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Lunar Orbiter 1
The world's first view of Ea
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11/13/08
| Description |
The world's first view of Earth as released to the public taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the Moon. The photo was transmitted to Earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I and received at the NASA tracking station at Robledo De Chavela near Madrid, Spain. This crescent of the Earth was photographed August 23, 1966 at 16:35 GMT when the spacecraft was on its 16th orbit and just about to pass behind the Moon. Photo Credit: NASA / LOIRP |
| Date |
11/13/08 |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
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| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
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| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
…
| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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First View of Earth from Moo
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| title |
First View of Earth from Moon |
| date |
08.23.1966 |
| description |
The world's first view of Earth taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the Moon. The photo was transmitted to Earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I and received at the NASA tracking station at Robledo De Chavela near Madrid, Spain. This crescent of the Earth was photographed August 23, 1966 at 16:35 GMT when the spacecraft was on its 16th orbit and just about to pass behind the Moon. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Deep Space Network
| title |
Deep Space Network |
| description |
The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. The DSN currently consists of three deep-space communications facilities placed approximately 120 degrees apart around the world: at Goldstone, in California's Mojave Desert, near Madrid, Spain, and near Canberra, Australia. This strategic placement permits constant observation of spacecraft as the Earth rotates, and helps to make the DSN the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world. NASA's scientific investigation of the Solar System is being accomplished mainly through the use of unmanned automated spacecraft. The DSN provides the vital two-way communications link that guides and controls these planetary explorers, and brings back the images and new scientific information they collect. All DSN antennas are steerable, high-gain, parabolic reflector antennas. The network is managed and operated for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Interplanetary Network Directorate (IND) manages the program within JPL. For more on the Deep Space Network, visit http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/index.html *Image Credit*: NASA |
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SMART-1 Looks Back
| title |
SMART-1 Looks Back |
| description |
The first picture of Earth taken by the SMART-1 spacecraft on 21 May 2004 from a distance of 70,000 kilometres. The image shows from top left, Scandinavia, Denmark, United Kingdom and clear west and northern France. Southern France and Spain are at the centre under cloud cover. North Africa is bottom right (in the full-resoltion image). The image was taken by the Advanced Moon Micro-Imager Experiment (AMIE) camera. This imaging system has been developed by the Space-X company in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The AMIE camera is a remarkably compact design, a package of dedicated optics, electronics and mechanical interfaces that weighs only 450 grams. Once in orbit around the Moon, AMIE will survey the lunar terrain using visible and near-infrared light, providing clues about its chemical composition and geological history."The image shows clearly that the AMIE camera works well, and that we are really in space," says Principal Investigator Jean Luc Josset, Space-X."This picture is a great view of Earth seen as a planet," says ESA Project Scientist Bernard Foing. "Further synoptic images of Earth obtained during the cruise phase will be used to compare the signature of geophysical processes with what we shall measure on the Moon." *Image Credit*: European Space Agency |
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First View of Earth from Moo
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| Title |
First View of Earth from Moon |
| Full Description |
The world's first view of Earth taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the Moon. The photo was transmitted to Earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I and received at the NASA tracking station at Robledo De Chavela near Madrid, Spain. This crescent of the Earth was photographed August 23, 1966 at 16:35 GMT when the spacecraft was on its 16th orbit and just about to pass behind the Moon. |
| Date |
08/23/1966 |
| NASA Center |
Headquarters |
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Hubble Sees Material Ejected
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| Title |
Hubble Sees Material Ejected from Comet Hale-Bopp |
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Multiple Galaxy Collisions S
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| Title |
Multiple Galaxy Collisions Surprise Hubble Astronomers |
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Symbiotic Star Blows Bubbles
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| Title |
Symbiotic Star Blows Bubbles into Space |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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The Carina Nebula: Star Birt
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| Title |
The Carina Nebula: Star Birth in the Extreme |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. In celebration of the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers is releasing one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras. READ: Junior version of this article Amazing Space Learn about this story in the Star Witness, a science newspaper available on our sister site, Amazing Space. [ http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/news/archive/2007/02/ ] It is a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth —, and death —, is taking place. This image is a mosaic of the Carina Nebula assembled from 48 frames taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The Hubble images were taken in the light of neutral hydrogen during March and July 2005. Color information was added with data taken in December 2001 and March 2003 at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Red corresponds to sulfur, green to hydrogen, and blue to oxygen emission. |
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Internal Heat Drives Jupiter
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| Title |
Internal Heat Drives Jupiter's Giant Storm Eruption |
| General Information |
What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. Detailed analysis of two continent-sized storms that erupted in Jupiter's atmosphere in March 2007 shows that Jupiter's internal heat plays a significant role in generating atmospheric disturbances. Understanding this outbreak could be the key to unlock the mysteries buried in the deep Jovian atmosphere. An international team coordinated by Agustin Sánchez-Lavega from the Universidad del PaÃs Vasco in Spain presents its findings about this event in the January 24 issue of the journal Nature. The team monitored the new eruption of cloud activity and its evolution with an unprecedented resolution using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, and telescopes in the Canary Islands (Spain). A network of smaller telescopes around the world also supported these observations. |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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Hubble Finds that Earth is S
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| Title |
Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst |
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A90-3000
Photographer : JPL After tra
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8/21/90
| Description |
Photographer : JPL After traveling more than 1.5 billion km (948 million mi.), the Magellan spacecraft was inserted into orbit around Venus on Aug. 10, 1990. This mosaic consists of adjacent pieces of two magellan image strips obtained in the first radar test. The radar test was part of a planned In-Orbit Checkout sequence designed to prepare the magellan spacecraft and radar to begin mapping after Aug. 31. The strip on the left was returned to the Goldstone Deep Space Network station in California, the strip to the right was received at the DSN in Canberra, Australia. A third station that will be receiving Magellan data is locaterd near Madrid, Spain. Each image strip is 20 km (12 mi.) wide and 16,000 km (10,000 mi.) long. This mosaic is a small portion 80 km (50 mi.) long. This image is centered at 21 degrees north latitude and 286.8 degrees east longitude, southeast of a volcanic highland region called Beta Regio. The resolution of the image is about 120 meters (400 feet), 10 times better than revious images of the same area of Venus, revealing many new geologic features. The bright line trending northwest-southeast across the center of the image is a fracture or fault zone cutting the volcanic plains. In the upper lest corner of the image, a multiple-ring circular feature of probable volcanic origin can be seen, approx. 4.27 km (2.65 mi.) across. The bright and dark variations seen in the plains surrounding these features correspond to volcanic lava flows of varying ages. The volcanic lava flows in the southern half of the image have been cut by north-south trending faults. This area is similar geologically to volcanic deposits seen on Earth at Hawaii and the Snake River Plains in Idaho. |
| Date |
8/21/90 |
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International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's digital concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
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International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida and the Bahamas. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating in the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
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International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
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International Space Station
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| Name of Image |
International Space Station Assembly |
| Date of Image |
1999-01-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) is an unparalleled international scientific and technological cooperative venture that will usher in a new era of human space exploration and research and provide benefits to people on Earth. On-Orbit assembly began on November 20, 1998, with the launch of the first ISS component, Zarya, on a Russian Proton rocket. The Space Shuttle followed on December 4, 1998, carrying the U.S.-built Unity cornecting Module. Sixteen nations are participating in the ISS program: the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The ISS will include six laboratories and be four times larger and more capable than any previous space station. The United States provides two laboratories (United States Laboratory and Centrifuge Accommodation Module) and a habitation module. There will be two Russian research modules, one Japanese laboratory, referred to as the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), and one European Space Agency (ESA) laboratory called the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF). The station's internal volume will be roughly equivalent to the passenger cabin volume of two 747 jets. Over five years, a total of more than 40 space flights by at least three different vehicles - the Space Shuttle, the Russian Proton Rocket, and the Russian Soyuz rocket - will bring together more than 100 different station components and the ISS crew. Astronauts will perform many spacewalks and use new robotics and other technologies to assemble ISS components in space. |
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Payload Operations Center (P
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| Name of Image |
Payload Operations Center (POC) for the International Space Station (ISS) |
| Date of Image |
2001-02-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center (POC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is the world's primary science command post for the International Space Station (ISS), the most ambitious space research facility in human history. The Payload Operations team is responsible for managing all science research experiments aboard the Station. The center is also home for coordination of the mission-plarning work of variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel. Within the POC, critical payload information from the ISS is displayed on a dedicated workstation, reading both S-band (low data rate) and Ku-band (high data rate) signals from a variety of experiments and procedures operated by the ISS crew and their colleagues on Earth. The POC is the focal point for incorporating research and experiment requirements from all international partners into an integrated ISS payload mission plan. This photograph is an overall view of the MSFC Payload Operations Center displaying the flags of the countries participating the ISS. The flags at the left portray The United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and Sweden. The flags at the right portray The Russian Federation, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway. |
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Payload Operations Center (P
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| Name of Image |
Payload Operations Center (POC) for the International Space Station (ISS) |
| Date of Image |
2000-02-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center (POC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is the world's primary science command post for the (ISS), the most ambitious space research facility in human history. The Payload Operations team is responsible for managing all science research experiments aboard the Station. The center is also home for coordination of the mission-plarning work of variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel. Within the POC, critical payload information from the ISS is displayed on a dedicated workstation, reading both S-band (low data rate) and Ku-band (high data rate) signals from a variety of experiments and procedures operated by the ISS crew and their colleagues on Earth. The POC is the focal point for incorporating research and experiment requirements from all international partners into an integrated ISS payload mission plan. This photograph is an overall view of the MSFC Payload Operations Center displaying the flags of the countries participating in the ISS. The flags at the left portray The United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and Sweden. The flags at the right portray The Russian Federation, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway. |
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Central Pyrenees
| Title |
Central Pyrenees |
| Description |
The Alps may be more famous, but the Pyrenees have been around much longer—tens of millions of years longer, in fact. These mountains formed between 100 and 150 million years ago when the landmass that Spain occupies pushed into the one that France occupies. The mountains have served as a natural barrier between the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the rest of Europe ever since. Stretching east to west across 430 square kilometers (267 miles), the Pyrenees fall mostly within Spain's borders, but also pass into the independent state of Andorra. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA 's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of part of the Central Pyrenees—the highest part of the range—on August 1, 2000. In this false-color image, clouds appear white, snow appears pale blue, vegetation appears green, and bare ground appears as either pink or dark, bluish-purple. Water on the ground appears dark blue (or nearly black). In this shot, the vegetated areas are mostly to the north, and the peaks to the south are mostly bare rock. In the large image, patches of dark purple that are visible along rivers and in valley floors are probably developed areas. As mountain peaks rise higher, the land they support rises above the treeline (the topmost elevation where trees can grow). At even higher altitudes, hardly any plants can survive at all, so the highest mountain peaks show just snow or bare rock. This mountain chain owes its ruggedness to granite, a volcanic rock that erodes slowly. The mountains also contain other rocks: gneiss and limestone. Glaciers didn't act on the Pyrenees as extensively as they did on the Alps, so these mountains don't sport big lakes left behind by glaciers. They do have water, however, including many small lakes and waterfalls. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data made available by NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Heat Wave in Western Europe
| Title |
Heat Wave in Western Europe |
| Description |
Western Europe continued to bake in late July 2006. Following an unusually warm spell between July 12 and 19, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13743 ] temperatures across most of the region remained much warmer than normal. This image shows land surface (as opposed to air) temperatures collected from July 20-27, 2006, compared to the average temperatures for that period over the past six years (2000-2005). Places that were up to ten degrees Celsius warmer than average are deep red, while places that were up to ten degrees cooler than average are deep blue. Places where the temperatures were average are white. The temperatures were measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. In the center of the image, deep red areas of very warm temperatures spread across Germany, as well as France (to the west), and Poland (to the east). To the north (top center), both Norway (west) and Sweden (east) were much warmer than average. Only small pockets of the region were cooler than average: northeastern Spain, the "toe" of Italy's boot and the western half of the island of Sicily, and parts of Greece (lower right). July 2006 was a record-breaking month for heat in many Western European countries, coming in as the hottest July on record in several countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Zhengming Wan, MODIS Land Surface Temperature Group, Institute for Computational Earth System Science [ http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/ ], University of California, Santa Barbara. |
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Heatwaves and Cold Weather A
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| Title |
Heatwaves and Cold Weather Across Europe |
| Description |
While Southern Europe languished in extreme heat, Northern Europe was chilled with cool, fall-like temperatures during the first week of July. Over 30 people died from heat-related illnesses as temperatures soared up to 40 degrees Celsius in Greece, Romania, and Macedonia. During the same period, unseasonably cold weather dominated much of Northern Europe. In Germany?s Bavarian Alps, the thermometer plummeted to -6 Celsius as snow fell in the mountains and high valleys. The contrast between the cold north and the hot south is played out in the above image, which shows an average of daytime land surface temperatures for July 3 through July 10, 2004. A strip of yellow from Romania on the western shores of the Black Sea to the Iberian Peninsula marks out the regions experiencing the highest temperatures. Cooler red and purple covers the rest of Europe, with the coldest temperatures across Scandinavia and Great Britain. Europe?s major mountain ranges separate hot from cold. The Alps cut across northern Italy, their snow-capped peaks forming a line of blue that divides the yellow heat of Italy from the red and purple chill of the lands to the north. In the east, the Carpathian Mountains curve between the red and yellow zones that cover Eastern Europe and the Balkan States, respectively. In the west, a bold red line divides Spain on the Iberian Peninsula and France to its east. The image was created from land surface temperature measurements taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) onboard NASA?s Aqua and Terra satellites. NASA image courtesy Zhengming Wan, MODIS Land Surface Temperature Group, Institute for Computational Earth System Science [ http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/ ], University of California, Santa Barbara |
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European Heat Wave
| Title |
European Heat Wave |
| Description |
Europe is experiencing an historic heat wave that has been responsible for at 3,000 deaths in France alone. Compared to July 2001, temperatures in July 2003 were sizzling. This image shows the differences in day time land surface temperatures collected in the two years by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. A blanket of deep red across southern and eastern France (left of image center) shows where temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter this summer. White areas show where temperatures were similar, and blue shows where temperatures were cooler in 2003 than 2001. Even the Alps, which arc across southeastern France, Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy (just below image center), are very warm this year. Glaciers are melting rapidly and swelling rivers and lakes to dangerously high levels. Climbers had to be evacuated from Switzerland's famous Matterhorn after melting triggered the collapse of a rock face. The popular climbing destination has been closed while geologists assess the possibility of further collapses. The heat wave stretches northward all the way to the United Kingdom, particularly southern England (bottom of island) and Scotland (top of island). In London, trains were shut down over fears that tracks would buckle in the heat, while in Scotland the high temperatures combined with falling water levels in rivers and streams are threatening the spawning and survival of salmon. Throughout France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, the intense heat and dry conditions sparked devastating forest fires that killed at least 15 people. Image by Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, NASA?s Earth Observatory Team. |
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Ship Tracks in the Atlantic
| Title |
Ship Tracks in the Atlantic |
| Description |
An unusually high number of ship tracks were visible in the clouds off of the coasts of France and Spain in these true- and false-color images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on January 27, 2003. Ship tracks form when very small, airborne particles emitted in the exhaust of large ships (and airplanes) attract water molecules, acting as ?seeds? for clouds. These seeds are called cloud condensation nuclei. Continued accumulation of droplets on the cloud condensation nuclei forms the thin, streaky clouds pictured in these images. As the ships moved about the East Atlantic, they left a visible, though impermanent, record of where they have recently been. Instead of showing the past location of the ship, like the contrail of an aircraft would, ship tracks reflect the direction and speed of the wind. The false-color cut-aways show two properties of clouds that influence the heat and energy balance of the atmosphere and, as a result, the climate. One is cloud optical thickness, which describes how much light is able to pass through a cloud. The other characteristic is cloud particle radius, which is the estimated size of the radius of the particles making up the clouds. These images reveal an important difference between clouds formed from natural cloud condensation nuclei (like dust or sea salt) and those formed from particles in ship exhaust. First, the ship track clouds contain greater amounts of smaller liquid water particles (shown in yellow) than surrounding natural clouds (shown in red). The optical thickness of the ship track clouds is different as well, showing up as dark orange streaks. Why are these characteristics important? A cloud?s optical thickness determines how much sunlight reaches the Earth?s surface and how much is reflected or absorbed by the clouds, factors that influence global temperatures. The size of cloud particles is important, too. In general, smaller particles produce brighter, more reflective clouds, which bounce light from the sun back into space and cool the planet. If that sounds like a good way to combat global warming, consider this: when particles are small, they are less likely to collide with one another often enough to produce raindrops. Indeed, in some parts of the world, increasing, persistent air pollution is contributing to drought. For more about ship tracks and climate, read Every Cloud Has a Filthy Lining. Images courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] and Mark Gray, MODIS Atmosphere Science Team [ http://modis-atmos.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], both at NASA GSFC |
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A Lunar Eclipse Over Time
| Title |
A Lunar Eclipse Over Time |
| Explanation |
During last week's lunar eclipse [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEextra/TLE2000Jan20.html ], our Moon [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html ] appeared to disappear. As the Earth moved between the Moon and the Sun, the Earth's shadow fell on the moon, making it quite dark [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970110.html ]. In the above photograph, the Earth's rotation caused the Moon and stars to appear as streaks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980912.html ] during this four-hour exposure. In the foreground is the abbey of the Benedictive monastery of Sant Llorenc del Munt [ http://www.culturamatadepera.es/tpobl01a.htm ], a structure in Girona, Spain that has stood since the eleventh century. As the Earth's shadow engulfed the Moon [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LEcatalog.html ], the Moon streak became less and less bright, practically disappearing during totality [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960926.html ]. At this time, the Moon, which normally shines by reflecting direct sunlight, shone only by sunlight refracted [ http://www.geom.umn.edu/education/calc-init/rainbow/refraction.html ] through the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ]. Later, clouds obscured the re-appearing Moon. |
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A GRB 000301C Symphony
| Title |
A GRB 000301C Symphony |
| Explanation |
Telescopic instruments in Earth and space are still tracking a tremendous explosion that occurred across the universe. A nearly unprecedented symphony of international observations began abruptly on March 1 when Earth-orbiting RXTE [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/xte_1st.html ], Sun-orbiting Ulysses [ http://helio.estec.esa.nl/ulysses/ ], and asteroid-orbiting NEAR [ http://near.jhuapl.edu/Education/intro/NEARintro.html ] all detected [ http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/gcn3/568.gcn3 ] a 10-second burst [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991104.html ] of high-frequency gamma radiation [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ]. Within 48 hours astronomers using the 2.5-meter Nordic Optical Telescope [ http://www.astro.lu.se/not.html ] chimed in with the observation of a middle-frequency optical counterpart [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970407.html ] that was soon confirmed with the 3.5-meter Calar Alto Telescope [ http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/Public/CAHA/ ] in Spain. By the next day the explosion was picked up in low-frequency radio waves [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/emspectrum.html ] by the by the European IRAM [ http://www.iram.es/ ] 30-meter dish in Spain, and then by the VLA [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] telescopes in the US. The Japanese 8-meter Subaru Telescope [ http://www.subaru.naoj.org/Introduction/outline.html ] interrupted a maiden engineering test [ http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/gcn3/577.gcn3 ] to trumpet in infrared [ http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/Outreach/Edu/discovery.html ] observations. Major telescopes across the globe soon began playing along as GRB 000301C came into view, detailing unusual behavior [ http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/gcn3/599.gcn3 ]. The Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ ] captured the above image [ http://www-int.stsci.edu/~fruchter/GRB/000301C/ ] and was the first to obtain [ http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/gcn3/603.gcn3 ] an accurate distance to the explosion, placing it near redshift 2, most of the way across the visible universe. The Keck II Telescope [ http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu:3636/realpublic/gen_info/gen_info.html ] in Hawaii quickly confirmed and refined [ http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/gcn3/605.gcn3 ] the redshift. Still, no one is sure what type of explosion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980508.html ] this was. The symphony is not over - oddly no host galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990210.html ] appears near the position of this explosion. Will one appear as the din of the loud fireball fades [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970917.html ]? |
|
Mercury on the Horizon
| Title |
Mercury on the Horizon |
| Explanation |
Have you ever seen the planet Mercury? Because Mercury [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ] orbits so close to the Sun, it is never seen far from the Sun, and so is only visible near sunrise [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990817.html ] or sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990619.html ]. If trailing the Sun, Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/mercury.html ] will be visible for several minutes before it follows the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html ] behind the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html ]. If leading the Sun, Mercury [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm ] will be visible [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/northern/0003skyn.html ] for only several minutes before the Sun [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/sol.html ] rises and hides it with increasing glare. An informed skygazer [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/northern/0003skyn.html ] can usually pick Mercury out of a dark horizon glow [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991110.html ] with little more than determination. Above, a lot of determination has been combined with a little digital trickery [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/ETHICS.HTM ] to show [ http://www.galeon.com/eclipses/indexi.htm ] Mercury's successive positions during the middle of last month. Each picture was taken from the same location in Spain when the Sun was 10 degrees below the horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970909.html ] and superposed on the single most photogenic sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980526.html ]. |
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An Iridium Flash Sunset
| Title |
An Iridium Flash Sunset |
| Explanation |
Did you see that flash? Lasting only about 15 seconds, it's possible that nobody you ask can confirm it, but what you might have seen is sunlight reflecting off an orbiting Iridium [ http://www.iridium.com/ ] satellite. Satellites [ http://www2.satellite.eu.org/sat/vsohp/satintro.html ] of all types have been providing streaks and glints visible only since the launch of Sputnik I [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/ ] in 1957. Of these, flares from any of the 66 Iridium satellites [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980402.html ] can be particularly bright, sometimes even approaching the brightness of the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ]. If the Iridium satellites [ http://www.satellite.eu.org/sat/vsohp/iridium.html ] are programmed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, they might provide even brighter flares as they burn up. Pictured above, the streak from an Iridium satellite punctuates a picturesque sunset in San Sebastian [ http://www.donsnsn.es/icaste.htm ], Spain [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/sp.html ]. Then again, that sky-flash you saw? If it lasted only a second or two, it might have been a meteor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991202.html ]. |
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Comet McNaught Over Cataloni
…
| Title |
Comet McNaught Over Catalonia |
| Explanation |
This past weekend Comet McNaught peaked at a brightness that surpassed even Venus. Fascinated sky enthusiasts in the Earth's northern hemisphere were treated to an instantly visible [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070113.html ] comet head and a faint elongated tail near sunrise and sunset. Recent brightness estimates [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/icq/CometMags.html#2006P1 ] had Comet McNaught [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught ] brighter than magnitude [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/stars/magnitudes.html ] -5 (minus five) over this past weekend, making it the brightest comet [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/icq/brightest.html ] since Comet Ikeya-Seki [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikeya-Seki ] in 1965, which was recorded at -7 (minus seven). The Great Comet [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Comet ] of 2007 reached its brightest as it rounded the Sun well inside the orbit of Mercury. Over the next week Comet McNaught [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2006p1.html ] will begin to fade as it moves south and away from the Sun. The unexpectedly bright comet should remain visible [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2006P1_1.html ] to observers in the southern hemisphere [ http://www.assa.org.au/sig/comets/mcnaught.asp ] with unaided eyes for the rest of January. The above image, vertically compressed, was taken at sunset last Friday from mountains above Catalonia [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia ], Spain [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain ]. |
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Leonids Above Torre de la Gu
…
| Title |
Leonids Above Torre de la Guaita |
| Explanation |
Last year, the 1999 Leonids Meteor Shower came to a tremendous crescendo. Observers in Europe [ http://www.eso.org/outreach/info-events/leonids99/ ] observed a sharp peak [ http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast18nov99_1.htm ] in the number of meteors [ http://www.imo.net/ ] visible around 0210 UTC [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001126.html http://www.greenwichmeantime.com/info/utc.htm ] during the early morning hours of November 18. Meteor counts [ http://www.imo.net/articles/shower/leo99.html ] then exceeded 1000 per hour - the minimum needed to define a true meteor storm. At other times and from other locations around the world, observers typically reported respectable rates [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/icq/ICQmeteors.html ] of between 30 and 100 meteors per hour. This year, the 2000 Leonids [ http://www.imo.net/leo99/leo99index.html ] were somewhat less impressive, although many astronomers hold much hope [ http://www.arm.ac.uk/leonid/dustexpl.html ] for the Leonids [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/meteors/leonids/98preview.html ] in 2001 and 2002. The above photograph [ http://www.skylook.net/ ] is a 20-minute exposure ending just before the main Leonids [ http://www.aero.org/leonid/leonidsFAQ.html ] peak of 1999 began. Visible are at least five Leonids [ http://leonids.com/ ] meteors [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/meteorites.html ] streaking high above the Torre de la Guaita, an observation tower used during the 12th century in Gorina, Spain [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sp.html ]. |
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Castle and Sky
| Title |
Castle and Sky |
| Explanation |
While Comet McNaught [ http://spaceweather.com/comets/ gallery_mcnaught_page18.php ] ruled southern skies, last week's conjunction [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Astronomical_conjunction ] of the Moon and Venus could be enjoyed by denizens [ http://mizar.blogalia.com/ ] of both hemispheres of planet Earth. The two more commonly viewed celestial beacons produced this lovely twilight scene, recorded last Saturday in skies above Almodovar near Cordoba [ http://viajero.blogalia.com/historias/45824 ] in southern Spain. Brilliant Venus and [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061030.html ] a slender crescent Moon seem to overlook the small town, along with a well-lit Castle Almodovar [ http://www.castillodealmodovar.com/historia.htm ]. The impressive castle's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050218.html ] construction began in the 700s on the strategic site of a Roman fort. It was extensively restored in the 20th century. |
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The Most Distant Sun
| Title |
The Most Distant Sun |
| Explanation |
When is the Sun most distant from Earth? It happened again [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihelion ] just this past weekend. A common misconception is that the Sun is most distant during the winter, when it's the coldest. In truth, however, the seasonal temperatures [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season ] are more greatly influenced [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/seasons_orbit.html ] by the number of daylight hours and how high the Sun rises. For example, during northern winter, the tilt of the Earth causes the Sun to be [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051221.html ] above the horizon for a shorter time and remain lower in the sky than in northern summer. The picture [ http://www.thesuperspace.com/ Imagenes%20web/Perihelio%20Afelio%202006.jpg ] compares the relative size of the Sun during Earth's closest approach in January (northern winter) on the left, and in July (northern summer) on the right. The angular size [ http://astsun.astro.virginia.edu/~jh8h/glossary/ angularsize.htm ] of the Sun is noticeably smaller during July, when it is farther away. If the Earth's orbit [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/ link=/the_universe/uts/earth3.html ] was perfectly circular [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970101.html ], the Sun would always appear to be the same size. These two solar images [ http://www.thesuperspace.com/ Imagenes%20web/Perihelio%20Afelio%202006.jpg ] were taken from Spain [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain ] during 2006, but the same effect can be seen in any year from any Earth-bound location [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060620.html ]. |
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Mercury on the Horizon
| Title |
Mercury on the Horizon |
| Explanation |
Have you ever seen the planet Mercury? Because Mercury [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/ mercury.html ] orbits so close to the Sun, it never wanders far from the Sun in Earth's sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020509.html ]. If trailing the Sun, Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/mercury.html ] will be visible low on the horizon for only a short while after sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020510.html ]. If leading the Sun, Mercury will be visible only shortly before sunrise. So at certain times of the year an informed skygazer [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/ article_110_1.asp ] with a little determination can usually pick Mercury out from a site with an unobscured horizon. Above, a lot of determination has been combined with a little digital trickery [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/ ETHICS.HTM ] to show Mercury's successive positions during March of 2000. Each picture was taken from the same location in Spain when the Sun itself was 10 degrees below the horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970909.html ] and superposed on the single most photogenic sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980526.html ]. Mercury is currently visible in the western sky [ http://starfieldobservatory.com/coming.htm ] after sunset, but will disappear in the Sun's glare after a few days. |
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A World Explorer
| Title |
A World Explorer |
| Explanation |
Ferdinand Magellan [ http://www.nortel.com/english/magellan/ferdinand/MagellanBio.html ] was a world explorer. Many consider him the greatest navigator of Europe's 16th century age of sea going exploration and credit his expedition with the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. NASA's Venus probe, the aptly named Magellan spacecraft [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/magellan.html ] shown above in an artist's conception, provided a global view of the poorly known surface of Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950822.html ] - just as Magellan's expedition provided the beginnings of a global perspective of the Earth. Ferdinand Magellan's expedition of 5 ships and 265 men left Spain in 1519 in search of a western route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. [ http://eduserv.rug.ac.be/~mbagus/ina.html ] In 1522 one ship and 17 men returned. NASA launched the Magellan probe on May 4, 1989. Placed in a polar orbit, Magellan's many circumnavigations resulted in a detailed radar mapping of 98% of the Venusian surface. [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/mgnlpsc.html ] As pictured, the radar mapper's antenna resembles a large inverted bowl. Power for the radar was produced by the wing like solar panels. In October of 1994, the Magellan probe entered the Venusian atmosphere and ground controllers lost contact [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/mgn_rip.txt ] with the spacecraft. Tomorrow's picture: Two Tails of Comet West |
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A Galaxy is not a Comet
| Title |
A Galaxy is not a Comet |
| Explanation |
This gorgeous galaxy and comet portrait [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/comets/ gallery_iz.html ] was recorded on April 5th in the skies over the Oriental Pyrenees near Figueres, Spain [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ sp.html ]. From a site above 1,100 meters, astrophotographer [ http://www.skylook.net/nav/indexe.htm ] Juan Carlos Casado used a guided time exposure, fast film, and a telephoto lens to capture the predicted conjunction of the bright Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020404.html ] (right) and the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000908.html ] (left). This stunning celestial scene would also have been a rewarding one for the influential 18th century comet hunter Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ biograph.html ]. While Messier scanned French skies for comets, he carefully cataloged positions of things which were fuzzy and comet-like in appearance but did not move against the background stars and so were definitely not comets. The Andromeda Galaxy [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ANDROMEDA_Atlas/ frames.html ], also known as M31, is the 31st object in his famous not-a-comet catalog [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/xtra/history/ m-cat.html ]. Not-a-comet object number 110 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m110.html ], a late addition to Messier's catalog, is one of Andromeda's small satellite galaxies, and can be seen here just below M31. Our modern [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate20.html ] understanding [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/goodies/data_resources/ galaxies.text ] holds that the Andromeda galaxy is a large spiral galaxy some 2 million light-years distant [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/localgr.html ]. The photogenic Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/comet_IZ.html ], now a lovely sight in early morning skies [ http://www.spaceweather.com/images2002/08apr02/ skymap_north.gif ], is about 80 million kilometers (4 light-minutes) from planet Earth. |
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Roque de los Muchachos Obser
…
| Title |
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory |
| Explanation |
Above the clouds, atop an island off the coast of Africa, a group of cutting-edge telescopes inspects the universe. Pictured above [ http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/archive/most/most.html ] are telescopes at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory [ http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/tour/orm.html ] on La Palma [ http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/tour/la_palma.html ], one of the Canary Islands [ http://www.fotw.ca/flags/es(ic.html ], Spain [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sp.html ]. The site is one of the premier observing locations on Earth. The telescopes pictured are, from left to right, the Carlsberg Meridian Telescope [ http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~dwe/SRF/camc.html ], the 4.2-meter William Herschel Telescope [ http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/OpenDay/Telescopes/page5.html ], the Dutch Open Telescope [ http://dot.astro.uu.nl/ ], the Swedish Solar Tower [ http://www.astro.su.se/groups/solar/NSST/nsst.html ], the 2.5-meter Isaac Newton Telescope [ http://www.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/telescopes/int/index.html ], and the 1.0-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope [ http://www.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/telescopes/jkt/index.html ]. Pioneering observations [ http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/SH/ ] made recently by these telescopes include stars and galaxies forming early [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960115.html ] in our universe, comets breaking up [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000811.html ], and evidence for planets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020614.html ] around Sun-like stars. |
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