Browse All : Images of Indiana

Printer Friendly
1 2
1-50 of 99
     
     
College Winners
The team from the University …
6/16/08
Description The team from the University of Evansville in Indiana placed first in the college division with a total time of 4 minutes, 25 seconds.
Date 6/16/08
NASA Received First Stage Ro …
NASA's Kennedy Space Center …
11/11/08
Description NASA's Kennedy Space Center welcomed the arrival of the Ares 1-X Forward Skirt on Nov. 10. The Forward Skirt is the initial piece of first stage hardware in preparation for the test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system targeted for July 2009. The hardware began its trip Nov. 7 from Major Tool & Machine Inc. in Indiana. Major Tool is the subcontractor to Ares 1 prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, in Utah. The Forward Skirt was delivered to Kennedy on a semi truck.
Date 11/11/08
Whopper Galaxy Collision
Title Whopper Galaxy Collision
Description One of the biggest galaxy collisions ever observed is taking place at the center of this image. The four white blobs in the middle are large galaxies that have begun to tangle and ultimately merge into a single gargantuan galaxy. The whitish cloud around the colliding galaxies contains billions of stars tossed out during the messy encounter. Other galaxies and stars appear in yellow, orange and red hues. Blue shows hot gas that permeates this distant region of tightly packed galaxies. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spotted the four-way collision, or merger, in a giant cluster of galaxies, called CL0958+4702, located nearly five billion light-years away. The dots in the picture are a combination of galaxies in the cluster, background galaxies located behind the cluster, and foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Infrared data from Spitzer are colored red in this picture, while visible-light data from a telescope known as WIYN are green. Areas where green and red overlap appear orange or yellow. Since most galaxies in the cluster contain old stars that are visible to Spitzer and WIYN, those galaxies appear orange. Blue represents X-ray light captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The colliding galaxies appear white because they are in areas where all the colors overlap. The WIYN telescope, located near Tucson, Ariz., is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium, which consists of the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Whopper Galaxy Collision
Title Whopper Galaxy Collision
Description One of the biggest galaxy collisions ever observed is taking place at the center of this image. The four white blobs in the middle are large galaxies that have begun to tangle and ultimately merge into a single gargantuan galaxy. The whitish cloud around the colliding galaxies contains billions of stars tossed out during the messy encounter. Other galaxies and stars appear in yellow, orange and red hues. Blue shows hot gas that permeates this distant region of tightly packed galaxies. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spotted the four-way collision, or merger, in a giant cluster of galaxies, called CL0958+4702, located nearly five billion light-years away. The dots in the picture are a combination of galaxies in the cluster, background galaxies located behind the cluster, and foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Infrared data from Spitzer are colored red in this picture, while visible-light data from a telescope known as WIYN are green. Areas where green and red overlap appear orange or yellow. Since most galaxies in the cluster contain old stars that are visible to Spitzer and WIYN, those galaxies appear orange. Blue represents X-ray light captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The colliding galaxies appear white because they are in areas where all the colors overlap. The WIYN telescope, located near Tucson, Ariz., is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium, which consists of the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Fearsome Foursome
Title Fearsome Foursome
Description One of the biggest galaxy collisions ever observed is taking place at the center of this image. The four yellow blobs in the middle are large galaxies that have begun to tangle and ultimately merge into a single gargantuan galaxy. The yellowish cloud around the colliding galaxies contains billions of stars tossed out during the messy encounter. Other galaxies and stars appear in yellow and orange hues. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spotted the four-way collision, or merger, in a giant cluster of galaxies, called CL0958+4702, located nearly five billion light-years away. The dots in the picture are a combination of galaxies in the cluster, background galaxies located behind the cluster, and foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Infrared data from Spitzer are colored red in this picture, while visible-light data from a telescope known as WIYN are green. Areas where green and red overlap appear orange or yellow. Since most galaxies in the cluster contain old stars that are visible to Spitzer and WIYN, those galaxies appear orange. The WIYN telescope, located near Tucson, Ariz., is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium, which consists of the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Fearsome Foursome
Title Fearsome Foursome
Description One of the biggest galaxy collisions ever observed is taking place at the center of this image. The four yellow blobs in the middle are large galaxies that have begun to tangle and ultimately merge into a single gargantuan galaxy. The yellowish cloud around the colliding galaxies contains billions of stars tossed out during the messy encounter. Other galaxies and stars appear in yellow and orange hues. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spotted the four-way collision, or merger, in a giant cluster of galaxies, called CL0958+4702, located nearly five billion light-years away. The dots in the picture are a combination of galaxies in the cluster, background galaxies located behind the cluster, and foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Infrared data from Spitzer are colored red in this picture, while visible-light data from a telescope known as WIYN are green. Areas where green and red overlap appear orange or yellow. Since most galaxies in the cluster contain old stars that are visible to Spitzer and WIYN, those galaxies appear orange. The WIYN telescope, located near Tucson, Ariz., is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium, which consists of the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Lone Black Holes Discovered …
Title Lone Black Holes Discovered Adrift in the Galaxy
General Information What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. Back to top [ #top ]
Lost and Found: Hubble Finds …
Title Lost and Found: Hubble Finds Much of the Universe's Missing Hydrogen
Too Close for Comfort
Title Too Close for Comfort
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
Too Close for Comfort
Title Too Close for Comfort
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
Astronomers Find Smallest Ex …
Title Astronomers Find Smallest Extrasolar Planet Yet Around Normal Star
Snow Covers Northeastern Uni …
Title Snow Covers Northeastern United States on February 20, 2003
Abstract Snow cover left from a storm front that came through from February 16 to February 17, 2003.
Completed 2003-02-21
United States Median Center …
Title United States Median Center of Population, 1880-2000 (WMS)
Abstract The median center of population is calculated from the intersection of two median lines. The first median line is the geographic line running north and south that divides the population into two equal halves, east and west. The second median line is the geographic line running east and west that divides the population into two equal halves, north and south. For the 2000 United States Census, the median center of population was located in Van Buren township, Daviess County, Indiana. For a complete list of the median center of population for each census since 1880, and for a more detailed description of how these values are calculated, see (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/calculate2k.pdf).
Completed 2005-05-23
Terra/Aqua Snow Sequence Jan …
Title Terra/Aqua Snow Sequence January/February 2003
Abstract This is a sequence of snow images from the Terra and Aqua Satellites in January and February 2003.
Completed 2003-02-26
Chicago Flyby Along Lake Sho …
Title Chicago Flyby Along Lake Shore Drive
Abstract This scene shows Landsat Thematic Mapper data from the shortwave infrared (TM band 5), infrared (TM band 4), and visible green (TM band 2) channels of Chicago. The downtown area and Lakeshore Drive appears in the center of the downtown scene, with the Adler Planetarium in the foreground. The Chicago regional image shows the suburbs to the west and north of the city and includes O'Hare Airfield. The South Chicago image shows the southern portion of the city as well as the industrial area of Gary, Indiana. The bright red pixels are flame plumes from the steel mills along Lake Michigan's edge. North is up in the regional image, and to the right in the downtown and South Chicago/Gary images in which the camera is facing west from above Lake Michigan.
Completed 1999-04-09
Chicago Flyby Along Lake Sho …
Title Chicago Flyby Along Lake Shore Drive
Abstract This scene shows Landsat Thematic Mapper data from the shortwave infrared (TM band 5), infrared (TM band 4), and visible green (TM band 2) channels of Chicago. The downtown area and Lakeshore Drive appears in the center of the downtown scene, with the Adler Planetarium in the foreground. The Chicago regional image shows the suburbs to the west and north of the city and includes O'Hare Airfield. The South Chicago image shows the southern portion of the city as well as the industrial area of Gary, Indiana. The bright red pixels are flame plumes from the steel mills along Lake Michigan's edge. North is up in the regional image, and to the right in the downtown and South Chicago/Gary images in which the camera is facing west from above Lake Michigan.
Completed 1999-04-09
Chicago Flyby Along Lake Sho …
Title Chicago Flyby Along Lake Shore Drive
Abstract This scene shows Landsat Thematic Mapper data from the shortwave infrared (TM band 5), infrared (TM band 4), and visible green (TM band 2) channels of Chicago. The downtown area and Lakeshore Drive appears in the center of the downtown scene, with the Adler Planetarium in the foreground. The Chicago regional image shows the suburbs to the west and north of the city and includes O'Hare Airfield. The South Chicago image shows the southern portion of the city as well as the industrial area of Gary, Indiana. The bright red pixels are flame plumes from the steel mills along Lake Michigan's edge. North is up in the regional image, and to the right in the downtown and South Chicago/Gary images in which the camera is facing west from above Lake Michigan.
Completed 1999-04-09
Chicago Flyby Along Lake Sho …
Title Chicago Flyby Along Lake Shore Drive
Abstract This scene shows Landsat Thematic Mapper data from the shortwave infrared (TM band 5), infrared (TM band 4), and visible green (TM band 2) channels of Chicago. The downtown area and Lakeshore Drive appears in the center of the downtown scene, with the Adler Planetarium in the foreground. The Chicago regional image shows the suburbs to the west and north of the city and includes O'Hare Airfield. The South Chicago image shows the southern portion of the city as well as the industrial area of Gary, Indiana. The bright red pixels are flame plumes from the steel mills along Lake Michigan's edge. North is up in the regional image, and to the right in the downtown and South Chicago/Gary images in which the camera is facing west from above Lake Michigan.
Completed 1999-04-09
Members of House Committee o …
Name of Image Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC
Date of Image 1962-03-08
Full Description The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation?s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC?s manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Richard L. Roudebush, Republican representative of Indiana, discuss Apollo models.
Members of House Committee o …
Name of Image Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC
Date of Image 1962-03-08
Full Description The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation?s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Pictured from left-to-right are Congressman Ken Hechler, Democratic representative of West Virginia, Dieter Grau, MSFC, Congressman John W. Davis, Democratic representative of Georgia, Congressman Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana, Congressman Richard L. Roudebush, Republican representative of Indiana, Congressman R. Walter Riehlman, Republican representative of New York, Congressman James G. Fulton, Republican representative of Pennsylvania, Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC, and Congressman Olin E. Teague, Democratic representative of Texas.
Members of House Committee o …
Name of Image Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC
Date of Image 1962-03-09
Full Description The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather first-hand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Marned Space Flight. Headed by Representative Olin E. Teague of Texas, other members were James G. Fulton, Pennsylvania, Ken Heckler, West Virginia, R. Walter Riehlman, New York, Richard L. Roudebush,, Indiana, John W. Davis, Georgia, James C. Corman, California, Joseph Waggoner, Louisiana, J. Edgar Chenoweth, Colorado, and William G. Bray, Indiana.
Members of House Committee o …
Name of Image Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC
Date of Image 1962-03-09
Full Description The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather first-hand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Marned Space Flight. Headed by Representative Olin E. Teague of Texas, other members were James G. Fulton, Pennsylvania, Ken Heckler, West Virginia, R. Walter Riehlman, New York, Richard L. Roudebush, Indiana, John W. Davis, Georgia, James C. Corman, California, Joseph Waggoner, Louisiana, J. Edgar Chenoweth, Colorado, and William G. Bray, Indiana.
Floods in the Midwestern Uni …
Title Floods in the Midwestern United States
Description Water levels on the Blanchard River in northwestern Ohio reached near-record levels a short time after the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on August 22, 2007. At 1:00 p.m., National Weather Service gauges [ http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=cle&gage=fdyo1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6 ] in Findlay, Ohio, recorded water levels of 18.46 feet, just under six and a half inches short of the record crest of 18.5 feet set on March 13, 1913. In both cases, the river rose more than seven feet above its flood stage of 11 feet. The August 22 flood swamped the city of Findlay, forcing hundreds from their homes and putting the city in a state of emergency, reported the Associated Press on August 23. The disastrous floods along the Blanchard River can be seen in the top image. The image was made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is dark blue or black, while plant-covered land is bright green. Tiny squares of plant-free land, most like fallow fields in this case, are tan. Cities are gray, looking like a dark smudge against the bright green landscape. Lingering clouds are light blue and white. The severity of the flood can be gauged by comparing the top image with the lower image, which was taken on August 13, 2007. In the lower image, the Blanchard River is too small to be visible. By August 22, the river and many of its tributaries are clearly visible. The river expands over Findlay, and then bends south. Ohio was not the only state that experienced floods in mid-August. A string of severe thunderstorms [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14462 ] dumped heavy rain on several Midwest states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. At the same time, the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14454 ] triggered deadly flooding in Oklahoma and Texas. These images are shown at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007234 ] of the U.S. Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the Midwestern Uni …
Title Floods in the Midwestern United States
Description Water levels on the Blanchard River in northwestern Ohio reached near-record levels a short time after the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on August 22, 2007. At 1:00 p.m., National Weather Service gauges [ http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=cle&gage=fdyo1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6 ] in Findlay, Ohio, recorded water levels of 18.46 feet, just under six and a half inches short of the record crest of 18.5 feet set on March 13, 1913. In both cases, the river rose more than seven feet above its flood stage of 11 feet. The August 22 flood swamped the city of Findlay, forcing hundreds from their homes and putting the city in a state of emergency, reported the Associated Press on August 23. The disastrous floods along the Blanchard River can be seen in the top image. The image was made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is dark blue or black, while plant-covered land is bright green. Tiny squares of plant-free land, most like fallow fields in this case, are tan. Cities are gray, looking like a dark smudge against the bright green landscape. Lingering clouds are light blue and white. The severity of the flood can be gauged by comparing the top image with the lower image, which was taken on August 13, 2007. In the lower image, the Blanchard River is too small to be visible. By August 22, the river and many of its tributaries are clearly visible. The river expands over Findlay, and then bends south. Ohio was not the only state that experienced floods in mid-August. A string of severe thunderstorms [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14462 ] dumped heavy rain on several Midwest states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. At the same time, the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14454 ] triggered deadly flooding in Oklahoma and Texas. These images are shown at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007234 ] of the U.S. Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the Ohio River Val …
Title Floods in the Ohio River Valley
Description A small break in the clouds on January 9, 2005, provided the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a peek at the swollen rivers of the Ohio River Valley in the Central Lowlands of the United States. Winter weather has pushed the Ohio River and many of its tributaries past flood stage. In the above MODIS image, the Ohio River, Wabash River, White River and the East Branch White River are all swollen compared to conditions on December 17, 2004, shown in the lower image. A false-color band combination has been used to make the flood waters more apparent. In both images, water is dark blue and black, clouds are light blue and white, vegetation is bright green, and bare earth is pink. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the Ohio River Val …
Title Floods in the Ohio River Valley
Description A small break in the clouds on January 9, 2005, provided the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a peek at the swollen rivers of the Ohio River Valley in the Central Lowlands of the United States. Winter weather has pushed the Ohio River and many of its tributaries past flood stage. In the above MODIS image, the Ohio River, Wabash River, White River and the East Branch White River are all swollen compared to conditions on December 17, 2004, shown in the lower image. A false-color band combination has been used to make the flood waters more apparent. In both images, water is dark blue and black, clouds are light blue and white, vegetation is bright green, and bare earth is pink. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the Ohio River Val …
Title Floods in the Ohio River Valley
Description Heavy rain and snow had swollen the rivers of Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, pushing many past flood stage during the first two weeks of January 2005. The flooding occurred after several days of rain and snow fell on the already saturated ground of the U.S. Midwest. Since the water could not be absorbed into the soaked ground, it ran off as flood water. The storms were followed by warm temperatures, which melted the snow and produced further flooding. By January 17, some of the flooding had started to recede, but large tracts of land along the Ohio and Wabash Rivers were still under water. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the flooded rivers on January 17. The Ohio and Wabash Rivers are the most noticeably flooded, but many other rivers are also much larger than they were on November 25, 2004. On November 25, the Wabash River measured less than 3 pixels across in the 500-meter-resolution MODIS image (the large image provided above). On January 17, the river spanned 18 pixels at its widest point, increasing its width from approximately 1.5 kilometers to 9 kilometers. The Ohio River similarly grew to a width of 13.5 kilometers in the top image. Floods along the Ohio are not unusual, but the timing of this flood was. The Ohio River and its tributaries often flood in the spring when winter's snow melts and runs into regional rivers. This flood, however, occurred in the middle of the winter, which is unusual. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3 ].
Floods in the Ohio River Val …
Title Floods in the Ohio River Valley
Description Heavy rain and snow had swollen the rivers of Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, pushing many past flood stage during the first two weeks of January 2005. The flooding occurred after several days of rain and snow fell on the already saturated ground of the U.S. Midwest. Since the water could not be absorbed into the soaked ground, it ran off as flood water. The storms were followed by warm temperatures, which melted the snow and produced further flooding. By January 17, some of the flooding had started to recede, but large tracts of land along the Ohio and Wabash Rivers were still under water. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the flooded rivers on January 17. The Ohio and Wabash Rivers are the most noticeably flooded, but many other rivers are also much larger than they were on November 25, 2004. On November 25, the Wabash River measured less than 3 pixels across in the 500-meter-resolution MODIS image (the large image provided above). On January 17, the river spanned 18 pixels at its widest point, increasing its width from approximately 1.5 kilometers to 9 kilometers. The Ohio River similarly grew to a width of 13.5 kilometers in the top image. Floods along the Ohio are not unusual, but the timing of this flood was. The Ohio River and its tributaries often flood in the spring when winter's snow melts and runs into regional rivers. This flood, however, occurred in the middle of the winter, which is unusual. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3 ].
Floods in the Southern and M …
Title Floods in the Southern and Midwestern United States
Description At the point where Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana meet, the Wabash River flows into the Ohio River, which in turn will eventually feed the Mississippi River. The two rivers are susceptible to flooding in the winter and spring, and by the end of January 2007, the confluence of the Wabash and the Ohio bulged with water. The floods came after a series of winter storms pummeled the Midwest United States in mid-January. The effect of the storms on the rivers is clear from this pair of false-color images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The images are made with a combination and infrared and visible light, which makes water much more visible than it would be in a photo-like image. In this combination of wavelengths, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, sparsely vegetated or bare ground is tan-pink, and burned ground is red-brown. Icy clouds are light blue, while water clouds are white. The top image was take on January 23, 2007, shortly after the storm clouds cleared. Compared to the lower image, which was taken on January 2, the Wabash, Ohio, and Little Wabash Rivers are all swollen. By January 25, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007025 ] the floods appeared to be receding. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007025 ] of the Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the Southern and M …
Title Floods in the Southern and Midwestern United States
Description At the point where Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana meet, the Wabash River flows into the Ohio River, which in turn will eventually feed the Mississippi River. The two rivers are susceptible to flooding in the winter and spring, and by the end of January 2007, the confluence of the Wabash and the Ohio bulged with water. The floods came after a series of winter storms pummeled the Midwest United States in mid-January. The effect of the storms on the rivers is clear from this pair of false-color images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The images are made with a combination and infrared and visible light, which makes water much more visible than it would be in a photo-like image. In this combination of wavelengths, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, sparsely vegetated or bare ground is tan-pink, and burned ground is red-brown. Icy clouds are light blue, while water clouds are white. The top image was take on January 23, 2007, shortly after the storm clouds cleared. Compared to the lower image, which was taken on January 2, the Wabash, Ohio, and Little Wabash Rivers are all swollen. By January 25, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007025 ] the floods appeared to be receding. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007025 ] of the Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Title Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Description *Floods in the U.S. Midwest* Heavy rain and snow on January 4 and 5, 2004, have left swollen rivers throughout the U.S. Midwest. Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky are shown in these false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images where water is black, vegetation is green, and clouds are white and peach. In the top image, taken on January 7, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, the Ohio, Wabash, and White Rivers are noticeably wider compared to an image acquired just one week earlier. The Ohio and the Wabash Rivers form a ?v? in the center of the image, with the Ohio River on the south. Near the top of the image, the White River branches off of the Wabash River. Other area rivers also appear to be fuller. The states affected by the floods include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. According to news reports, the flood waters are covering mostly farmland, though houses and roads were also flooded. Cold temperatures followed the storm, making clean-up difficult. The high-resolution images provided above have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Title Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Description *Floods in the U.S. Midwest* Heavy rain and snow on January 4 and 5, 2004, have left swollen rivers throughout the U.S. Midwest. Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky are shown in these false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images where water is black, vegetation is green, and clouds are white and peach. In the top image, taken on January 7, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, the Ohio, Wabash, and White Rivers are noticeably wider compared to an image acquired just one week earlier. The Ohio and the Wabash Rivers form a ?v? in the center of the image, with the Ohio River on the south. Near the top of the image, the White River branches off of the Wabash River. Other area rivers also appear to be fuller. The states affected by the floods include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. According to news reports, the flood waters are covering mostly farmland, though houses and roads were also flooded. Cold temperatures followed the storm, making clean-up difficult. The high-resolution images provided above have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Title Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Description *Floods in the U.S. Midwest* Heavy rain and snow on January 4 and 5, 2004, have left swollen rivers throughout the U.S. Midwest. Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky are shown in these false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images where water is black, vegetation is green, and clouds are white and peach. In the top image, taken on January 7, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, the Ohio, Wabash, and White Rivers are noticeably wider compared to an image acquired just one week earlier. The Ohio and the Wabash Rivers form a ?v? in the center of the image, with the Ohio River on the south. Near the top of the image, the White River branches off of the Wabash River. Other area rivers also appear to be fuller. The states affected by the floods include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. According to news reports, the flood waters are covering mostly farmland, though houses and roads were also flooded. Cold temperatures followed the storm, making clean-up difficult. The high-resolution images provided above have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Deadly Tornado Rips Across I …
Title Deadly Tornado Rips Across Indiana and Kentucky
Description A large tornado cut a 66-kilometer (41-mile) swath of destruction across southern Indiana and northwestern Kentucky in the early morning hours of November 6, 2005. The tornado killed 23 and left at least 200 injured. Ranked a strong F2 or weak F3 on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale [ http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html ], the storm destroyed more than 100 buildings and homes as it tore across the two states with winds estimated at 320 kilometers per hour (200 miles per hour) at about 2 a.m. Central Standard Time. Four days later, on November 10, 2005, the Landsat 5 satellite captured this image of the storm-hit section of Indiana and Kentucky. A pale, interrupted stripe across the image—like someone dragged an eraser across the scene—shows the track the tornado made as it moved from southwest to northeast along the outskirts of Evansville, Indiana. The tornado's track begins on the northern banks of the Ohio River on the lower left side of the image. It sliced across Ellis Park, the oval-shaped Churchill Downs horse-racing track, killing at least three horses stabled in the track's barns, the Associated Press reported. The tornado then moved northeast across open fields into the neighborhoods southeast of downtown Evansville. Populated areas are cement white, black, and brown. Here, the contrast between the still-standing structures and the white swath of destruction becomes greater, making the tornado track easier to follow. Every year, some 1,000 tornadoes strike the United States, though their toll has decreased as weather forecasts and warning systems have improved. The November 6 tornado was the deadliest to date in 2005. To learn more about tornado safety, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/1925/gi_body.php#TORNADO%20SAFETY%20INFORMATION ] web site. The National Weather Service's Weather Forecast Office [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=evansvilletornado-nov.6,2005 ] also provides an analysis of the November 6 tornado, including photos. Image courtesy the NASA Landsat Project Science Office and USGS EROS
MODIS Image Shows Below-Aver …
Title MODIS Image Shows Below-Average Snow Cover in North America
Description The winter of 1999/2000 brought relatively little snow cover to the North American continent. This MODIS eight-day composite map shows the maximum snow cover in North America during the period from March 5-12. When compared to the snow extent during average years, it is apparent that there was significantly less area covered by snow this year for each month from November through April. In this image, the areas covered by snow are colored white, the non-snow covered land surface is colored green, those regions obstructed by clouds appear as grey, and water is blue. The red line represents the "average" March snow line, and the yellow line represents the "average" February snow line, as determined from NOAA/NESDIS snow maps (1966-present). Note that the snow line in March of 2000 is considerably farther north than the average February or March snow lines. By February, scientists reported that water levels in the Great Lakes--the world's largest inland bodies of fresh water--were much lower than normal. Lakes Michigan and Huron were 18 inches below average, and Lakes Superior and Erie were 9 inches below average. From 30 to 40 percent of these lakes' annual water supply comes from melting snow, the lack of which is contributing to the lower water levels. A concern is that the paltry snowpacks of this past winter, combined with high evaporative rates this coming summer, could result in the lowest lake levels on record. By the time these data were acquired, the snow line had retreated into southern Canada, but in the continental U.S., the Rocky Mountains, Cascades, Coast Range, and Sierra Nevada were still covered by snow, as were other isolated areas in the western states. Additionally, there was a band of snow spanning parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. This band of snow was quite short-lived, lasting only a day or so, but was captured by MODIS because of its frequent coverage. The smaller extent and earlier northward retreat of the snow cover during this past winter has led to an earlier drying of the soils in many areas, which has contributed to the large number of wildfires so far this year. MODIS flies aboard the Terra spacecraft, launched in December 1999. The sensor first opened its doors and began acquiring data on Feb. 24, 2000. The MODIS sensor and Terra mission are managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Image data courtesy Dorothy Hall, Nick DiGirolamo, George Riggs, and Janet Chien - MODIS Land Science Team
Snowstorm in the American Mi …
Title Snowstorm in the American Midwest
Description The vernal equinox marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. But after a record-setting warm winter, the start of spring 2006 came with an ironic twist: a powerful snowstorm that blanketed most of the American Midwest in heavy snow. According to the Associated Press, snow fell as rapidly as two inches an hour in Illinois and Indiana, while in parts of Nebraska, total accumulations were as much as two feet (roughly 60 centimeters) of snow, closing sections of Interstate 80. In Colorado and Kansas, the same snow system also forced closings along Interstate 70 on March 20. The AP was also reporting that at least five deaths had been attributed to the snow in Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed the wake behind the storm at 12:55 p.m. Mountain Time (19:45 UTC) on March 21, 2006. In this false-color image, clouds appear white, snow and ice appear blue, and land colors vary from reddish tans to greens in areas of lesser or greater vegetation. While a thin layer of cloud covers much of the area where the heaviest snow fell the previous day, the long, wide swath of blue, occasionally visible through the thin cloud cover, shows the path of the snowstorm. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Snowstorm in the American Mi …
Title Snowstorm in the American Midwest
Description In the Upper Midwest and the Ohio Valley, a major winter snow storm heralded the arrival of spring in the United States. When the storm clouds cleared over the area southwest of Lake Michigan on March 22, 2006, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the swath of snow across the region. Two swaths of snow are visible in the image. One cuts across the top left corner, northeastward through Minnesota into Wisconsin. The second swath passes southeastward, through Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. At upper right, Michigan is hidden by lingering clouds. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides images of the area at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2006081/USA3.2006081.aqua ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Flooding along the Mississip …
Title Flooding along the Mississippi
Description *large images:*  April 25, 2002 (1.8 MB JPEG)  May 18, 2002 (2.3 MB JPEG) Over the past two weeks, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. These false-color images show the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worse. The images compare April 25, 2002, to May 18, 2002, with data from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In these false-color images, green shows bare land surface and black is water. The orange-brown shades show vegetated areas and the pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding along the Mississip …
Title Flooding along the Mississippi
Description *large images:*  April 25, 2002 (1.8 MB JPEG)  May 18, 2002 (2.3 MB JPEG) Over the past two weeks, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. These false-color images show the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worse. The images compare April 25, 2002, to May 18, 2002, with data from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In these false-color images, green shows bare land surface and black is water. The orange-brown shades show vegetated areas and the pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding along the Mississip …
Title Flooding along the Mississippi
Description *large images:*  April 25, 2002 (1.8 MB JPEG)  May 18, 2002 (2.3 MB JPEG) Over the past two weeks, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. These false-color images show the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worse. The images compare April 25, 2002, to May 18, 2002, with data from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In these false-color images, green shows bare land surface and black is water. The orange-brown shades show vegetated areas and the pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding on the Ohio and Mis …
Title Flooding on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Description In mid-May 2002, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. This false-color image shows the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worst. The image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In this false-color image, green shows land surface and black is water. The pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding on the Ohio and Mis …
Title Flooding on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Description In mid-May 2002, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. This false-color image shows the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worst. The image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In this false-color image, green shows land surface and black is water. The pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding on the Ohio and Mis …
Title Flooding on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Description In mid-May 2002, heavy rains gave rise to floods all across the midwestern United States, killing 8 people and forcing many more from their homes. This false-color image shows the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River where the flooding was at its worst. The image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. The Mississippi River rose up to 12 feet above flood stage in the area shown here. Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, which are west of the great river, felt the brunt of the floods. Altogether, more than 50 counties in the state of Missouri reported flood damage. Farther north in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan declared the entire state a natural disaster area. Severe floods also occurred to the east in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Normally, all the rivers in this image would resemble thin black lines (left image). Though skies in the region are clear now, thunderstorms are forecast for later this week, and heavy rains could lead to continued flooding. In this false-color image, green shows land surface and black is water. The pinkish-white patches are clouds. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Globular Cluster M3 from WIY …
Title Globular Cluster M3 from WIYN
Explanation This huge ball of stars predates our Sun. Long before humankind evolved, before dinosaurs roamed [ http://www.dinosaur.org/timeline.htm ], and even before our Earth existed, ancient globs of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ]. Of the 200 [ http://www.faqs.org/faqs/astronomy/faq/part8/section-5.html ] or so globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ] that survive today, M3 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m003.html ] is one of the largest and brightest, easily visible in the Northern hemisphere with binoculars. M3 [ http://www.astroimages.org/ccd/m3.html ] contains about half a million stars, most of which are old and red. Light takes about 35,000 years to reach us from M3 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_Cluster_M3 ], which spans about 150 light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ]. The above picture [ http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0838.html ] is a composite of blue and red images.
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Title M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Explanation The first hint of what will become of our Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/biograph.html ] was compiling a list of "annoying" diffuse objects not to be confused with "interesting" comets. The 27th object on Messier's list [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960626.html ], now known as M27 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m027.html ] or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/planetary_nebulae.html ], the type of nebula our Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html ] will produce when nuclear fusion [ http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/ ] stops in its core. M27 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981009.html ] is one of the brightest planetary nebulae [ http://www.seds.org/messier/planetar.html ] on the sky, and can be seen in the constellation [ http://www.att.virtualclassroom.org/vc99/vc_04/cons_stars/cons/hist_cons.html ] Vulpecula [ http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/vul.html ] with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, shown above [ http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0589.html ] in representative colors. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/twn/n6853x.html ] was well beyond 18th century science. Even today, many things remain mysterious about bipolar planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001217.html ] like M27, including the physical mechanism that expels a low-mass star's gaseous outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray [ http://www.treasure-troves.com/physics/X-Ray.html ] hot white dwarf [ http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Physics/Stars/p01158c.html ].
IC 4603: Reflection Nebula i …
Title IC 4603: Reflection Nebula in Ophiuchius
Explanation Why does this starfield photograph resemble an impressionistic painting [ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/ ]? The effect is created not by digital trickery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] but by large amounts of interstellar dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ]. Dust, minute globs rich in carbon [ http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/carbon/carbon1.html ] and similar in size [ http://www.lakeair.com/particle.html ] to cigarette smoke [ http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/smoke.html ], frequently starts in the outer atmospheres of large, cool, young stars. The dust [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Li/Li_contents.html ] is dispersed as the star dies and grows as things stick to it in the interstellar medium [ http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/ism/intro.html ]. Dense dust clouds are opaque [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] to visible light [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] and can completely hide background stars. For less dense clouds, the capacity of dust to preferentially reflect blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] starlight becomes important, effectively blooming the stars blue light out and marking the surrounding dust. Nebular gas emissions, typically brightest in red light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], can combine to form areas seemingly created on an artist's canvas. Photographed above [ http://ryutao.main.jp/english/stl_ant.html ] is roughly four square degrees of the nebula IC 4603 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060714.html ] near the bright star Antares [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares ] toward the constellation [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation ] of Ophiuchus [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ophiuchus.html ].
Globular Cluster M15
Title Globular Cluster M15
Explanation Stars, like bees, swarm around the center of bright globular cluster M15. This ball of over 100,000 stars [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level2/stars.html ] is a relic from the early years [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980719.html ] of our Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ], and continues to orbit the Milky Way's center [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010708.html ]. M15 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m015.html ], one of about 150 globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ] remaining, is noted for being easily visible with only binoculars [ http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html ], having at its center one of the densest concentrations of stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000804.html ] known, and containing a high abundance of unusual variable stars [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/variables/top12var.html ] and pulsars [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/pulsars.html ]. The above image [ http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0033.html ], taken in ultraviolet light [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html ] with the WIYN Telescope [ http://www.noao.edu/wiyn/ ], spans about 120 light years and shows the gradual increase in stars toward the cluster's center. M15 [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/gifimages/m15r.html ] lies about 35,000 light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] away toward the constellation [ http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/exhibits/constellations/ ] of Pegasus [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Pegasus.html ]. Recent evidence [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011210.html http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1998AJ....115..708D ] indicates that a massive black hole [ http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/BlackHoles.html ] might reside as the center of M15 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980117.html ].
The Sun's Heliosphere & Heli …
Title The Sun's Heliosphere & Heliopause
Explanation Where does the Sun's influence end? Nobody is sure. Out past the orbits of Neptune [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/neptune.html ] and Pluto [ http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html ] extends a region named the heliosphere [ http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/heliosph.htm ] where the Sun's magnetic field [ http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/the_key.htm ] and particles from the Solar Wind [ http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/sun_wind.htm ] continue to dominate. The surface where the Solar Wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html ] drops below sound speed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010221.html ] is called the termination shock [ http://web.mit.edu/space/www/voyager/voyager_science/helio.review/axford.suess.html#Distance ] and is depicted as the inner oval in the above computer-generated illustration [ http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~soljourn/ ]. It is thought that this surface occurs as close as 75-90 AU [ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/glossary/au.html ] -- so close that a Pioneer [ http://spaceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/pioneer/PNhome.html ] or Voyager [ http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft may soon glide through [ http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/ace/recentpub/JGR_96/pap_preprint.html ] it as they exit the Solar System [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020214.html ] at about 3 AU/year. The actual contact sheet between the Sun's ions [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wplasma.html ] and the Galaxy's ions is called the heliopause [ http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/plasma-wave/voyager/heliopr.html ] and is thought to occur at about 110 AU. It is depicted above as the middle surface. The Sun's heliopause [ http://web.mit.edu/space/www/voyager/voyager_science/helio.review/axford.suess.html ] moves through the local interstellar medium [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html ] much as a boat moves on water, pushing a bow shock [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001017.html ] out in front, thought to occur near 230 AU.
International Space Station …
Title International Space Station in Transit
Explanation A stunning telescopic image of the International Space Station [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html ] crossing in front of an eight day old Moon, this picture was captured on April 11th. But while Wednesday's leisurely transit of Mercury [ http://www.xs4all.nl/~carlkop/mercurius/transit.html ] across the Sun entertained observers all over the dayside [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030424.html ] of planet Earth, the audience for this lunar transit was more restricted. Like other satellites [ http://heavens-above.com/ ] in low Earth orbit, the space station moves quickly [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001214.html ] through the sky. Glinting in the sunlight [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020426.html ] near sunset and sunrise, its path strongly depends on the observer's longitude and latitude. So, well-placed astronomer Tom Laskowski tracked the orbiting space station from a site near South Bend, Indiana, USA and recorded a digital movie [ http://members.aol.com/mrtsp91/iss.htm ] of the fleeting, dramatic event. This single frame from the movie has been enhanced to bring out detail in the space station [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/vrml/station/ ]. Seen below the lunar terminator at the lower left, the International Space Station appears here at a distance of just over 400 kilometers, with the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010218.html ] nearly 400,000 kilometers away.
IC 4603: Reflection Nebula i …
Title IC 4603: Reflection Nebula in Ophiuchius
Explanation Why does this starfield photograph resemble an impressionistic painting [ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/ ]? The effect is created not by digital trickery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] but by large amounts of interstellar dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ]. Dust, minute globs rich in carbon [ http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/carbon/carbon1.html ] and similar in size [ http://www.lakeair.com/particle.html ] to cigarette smoke [ http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/smoke.html ], frequently starts in the outer atmospheres of large, cool, young stars. The dust [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Li/Li_contents.html ] is dispersed as the star dies and grows as things stick to it in the interstellar medium [ http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/tof/Outreach/Interstellar/index.html?what1.html ]. Dense dust clouds are opaque [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030202.html ] to visible light [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] and can completely hide background stars. For less dense clouds, the capacity of dust to preferentially reflect blue [ http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org/why-is-the-sky-blue.html ] starlight becomes important, effectively blooming the stars blue light out and marking the surrounding dust. Nebular gas emissions, typically brightest in red light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], can combine to form areas seemingly created on an artist's canvas. Photographed above [ http://home.earthlink.net/~gstevens916/pic4603.htm ] is roughly one square degree of the nebula IC 4603 [ http://www.psiaz.com/Schur/astro/filmimagepages/rho.html ] near the bright star Antares [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html ] toward the constellation [ http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/exhibits/constellations/timeline.html ] of Ophiuchus [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ophiuchus.html ].
1 2
1-50 of 99