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Earth and Moon
This picture of the Earth an
…
4/2/09
| Description |
This picture of the Earth and Moon in a single frame was taken by the Galileo spacecraft from about 3.9 million miles away. Antarctica is visible through clouds (bottom). The Moon's far side is seen, the shadowy indentation in the dawn terminator is the south pole Aitken Basin, one of the largest and oldest lunar impact features. |
| Date |
4/2/09 |
|
Liftoff!
A Delta II rocket climbs int
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2/6/09
| Description |
A Delta II rocket climbs into the dark, pre-dawn sky at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket successfully propelled the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft toward its polar orbit around Earth. Image credit: Carleton Bailie/United Launch Alliance Feb. 6, 2009 |
| Date |
2/6/09 |
|
Alien Asteroid Belt Compared
…
| Title |
Alien Asteroid Belt Compared to our Own |
| Description |
This artist's concept illustrates what the night sky might look like from a hypothetical alien planet in a star system with an asteroid belt 25 times as massive as the one in our own solar system (alien system above, ours below). NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence for such a belt around the nearby star called HD 69830, when its infrared eyes spotted dust, presumably from asteroids banging together. The telescope did not find any evidence for a planet in the system, but astronomers speculate one or more may be present. In our solar system, anybody observing the skies on a moonless night far from city lights can see the sunlight that is scattered by dust in our asteroid belt. Called zodiacal light and sometimes the "false dawn," this light appears as a dim band stretching up from the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or set. The light is faint enough that the disk of our Milky Way galaxy remains the most prominent feature in the sky. (The Milky Way disk is shown perpendicular to the zodiacal light in both pictures.) In contrast, the zodiacal light in the HD 69830 system would be 1,000 times brighter than our own, outshining even the Milky Way. |
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Alien Asteroid Belt Compared
…
| Title |
Alien Asteroid Belt Compared to our Own |
| Description |
This artist's concept illustrates what the night sky might look like from a hypothetical alien planet in a star system with an asteroid belt 25 times as massive as the one in our own solar system (alien system above, ours below). NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence for such a belt around the nearby star called HD 69830, when its infrared eyes spotted dust, presumably from asteroids banging together. The telescope did not find any evidence for a planet in the system, but astronomers speculate one or more may be present. In our solar system, anybody observing the skies on a moonless night far from city lights can see the sunlight that is scattered by dust in our asteroid belt. Called zodiacal light and sometimes the "false dawn," this light appears as a dim band stretching up from the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or set. The light is faint enough that the disk of our Milky Way galaxy remains the most prominent feature in the sky. (The Milky Way disk is shown perpendicular to the zodiacal light in both pictures.) In contrast, the zodiacal light in the HD 69830 system would be 1,000 times brighter than our own, outshining even the Milky Way. |
|
Alien Asteroid Belt Compared
…
| Title |
Alien Asteroid Belt Compared to our Own |
| Description |
This artist's concept illustrates what the night sky might look like from a hypothetical alien planet in a star system with an asteroid belt 25 times as massive as the one in our own solar system (alien system above, ours below). NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence for such a belt around the nearby star called HD 69830, when its infrared eyes spotted dust, presumably from asteroids banging together. The telescope did not find any evidence for a planet in the system, but astronomers speculate one or more may be present. In our solar system, anybody observing the skies on a moonless night far from city lights can see the sunlight that is scattered by dust in our asteroid belt. Called zodiacal light and sometimes the "false dawn," this light appears as a dim band stretching up from the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or set. The light is faint enough that the disk of our Milky Way galaxy remains the most prominent feature in the sky. (The Milky Way disk is shown perpendicular to the zodiacal light in both pictures.) In contrast, the zodiacal light in the HD 69830 system would be 1,000 times brighter than our own, outshining even the Milky Way. |
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August 2006: View of the Pla
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| Description |
August 2006: View of the Planets |
| Full Description |
Just before the eastern sky brightens with sunrise, three planets and the waning crescent moon join the starry twilight tapestry. Then, as the bright stars of Gemini and Orion fade with oncoming dawn, the planets rise and shine. About 45 minutes before sunrise on Aug. 20 to 22 the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn dance on the ecliptic -- the plane of Earth's orbit and the imaginary line tracing it in the sky. The sun, moon and planets appear to move along this line. Venus, rising an hour and a half before sunrise, is the easiest to see in the morning sky. Two hundred forty-one million kilometers (150 million miles) distant, Venus is Earth-sized. Mercury, at a distance of 183 million kilometers (114 million miles), is the fastest and smallest of the inner planets and appears brighter than the more distant Saturn. Saturn, 1,517 million kilometers (943 million miles) distant, was at conjunction with the sun just two weeks ago and now rises nearly an hour before sunrise. On Aug. 26 and 27, Saturn pairs with much brighter Venus at dawn. What other planets can we see in late August? Mars sets 45 minutes after sunset by month's end but is lost from view in the twilight, while brilliant Jupiter remains prominent as the only planet visible for a few hours during the late August evenings. Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
August 18, 2006 |
|
Phoebe Temperature Maps
| Description |
Phoebe Temperature Maps |
| Full Description |
A montage of maps of Saturn's moon Phoebe shows surface temperatures at various times of day as determined by the composite infrared spectrometer onboard Cassini during the June 11, 2004, Phoebe flyby. The asterisk on each map shows the location of the subsolar point, where the Sun is directly overhead. This point moves across the surface as Phoebe rotates. It is morning in regions to the left of the subsolar point, and afternoon in regions to the right. Like a newspaper weather map, different colors indicate different temperatures, though Phoebe's temperatures are distinctly cooler than even the coldest January day on Earth. Equatorial temperatures peak in the early afternoon near 112 Kelvin (-257 Fahrenheit), plunging to 78 Kelvin (-319 Fahrenheit) before dawn, and are even colder at higher latitudes. The large day/night temperature contrasts imply that Phoebe's surface is covered in loose dust or ice particles that store little heat and thus cool off rapidly at night. Regions of Phoebe's surface that were not observed are shown in black. Most of the maps show the effect on surface temperatures of the large crater-like depression seen in Cassini's visible-wavelength images of Phoebe, which is located just left of center in these maps. Crater walls that are shadowed and cold in the early morning in the first map are sunlit and warm in the late afternoon in the final map. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The composite infrared spectrometer team is based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini composite infrared spectrometer home page at http://cirs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Goddard Space Flight Center |
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The Earth-Moon System
| title |
The Earth-Moon System |
| date |
12.16.1992 |
| description |
Eight days after its final encounter with the Earth, the Galileo spacecraft looked back and captured this remarkable view of the Earth and Moon. The image was taken from a distance of about 6.2 million kilometers (3.9 million miles). The picture was constructed from images taken through the violet, red, and 1.0-micron infrared filters. The Moon is in the foreground, moving from left to right. The brightly-colored Earth contrasts strongly with the Moon, which reflects only about one-third as much sunlight as the Earth. Contrast and color have been computer-enhanced for both objects to improve visibility. Antarctica is visible through clouds (bottom). The Moon's far side is seen, the shadowy indentation in the dawn terminator is the south pole Aitken Basin, one of the largest and oldest lunar impact features. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Orbital Sunrise
| Title |
Orbital Sunrise |
| Full Description |
The STS-68 crew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour told a post-flight audience at JSC that this sunrise was one of the most scenic sunrises/ sunsets witnessed during the week and a half long Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-2) mission. Jutting clouds, back-lit by the dawn colors, are sandwiched between the blue airglow and the silhouetted horizon of Earth. |
| Date |
10/11/1994 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Hubble Provides the First Im
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| Title |
Hubble Provides the First Images of Saturn's Aurorae |
|
Hubble Surveys Dying Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Surveys Dying Stars in Nearby Galaxy |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Hubble Images of Asteroids H
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| Title |
Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit |
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Hubble Images of Asteroids H
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| Title |
Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit |
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Hubble Images of Asteroids H
…
| Title |
Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit |
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Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
Landsat Witnesses the Destru
…
| Title |
Landsat Witnesses the Destruction of Mesopotamian Ecosystem |
| Abstract |
In one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time, the ancient marshlands of Mesopotamia are systematically being converted to dry salt flats as a result of human mismanagement of the region's water resources. Landsat satellite imagery reveals that in the last 10 years, wetlands that once covered as much as 20,000 square km in parts of Iraq and Iran have been reduced to a small fraction of their original size. The authors of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 11th Stockholm Water Symposium on August 13, 2001, warn that the marshlands could completely disappear within the next 3-5 years unless dramatic steps are taken immediately to reverse the damage being done. The UNEP Executive Director described the wetlands' condition as 'a major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's worst engineered disasters.' He noted that 'the tragic loss of this rare wetland has occurred in approximately the same period since world leaders pledged to safeguard the environment at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.' Regarded by historians as one of the cradles of civilization, the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent has supported Marsh Arab society for millennia. But through the damming and siphoning off of waters from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria have decimated the ecosystem and, with it, a culture rooted in the dawn of human history (dating back to ancient Sumeria about 5,000 years ago). |
| Completed |
2000-08-14 |
|
STS-121 Insignia
| Name of Image |
STS-121 Insignia |
| Date of Image |
2005-06-09 |
| Full Description |
The STS-121 patch depicts the Space Shuttle docked with the International Space Station (ISS) in the foreground, overlaying the astronaut symbol with three gold columns and a gold star. The ISS is shown in the configuration that it was during the STS-121 mission. The background shows the nighttime Earth with a dawn breaking over the horizon. STS-121, ISS mission ULF1.1, was the final Shuttle Return to Flight test mission. This utilization and logistics flight delivered a multipurpose logistics module (MPLM) to the ISS with several thousand pounds of new supplies and experiments. In addition, some new orbital replacement units (ORUs) were delivered and stowed externally on the ISS on a special pallet. These ORUs are spares for critical machinery located on the outside of the ISS. During this mission the crew also carried out testing of Shuttle inspection and repair hardware, as well as evaluated operational techniques and concepts for conducting on-orbit inspection and repair. |
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Apollo 11 Launch Spectators
| Name of Image |
Apollo 11 Launch Spectators |
| Date of Image |
1969-07-16 |
| Full Description |
This is a view of a roadway near the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), shortly before dawn, where spectators from all over the world jammed into KSC to watch the liftoff of Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission. Apollo 11 launched from KSC via the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Aboard the space craft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot, and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. The CM, ?Columbia?, piloted by Collins, remained in a parking orbit around the Moon while the LM, ?Eagle??, carrying astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin, landed on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong was the first human to ever stand on the lunar surface, followed by Aldrin. During 2½ hours of surface exploration, the crew collected 47 pounds of lunar surface material for analysis back on Earth. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished. |
|
STS-102 Space Shuttle Discov
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| Name of Image |
STS-102 Space Shuttle Discovery Liftoff |
| Date of Image |
2001-03-08 |
| Full Description |
The STS-102 mission blasts off from launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at dawn on March 8, 2001 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-102's primary cargo was the Leonardo, the Italian Space Agency-built Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM). The Leonardo MPLM is the first of three such pressurized modules that will serve as the International Space Station's (ISS') moving vans, carrying laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments, and supplies to and from the Station aboard the Space Shuttle. The cylindrical module is approximately 21-feet long and 15- feet in diameter, weighing almost 4.5 tons. It can carry up to 10 tons of cargo in 16 standard Space Station equipment racks. Of the 16 racks the module can carry, 5 can be furnished with power, data, and fluid to support refrigerators or freezers. In order to function as an attached station module as well as a cargo transport, the logistics module also includes components that provide life support, fire detection and suppression, electrical distribution, and computer functions. NASA's 103rd overall mission and the 8th Space Station Assembly Flight, STS-102 mission also served as a crew rotation flight. It delivered the Expedition Two crew to the Station and returned the Expedition One crew back to Earth. |
|
STS-109 Shuttle Mission
| Name of Image |
STS-109 Shuttle Mission |
| Date of Image |
2002-03-01 |
| Full Description |
Carrying a crew of seven, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia soared through some pre-dawn clouds into the sky as it began its 27th flight, STS-109. Launched March 1, 2002, the goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. During the STS-109 mission, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm. Here four members of the crew performed five spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels, replacement of the power control unit (PCU), replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS), and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when it original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program. |
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STS-74 Mission Insignia
| Name of Image |
STS-74 Mission Insignia |
| Date of Image |
1995-07-07 |
| Full Description |
The STS-74 crew patch depicts the orbiter Atlantis docked to the Russian Space Station Mir. The central focus is on the Russian-built docking module, drawn with shading to accentuate its pivotal importance to both STS-74 and the NASA-Mir Program. The rainbow across the horizon represents the Earth's atmosphere, the thin membrane protecting all nations, while the three flags across the bottom show those nations participating in STS-74: Russia, Canada, and the United States. The sunrise is symbolic of the dawn of a new era in NASA space flight , that of International Space Station construction. |
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Total solar eclipse over Ant
…
| Title |
Total solar eclipse over Antarctica |
| Description |
The moon cast a long shadow over Antarctica on November 23, 2003, in a total solar eclipse. The sun typically hangs low on the horizon during the southernmost continent's almost-summer months, so when the Moon moved between the Sun and the Earth, its shadow fell in a roughly 500-kilometer long oval like the long shadows of a early summer dawn. At the time this image was taken, the sun was at approximately 15 degrees above the horizon. The shadow's long circular shape is the same pattern a flashlight casts an the floor when held at a similar angle. The moon's shadow has two parts: the fuzzy outer shadow, the penumbra, and the dark inner shadow, the umbra. Within the umbra, the sun is completely blocked. A person standing on the ground sees a glowing black disk in front of the sun?the disk is the moon, and the glow is the sun's corona. In the penumbra, the ground observer sees the moon covering part of the sun. Both the penumbra and the umbra are visible in this true-color image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the eclipse between 23:15 and 23:20 UTC. The Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured a similar image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2003327-1123/Antarctica.A2003327.2255 ] of the eclipse. The eclipse started at 22:08 UTC, and the shadow passed from the surface of the earth a little over an hour later at 23:20 UTC. The sun's light was completely blocked at 22:49 for one minute and 55 seconds. At the time this image was taken, the sun was just rising over Antarctica, tinting the mountains a delicate pink, even within the shadow of the eclipse. Beyond the dark upper left corner, the sun has not yet driven away night's darkness. The bluish tones of the snow reveal how Antarctica appears from space without atmospheric correction. The shadow covers Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, with its tip pointing towards Africa. The South Pole is just beyond the right corner of the image. The moon is not the only thing throwing shadows across the landscape in this image. On the top left, the Pensacola Mountains make long horizontal shadows on the ice. Patches of low cloud along the left side of the umbra are also leaving a dark smudge on the surface. This image is available in multiple resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2003327-1123/Antarctica2.A2003327.2320 ]. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Total solar eclipse over Ant
…
| Title |
Total solar eclipse over Antarctica |
| Description |
The moon cast a long shadow over Antarctica on November 23, 2003, in a total solar eclipse. The sun typically hangs low on the horizon during the southernmost continent's almost-summer months, so when the Moon moved between the Sun and the Earth, its shadow fell in a roughly 500-kilometer long oval like the long shadows of a early summer dawn. At the time this image was taken, the sun was at approximately 15 degrees above the horizon. The shadow's long circular shape is the same pattern a flashlight casts an the floor when held at a similar angle. The moon's shadow has two parts: the fuzzy outer shadow, the penumbra, and the dark inner shadow, the umbra. Within the umbra, the sun is completely blocked. A person standing on the ground sees a glowing black disk in front of the sun?the disk is the moon, and the glow is the sun's corona. In the penumbra, the ground observer sees the moon covering part of the sun. Both the penumbra and the umbra are visible in this true-color image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the eclipse between 23:15 and 23:20 UTC. The Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured a similar image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2003327-1123/Antarctica.A2003327.2255 ] of the eclipse. The eclipse started at 22:08 UTC, and the shadow passed from the surface of the earth a little over an hour later at 23:20 UTC. The sun's light was completely blocked at 22:49 for one minute and 55 seconds. At the time this image was taken, the sun was just rising over Antarctica, tinting the mountains a delicate pink, even within the shadow of the eclipse. Beyond the dark upper left corner, the sun has not yet driven away night's darkness. The bluish tones of the snow reveal how Antarctica appears from space without atmospheric correction. The shadow covers Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, with its tip pointing towards Africa. The South Pole is just beyond the right corner of the image. The moon is not the only thing throwing shadows across the landscape in this image. On the top left, the Pensacola Mountains make long horizontal shadows on the ice. Patches of low cloud along the left side of the umbra are also leaving a dark smudge on the surface. This image is available in multiple resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2003327-1123/Antarctica2.A2003327.2320 ]. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Venus and Comet Pojmanski
| Title |
Venus and Comet Pojmanski |
| Explanation |
Shining brightly in the east at dawn, Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060201.html ] dominates the sky in this view over a suburban landscape from Bursa, Turkey. An otherwise familiar scene for astronomer Tunc Tezel, his composite picture of the morning sky recorded on March 2nd also includes a surprise visitor to the inner solar system, Comet [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/comets/ comets.html&edu=high ] Pojmanski. Cataloged as C/2006 A1 [ http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006A1/ 2006A1.html ], the comet was discovered on January 2nd by Grzegorz Pojmanski of Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory [ http://www.astrouw.edu.pl/ ] in Poland. At the time very faint [ http://www.aerith.net/pictures/comet.html#2006A1 ] and tracking through southern skies [ http://www.yp-connect.net/~mmatti/ ], the comet has now moved north and grown just bright enough to be a good target for early-rising [ http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2006/02/ hunting-comet-pojmanski.html ] skygazers with binoculars. Enhanced and framed in this picture, the comet's tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000413.html ] has also grown to a length of several degrees. The comet will be at its closest approach to planet Earth, just over 100 million kilometers away, on March 5. For northern hemisphere observers in the next few days, the beginning of morning twilight really will be the best time to spot Comet Pojmanski [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/ article_1684_1.asp ]. |
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Sky and Planets
| Title |
Sky and Planets |
| Explanation |
On February 10th, an evocative [ http://www.jps.net/ssumner/ ] evening sky above Rocklin, California, USA inspired astrophotographer Steve Sumner to record this remarkable sight - five planets and the Moon. Near its first quarter phase, the bright Moon [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/ ] was intentionally overexposed but Saturn [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/ ], Jupiter [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], Mars [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], and Mercury [ http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/MESSENGER/ ] (and, of course, planet Earth's [ http://www.earth.nasa.gov/ ] horizon) are all clearly visible in the deepening twilight. Notably absent in this grouping of naked-eye planets is Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990903.html ] which is still putting in an early appearance as the morning star [ http://ispec.scibernet.com/station/morn_star.html ]. This month, Mercury has joined Venus in the dawn twilight while Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars still shine brightly in the western sky at nightfall [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/sights.shtml ] making another gorgeous close grouping with the crescent Moon [ http://www.inconstantmoon.com/ ]. |
|
Comet Meets Ring Nebula: Par
…
| Title |
Comet Meets Ring Nebula: Part I |
| Explanation |
As dawn approached on May 8, astronomer Stefan Seip carefully watched Fragment C of broken [ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db?name=73P ] comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/ article_1704_1.asp ] approach M57 [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/m/m057.html ] - the Ring Nebula, and faint spiral galaxy IC 1296 [ http://www.skyhound.com/sh/archive/jul/IC_1296.html ]. Of course, even though the trio seemed to come close together in a truly cosmic photo opportunity, the comet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060504.html ] is in the inner part of our solar system, a mere 0.5 light-minutes [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-minute ] or so from Seip's telescope located near Stuttgart, Germany, planet Earth [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/ 24mar_73p.htm?list237669 ]. The Ring Nebula (upper right) is more like 2,000 light-years distant, well within our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050825.html ]. At a distance of 200 million light-years, IC 1296 (between comet and ring) is beyond even the Milky Way's boundaries. Because the comet is so close, it appears to move relatively rapidly against the distant stars. This dramatic telescopic view [ http://www.photomeeting.de/astromeeting/comets/ 060508SchwWas_a_d.htm ] was composited from two sets of images, one compensating [ http://www.ewellobservatory.com/ccd/ comet.cfm ] for the comet's apparent motion and one recording the background stars and nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030516.html ]. |
|
A Perseid Meteor
| Title |
A Perseid Meteor |
| Explanation |
This weekend, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower [ http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast08aug_1.htm ] reaches its maximum. Grains of cosmic sand and gravel shed from Comet Swift-Tuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960219.html ] will streak across the sky as they vaporize during entry into Earth's atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html ]. The Perseids [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960809.html ] result from the yearly crossing of the Earth through Comet Swift-Tuttle's orbit. The Perseids [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/ perseids.html ] are typically the most active meteor shower [ http://www.imo.net/index.html ] of the year. In a clear dark sky, an observer might see a meteor a minute near peak times [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991124.html ], but this year a bright moon will overwhelm the glow from many perseid meteors until moonset [ http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/srss.html ] in the early morning hours. Pictured above [ http://aibn47.astro.uni-bonn.de/~gallery/atmosphere/perseide.html ] is a Perseid meteor from 1993. The colors are representative but digitally enhanced. As the meteor [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/meteorites.html ] streaked across the night sky, different excited atoms emitted different colors of light. The origin of the green tinge visible at the right is currently unknown, however, and might result from oxygen [ http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html ] in Earth's atmosphere. Perseid meteors can best be seen from a relaxing position, away from lights, just before the dawn twilight. |
|
Comet SWAN Brightens
| Title |
Comet SWAN Brightens |
| Explanation |
A newly discovered comet has brightened enough to be visible this week with binoculars. The picturesque comet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050904.html ] is already becoming a favored target for northern sky imagers. Pictured above [ http://www.astrostudio.at/Astrofotos/astrofotos.php?k_id=69 ] just last week, Comet SWAN showed a bright blue-green coma and an impressive tail. Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2006m4.html ] was discovered in June in public images from the Solar Wind Anisotropies [ http://www.fmi.fi/research_space/space_7.html ] (SWAN) instrument of NASA and ESA [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESA ]'s Sun-orbiting SOHO [ http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. Comet [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet ] SWAN, near magnitude six, will be visible with binoculars in the northeastern sky not far from the Big Dipper over the next few days before dawn. The comet [ http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006M4/2006M4.html ] is expected to reach its peak brightness this week. Passing its closest to the Sun two days ago, Comet SWAN [ http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?ID=dK06M040;orb=1;cov=0#orb ] and will be at its closest to the Earth toward the end of this month. Comet SWAN's unusual orbit [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/mpec/K06/K06S89.html ] appears to be hyperbolic [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992A&A...259..692K ], meaning that it will likely go off into interstellar space [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html ], never to return. |
|
3D Mercury Transit
| Title |
3D Mercury Transit |
| Explanation |
Mercury is now [ http://www.astronomy.com/ASY/CS/forums/314872/ ShowPost.aspx ] visible shortly before dawn, the brightest "star" just above the eastern horizon. But almost two weeks ago Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061114.html ] actually crossed the face of the Sun for the second time in the 21st century. Viewed with red/blue glasses [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html ], this stereo anaglyph combines space-based images of the Sun and innermost planet in a just-for-fun 3D [ http://www.sungazer.net/3dtransit.html ] presentation of the Mercury transit [ http://www.transitofvenus.org/mercury.htm ]. The solar disk image is from Hinode [ http://solarb.msfc.nasa.gov/index.html ]. (sounds like "hee-no-day", means sunrise). A sun-staring observatory, Hinode was launched from Uchinoura Space Center and viewed the transit [ http://solar-b.nao.ac.jp/news_e/20061109_e.shtml ] from Earth orbit. Superimposed on Mercury's dark silhouette is a detailed image [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011124.html ] of the planet's rugged surface based on data from the Mariner 10 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1973-085A.html ] probe that flew by Mercury in 1974 and 1975. |
|
Minotaur Dawn
| Title |
Minotaur Dawn |
| Explanation |
Last Saturday [ http://www.wff.nasa.gov/news/story96.html ], some colorful dawn skies along the US east coast featured the Moon and a Minotaur rocket climbing [ http://www.sungazer.net/minotaur.html ] into low Earth orbit. The 7AM launch [ http://www.launchphotography.com/Minotaur_TacSat.html ] of the four stage Air Force Minotaur I rocket [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_rocket ] took place at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility [ http://www.wff.nasa.gov/index.html ] on Virginia's eastern shore. Looking east, the rocket is visible beyond the top of the twisting exhaust plume in this wide angle view, with the waning crescent Moon at the upper right. The snapshot was taken from Alexandria, Virginia, some 100 miles northwest of Wallops Island. Orbital launches [ http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/ds1_mgr.shtml ] from Wallops have so far been relatively rare, the last two taking place in 1995 and 1985. As a result, many early morning risers reported the unusual spectacle. The rocket's payload was the Air Force Research Laboratory's TacSat-2 [ http://www.wff.nasa.gov/tacsat2/ ] satellite and NASA's GeneSat-1 [ http://tia.arc.nasa.gov/genesat1/ ] microsatellite. |
|
Jupiter, Vesta, and the Milk
…
| Title |
Jupiter, Vesta, and the Milky Way |
| Explanation |
In this gorgeous skyscape, gas giant Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070329.html ] along with the stars and cosmic dust clouds of the Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070330.html ] hang over the southern horizon in the early morning hours as seen from Stagecoach, Colorado, USA. Recorded on Thursday, Jupiter is the brightest object near picture center. Along with the stunning Milky Way, Jupiter is hard to miss, but a careful inspection of the view also reveals main belt [ http://www.solstation.com/stars/asteroid.htm ] asteroid Vesta [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060820.html ]. Of all the asteroids [ http://www.nineplanets.org/asteroids.html ] Vesta is the brightest and is now just bright enough to be visible to the naked eye from locations with very dark, clear skies. Vesta (as well as Jupiter) appears relatively bright now because it is near opposition, literally [ http://www.heavens-above.com/ gloss.asp?term=opposition ] opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky and closest to Earth in its orbit. For Vesta [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/feature_stories/ Vesta_chart_descrip.asp ], this opposition offers the best viewing in many years. The year 2007 also coincides [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1907Obs....30..103L ] with the 200th anniversary of the asteroid's discovery [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/DawnCommunity/ flashbacks/fb_06.asp ]. Starting late next month, NASA plans to launch the Dawn mission [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.asp ] intended to explore Vesta (and Ceres) and the main asteroid belt. |
|
Venus' Evening Loop
| Title |
Venus' Evening Loop |
| Explanation |
From September 2000 through March 2001, astronomer Tunc Tezel patiently photographed the planet Venus on 25 different dates as it wandered [ http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/ast221/lectures/ lec06.html ] through the evening twilight. The pictures were taken from the same spot on the campus of the Middle East Technical University near Ankara, Turkey, and timed so that for each photo the Sun was [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html ] 7 degrees below the horizon. Carefully registering and combining the pictures, he produced this composite image -- a stunning demonstration of Venus' grand [ http://stoner.eps.mcgill.ca/~bud/craters/ FaceOfVenus.html ] looping sky motion [ http://sunra.colorado.edu/david/ch1.html ] during its recent stint as planet Earth's evening star [ http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/poems/ longfe10.html ]. As indicated, the first picture, taken September 28, 2000, finds Venus [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/venus/ morning_star.html ] close to the western horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990619.html ] and drifting south (left) with the passing days. By December however, Venus [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/ venuspage.html ] was climbing well above the horizon after sunset and in January 2001 it reached its maximum apparent distance (elongation [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/ planet_view.htm ]) from the Sun. March found Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010308.html ] falling from the evening sky while moving rapidly north, finally appearing (far right) as a faint dot against the sunset glow on March 24. This month, Venus rises before dawn as the brilliant morning star [ http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/ faqs/049.html ]. |
|
A July Dawn
| Title |
A July Dawn |
| Explanation |
Those up before dawn in late July in the northern hemisphere could see planets, stars [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/sights.shtml ], and a spacecraft in a single quick glance before starting their day. Near the eastern horizon was bright Jupiter [ http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html ], and not far above and to its right was the very bright Venus [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/venus.htm ]. Connecting the dots will point you just right of Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/saturn.html ]. Far in the distance but near the top right of the frame is the Pleiades [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010506.html ] star cluster. Orbiting the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ] well in the foreground, the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010509.html ] reflected sunlight to cause the faint line segment. In the very close foreground, the bright red and yellow lines were caused by a passing van. The above picture was taken on July 26 from Quebec [ http://www.gouv.qc.ca/ ], Canada [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html ]. Why are bushes visible [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/northern/0107skyn.shtml ] through the van? The van was present for only a few of the 25 seconds of the total exposure. |
|
Zodiacal Light and the False
…
| Title |
Zodiacal Light and the False Dawn |
| Explanation |
An unusual triangle of light will be particularly bright near the eastern horizon before sunrise during the next two months for observers in Earth's northern hemisphere. Once considered a false dawn [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light ], this triangle of light is actually Zodiacal Light [ http://home.wanadoo.nl/marco.langbroek/zodiac.html ], light reflected from interplanetary dust particles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010813.html ]. The triangle is clearly visible toward the left of the frame taken from the Paranal Observatory [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranal_Observatory ] in Chile [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile ] in July. Zodiacal dust [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ cosmic_reference/zodydust.html ] orbits the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] predominantly in the same plane as the planets: the ecliptic [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001014.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9810h.html ] is so bright this time of year because the dust band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000517.html ] is oriented nearly vertical at sunrise, so that the thick air near the horizon does not block out relatively bright reflecting dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020915.html ] is also bright for people in Earth's northern hemisphere in March and April just after sunset. APOD editor to review best space pictures in Philadelphia tomorrow (Wednesday) night [ http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/ ] |
|
Zodiacal Light and the False
…
| Title |
Zodiacal Light and the False Dawn |
| Explanation |
An unusual triangle of light will be particularly bright near the eastern horizon before sunrise during the next two months for observers in Earth's northern hemisphere. Once considered a false dawn [ http://www.odysseymagazine.com/pages/Stargazer.html ], this triangle of light is actually Zodiacal Light [ http://home.wanadoo.nl/marco.langbroek/zodiac.html ], light reflected from interplanetary dust particles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010813.html ]. The triangle is clearly visible on the left of the above frame taken from Mauna Kea [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/ ] in Hawaii [ http://www.state.hi.us/ ] on August 30 by one of the developing global network of fisheye nighttime web cameras [ http://concam.net/ ] called CONCAMs [ http://concam.net/about.html ]. Zodiacal dust [ http://stardust.wustl.edu/IDPIntro.html ] orbits the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] predominantly in the same plane as the planets: the ecliptic [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001014.html ]. Indeed, the triangle points to bright spots Jupiter and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010807.html ], with Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010702.html ] nearer the center. Zodiacal light [ http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9810h.html ] is so bright this time of year because the dust band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000517.html ] is oriented nearly vertical at sunrise, so that the thick air near the horizon does not block [ http://www.earthsky.com/2000/es000327.html ] out relatively bright reflecting [ http://sirtf.jpl.nasa.gov/SciUser/C_PropKit/bgdoc_release/node3.html ] dust. Zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990613.html ] is also bright for people in Earth's northern hemisphere in March and April just after sunset. |
|
Star Trails at Dawn
| Title |
Star Trails at Dawn |
| Explanation |
Just fix your camera to a tripod and you too can make an image of graceful trails traced by the stars [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/TRIPOD/TRIPOD2.HTM ] as planet Earth rotates on its axis. Made on September 14 from Montlaux, France, this wide-angle view nicely shows [ http://www.koenvangorp.be/deepsky/startrails.html ] the stars near the celestial equator tracing nearly straight lines in projection, while stars north and south [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060901.html ] of the equator, respectively, appear to circle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050714.html ] the north and south celestial poles [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_pole ]. Featured are the stars of Orion (right of center), brilliant Venus rising (left) as bright star Sirius rises in the south (bottom center), and a polar orbiting Iridium satellite [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060819.html ] (upper left). Beautiful dawn sky colors seem painted along the horizon. This remarkable picture was constructed from 477 consecutive 30 second digital exposures recorded over 4.3 hours and later combined [ http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html ]. |
|
Columbia Dawn
| Title |
Columbia Dawn |
| Explanation |
Trailing [ http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/ photoDetail.cfm?PageID=9012 ] a thick column of exhaust, the Space Shuttle Columbia blasted into [ http://shuttle.msfc.nasa.gov/missionprofile.htm ] the twilight morning sky on March 1, its thundering rockets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011115.html ] briefly flooding a cloud bank with the light of a false dawn. The event marked the start of the ongoing [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/reports/sts109/ index.html ] eleven day mission to upgrade [ http://sm3b.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html ] the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://hubble.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. Hubble's upgrades include the installation of new solar arrays and a new camera [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020306.html ]. Columbia's crew is [ http://sm3b.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission-critical/ shuttle-crew.html ] scheduled to complete the work today in the last of five space walks [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-109/ flightday04/ndxpage1.html ]. Columbia's launch also marks the first flight [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010412.html ] of the oldest operating space shuttle after receiving extensive upgrades [ http://www.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02-029.html ] itself, designed to increase its capabilities for missions to low Earth orbit. The shuttle landing is expected at Kennedy Space Center on March 12. |
|
A Perseid Meteor
| Title |
A Perseid Meteor |
| Explanation |
The ongoing Perseid Meteor Shower [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/19jul_perseids.htm ] should be at its strongest on August 12 and 13. The best time to watch will be between 2:00 AM and dawn on Monday morning (so plan on [ http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/31jul01/ teach2.html ] setting your alarm tonight!) and then again on Tuesday. In dark, moonless, predawn skies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020809.html ] you may see dozens of meteors per hour. Grains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001117.html ] of cosmic sand and gravel shed from Comet Swift-Tuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960219.html ] will streak across the sky as they vaporize during entry into Earth's atmosphere. Tracing the meteor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0108/ perseids97_rickjoe_lab.jpg ] trails backwards, experienced skygazers [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010810.html ] will find they converge on the constellation Perseus, thus this annual [ http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/ gallery_13aug01.html ] meteor shower's name. Pictured above [ http://www.allthesky.de/atmosphere/perseide.html ] is a Perseid meteor from 1993. The colors are representative but digitally enhanced. As the meteor [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/meteorites.html ] streaked across the night sky, different excited atoms emitted different colors of light. The origin of the green tinge visible at the right is currently unknown, however, and might result from oxygen [ http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html ] in Earth's atmosphere. |
|
Zodiacal Light and the False
…
| Title |
Zodiacal Light and the False Dawn |
| Explanation |
An unusual triangle of light will be particularly bright near the eastern horizon before sunrise during the next two months for observers in Earth's northern hemisphere. Once considered a false dawn [ http://www.odysseymagazine.com/pages/Stargazer.html ], this triangle of light is actually Zodiacal Light [ http://home.wanadoo.nl/marco.langbroek/zodiac.html ], light reflected from interplanetary dust particles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010813.html ]. The triangle is clearly visible on the left of the above frame taken from Mauna Kea [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/ ] in Hawaii [ http://www.state.hi.us/ ] on September 8 by one of the developing global network of fisheye nighttime web cameras, called CONCAMs [ http://concam.net/about.html ], of the Night Sky Live Project [ http://concam.net/ ]. Zodiacal dust [ http://stardust.wustl.edu/IDPIntro.html ] orbits the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] predominantly in the same plane as the planets: the ecliptic [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001014.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9810h.html ] is so bright this time of year because the dust band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000517.html ] is oriented nearly vertical at sunrise, so that the thick air near the horizon does not block [ http://www.earthsky.com/2000/es000327.html ] out relatively bright reflecting dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990613.html ] is also bright for people in Earth's northern hemisphere in March and April just after sunset. |
|
Eclipse in the Mist
| Title |
Eclipse in the Mist |
| Explanation |
The Sun and Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010907.html ] rose together over much of Europe on the morning of May 31st [ http://www.xs4all.nl/~carlkop/zoneclips/eclipse.html ] with the first solar eclipse of 2003 already in progress. And while sightings of the full annular phase of the eclipse were restricted to far northern [ http://eclipse.span.ch/2003ase.htm ] regions, early morning risers were still treated to inspiring views [ http://astrosurf.com/avex/eclipse.html ] of two celestial bodies which are most important to life [ http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/ earthmoon.html ] on planet Earth. Following the dawn's spectacle from Charneux, Belgium, astrophotographer Olivier Meeckers recorded this evocative image of the partially eclipsed Sun rising above a primeval apparition of mists and trees [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021122.html ]. Last month was indeed a rewarding one for eclipse watchers [ http://www.eurospacecenter.be/eclipses2003.htm ] as May's full Moon and (second) new Moon lined up for their respective lunar [ http://www.spaceweather.com/eclipses/ gallery_15may03.html ] and solar [ http://www.spaceweather.com/eclipses/ gallery_31may03.html ] eclipses. November 2003 [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/ OH2003.html ] will also host both a total lunar and total solar eclipse [ http://www.earthview.com/tutorial/causes.htm ]. |
|
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Indian
…
| Title |
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Indian Cove |
| Explanation |
Comet Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?great+comet+1997 ], was quite a sight. No comets [ http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html ] of comparable brightness have graced the skies of Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ] since then. During this next month, however, even besides the fleeting Comet Bradfield [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040419.html ], "two" comets have a slight chance of rivaling Hale-Bopp [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ] and a good chance of putting on a memorable [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/comet.html ] sky show. Unfortunately, most of the show will be confined to sky gazers in Earth's southern hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021222.html ]. Both comets are already visible [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/RecentObs.html#02T7 ] to the unaided eye from there. The first, Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2002t7.html ], should be at its best before dawn during the first weeks of May from the south. The second, Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2001q4.html ], should be visible in early May from all over the Earth. Both comets [ http://www.space.com/spacewatch/comet_double_040319.html ] appear to be approaching [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1037_1.asp ] the inner Solar System [ http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html ] for the first time and so it is very hard to predict [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/space/kohoutek.html ] how bright each will become. In the above photograph [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/pach17.html ] taken 1997 April 6, Comet Hale-Bopp was imaged from the Indian Cove Campground in the Joshua Tree National Forest [ http://www.nps.gov/jotr/ ] in California [ http://www.state.ca.us/ ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. A flashlight [ http://www.geocities.com/~stuarts1031/flashlight.html ] was used to momentarily illuminate foreground rocks during this six minute exposure. |
|
Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR)
| Title |
Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) |
| Explanation |
Discovered by the the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project in October of 2002, comet C/2002 T7 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040209.html ] is now visiting the inner solar system, making its closest approach (see animation by L. Koehn [ mailto:zeromagnitude@aol.com ]) to the Sun tomorrow, April 23rd. Emerging from the solar glare, the comet is [ http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html ] now just visible to the unaided eye in the constellation Pisces, near the eastern horizon in morning twilight. In this gorgeous telescopic view [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/ c-2002t7.html ] recorded before dawn yesterday, the clearly active comet has developed an extensive, complex tail extending [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000413.html ] over 2 degrees in the anti-sunward direction, and a pronounced anti-tail [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/define.html ] or anomalous tail. Later next month this comet should appear brighter, making its closest approach to planet Earth on May 19th. In fact, it could share southern skies [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/ article_1037_1.asp ] with another naked-eye comet, also anticipated to brighten in May, designated C/2001 Q4 (NEAT). |
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Good Morning Sydney
| Title |
Good Morning Sydney |
| Explanation |
Rising before dawn on May 5th, Stephen Thorley looked out [ http://www.asnsw.com/info/index.html ] across the skyline of Sydney, Australia [ http://www.nla.gov.au/ ]. And while a leisurely lunar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040506.html ] was clearly in progress, from his vantage point [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/ 04nov_lunareclipse2105.htm ] on planet Earth the Moon set as the total phase [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/eclipses/ article_1219_1.asp ] of the eclipse began. Still, before the setting Moon was hidden by the cityscape he captured this striking image of a nearly eclipsed lunar disk sliding [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030515.html ] past the beacon and lights of Centerpoint Tower [ http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23301253 ], one of Sydney's familiar landmarks. So what's that star just visible above and to the right of the reddened Moon? That's Zubenelgenubi [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/ zubenel.html ], of course. |
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A Perseid Meteor
| Title |
A Perseid Meteor |
| Explanation |
The ongoing Perseid Meteor Shower [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/25jun_perseids2004.htm ] should be at its strongest tonight and tomorrow night. Although meteors [ http://www.planetary.org/learn/activities/meteorshowers.html ] should be visible all night long, the best time to watch will be between 2:00 AM and dawn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040811.html http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/31jul01/teach2.html ] each night. In dark, moonless, predawn skies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020809.html ] you may see dozens of meteors per hour. Sky enthusiasts [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040808.html ] in Europe and Asia might see an unusual burst of meteors near 2100 hours UT [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/UT.html ]. Grains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001117.html ] of cosmic sand and gravel shed from Comet Swift-Tuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960219.html ] will streak across the sky as they vaporize during entry into Earth's atmosphere. Tracing the meteor trails backwards, experienced skygazers [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010810.html ] will find they converge on the constellation Perseus, thus this annual [ http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/ gallery_13aug01.html ] meteor shower's name. Pictured above [ http://astropics.com/perseids/081202.htm ] is a Perseid meteor from 2002 over a rock formation in the US Southwest desert. Shadowing and blurring are caused by the long 10-minute exposure. The brightest Perseids can be seen from anywhere on Earth by monitoring the continuously returning images from the Night Sky Live [ http://nightskylive.net/ ] cameras. |
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Zodiacal Light and the False
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| Title |
Zodiacal Light and the False Dawn |
| Explanation |
An unusual triangle of light will be particularly bright near the eastern horizon before sunrise during the next two months for observers in Earth's northern hemisphere. Once considered a false dawn [ http://www.odysseymagazine.com/pages/Stargazer.html ], this triangle of light is actually Zodiacal Light [ http://home.wanadoo.nl/marco.langbroek/zodiac.html ], light reflected from interplanetary dust particles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010813.html ]. The triangle is clearly visible in the left frame taken in Namibia [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wa.html ] in May. Rolling the cursor [ http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history/ ] over the image will bring up labels. Bright zodiacal light [ http://nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewtopic.php?p=170 ] can be seen nearly every clear moonless morning over the next few months on images taken by the Mauna Kea [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/ ], Hawaii [ http://www.state.hi.us/ ] fisheye CONCAM [ http://nightskylive.net/about.html ] of the Night Sky Live [ http://nightskylive.net/ ] project. Zodiacal dust [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/cosmic_reference/zodydust.html ] orbits the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] predominantly in the same plane as the planets: the ecliptic [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001014.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9810h.html ] is so bright this time of year because the dust band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000517.html ] is oriented nearly vertical at sunrise, so that the thick air near the horizon does not block [ http://www.earthsky.com/shows/shows.php?t=20040324 ] out relatively bright reflecting dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ]. Zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020915.html ] is also bright for people in Earth's northern hemisphere in March and April just after sunset. |
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