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Io Above Clouds on New Year'
…
The moon Io floats above the
…
1/23/01
| Date |
1/23/01 |
| Description |
The moon Io floats above the cloudtops of Jupiter in this image captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on the dawn of the new millennium, Jan. 1, 2001, two days after Cassini's closest approach to Jupiter. The image is deceiving: There is room for two and a half Jupiters between Io and Jupiter's clouds. Io is the size of our Moon. Cassini 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 mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # # |
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Sunset on an Alien World
| Title |
Sunset on an Alien World |
| Description |
This artist's animation 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. 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. The movie begins at dusk on the imaginary world, when HD 69830, like our Sun, has begun to set over the horizon. Time is sped up to show the onset of night and the appearance of a brilliant band of light. This light comes from dust in a massive asteroid belt, which scatters sunlight. In our solar system, anybody observing the skies on a moonless night far from city lights can see this light. Called zodiacal light and sometimes the "false dawn," it appears as a faint band stretching up from the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or set. The zodiacal light in the HD 69830 system would be 1,000 times brighter than our own, outshining even the disk of our Milky Way galaxy (shown perpendicular to the asteroid-belt light). |
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Alien Asteroid Belt Compared
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| 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. |
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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. |
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Neutral Gas Cloud Around Tit
…
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
Images from the magnetospheric imaging instrument and the ion and neutral camera onboard the Cassini spacecraft reveal aspects of the interactions between Saturn's dynamic population of hot energetic ions and the clouds of cold neutral atoms. Future observations may further explain the relationships between these interactions. The most recent image of Titan reveals the emission of high-speed neutral atoms from a globular region approximately 70,000 kilometers (43,496 miles) in diameter, clearly centered on Titan. It is only 1/25 as bright as the region seen toward dawn during Saturn orbit insertion, even though Cassini is now closer to Titan. There is an extended emission region around the Titan cloud, but it is much dimmer than the Titan cloud itself and even dimmer compared to the emission seen in the dawn direction at orbit insertion. In this image, the X marks the direction toward the Sun, the Y marks the direction toward Saturn's dawn, and the Z marks Saturn's rotation axis. The dot in the center marks Titan. 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 magnetospheric imaging instrument team is based at Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Md. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the instrument team's home page, http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/CASSINI/index.html . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/JHU/APL/Max-Plank-Institut f¿r Aeronomie/University of Maryland/University of Kansas/University of Arizona/CESR/Bell Laboratories |
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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 |
|
Clouds at Dawn
| Description |
Clouds at Dawn |
| Full Description |
Saturn's clouds billow and swirl in the turbulent zones of shear between eastward- and westward-flowing jets. This view looks toward the terminator on Saturn, where night gives way to day. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The image was obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 16, 2006 at a distance of approximately 338,000 kilometers (210,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 67 degrees. Image scale is 17 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel. 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 mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
September 20, 2006 |
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Dawn for Odysseus
| Description |
Dawn for Odysseus |
| Full Description |
The eastern rim of the large crater Odysseus is visible along the terminator in this image of Saturn's moon Tethys. This enormous impact feature is the largest on Tethys, at approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) across. The shadowy rim of another smaller crater can be seen at the bottom. Tethys is 1,060 kilometers (659 miles) across. This Cassini view shows principally the leading hemisphere of Tethys. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Dec. 18, 2004, at a distance of 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 94 degrees. The image scale is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel. The image has been magnified by a factor of two and contrast enhanced to aid visibility. 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 mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For images visit the Cassini imaging team home page http://ciclops.org *Credit*: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
January 26, 2005 |
|
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
Io Above Clouds on New Year's Day, 2001 January 23, 2001 The moon Io floats above the cloudtops of Jupiter in this image captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on the dawn of the new millennium, Jan. 1, 2001, two days after Cassini's closest approach to Jupiter. The image is deceiving: There is room for two and a half Jupiters between Io and Jupiter's clouds. Io is the size of our Moon. Cassini 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 mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona For higher resolution, click here. |
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Phoebe's Radiation
| Description |
Phoebe's Radiation |
| Full Description |
This image shows thermal radiation from the day and night sides of Saturn's moon Phoebe, taken by the composite infrared spectrometer onboard Cassini 1.8 hours before the spacecraft's closest approach to Phoebe on June 11, 2004. The left-hand panel displays the image in grayscale format, showing the brightness of Phoebe's radiation in the wavelength range 15-17 microns, which is about 25 times the longest wavelength visible to the naked eye. In the middle panel this brightness is used to estimate the surface temperature distribution across Phoebe. Temperatures are given in degrees Kelvin, and vary from a relatively toasty 107 Kelvin (-267 Fahrenheit), in the late morning near the equator (white, lower right), to less than 75 Kelvin (-324 Fahrenheit) in the northern hemisphere in the pre-dawn hours (dark blue, upper left). The "ragged edge" of Phoebe in this region is an instrumental artifact. Temperatures are affected strongly by topography, as can be seen by comparison with the visible-wavelength image (right). Some of the coldest temperatures are found in the shadowed region inside the large depression in the northern hemisphere (upper right). 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 and its two onboard cameras were 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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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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Dawn at the Huygens Site
| Description |
Titan's equatorial latitudes are distinctly different in character from its south polar region, as this image shows. |
| Full Description |
Titan's equatorial latitudes are distinctly different in character from its south polar region, as this image shows. The dark terrain, presumably lowland, seen here does not extend much farther south than about 30 degrees South. The successful Huygens probe landed in such a region. The Huygens probe is rotating into the light here, seeing the dawn of a new day. The bright region toward the right side of Titan's disk is Xanadu. This area is thought to consist of upland terrain that is relatively uncontaminated by the dark material that fills the lowland regions. Near the moon's south pole, and just eastward of the terminator, is the dark feature identified by imaging scientists as the best candidate (so far) for a past or present hydrocarbon lake on Titan (see Clouds in the Distance). Farther east of the lake-like feature, bright clouds arc around the pole. These clouds occupy a latitude range that is consistent with previously-seen convective cloud activity on Titan. Titan is Saturn's largest moon, at 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) across. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on July 7, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 60 degrees. The image was obtained using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. The image scale is 7 kilometers (5 miles) per pixel. 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 mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
August 16, 2005 |
|
Dawn
| title |
Dawn |
| description |
An artist's impression of the Dawn spacecraft in the main asteroid belt. |
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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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Hubble Provides the First Im
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| Title |
Hubble Provides the First Images of Saturn's Aurorae |
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Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake, Si
…
| Title |
Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake, Silakhor, Iran |
| Description |
Just before dawn on March 31, 2006, a strong earthquake struck near Silakhor, Iran. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed at least 66 people, injured at least 1,280 and damaged buildings in 330 villages surrounding the epicenter. It is likely the death toll would have been much higher if residents had not been warned by a series of weaker foreshocks. This shaded relief image shows the topography of the earthquake region. Low elevations are green, with yellow, pink, and white representing progressively higher elevations. The earthquake was located 7 kilometers (about 4 miles) beneath the surface. Although the earthquake fault can not be seen on the surface, the topography hints at the geology of the region. Iran is located on top of the collision zone between the Arabian Plate (to the southwest) and the Eurasian Plate (to the northeast). A reverse fault [ http://www.iris.edu/gifs/animations/faults.htm ] (a fault in which land on one side is pushed up during earthquakes) called the Main Zagros Reverse Fault divides the two plates. The Arabian Plate is moving northwards at 25 millimeters (1 inch) a year (about the rate fingernails grow), compressing the Eurasian plate. Earthquakes release the pressure created as the two plates grind together. Over millions of years the collision raised the Zagros mountains over 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), and shifted river valleys more than 50 kilometers (31 miles). The Silakhor earthquake occurred on a section of the Main Zagros Reverse Fault called the Main Recent Fault. The Main Recent Fault separates the accordion folds of the Zagros Fold Belt (lower left) from the High Zagros (upper right). The Zagros Fold Belt is a region of sinuous parallel mountain ranges created by the compression of the margin of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates, similar to the folds created by pushing the edges of a fabric sheet together. In contrast, the High Zagros are comprised of a block of the Eurasian plate that has been uplifted by the oncoming Arabian Plate. Stresses created by this earthquake will likely lead to more quakes nearby in the coming decades. Image by Jesse Allen, based on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ ] (SRTM) data distributed by the UMD GLCF [ http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtml ] |
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Mount St. Helens
| Title |
Mount St. Helens |
| Description |
Hot lava had broken through the surface of the growing lava dome on Mount St. Helens when the MASTER sensor took this image in the early morning hours of October 13, 2004. MASTER, which stands for MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator, is an aircraft- mounted remote sensing device built to simulate the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] (ASTER) instruments on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The top image was made from MASTER's thermal sensitive bands, and shows the heat in the volcano's crater. A brilliant white spot on the southwest side of the crater is hot lava bubbling to the surface. Smaller, less intense hot spots around the crater have formed where magma near the surface has heated the rock above it. The dark area around the lava dome is the crater. Shielded from the sun and covered with snow, the dark crater floor is cooler than the surrounding landscape, which appears red. A plume of steam rising from the lava dome (colored purple) drifts southeast in this image. The plume and crater floor are more visible in the lower, true color image. Acquired just after dawn, the image has few shadows and low contrast. An image composed of thermal infrared and visible light wavelengths reveals more details around the mountain. The volcanic plume is bright cyan, the cool crater is purple, and snow is light blue. To the north of the volcano, two bright red lines extend from south to north. These are warm-water streams, possibly heated by the active volcano. NASA images courtesy Jeff Myers, MASTER [ http://masterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] instrument team, NASA Ames Research Center |
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Mount St. Helens
| Title |
Mount St. Helens |
| Description |
Hot lava had broken through the surface of the growing lava dome on Mount St. Helens when the MASTER sensor took this image in the early morning hours of October 13, 2004. MASTER, which stands for MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator, is an aircraft- mounted remote sensing device built to simulate the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] (ASTER) instruments on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The top image was made from MASTER's thermal sensitive bands, and shows the heat in the volcano's crater. A brilliant white spot on the southwest side of the crater is hot lava bubbling to the surface. Smaller, less intense hot spots around the crater have formed where magma near the surface has heated the rock above it. The dark area around the lava dome is the crater. Shielded from the sun and covered with snow, the dark crater floor is cooler than the surrounding landscape, which appears red. A plume of steam rising from the lava dome (colored purple) drifts southeast in this image. The plume and crater floor are more visible in the lower, true color image. Acquired just after dawn, the image has few shadows and low contrast. An image composed of thermal infrared and visible light wavelengths reveals more details around the mountain. The volcanic plume is bright cyan, the cool crater is purple, and snow is light blue. To the north of the volcano, two bright red lines extend from south to north. These are warm-water streams, possibly heated by the active volcano. NASA images courtesy Jeff Myers, MASTER [ http://masterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] instrument team, NASA Ames Research Center |
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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/ ]. |
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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 ]. |
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Ceres: Asteroid or Planet?
| Title |
Ceres: Asteroid or Planet? |
| Explanation |
Is Ceres [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_%28asteroid%29 ] an asteroid [ http://www.nineplanets.org/asteroids.html ] or a planet? Although a trivial designation to some, the recent suggestion by the Planet Definition Committee [ http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0601/iau0601_committee.html ] of the International Astronomical Union [ http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/NEWS.55.0.html ] would have Ceres reclassified from asteroid to planet. A change in taxonomy might lead to more notoriety for the frequently overlooked world. Ceres [ http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/ceres.html ], at about 1000 kilometers across, is the largest object in the main asteroid belt [ http://www.solstation.com/stars/asteroid.htm ] between Mars and Jupiter. Under the newly proposed criteria [ http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0601/iau0601_release.html ], Ceres would qualify as a planet because it is nearly spherical and sufficiently distant from other planets. Pictured above [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2005/27/image/a ] is the best picture yet of Ceres, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ] as part of a series of exposures ending in 2004 January. Currently, NASA's Dawn mission [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] is scheduled to launch in 2007 June to explore Ceres and Vesta [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060820.html ], regardless of their future designations. |
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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. |
|
Comet McNaught Heads for the
…
| Title |
Comet McNaught Heads for the Sun |
| Explanation |
Early morning risers with a clear and unobstructed eastern horizon can enjoy the sight of Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) in dawn skies over the next few days. Discovered in August by R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring Survey [ http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~rmn/ ]) the comet has grown bright enough to see with the unaided eye but will soon be lost in the glare of the Sun. Still, by January 11 sun-staring spacecraft SOHO should be able to offer web-based views [ http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c3/ 512/ ] as the comet heads toward [ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?name=c/2006+P1 ] a perihelion [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/ link=/physical_science/physics/mechanics/orbit/ perihelion_aphelion.html&edu=high ] passage inside the orbit of Mercury. This image captures [ http://www.astrostudio.at/Astrofotos/astrofotos.php?k_id=71 ] the new naked-eye comet [ http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/comet_worldbook.html ] at about 2nd magnitude [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_magnitude ] in twilight skies near sunset on January 3rd. After rounding the Sun [ http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/ ] and emerging from the solar glare later this month, Comet McNaught [ http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006P1/2006P1.html ] could be even brighter. |
|
Jupiter, Saturn and Messier
…
| Title |
Jupiter, Saturn and Messier 45 |
| Explanation |
Brilliant Venus falls out [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990903.html] of the evening sky as March ends, but Jupiter and Saturn remain well up above the western horizon. Jupiter [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/jupiter/jupiter.html ] blazes forth above and to the left of a slightly fainter Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000212.html ] in this telephoto picture taken on January 19th. Near the top lies the lovely Pleiades [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000227.html ] star cluster with suggestions of its characteristic blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/ apod_search?reflection+nebula ]. These planets and the Pleiades have a similar, easily recognizable orientation in the Spring night sky. Also known as M45 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m045.html ], the 45th object in French astronomer Charles Messier's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960626.html ] famous catalog, the Pleiades will likely soon be checked off many stargazers' tally lists. For northern hemisphere observers this weekend offers a prime opportunity to complete a Messier Marathon [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/ marathon.html ] -- the viewing of all 110 Messier catalog objects [ http://www.seds.org/messier/data2.html ] in one glorious [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000311.html ] dusk to dawn observing run. This weekend it will also be possible to complete an all-planet marathon, observing all the solar system's [ http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] planets in a single night. And if you still need something to look at, the International Space Station [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/ issvis.html ] could also be visible arcing through the skies depending on your location, but Mir will not [ http://www.russianspaceweb.com/ ]. |
|
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. |
|
Small Worlds Ceres and Vesta
| Title |
Small Worlds Ceres and Vesta |
| Explanation |
Ceres [ http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/asteroids_and_comets/ ceres.html ] and Vesta [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/ 1997/27 ] are, respectively, only around 950 kilometers and 530 kilometers in diameter - about the size of Texas and Arizona. But they are two of the largest of over 100,000 minor bodies [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/ asteroidfact.html ] orbiting in the main asteroid belt [ http://www.solstation.com/stars/ asteroid.htm ] between Mars and Jupiter. These remarkably detailed Hubble Space Telescope images [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/ 2007/27/ ] show brightness and color variations across the surface of the two small worlds. The variations could represent large scale surface features or areas of different compositon. The Hubble image data will help astronomers plan for a visit by the asteroid-hopping Dawn spacecraft [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.asp ], scheduled for launch on July 7 and intended to orbit first Vesta [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070525.html ] and then Ceres [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060821.html ] after a four year interplanetary cruise. Though Shakespeare [ http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/305250.html ] might not have been impressed, nomenclature introduced by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 classifies nearly spherical Ceres as a dwarf planet [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_planet ]. |
|
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. |
|
Dawn Launch Mosaic
| Title |
Dawn Launch Mosaic |
| Explanation |
Shortly after sunrise [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/news/ dawn-20070927a.html ] on Thursday at Cape Canaveral [ http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/cap.htm ] Air Force Station, the Dawn spacecraft [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/spacecraft/index.html ] began its journey to the asteroid belt, arcing eastward into a blue and cloudy sky. Dawn's voyage began on a conventional, chemically fueled [ http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/ combst1.html ] Delta II rocket [ http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/ bgmr.html ], but will continue with an innovative ion propulsion system [ http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ion_engine_interactive/ index.html ]. The spacecraft's extremely efficient ion engines [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast15jun_1.htm ] will use electricity derived from solar power to ionize xenon atoms and generate a gentle but continuous thrust. After a four year interplanetary cruise, Dawn will orbit two small worlds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070622.html ], first Vesta and then Ceres. Vesta is one of the largest main belt asteroids, while nomenclature introduced by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 classifies nearly spherical Ceres as a dwarf planet [ http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/ profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf&Display=OverviewLong ]. |
|
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). |
|
Bright Leonids
| Title |
Bright Leonids |
| Explanation |
Rich in bright and awesome [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981113.html ] fireballs [ http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast18nov98_1.htm ], the Leonid Meteor Shower [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/meteors/leonids/king.html ] came early this year. In fact, judging from meteor watcher reports [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/meteors/leonids/98firstreports.html ] the peak came nearly 15 hours earlier than the best predictions [ http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/leonids.html ]. Observers on the Canary Islands [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980305.html ] were probably close to an ideal viewing location and recorded a maximum of effectively about 200 to 250 meteors per hour near dawn on November 17 - way below the peak rate during the 1966 Leonid meteor storm display [ http://www-space.arc.nasa.gov/~leonid/1966.html ]. Still, those blessed with clear skies in dark, early morning hours all over planet Earth were treated to a first rate cosmic light show [ http://www.leonidslive.com/ ]. Roving astrophotographer Olivier Staiger took this stunning image [ http://eclipse.span.ch/17nov98.htm ] of two bright Leonids in the skies over Chiang Mai, Thailand [ http://thaiastro.nectec.or.th/eng/index.html ]. |
|
Moon, Planets, and Rocket Tr
…
| Title |
Moon, Planets, and Rocket Trails |
| Explanation |
Are you an early riser [ http://redfrog.norconnect.no/~poems/poems/09560.html ]? Over the last month or so, the bright planets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990325.html ] Jupiter and Saturn have come to adorn eastern skies before sunrise [ http://redfrog.norconnect.no/~poems/poems/17572.html ]. In fact, astrophotographer Joe Orman [ http://home.cwix.com/~pam.orman@cwix.com/JoeGallery.html ] anticipated that an early bird's reward for looking east on June 10 would be this pleasing arrangement of Jupiter (top right), a crescent Moon, and Saturn (near center), but he was surprised to also find these eerie, iridescent clouds wafting through the pre-dawn sky over suburban Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The clouds turned out to be rocket [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Srockhis.htm ] engine [ http://www.wff.nasa.gov/ ] trails [ ftp://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/PAO/Releases/1999/W99-013.htm ] from defense missile tests at the range in White Sands [ http://ruidoso.net/chamber/outdoors/whitesan.html ], New Mexico ... about 300 miles away. While the Moon's phase [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/docs/MoonPhase.html#ninetynine ] is just past new moon [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/history/mythologyh.html ], gone now from the pre-dawn horizon, brilliant Jupiter [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/ ] and Saturn [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/ ] can still be seen high toward the southeast in the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/ constellations.html ] Aries. |
|
Dr. Charles Elachi Congratul
…
| title |
Dr. Charles Elachi Congratulates the MRO Team |
| Description |
JPL Director, Dr. Charles Elachi smiles for the camera as he makes the rounds in the Mission Support Area (MSA) at Jet Propulsion Laboratory during MRO's successful launch at dawn Pacific Time on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
|
Gator Wakes for Launch
| title |
Gator Wakes for Launch |
| Description |
An alligator roams the Banana River at dawn on August 11, 2005, about an hour before that day's launch opportunities for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission were to begin. The launch was later scrubbed for that day but launched successfully on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
|
Ruth Fragoso and Glen Havens
…
| title |
Ruth Fragoso and Glen Havens Celebrate Success at JPL |
| Description |
Ruth Fragoso, Launch Operations Engineer, and Glen Havens, Mission Operations Systems Engineer (MOSE), glance from their streaming spacecraft data to appreciate the sweet success of MRO's initial phase of launch before dawn Pacific Time on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
|
Last Stop: Launch Pad
| title |
Last Stop: Launch Pad |
| Description |
JPL launch vehicle manager Arden Acord gives the "thumbs up" as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reaches its final Earth-bound destination - Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, July 28th, the spacecraft was transported inside its Atlas four-meter (13-foot) fairing to the Atlas Vertical Integration Facility at the launch pad. In the background is Atlas V-401, tail number AV-007 stacked in the facility awaiting hoisting of the fairing and orbiter on top. At the present time, the spacecraft is mechanically mated to the Centaur upper stage and electrical connections are underway. Credit: NASA |
|
| Description |
Browse Image (annotated) | Large annotated (132 kB) Browse Image | Large (180 kB) |
|
Mars Science Laboratory Pres
…
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
…
Michael Watkins (third from
…
5964838992_da607400dd_b
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-07-22 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5964838992_da607400dd_b |
|
Virtual Vesta
jplhdvideocollection, nasa
This video shows the scienti
…
dawn20110308-1280-i
| mediatype |
VIDEO |
| mediatype |
movies |
| date |
2011-03-10 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
dawn20110308-1280-i |
|
Dawn Briefing (201106230002H
…
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
…
Robert Mase, Dawn project ma
…
5863960311_66247b09da_o
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-06-23 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5863960311_66247b09da_o |
|
Dawn Briefing (201106230002H
…
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
…
Robert Mase, Dawn project ma
…
5863960311_ed41e9e2c4_b
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-06-23 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5863960311_ed41e9e2c4_b |
|
Dawn Briefing (201106230004H
…
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
…
Carol Raymond, Dawn deputy p
…
5863959991_94814f4583_o
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-06-23 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5863959991_94814f4583_o |
|
Pre-Dawn Temperatures on Gan
…
PIA01145
Jupiter
Photopolarimeter-Radiometer
| Title |
Pre-Dawn Temperatures on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This infrared image of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, showing heat radiation from its surface at a wavelength of 27 microns (millionths of a meter), provides the best view yet of pre-dawn temperatures on Ganymede. Temperatures, derived from the brightness of the infrared radiation, can be determined from the colors by reference to the scale at the bottom of the image. The image, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, shows half of Ganymede's disk as seen by the approaching spacecraft. Longitudes covered range from 340 on the right of the image, through longitude zero (the direction facing Jupiter) to longitude 60 near Ganymede's limb on the left. The morning terminator, near longitude 15, curves through the middle of the image, separating areas experiencing the last hours of the long (3.5 Earth day) Ganymede night, on the left, from areas that are warming up in the morning sunshine, on the right. Ganymede's north pole is in the upper right corner of the image, and the south pole is in the lower right. Ganymede rotates from left to right. Nighttime temperatures, shown in blue and purple colors, are in the range 85 - 100 Kelvin (-306 to -279 F). The surface cools steadily during the night, so the warmest nighttime temperatures are on the left side of the disk, and temperatures drop towards the dawn terminator on the right, before warming rapidly once the sun rises (the red, yellow and white areas on the far right). Study of the rate of nighttime cooling and the rate of post-sunrise warming, will provide information about Ganymede's surface properties. The image was taken with Galileo's PPR (Photopolarimeter-Radiometer) instrument on the spacecraft's seventh orbit around Jupiter, from a range of about 190,000 kilometers (118,060 miles). Surface temperatures derived from the strength of infrared radiation, as was done here, are called "brightness temperatures", and may be slightly in error. The PPR instrument builds up an image by slowly scanning across the target over a period of up to one hour. The motion of Galileo relative to Ganymede during this time causes distortions in the satellite shape on the image, which therefore appears slightly non-circular. The small overlapping circles that make up the image show the size of the area, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) across, covered by each individual PPR measurement. Blue spots in the dark sky in the left-hand portion of the image are due to noise. JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. |
|
Earth - Moon Conjunction
PIA00134
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Earth - Moon Conjunction |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
On December 16, 1992, 8 days after its encounter with Earth, the Galileo spacecraft looked back from a distance of about 6.2 million kilometers (3.9 million miles) to capture this remarkable view of the Moon in orbit about Earth. The composite photograph was constructed from images taken through visible (violet, red) and near-infrared (1.0-micron) filters. The Moon is in the foreground, its orbital path is from left to right. Brightly colored Earth contrasts strongly with the Moon, which reacts only about one-third as much sunlight as our world. To improve the visibility of both bodies, contrast and color have been computer enhanced. At the bottom of Earth's disk, Antarctica is visible through clouds. The Moon's far side can also be seen. The shadowy indentation in the Moon's dawn terminator--the boundary between its dark and lit sides--is the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest and oldest lunar impact features. This feature was studied extensively by Galileo during the first Earth flyby in December 1990. |
|
South Melea Planum, By The D
…
PIA02021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
South Melea Planum, By The Dawn's Early Light |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MOC "sees" by the dawn's early light! This picture was taken over the high southern polar latitudes during the first week of May 1999. The area shown is currently in southern winter darkness. Because sunlight is scattered over the horizon by aerosols--dust and ice particles--suspended in the atmosphere, sufficient light reaches regions within a few degrees of the terminator (the line dividing night and day) to be visible to the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when the maximum exposure settings are used. This image shows a bright, wispy cloud hanging over southern Malea Planum. This cloud would not normally be visible, since it is currently in darkness. At the time this picture was taken, the sun was more than 5.7° below the northern horizon. The scene covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Again, the illumination is from the top. In this frame, the surface appears a relatively uniform gray. At the time the picture was acquired, the surface was covered with south polar wintertime frost. The highly reflective frost, in fact, may have contributed to the increased visibility of this surface. This "twilight imaging" technique for viewing Mars can only work near the terminator, thus in early May only regions between about 67°S and 74°S were visible in twilight images in the southern hemisphere, and a similar narrow latitude range could be imaged in the northern hemisphere. MOC cannot "see" in the total darkness of full-borne night. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
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South Melea Planum, By The D
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PIA02020
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
South Melea Planum, By The Dawn's Early Light |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MOC "sees" by the dawn's early light! This picture was taken over the high southern polar latitudes during the first week of May 1999. The area shown is currently in southern winter darkness. Because sunlight is scattered over the horizon by aerosols--dust and ice particles--suspended in the atmosphere, sufficient light reaches regions within a few degrees of the terminator (the line dividing night and day) to be visible to the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when the maximum exposure settings are used. This picture shows a polygonally-patterned surface on southern Malea Planum. At the time the picture was taken, the sun was more than 4.5° below the northern horizon. The scene covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide, with the illumination from the top of the picture. In this frame, the surface appears a relatively uniform gray. At the time the picture was acquired, the surface was covered with south polar wintertime frost. The highly reflective frost, in fact, may have contributed to the increased visibility of this surface. This "twilight imaging" technique for viewing Mars can only work near the terminator, thus in early May only regions between about 67°S and 74°S were visible in twilight images in the southern hemisphere, and a similar narrow latitude range could be imaged in the northern hemisphere. MOC cannot "see" in the total darkness of full-borne night. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
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A New Year for Jupiter and I
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PIA02879
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem
| Title |
A New Year for Jupiter and Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Galilean satellite Io floats above the cloudtops of Jupiter in this image captured on the dawn of the new millennium, January 1, 2001 10:00 UTC (spacecraft time), two days after Cassini's closest approach. The image is deceiving: there are 350,000 kilometers -- roughly 2.5 Jupiters -- between Io and Jupiter's clouds. Io is the size of our Moon, and Jupiter is very big. |
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Clouds at Dawn
PIA08263
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem -
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| Title |
Clouds at Dawn |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Saturn's clouds billow and swirl in the turbulent zones of shear between eastward- and westward-flowing jets. This view looks toward the terminator on Saturn, where night gives way to day. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The image was obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 16, 2006 at a distance of approximately 338,000 kilometers (210,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 67 degrees. Image scale is 17 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel. 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 mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
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