocks [ http://itotd.com/articles/297/ revenge-of-the-analog-clock/ ] and cameras. Still, using geometry, he devised [ http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Shipprc2.htm ] a simple and impressively accurate way to calculate the Moon's distance, in terms of the radius of planet Earth, from the eclipse duration. |
|
A Leonids Star Field
| Title |
A Leonids Star Field |
| Explanation |
As meteor after meteor streaked across a moonless sky, photographers [ http://leonids.hq.nasa.gov/leonids/gallery/date/all.html ] across the world snapped pictures [ http://SpaceWeather.com/meteors/gallery_18nov01.html ] of the 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/leonidhistory.html ]. Many recognized this as the best meteor shower they had ever seen. In fact, the 2001 Leonids [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15nov_1.htm ] was the most active meteor [ http://www.nineplanets.org/meteorites.html ] shower since the mid-1960s. The above photo captures three Leonid meteors [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011104.html ] crossing a photogenic star-field [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000929.html ]. On the far right is the Pleiades [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010506.html ] star cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html ]. The brightest meteor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011119.html ] crosses right in front of the Hyades star cluster [ http://www.aspsky.org/mercury/mercury/9803/hyades.html ], situated below the image center. Just left of center is the bright planet Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/saturn.html ], and the bright star below Saturn is Aldebaran [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/aldebaran.html ]. The ten-minute exposure was taken near Victoria [ http://www.city.victoria.bc.ca/ ], British Columbia [ http://www.gov.bc.ca/ ], Canada [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html ] at 2:45 am PST [ http://atm.geo.nsf.gov/ieis/time.html ] on 2001 November 18. |
|
Launch of the Sun Pillar
| Title |
Launch of the Sun Pillar |
| Explanation |
On January 16, NASA's space shuttle Columbia roared [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011115.html ] into blue morning skies above Kennedy Space Center on STS-107 [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/ ], the first shuttle mission of 2003. But this is not a picture of that launch [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/ html/03pd0113.html ]! It was taken on the morning of January 16 though, at sunrise, looking eastward toward Lake Ontario from just outside of Caledon, Ontario, Canada. In the picture a sun pillar [ http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/ guides/mtr/opt/ice/sp.rxml ], sunlight reflecting from ice crystals [ http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/halo/pillar.htm ] gently falling through the cold air, seems to shoot above the fiery Sun still low [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020902.html ] on the horizon. By chance, fog [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021122.html ] and clouds forming over the relatively warm lake look like billowing smoke from a rocket's exhaust plume [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020308.html ] and complete the launch illusion. Amateur photographer Lauri Kangas stopped on his way to work to record the eye-catching [ http://www.photon-echoes.com ] sun pillar launch. |
|
Vega Credit: D. Moffatt (DOA
…
| Title |
Vega Credit: D. Moffatt (DOA [ http://www.dao.nrc.ca/ ]), ScienceWeb [ http://scienceweb.dao.nrc.ca/ ], Starry Messenger Communications |
| Explanation |
Vega is a bright blue star 25 light years away. Vega [ http://stardate.utexas.edu/radio/StarDateDB.FM$RETRIEVE?value=06/15/1996&field=ScriptAirDate&html=Test+Request+Date ] is the brightest star in the Summer Triangle [ http://eagle.online.discovery.com/DCO/doc/1012/world/starshack/starshack080796/starshack.html ], a group of stars easily visible summer evenings in the northern hemisphere. The name Vega [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/7001.html ] derives from Arabic origins, and means "stone eagle." 4,000 years ago, however, Vega [ http://stardate.utexas.edu/radio/StarDateDB.FM$RETRIEVE?value=05/20/1995&field=ScriptAirDate&html=Test+Request+Date ] was known by some as "Ma'at" - one example of ancient human astronomical knowledge and language. 14,000 years ago, Vega [ http://stardate.utexas.edu/radio/StarDateDB.FM$RETRIEVE?value=07/10/1994&field=ScriptAirDate&html=Test+Request+Date ], not Polaris [ http://www.arcorp.com/polaris.html ], was the north star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961201.html ]. Vega [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995ApJ%2E%2E%2E450%2E%2E364G&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1 ] is the fifth brightest star in the night sky, and has a diameter almost three times that of our Sun. Life [ http://www.seti-inst.edu/phoenix/contact.html ] bearing planets, rich in liquid water, could possibly exist around Vega [ http://lsnt7.lightspeed.net/~astronomy/lifezones/lifezones.html ]. The above picture [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/moffatt1.html ], taken in January, finds Vega, the Summer Triangle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961212.html ], and Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970610.html ] high above Victoria [ http://www.city.victoria.bc.ca/ ], British Columbia [ http://www.gov.bc.ca/ ], Canada. |
|
Manicouagan Impact Crater
| Title |
Manicouagan Impact Crater |
| Explanation |
Manicouagan Crater in northern Canada is one of the oldest impact craters known [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000226.html ]. Formed about 200 million years ago, the present day terrain supports a 70-kilometer diameter hydroelectric reservoir [ http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-26.html ] in the telltale form of an annular lake [ http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=40640 ]. The crater itself has been worn away by the passing of glaciers [ http://www.glacier.rice.edu/land/5_whatisaglacier.html ] and other erosional processes. Still, the hard rock at the impact site has preserved much of the complex impact structure [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960120.html ] and so allows scientists a leading case to help understand large impact features [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/ impacts.html ] on Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990610.html ] and other [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010513.html ] Solar System bodies. Also visible above is the vertical fin of the Space Shuttle Columbia [ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/ orbiters/orbiterscol.html ] from which the picture was taken in 1983. |
|
Fires in Western Canada: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Ten thousand people have bee
…
Canada.TMOA2003215
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Canada.TMOA2003215 |
|
Fires in British Columbia: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A large fire in western Brit
…
Washington.AMOA2004210
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-07-28 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Washington.AMOA2004210 |
|
Fires in Western Canada: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On August 1, 2003, dozens of
…
UnitedStates.AMOA2003213
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
UnitedStates.AMOA2003213 |
|
Glacial Retreat: Image of th
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Perhaps the most visible sig
…
glacier_loss_athabasca
| mediatype |
MISC |
| mediatype |
texts |
| date |
2006 |
| creator |
NASA -- Photograph [Copyright]2005 www.flickr.com/photos/hughrocks/35342787/ Hugh Saxby, glacier graph adapted from Dyurgerov and Meier, 2005. |
| identifier |
glacier_loss_athabasca |
|
|
![Vega Credit: D. Moffatt (DOA [ http://www.dao.nrc.ca/ ]), ScienceWeb [ http://scienceweb.dao.nrc.ca/ ], Starry Messenger Communications](http://mm04.nasaimages.org/MediaManager/srvr?mediafile=/Size1/NVA2-4-NA/8321/vega_dm.jpg&userid=1&username=admin&resolution=1&servertype=JVA&cid=4&iid=NVA2&vcid=NA&usergroup=NASA_Astronomy_Picture_of_the_Day_Collecti-4-Admin&profileid=16)
