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Hale-Bopp, Jupiter, and the
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| Title |
Hale-Bopp, Jupiter, and the Milky Way |
| Explanation |
Shining brightly, the mighty Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/jupiter.html ] rules this gorgeous Kodacolor photo of the Milky Way near Sagittarius [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960605.html ]. Astronomer Bill Keel [ http://crux.astr.ua.edu/keel/billkeel.html ] took the picture earlier this month (July 7) while standing near the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951216.html ] contemplating the sky [ http://crux.astr.ua.edu/keel/fam/fam.html ] in the direction of the center of the Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950908.html ] (right of picture center). In addition to the gas giant planet, which is well placed for evening viewing [ http://NewProducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/jup_sky/ ], the image contains an impressive sampler of celestial goodies. Many famous emission nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#emis_neb ] are visible as reddish patches - M16, the Eagle nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951106.html ], is just above and right of center, with the Horseshoe nebula, M17, just below it and farther to the right. Also, look for the Lagoon Nebula, M8 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960127.html ], as the brightest red patch at the right of the picture with the Trifid Nebula, M20 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951221.html ], just above it and to the left. The milky glow of distant unresolved stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960213.html ] in the plane of our Galaxy (thus the term Milky Way) runs through the image cut by dark, absorbing, interstellar dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960125.html ] clouds. The much anticipated comet Hale-Bopp [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/comets/index.html ] is also clearly visible. Where's the comet? "Click on the picture to view the comet's location flanked by superposed vertical lines". The comet was discovered while still beyond the orbit of Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950820.html ] a year ago today independently by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp/discoverers.html ]. Astronomers monitoring Hale-Bopp's activity [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951030.html ] report that having now brightened to almost 6th magnitude [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MAG.HTML ] it is still on track for becoming an extremely bright naked-eye comet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/hyakutake.html ] in early 1997. |
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Old Faithful Meets Hale-Bopp
| Title |
Old Faithful Meets Hale-Bopp |
| Explanation |
As Comet Hale-Bopp leaves our Northern Skies, it provides us with yet another burst of joy. On May 11th the fading comet was photographed [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/van56.html ] behind the famous "Old Faithful [ http://pcsel10.scu.edu/jshiau/coen296/old.html ]" water geyser of Yellowstone National Park [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/Parks/yellowstone/yellowstone.html ], Wyoming, USA, Planet Earth. Perhaps more familiar to Earth Dwellers than the dark geysers on Neptune [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/neptune.html ]'s moon Triton [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950805.html ], the gas geysers on Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html ]'s moon Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970321.html ], and the dirty water geysers hypothesized on Jupiter's moon Europa [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970410.html ], Earth [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/earth.html ]'s Old Faithful is also reliable - every 60-80 minutes it gushes a plume of water and steam high into the air. Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/ ] will continue to be visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970515.html ] as it moves away from the Sun towards the outer Solar System. |
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Comet Hale-Bopp Outbound
| Title |
Comet Hale-Bopp Outbound |
| Explanation |
Hale-Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html ], the Comet of the Century [ http://www.halebopp.com/facts.htm ], is leaving the inner Solar System. Outbound at about 12 miles per second it is presently nearing the main asteroid [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970908.html ] belt between Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ] and Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/jupiter.html ]. This false-color image [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/bluevue.htm ] represents a recent view from low Earth orbit [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970902.html ] showing the comet surrounded by its shrinking coma [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#coma ] against a background of stars. It was constructed from [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/mission.html ] a fraction of the data taken aboard the Space Shuttle [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/reference/shutref/orbiter/ ] Discovery in August by a small innovative telescopic camera known as the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/ ] or SWUIS. SWUIS (sounds like "swiss") images will be particularly interesting to astronomers who wish to continue to follow the Great Comet's [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/ ] interaction with the Solar Wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970217.html ]. The once bright Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ] has faded below 4th magnitude [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MAG.HTML ] but is still visible [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/news.html ] to Earthbound observers south of 35 degrees north latitude [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/news85.html ]. |
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Comet Hale-Bopp Over the Sup
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| Title |
Comet Hale-Bopp Over the Superstition Mountains |
| Explanation |
Four years ago, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/ ] was discovered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950820.html ] out near Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html ] falling toward the inner Solar System [ http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Space.Science/Our.Solar.System/.index.html ]. Two years ago, it provided spectacular pictures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/cossc/apod_search?Hale-Bopp ] as it neared its closest approach to the Sun [ http://shutter.vet.ohio-state.edu/astronomy/faq/index.htm ]. Still today, spectacular pictures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970723.html ] of the brightest comet of the 1990s are surfacing. Above, Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed in 1997 behind the Superstition Mountains [ http://www.goodnet.com/~rfidler/Page/Superstitions.htm ] in Arizona [ http://www.state.az.us/ ]. Clearly visible are the comets white dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960326.html ] that shines by reflected sunlight, and the blue ion tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970514.html ] that shines by glowing gas. Currently, there are several comets visible [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/comets/current_comets.html ] from the proper location with a small telescope. A comet visible to the unaided eye [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/bright_comet.html ] appears about once every five years. |
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