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Seeing Stars in Serpens
| Title |
Seeing Stars in Serpens |
| Description |
Infant stars are glowing gloriously in this infrared image of the Serpens star-forming region, captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The reddish-pink dots are baby stars deeply embedded in the cosmic cloud of gas and dust that collapsed to create it. A dusty disk of cosmic debris, or "protoplanetary disk," that may eventually form planets, surrounds the infant stars. Wisps of green throughout the image indicate the presence of carbon rich molecules called, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). On Earth, PAHs can be found on charred barbecue grills and in automobile exhaust. Blue specks sprinkled throughout the image are background stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. The Serpens star-forming region is located approximately 848 light-years away in the Serpens constellation. The image is a three-channel false-color composite, where emission at 4.5 microns is blue, emission at 8.0 microns is green, and 24 micron emission is red. |
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NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds of Young Galaxies in Early Universe |
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NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds of Young Galaxies in Early Universe |
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NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds of Young Galaxies in Early Universe |
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NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Finds Hundreds of Young Galaxies in Early Universe |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Hubble Approaches the Final
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| Title |
Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies |
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Magellanic Gemstones in the
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| Title |
Magellanic Gemstones in the Southern Sky |
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Nitrogen Dioxide concentrati
…
| Title |
Nitrogen Dioxide concentration over China from September 24, 2004, to November 7, 2004 |
| Abstract |
Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a traffic-related pollutant. Emmisions are generally highest in urban rather than rural areas. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in urban areas are generally in the range 10-45 ppb, and lower in rural areas. Levels vary significantly throughout the day, with peaks generally occurring twice daily as a consequence of rush hour traffic. Concentrations can be as high as 200 ppb. Particulate matter is very fine and can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung disease. Further, the problem is not necessarily concentrated in the inner cities. Because many major road / motorway interchange complexes are situated in semi-rural areas, under conditions of near-stationary traffic, a rapid build-up of engine exhaust pollution can occur, which if the low-level atmospheric conditions are correct, will not be dispersed. |
| Completed |
2004-12-02 |
|
Nitrogen Dioxide concentrati
…
| Title |
Nitrogen Dioxide concentration over China from September 24, 2004, to November 7, 2004 |
| Abstract |
Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a traffic-related pollutant. Emmisions are generally highest in urban rather than rural areas. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in urban areas are generally in the range 10-45 ppb, and lower in rural areas. Levels vary significantly throughout the day, with peaks generally occurring twice daily as a consequence of rush hour traffic. Concentrations can be as high as 200 ppb. Particulate matter is very fine and can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung disease. Further, the problem is not necessarily concentrated in the inner cities. Because many major road / motorway interchange complexes are situated in semi-rural areas, under conditions of near-stationary traffic, a rapid build-up of engine exhaust pollution can occur, which if the low-level atmospheric conditions are correct, will not be dispersed. |
| Completed |
2004-12-02 |
|
Biomass Burning over South A
…
| Title |
Biomass Burning over South America |
| Abstract |
Biomass burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation. It includes the human-initiated burning of vegetation for land clearing and land-use change as well as natural, lightning-induced fires. Scientists estimate that humans are responsible for about 90% of biomass burning with only a small percentage of natural fires contributing to the total amount of vegetation burned. Burning vegetation releases large amounts of particulates (solid carbon combustion particles) and gases, including greenhouse gases that help warm the Earth. Studies suggest that biomass burning has increased on a global scale over the last 100 years, and computer calculations indicate that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires. Biomass burning particulates impact climate and can also affect human health when they are inhaled, causing respiratory problems. Here are three images of South America on October 7, 2004. The first image shows clouds and fires on that day. The second image is clouds and nitrous dioxide (NO2) concentations in the stratosphere. The last image overlays the fires on the NO2 data. |
| Completed |
2004-12-09 |
|
Biomass Burning over South A
…
| Title |
Biomass Burning over South America |
| Abstract |
Biomass burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation. It includes the human-initiated burning of vegetation for land clearing and land-use change as well as natural, lightning-induced fires. Scientists estimate that humans are responsible for about 90% of biomass burning with only a small percentage of natural fires contributing to the total amount of vegetation burned. Burning vegetation releases large amounts of particulates (solid carbon combustion particles) and gases, including greenhouse gases that help warm the Earth. Studies suggest that biomass burning has increased on a global scale over the last 100 years, and computer calculations indicate that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires. Biomass burning particulates impact climate and can also affect human health when they are inhaled, causing respiratory problems. Here are three images of South America on October 7, 2004. The first image shows clouds and fires on that day. The second image is clouds and nitrous dioxide (NO2) concentations in the stratosphere. The last image overlays the fires on the NO2 data. |
| Completed |
2004-12-09 |
|
Biomass Burning over South A
…
| Title |
Biomass Burning over South America |
| Abstract |
Biomass burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation. It includes the human-initiated burning of vegetation for land clearing and land-use change as well as natural, lightning-induced fires. Scientists estimate that humans are responsible for about 90% of biomass burning with only a small percentage of natural fires contributing to the total amount of vegetation burned. Burning vegetation releases large amounts of particulates (solid carbon combustion particles) and gases, including greenhouse gases that help warm the Earth. Studies suggest that biomass burning has increased on a global scale over the last 100 years, and computer calculations indicate that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires. Biomass burning particulates impact climate and can also affect human health when they are inhaled, causing respiratory problems. Here are three images of South America on October 7, 2004. The first image shows clouds and fires on that day. The second image is clouds and nitrous dioxide (NO2) concentations in the stratosphere. The last image overlays the fires on the NO2 data. |
| Completed |
2004-12-09 |
|
NO2 concentration over the U
…
| Title |
NO2 concentration over the United States from September 24, 2004, through November 7, 2004 |
| Abstract |
Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a traffic-related pollutant. Emmisions are generally highest in urban rather than rural areas. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in urban areas are generally in the range 10-45 ppb, and lower in rural areas. Levels vary significantly throughout the day, with peaks generally occurring twice daily as a consequence of rush hour traffic. Concentrations can be as high as 200 ppb. Particulate matter is very fine and can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung disease. Further, the problem is not necessarily concentrated in the inner cities. Because many major road / motorway interchange complexes are situated in semi-rural areas, under conditions of near-stationary traffic, a rapid build-up of engine exhaust pollution can occur, which if the low-level atmospheric conditions are correct, will not be dispersed. |
| Completed |
2004-12-02 |
|
New Measurements of Arctic O
…
| Title |
New Measurements of Arctic Ozone |
| Description |
The winter of 2004-2005 saw the second highest chemical ozone destruction ever observed over the Arctic. Polar ozone is destoyed when chlorine, cold temperatures, and sunlight mix in the atmosphere 8-50 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Since ozone shields the Earth from ultraviolet light, the high-energy light that causes sunburns and is associated with skin cancers, low ozone levels could threaten human health. Ultraviolet levels remained near normal through the winter, however, because unusual weather conditions brought ozone from the Earth's ozone-rich mid-latitudes to the pole to fill in the gaps left by the extreme ozone depletion. These images show the fluctuations in ozone during the Arctic winter of 2005. The top two images show the average total column ozone over the Arctic during the months of January and March, 2005, and the lower image shows total column ozone on a single day, March 11, 2005. The images are based on data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument [ http://www.knmi.nl/omi/publ-en/news/index.html ] (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. During this time period, the Microwave Limb Sounder, another instrument on the Aura satellite, measured 50 percent ozone loss, the second-highest level ever observed behind the 60 percent loss measured in 1999-2000. Despite this, the lowest total column ozone values in polar regions are slightly higher in March than in January, on average, as evidenced by the broad splashes of red that represent high ozone levels. Stratospheric winds carried the ozone north into the Arctic, compensating for the significant chemical loss, so that no blue or purple holes representing low ozone levels appear in the March image. Black circles over the North pole show where OMI did not collect data. On a single day, March 11, 2005, ozone was distributed far more unevenly, with dark red, almost black areas of high ozone over the Aleutian Islands, Asia, and Europe, and a pale blue thin spot over Iceland and Greenland. This reveals that even though ozone values appeared to be near normal on average throughout March, some regions experienced much lower ozone levels—and therefore, a greater exposure to UV light—on an individual day. For more information and images, see "NASA Spacecraft Measures Unusual 2005 Arctic Ozone Conditions" [ http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/aura-060205.html ] on the NASA portal. Image courtesy NASA/JPL/Agency for Aerospace Programs (Netherlands)/Finnish Meteorological Institute |
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Sulfur Dioxide Leaks from th
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| Title |
Sulfur Dioxide Leaks from the Ambrym Volcano |
| Description |
) Scientists building computer models of the complicated interactions that make up Earth?s climate need to understand how much sulfur dioxide enters the atmosphere and where it travels. Since most volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions come from passive degassing, OMI will allow scientists to assess the volcanic contribution to atmospheric sulfur dioxide concentrations with unprecedented accuracy. The data should help refine climate models. NASA image and caption information courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). The OMI was added to the Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands? Agency for Aerospace Programs, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and NASA., Sandwiched between Fiji and Australia in the South Pacific, the island nation of Vanuatu hosted the strongest point source of sulfur dioxide on the planet for the first months of 2005. Ambrym Volcano, on the island of the same name, has been steadily emitting sulfur dioxide for at least six months, and this image, produced using data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA?s Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite during the first ten days of March 2005, shows high concentrations of sulfur dioxide drifting northwest from the volcano. Ambrym Volcano is not erupting in the traditional sense with thick ash plumes and explosive bursts of lava, rather it is leaking sulfur dioxide gas from active lava lakes in what scientists call ?passive? or ?non-eruptive? emissions. Despite these gentle names, the leaking volcano still poses a tremendous hazard to the local population. The gas has a strong smell and can irritate the eyes and nose and make breathing difficult. Higher in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide combines with water to create rain laced with sulfuric acid. On Ambrym, acid rain has destroyed staple crops and contaminated the water supply, leaving the communities in need of food aid. Satellites have only been able to monitor sulfur dioxide emissions from large eruptions or the most powerful passive degassing in the past. All other sulfur dioxide emissions remain at low altitudes and have low concentrations, making them hard to see from space. On July 15, 2004, NASA launched its Aura satellite carrying the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). With greater spatial resolution (the ability to ?zoom-in? to see greater detail) and higher sensitivity to sulfur dioxide than any previous space-borne sensor, OMI is allowing scientists to study passive volcanic degassing on a daily basis for the first time. The above image is an example of the instrument?s preliminary, uncalibrated, and unvalidated data. This new view of passive volcanic emissions could lead to significant advances in understanding both volcanic eruptions and the impact of sulfur dioxide on climate. Passive emissions can be a precursor to explosive eruptions, and thus provide a warning signal that the volcano?s activity may be changing. Once in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide creates a bright haze that reflects sunlight back into space. Since less sunlight reaches the Earth, the sulfur dioxide haze has a cooling effect on the climate. (See ?Every Cloud Has a Filthy Lining? [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ShipTracks/ship_tracks.html ] |
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Sulfur Dioxide Leaks from th
…
| Title |
Sulfur Dioxide Leaks from the Ambrym Volcano |
| Description |
) Scientists building computer models of the complicated interactions that make up Earth?s climate need to understand how much sulfur dioxide enters the atmosphere and where it travels. Since most volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions come from passive degassing, OMI will allow scientists to assess the volcanic contribution to atmospheric sulfur dioxide concentrations with unprecedented accuracy. The data should help refine climate models. NASA image and caption information courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). The OMI was added to the Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands? Agency for Aerospace Programs, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and NASA., Sandwiched between Fiji and Australia in the South Pacific, the island nation of Vanuatu hosted the strongest point source of sulfur dioxide on the planet for the first months of 2005. Ambrym Volcano, on the island of the same name, has been steadily emitting sulfur dioxide for at least six months, and this image, produced using data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA?s Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite during the first ten days of March 2005, shows high concentrations of sulfur dioxide drifting northwest from the volcano. Ambrym Volcano is not erupting in the traditional sense with thick ash plumes and explosive bursts of lava, rather it is leaking sulfur dioxide gas from active lava lakes in what scientists call ?passive? or ?non-eruptive? emissions. Despite these gentle names, the leaking volcano still poses a tremendous hazard to the local population. The gas has a strong smell and can irritate the eyes and nose and make breathing difficult. Higher in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide combines with water to create rain laced with sulfuric acid. On Ambrym, acid rain has destroyed staple crops and contaminated the water supply, leaving the communities in need of food aid. Satellites have only been able to monitor sulfur dioxide emissions from large eruptions or the most powerful passive degassing in the past. All other sulfur dioxide emissions remain at low altitudes and have low concentrations, making them hard to see from space. On July 15, 2004, NASA launched its Aura satellite carrying the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). With greater spatial resolution (the ability to ?zoom-in? to see greater detail) and higher sensitivity to sulfur dioxide than any previous space-borne sensor, OMI is allowing scientists to study passive volcanic degassing on a daily basis for the first time. The above image is an example of the instrument?s preliminary, uncalibrated, and unvalidated data. This new view of passive volcanic emissions could lead to significant advances in understanding both volcanic eruptions and the impact of sulfur dioxide on climate. Passive emissions can be a precursor to explosive eruptions, and thus provide a warning signal that the volcano?s activity may be changing. Once in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide creates a bright haze that reflects sunlight back into space. Since less sunlight reaches the Earth, the sulfur dioxide haze has a cooling effect on the climate. (See ?Every Cloud Has a Filthy Lining? [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ShipTracks/ship_tracks.html ] |
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NASA Launches Aura Satellite
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
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Aura_launch
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-07-15 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images and animations of Aura satellite by Jesse Allen and Reto Stöckli, Earth Observatory. Photo of Delta II rocket courtesy Boeing/Thom Baur. |
| identifier |
Aura_launch |
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| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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International Space Station Imagery |
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