If sometimes it appears that the entire Milky Way Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ] is raining down on your head, do not despair. It happens twice a day. As the Sun rises [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030412.html ] in the East, wonders of the night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011229.html ] become less bright than the sunlight scattered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060723.html ] by our own Earth's atmosphere [ http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html ], and so fade from view. They will only rotate [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010110.html ] back into view when the Earth again eclipses our bright Sun at dusk. This battle between heaven and Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html ] was captured dramatically over a rock formation at Capitol Reef National Park [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Reef ] Utah [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ] in 2003 May. Dark dust [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Mathis/Mathis1.html ], millions of stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020918.html ], and bright glowing red gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] highlight the plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990224.html ] of our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000130.html ], which lies on average thousands of light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] behind Earth's mountains [ http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/mountainmm.htm ].
A Dark Sky Over Death Valley
Title
A Dark Sky Over Death Valley
Explanation
This eerie glow over Death Valley is in danger. Scrolling right will show a spectacular view from one of the darkest places [ http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060318/bob10.asp ] left in the continental USA [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]: Death Valley [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_valley ], California [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California ]. The above 360-degree full-sky panorama [ http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/lightscapes/overview.cfm ] is a composite of 30 images taken two years ago in Racetrack Playa [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020410.html ]. The image has been digitally processed and increasingly stretched at high altitudes to make it rectangular. In the foreground on the image right is an unusually placed rock [ http://geosun.sjsu.edu/paula/rtp/dissertation/title.html ] that was pushed by high winds onto Racetrack Playa [ http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftrac1.html ] after a slick rain. In the background is a majestic night sky, featuring thousands of stars and many constellations. The arch across the middle is the central band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050605.html ] of our Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050825.html ] Galaxy. Light pollution [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution ] is threatening dark skies like this all across the US [ http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/lightscapes/howDark.cfm ], and therefore the International Dark-Sky Association [ http://www.darksky.org/ ] and the US National Parks Service [ http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/lightscapes/monitorData/index.cfm ] are suggesting methods [ http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/lightscapes/lighting.cfm ] that can protect [ http://www.darksky.org/resources/links/preserves ] them [ http://www.darksky.org/news/press-2007-04-19.php ].
Star Trails Above Mauna Kea
Title
Star Trails Above Mauna Kea
Explanation
Is there a road to the stars? Possibly there are many, but the physical road pictured above [ http://www.hawaiihighways.com/photos-observatories-roads.htm ] leads up to the top of a dormant volcano that is a premier spot [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050704.html ] on planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050102.html ] for observing stars and astronomical phenomena. At the top of Hawaii [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii ]'s Mauna Kea [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea ] are some of the largest optical telescopes on Earth, including the Keck telescopes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971227.html ], Gemini [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030909.html ], Subaru [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990201.html ], CFHT [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000905.html ], and the IRTF [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960904.html ]. Together, these 10-meter eyes have made many universe-redefining discoveries, including detailing that most of the universe is made not of familiar matter but of mysterious dark matter [ http://astron.berkeley.edu/~mwhite/darkmatter/dm.html ] and dark energy [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy ]. The above picture [ http://www.gemini.edu/index.php?set_albumName=Previous-Featured-Images&id=MKInverTrail&option=com_gallery&Itemid=39&include=view_photo.php ] was compiled from over 150 one-minute exposures from a digital camera [ http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm ]. During that time, the rotation of the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010110.html ] made the stars far in the distance appear to have long star trails [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040911.html ]. The foreground landscape was illuminated by the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020316.html ].
Comet McNaught Over Chile
Title
Comet McNaught Over Chile
Explanation
Comet McNaught was perhaps the most photogenic comet of our time. After making quite a show [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/ apod_search?McNaught ] in the northern hemisphere in early January, the comet moved south and developed a long and unusual dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070122.html ] that dazzled southern hemisphere observers [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070212.html ]. In this image, Comet McNaught was captured one year ago above Chile [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile ]. The bright comet dominates on the left while part of its magnificent tail spreads across the entire picture. From this vantage point in the Andes Mountains, one looks up toward Comet McNaught [ http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught.php ] and a magnificent sky, across at a crescent moon, and down on clouds, atmospheric haze [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haze ], and the city lights of Santiago [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago%2C_Chile ]. Comet McNaught [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught ] has glided into the outer Solar System and is now only visible as a speck in a large telescope. The other spectacular comet of 2007, Comet Holmes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071205.html ], has also faded from easy view.
A Total Solar Eclipse over T
…
Title
A Total Solar Eclipse over Turkey
Explanation
Some views [ http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_29mar06.htm ] of last week's total eclipse [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_eclipse ] of the Sun were better than others. One spectacular view [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060331.html ] occurred over Adrasan (near Antalya [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antalya ]), Turkey [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey ] and was captured there by industrious astrophotographer Stefan Seip. The above digital mosaic [ http://www.photomeeting.de/astromeeting/sun/060329sofi_d1024.htm ] caught the Moon in several stages as it moved between the Earth and the Sun. During the center frame, a total solar eclipse [ http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html ] was visible, the Moon completely blocked the Sun, the area became dark, and the magnificent corona [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010408.html ] of the Sun became visible. The foreground frame from the same location was taken during sunlight. The next total eclipse [ http://mreclipse.com/Special/SEnext.html ] of the Sun will occur in August 2008 and be visible from parts of North America [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/reference_maps/north_america.html ], Europe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ], and Asia [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia ].
Eclipsed Moon Montage
Title
Eclipsed Moon Montage
Explanation
After watching this month's lunar eclipse, amateur astronomer Sebastien Gauthier carefully composed [ http://astrosurf.com/alphaweb/ 15mai2003/index.html ] this montage of telescopic images of the Moon sliding [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030515.html ] through planet Earth's shadow. While the deepest part of the total eclipse corresponds to the central exposure, the play of light across the lunar surface [ http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us/pubserv/hos/moon/cover.htm ] nicely demonstrates that the planet's shadow is not uniformly dark as it extends into space. In fact, lunar maria and montes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001228.html ] are still visible in the dimmed, reddened sunlight scattered into the cone-shaped shadow [ http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html ] region, or umbra, by Earth's atmosphere. For this eclipse, the Moon's trajectory [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/eclipses/ article_923_1.asp ] took it North of the umbra's darker core, seen here cast over the Moon's cratered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010809.html ] southern highlands. Gauthier's telescope and camera equipment were set up near the Trois-Rivieres College Champlain Observatory [ http://www.observatoire.qc.ca/ ] in Quebec, Canada.
Moon Mare and Montes
Title
Moon Mare and Montes
Explanation
This arresting [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991108.html ] image of the third quarter moon in the excellent skies above the Pine Crest Farm Observatory, Dell Prairie, Wisconsin, was recorded [ http://www.scancam.com/ ] with a 24 inch telescope and digital camera on October 19. Marvelously detailed [ http://www.seds.org/billa/psc/lunam.html ], especially along the terminator or shadow line between lunar night [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960919.html ] and day, this cropped version of the full mosaicked image shows the cratered north polar region (top) and the broad smooth Mare Imbrium [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/planet_volcano/lunar/ mare/mlm.html ]. Notable at the northern edge [ http://www.arval.org.ve/MoonMapen.htm ] of the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) is the 95 kilometer wide dark crater Plato, while the dramatic straight "cut" to the right of Plato, (toward the terminator) is the Vallis Alpes (Alpine Valley). The long, graceful arc of the lunar [ http://www.tiac.net/users/richarde/ ] Montes Apenninus (Apennine Mountains) in the lower portion of the image sweeps southward along the boundary of the mare toward the left and ends near the bright ray crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001216.html ] Copernicus [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/orbiter/ orbiter-craters.html#COPER ] at the picture's edge. In 1971, Apollo 15 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15j.html ] landed near the gap beyond the opposite (northern) end of the Montes Apenninus arc.
Mars at the Moon's Edge
Title
Mars at the Moon's Edge
Explanation
What was that bright "star" near the Moon last week? Mars [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/extreme/ ] of course, as the Red Planet wandered near the waning gibbous Moon [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/ moon_phases.html ] early last Thursday morning, passing behind the lunar orb when viewed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030716.html ] from some locations in South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida. The Clay Center Observatory expedition to Bonita Springs, Florida produced this evocative picture of Mars grazing [ http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/2003marsgraze/ mars.htm ] the Moon's dark edge by digitally stacking and processing a series of telescopic images of the event. With the cratered Moon in the foreground [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020130.html ], the bright planet Mars seems [ http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/sf_radio/ wow.html ] alarmingly [ http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/warworlds/ warw.html ] close, its global scale features and white south polar cap easily visible. Already impressive, the apparent size of the martian disk will continue to grow in the coming weeks, until, on August 27, Mars reaches [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/ planets/article_970_1.asp ] its closest approach to planet Earth in over 50,000 years.
ISS and Discovery Transit th
…
Title
ISS and Discovery Transit the Sun
Explanation
That large sunspot [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031025.html ] near the right edge of the Sun is actually not a sunspot at all. It's the International Space Station (ISS [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/ index.html ]) and the Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020126.html ] on mission STS-114 [ http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html ]. In the past, many skygazers [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ ] have spotted the space station and space shuttles as bright stars gliding [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001214.html ] through twilight skies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020426.html ], still glinting [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010807.html ] in the sunlight while orbiting 200 kilometers or so above the Earth's surface. But here, astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis took advantage of a rarer opportunity to record the spacefaring combination [ http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Sat-Trans-2005-07-28.htm ] moving quickly in silhouette across the solar disk. He snapped the picture on Thursday, July 28th from Athens, Greece. Launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050727.html ] on Tuesday, Discovery joined with [ http://www.aaw-darmstadt.de/sts-114.htm ] the ISS [ http://www.syrma.net/trabajos/fotos/20050518/transitoISS/ index.html ] Thursday, making the already large space station seem to loom even larger [ http://www.astromeeting.de/satellites/050714ISSb1024.htm ].
Equinox and Eruptive Promine
…
Title
Equinox and Eruptive Prominence
Explanation
Today, the Sun crosses the celestial equator [ http://www.bc.cc.ca.us/programs/sea/astronomy/nakedeye/nakedeya.htm ] and seasons change [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sseason.htm ] from Summer to Fall in the north and Winter to Spring in the southern hemisphere. Defined by the Sun's position in sky the event is known as an equinox - the length of daylight [ http://www.nsta.org/programs/sst/aws/unit2.htm ] is equal to [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960922.html ] the length of night. Just last week the active Sun [ http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/ ] produced the dramatic eruptive prominence [ http://www-solar.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~alan/sun_course/ Introduction/Prominences.html ] seen in this extreme ultraviolet [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/quiz_l2/ emspectrum_quiz.html ] picture from the space-based SOHO observatory [ http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/explore/ ]. The hot plasma is lofted above the solar surface by twisting magnetic fields [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sun3mag.htm ]. How big is the prominence? Click on the image to view the larger full-sun picture. At the same scale, planet Earth [ http://kids.mtpe.hq.nasa.gov/ ] would likely still appear smaller than your cursor.
Mars and Acidalia
Title
Mars and Acidalia
Full Description
Taking advantage of Mars's closest approach to Earth in eight years, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have taken the space- based observatory's sharpest views yet of the Red Planet. The telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 snapped these images between April 27 and May 6, when Mars was 54 million miles (87 million kilometers) from Earth. From this distance the telescope could see Martian features as small as 12 miles (19 kilometers) wide. The telescope obtained four images, which, together, show the entire planet. Each view depicts the planet as it completes one quarter of its daily rotation. In these views the north polar cap is tilted toward the Earth and is visible prominently at the top of each picture. The images were taken in the middle of the Martian northern summer, when the polar cap had shrunk to its smallest size. During this season the Sun shines continuously on the polar cap. Previous telescopic and spacecraft observations have shown that this summertime "residual" polar cap is composed of water ice, just like Earth's polar caps. These Hubble telescope snapshots reveal that substantial changes in the bright and dark markings on Mars have occurred in the 20 years since the NASA Viking spacecraft missions first mapped the planet. The Martian surface is dynamic and ever changing. Some regions that were dark 20 years ago are now bright red, some areas that were bright red are now dark. Winds move sand and dust from region to region, often in spectacular dust storms. Over long timescales many of the larger bright and dark markings remain stable, but smaller details come and go as they are covered and then uncovered by sand and dust. This image is centered near the location of the Pathfinder landing site. Dark sand dunes that surround the polar cap merge into a large, dark region called Acidalia. This area, as shown by images from the Hubble telescope and other spacecraft, is composed of dark, sand-sized grains of pulverized volcanic rock. Below and to the left of Acidalia are the massive Martian canyon systems of Valles Marineris, some of which form long linear markings that were once thought by some to be canals. Early morning clouds can be seen along the left limb of the planet, and a large cyclonic storm composed of water ice is churning near the polar cap.
Date
06/30/1999
NASA Center
Hubble Space Telescope Center
Io in Front of Jupiter
Jupiter's four largest satel
…
12/20/00
Date
12/20/00
Description
Jupiter's four largest satellites, including Io, the golden ornament in front of Jupiter in this image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, have fascinated Earthlings ever since Galileo Galilei discovered them in 1610 in one of his first astronomical uses of the telescope. Images from Cassini that will be released over the next several days capture each of the four Galilean satellites in their orbits around the giant planet. This true-color composite frame, made from narrow angle images taken on Dec. 12, 2000, captures Io and its shadow in transit against the disk of Jupiter. The distance of the spacecraft from Jupiter was 19.5 million kilometers (12.1 million miles). The image scale is 117 kilometers (73 miles) per pixel. The entire body of Io, about the size of Earth's Moon, is periodically flexed as it speeds around Jupiter and feels, as a result of its non-circular orbit, the periodically changing gravitational pull of the planet. The heat arising in Io's interior from this continual flexure makes it the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with more than 100 active volcanoes. The white and reddish colors on its surface are due to the presence of different sulfurous materials. The black areas are silicate rocks. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #
A Change of Seasons on Satur
…
Title
A Change of Seasons on Saturn
General Information
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
M45: The Pleiades Star Clust
…
Title
M45: The Pleiades Star Cluster
Explanation
Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the Pleiades [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m045.html ] can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0208/ earthlights02_dmsp_big.jpg ]. Also known as the Seven Sisters [ http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/ pleiades/pleiades_myth.html ] and M45 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960423.html ], the Pleiades [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990828.html ] is one of the brightest and closest [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/ m45x.html ] open clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html ]. The Pleiades [ http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/pleiades/ ] contains over 3000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Quite evident in the above photograph [ http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M45STLmosaic.html ] are the blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/reflection_nebulae.html ] that surround [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041204.html ] the brighter cluster stars [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/sowlist.html ]. Low mass, faint, brown dwarfs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990324.html ] have also been found [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996ApJ...458..600B ] in the Pleiades [ http://www.aao.gov.au/images/captions/uks018.html ]. ("Editors' note: " The prominent diffraction spikes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010415.html ] are caused by the telescope itself and may be either distracting or provide aesthetic enhancement, depending on your point of view.)
Pleiades and Stardust
Title
Pleiades and Stardust
Explanation
Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud a mere 400 light-years away, the lovely Pleiades [ http://www.naic.edu/~gibson/pleiades/ ] or Seven Sisters star cluster is well-known for its striking blue reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011228.html ]. This remarkable wide-field (3 degree) image of the region [ http://www.astrophoto.com/M45WF.htm ] shows the famous star cluster at the right, while highlighting lesser known dusty reflection nebulae nearby, across an area that would span over 20 light-years. In this case, the sister stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070428.html ] and cosmic dust clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070413.html ] are not related, they just happen to be passing through the same region of space. But astronomers using infrared detectors have recently found [ http://www.gemini.edu/pleiadesdust ] a dusty disk that really does belong to one young Pleiades star -- HD 23514. Surrounding HD 23514, the disk is estimated to be comparable in size to the terrestrial planet zone in our own solar system [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/ ] and likely represents the debris from the process [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041210.html ] of rocky planet formation.
The Infrared Hunter
Title
The Infrared Hunter
Description
This image composite compares infrared and visible views of the famous Orion nebula and its surrounding cloud, an industrious star-making region located near the hunter constellation's sword. The infrared picture is from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and the visible image is from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, headquartered in Tucson, Ariz. In addition to Orion, two other nebulas can be seen in both pictures. The Orion nebula, or M42, is the largest and takes up the lower half of the images, the small nebula to the upper left of Orion is called M43, and the medium-sized nebula at the top is NGC 1977. Each nebula is marked by a ring of dust that stands out in the infrared view. These rings make up the walls of cavities that are being excavated by radiation and winds from massive stars. The visible view of the nebulas shows gas heated by ultraviolet radiation from the massive stars. Above the Orion nebula, where the massive stars have not yet ejected much of the obscuring dust, the visible image appears dark with only a faint glow. In contrast, the infrared view penetrates the dark lanes of dust, revealing bright swirling clouds and numerous developing stars that have shot out jets of gas (green). This is because infrared light can travel through dust, whereas visible light is stopped short by it. The infrared image shows light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns (red and orange) comes mainly from dust that has been heated by starlight. Light of 4.5 microns (green) shows hot gas and dust, and light of 3.6 microns (blue) is from starlight.
The Orion Deep Field
Title
The Orion Deep Field
Explanation
Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030207.html ] most recognizable constellations [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/ 88constellations.html ], the glowing Orion Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020213.html ] and the dark Horsehead Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010426.html ] are contrasting cosmic vistas. But even fainter filaments of glowing gas are easily traced throughout the region in this stunning composite image [ http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/ODFNM.html ] that includes exposures filtered to record emission from hydrogen atoms [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980828.html ]. The view reveals extensive nebulosities [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020530.html ] associated with the giant Orion Molecular Cloud complex [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/oricloud.html ], itself hundreds of light-years across. A magnificent emission region, the Orion Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n1976x.html ] (aka M42) lies at the upper right of the picture. Immediately to its left are a cluster of prominent bluish reflection nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031002.html ] sometimes called the Running Man. The Horsehead [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/b33x.html ] nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long red glow left of center. Alnitak [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ belt.html ] is the easternmost star in Orion's belt and the brightest star to the left of the Horsehead. Below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990713.html ], with clouds of bright emission and dramatic dark dust lanes. Completing the trio of Orion's belt [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061229.html ] stars, bluish Alnilam and Mintaka form a line with Alnitak, extending to the upper left.
The Lagoon Nebula in Three C
…
Title
The Lagoon Nebula in Three Colors
Explanation
The bright Lagoon Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m008.html ] is home to a diverse array of astronomical objects. Particularly interesting sources include a bright open cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html ] of stars and several energetic star-forming regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/stellar_nursuries.html ]. When viewed by eye, cluster light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980707.html ] is dominated by an overall red glow that is caused by luminous hydrogen gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], while the dark filaments are caused by absorption by dense lanes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980116.html ] of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ]. The above picture [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010820.html http://lilen.fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar/ ], from the Curtis-Schmidt Telescope [ http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0131.html ], however, shows the nebula's emission in three exact colors specifically emitted by hydrogen [ http://www.eren.doe.gov/hydrogen/ ], oxygen [ http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html ], and sulfur [ http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/16.html ]. The Lagoon Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n6523x.html ], also known as M [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/CMessier.html ]8 and NGC [ http://www.ngcic.org/mission.htm ] 6523, lies about 5000 light-years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] away. The Lagoon Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010103.html ] can be located with binoculars in the constellation of Sagittarius [ http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/sgr.html ] spanning a region over three times the diameter of a full Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010218.html ].
Sagittarius Triplet
Title
Sagittarius Triplet
Explanation
These three bright nebulae are often featured in telescopic tours of the constellation Sagittarius [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/sgr/ index.html ] and the crowded starfields of the central Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990911.html ]. In fact, 18th century cosmic tourist Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ biograph.html ] cataloged two of them, M8, the nebula below and right of center, and colorful M20 at the upper right. The third, NGC 6559 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011023.html ], is left of M8, separated from the the larger nebula by a dark dust lane. All three are stellar nurseries about five thousand light-years or so distant. The expansive M8, over a hundred light-years across, is also known as the Lagoon Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m008.html ] while M20's popular moniker is the Trifid [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050526.html ]. This stunning digital view [ http://www.fourthdimensionastroimaging.com/ LagoonTrifid.html ] is actually a collaborative composite recorded by 2 cameras and 2 telescopes about 2 thousand miles apart. The deep, wide image field was captured under dark Arizona skies [ http://www.mistisoftware.com/astronomy/Site.htm ]. Both M8 and M20 were recorded in more detail from an observatory [ http://www.fourthdimensionastroimaging.com/Observatory.html ] in Pennsylvania. Glowing hydrogen gas creates the dominant red color of the emission nebulae, with contrasting blue hues, most striking in the Trifid, due to dust reflected starlight.
Double Cluster in Perseus
Title
Double Cluster in Perseus
Explanation
Skygazers recently following Comet Holmes [ http://spaceweather.com/comets/ gallery_holmes_page24.htm ] have probably also chanced across this lovely starfield [ http://www.spiegelteam.de/NGC884.htm ], not far from the comet on the sky in the constellation Perseus [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_constellation ]. Some 7,000 light-years away, this pair of open or galactic star clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050804.html ] is an easy binocular target and is visible to the unaided eye from dark sky areas. In fact, it was cataloged in 130 BC by Greek astronomer Hipparchus [ http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/ hipparchus.html ]. Now known as h and chi Persei [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n0869.html ], or NGC 869 [ http://www.messier45.com/cgi-bin/dsdb/ dsb.pl?str=NGC869 ](left) and NGC 884, the clusters themselves are separated by only a few hundred light-years and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. In addition to being physically close together, the clusters' ages based on [ http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0104179v2 ] their individual stars are similar - evidence that both clusters were likely a product of the same star-forming region.
M57: The Ring Nebula
Title
M57: The Ring Nebula
Explanation
Except for the rings of Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000212.html ], the Ring Nebula [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/m/m057.html ] (M57) is probably the most famous celestial band. This planetary nebula's [ http://www.astro.washington.edu/balick/WFPC2/ ] simple, graceful appearance is thought to be due to perspective -- our view from planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html ] looking straight into what is actually a barrel-shaped cloud [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n6720x.html ] of gas shrugged off by a dying central star. Astronomers of the Hubble Heritage Project [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/ ] produced this strikingly sharp image [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/jan6/ringbond.html ] from Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ ] observations using natural appearing colors to indicate the temperature of the stellar gas shroud. Hot blue gas near the energizing central star gives way to progressively cooler green and yellow gas at greater distances [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990922.html ] with the coolest red gas along the outer boundary. Dark, elongated structures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970720.html ] can also be seen near the nebula's edge. The Ring Nebula [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/more/m057_jac.html ] is about one light-year [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] across and 2,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Lyra [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ constellations/Lyra.html ].
Dying Star Creates Fantasy-l
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Title
Dying Star Creates Fantasy-like Sculpture of Gas and Dust
General Information
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
The Eskimo Nebula from Hubbl
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Title
The Eskimo Nebula from Hubble
Explanation
In 1787, astronomer William Herschel [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/people/enlightenment/herschel.html ] discovered the Eskimo Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n2392x.html ]. From the ground, NGC 2392 resembles a person's head surrounded by a parka [ http://www.oregonlink.com/arctic/cormorant_parka.html ] hood. In 2000, the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021124.html ] imaged the Eskimo Nebula [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n2392.html ]. From space, the nebula displays gas clouds so complex they are not fully understood. The Eskimo Nebula [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1990ApJ...362..226O ] is clearly a planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/planetary_nebulae.html ], and the gas seen above composed the outer layers of a Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html ]-like star only 10,000 years ago. The inner filaments visible above [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2000/07/image/a ] are being ejected by strong wind [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] of particles from the central star. The outer disk contains unusual light-year [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_year ] long orange filaments.
M13: The Great Globular Clus
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Title
M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
Explanation
M13 is [ http://seds.org/messier/m/m013.html ] modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules [ http://www.utahskies.org/deepsky/constellations/ hercules.html ]. A system of stars numbering in the hundreds of thousands, it is one of the brightest globular star clusters [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_cluster ] in the northern sky. At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the cluster stars crowd [ http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/ask/a11508.html ] into a region 150 light-years in diameter, but approaching [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031213.html ] the cluster core over 100 stars would be contained in a cube just 3 light-years on a side. For comparison, the closest [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030323.html ] star to the Sun is over 4 light-years away. This stunning view of the cluster combines recent telescopic images of the cluster's dense core with digitized photographic plates recorded between 1987 and 1991 using the Samuel Oschin Telescope [ http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/ sot.html ], a wide-field survey instrument at Palomar Observatory. The resulting composite highlights both inner and outer reaches of the giant star cluster. Among the distant background galaxies also visible, NGC 6207 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n6207.html ] is above and to the left of the Great Globular Cluster M13.
M15: Dense Globular Star Clu
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Title
M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster
Explanation
Life might get dull at the core of M15 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980117.html ] but the sky would always be bright with [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/ StarChild.html ] stars! In fact, only 40,000 light-years away in the constellation Pegasus, M15 is one of the most densely packed globular star clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000523.html ] in our Milky Way Galaxy. This stunning [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000aug3/ displayngc7078.html ] Hubble Space Telescope image of M15 [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000aug3/ ngc7078table.html#facts ] shows thousands of individual stars across the central 10 or so light-years of the cluster, also cataloged as NGC 7078. Yet even the Hubble's sharp vision [ http://hubble.stsci.edu/edu.d.space/ ] can't clearly separate the stars at this cluster's core [ http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph/9512015 ]. Globular star clusters harbor from a hundred thousand up to a million stars and roam the Milky Way [ http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/astroweb/mway/index.html ] halo. Like most globulars, M15 is [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000aug3/ ngc7078.html ] filled with ancient stars, about 12 billion years old compared to the Sun's estimated 4.5 billion years. Its cool red giant stars appear yellowish in this color composite image. Unlike most globulars, M15 displays a planetary nebula [ http://www.astro.washington.edu/balick/WFPC2/ ], the briefly visible gaseous shroud of a dying star. Can you pick [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980415.html ] it out? Cataloged as Kuestner 648, M15's planetary nebula [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000aug3/ ngc7078table.html#caption ] is the round pinkish cloud at the upper left.
Three Faces of Andromeda
Title
Three Faces of Andromeda
Description
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured stunning infrared views of the famous Andromeda galaxy to reveal insights that were only hinted at in visible light. Spitzer's 24-micron mosaic (top panel) is the sharpest image ever taken of the dust in another spiral galaxy. This is possible because Andromeda is a close neighbor to the Milky Way at a mere 2.5 million light-years away. The Spitzer multiband imaging photometer's 24-micron detector recorded 11,000 separate snapshots to create this new comprehensive picture. Asymmetrical features are seen in the prominent ring of star formation. The ring appears to be split into two pieces, forming the hole to the lower right. These features may have been caused by interactions with satellite galaxies around Andromeda as they plunge through its disk. Spitzer also reveals delicate tracings of spiral arms within this ring that reach into the very center of the galaxy. One sees a scattering of stars within Andromeda, but only select stars that are wrapped in envelopes of dust light up at infrared wavelengths. This is a dramatic contrast to the traditional view at visible wavelengths (lower left panel), which shows the starlight instead of the dust. The center of the galaxy in this view is dominated by a large bulge that overwhelms the inner spirals seen in dust. The dust lanes are faintly visible in places, but only where they can be seen in silhouette against background stars. The multi-wavelength view of Andromeda (lower right panel) combines images taken at 24 microns (blue), 70 microns (green), and 160 microns (red). Using all three bands from the multiband imaging photometer allows astronomers to measure the temperature of the dust by its color. The warmest dust is brightest at 24 microns while the coolest is most evident at 160 microns. The blue/white areas have the hottest dust, as seen in the bulge and in the star-forming areas along the arms. The cooler dust floating further out in the ring and arms are in the redder regions. The data were taken on August 25, 2004, the one-year anniversary of the launch of the space telescope. The observations have been transformed into this remarkable gift from Spitzer -- the most detailed infrared image of the spectacular galaxy to date.
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triang
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Title
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triangulum
Explanation
The small, northern constellation Triangulum [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/tri/index.html ] harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m033.html ]. M33 is over 50,000 light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group [ http://atlasoftheuniverse.com/localgr.html ] of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ] and astronomers [ http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph?papernum=0506609 ] in these two galaxies would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star systems. As for the view from planet Earth, this detailed, wide field image [ http://www.tvdavisastropics.com/astroimages-1_00001f.htm ] nicely shows off M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/SHOW_DIG/031.HTM ] forming regions which trace the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021102.html ] is the brightest star forming region, seen here at about the 1 o'clock position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a cosmic yardstick [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kstanek/DIRECT/ ] for establishing [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ bib_query?1926ApJ....63..236H ] the distance scale [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate96.html ] of the Universe.
Happy Sweet Sixteen, Hubble
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Title
Happy Sweet Sixteen, Hubble Telescope!
Multipanel Images of Whirlpo
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Name
Multipanel Images of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Virgo Galaxy Cluster
PIA07906
GALEX Telescope
Title
Virgo Galaxy Cluster
Original Caption Released with Image
Ultraviolet image of a small area of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
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