Next APOD: 2010 January 18 - Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon

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APOD: 2010 January 18 - Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon

Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon
Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos & Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)

Explanation: What's happened to the Sun? The Moon moved to partly block the Sun for a few minutes last week as a partial solar eclipse became momentarily visible across part of planet Earth. In the above single exposure image, meticulous planning enabled careful photographers to capture the partially eclipsed Sun well posed just above the ancient ruins of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, Greece. Unexpectedly, clouds covered the top of the Sun, while a flying bird was caught in flight just to the right of the eclipse. At its fullest extent from some locations, the Moon was seen to cover the entire middle of the Sun, leaving the surrounding ring of fire of an annular solar eclipse. The next solar eclipse -- a total eclipse of the Sun -- will occur on 2010 July 11 but be visible only from a thin swath of the southern Pacific Ocean and near the very southern tip of South America.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100118.html

Next APOD: 2010 January 17 - Atlantis to Orbit

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APOD: 2010 January 17 - Atlantis to Orbit

Atlantis to Orbit
Credit: NASA

Explanation: Birds don't fly this high. Airplanes don't go this fast. The Statue of Liberty weighs less. No species other than human can even comprehend what is going on, nor could any human just a millennium ago. The launch of a rocket bound for space is an event that inspires awe and challenges description. Pictured above, the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off to visit the International Space Station during the early morning hours of 2001 July 12. From a standing start, the two million kilogram rocket ship left to circle the Earth where the outside air is too thin to breathe and where there is little noticeable onboard gravity. Rockets bound for space are now launched from somewhere on Earth about once a week.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100117.html

Next APOD: 2010 January 6 - The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse

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APOD: 2010 January 6 - The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse

The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse
Credit: Xavier Haubois (Observatoire de Paris) et al.

Explanation: Betelgeuse really is a big star. If placed at the center of our Solar System it would extend to the orbit of Jupiter. But like all stars except the Sun, Betelgeuse is so distant it usually appears as a single point of light, even in large telescopes. Still, astronomers using interferometry at infrared wavelengths can resolve the surface of Betelgeuse and reconstructed this image of the red supergiant. The intriguing picture shows two, large, bright, star spots. The spots potentially represent enormous convective cells rising from below the supergiant's surface. They are bright because they're hotter than the rest of the surface, but both spots and surface are cooler than the Sun. Also known as Alpha Orionis, Betelgeuse is about 600 light-years away.

Note: An APOD editor will review astronomy images of 2009,
hosted by the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York on Friday, January 8 at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100106.html

Next APOD: 2010 January 5 - A Roll Cloud Over Uruguay

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APOD: 2010 January 5 - A Roll Cloud Over Uruguay

A Roll Cloud Over Uruguay
Credit & Copyright: Daniela Mirner Eberl

Explanation: What kind of cloud is this? A roll cloud. These rare long clouds may form near advancing cold fronts. In particular, a downdraft from an advancing storm front can cause moist warm air to rise, cool below its dew point, and so form a cloud. When this happens uniformly along an extended front, a roll cloud may form. Roll clouds may actually have air circulating along the long horizontal axis of the cloud. A roll cloud is not thought to be able to morph into a tornado. Unlike a similar shelf cloud, a roll cloud, a type of Arcus cloud, is completely detached from their parent cumulonimbus cloud. Pictured above, a roll cloud extends far into the distance in 2009 January above Las Olas Beach in Maldonado, Uruguay.

Note: An APOD editor will review astronomy images of 2009,
hosted by the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York on Friday, January 8 at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100105.html

Next APOD: 2010 January 3 - A Force from Empty Space: The Casimir Effect

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APOD: 2010 January 3 - A Force from Empty Space: The Casimir Effect

A Force from Empty Space: The Casimir Effect
Credit & Copyright: Umar Mohideen (U. California at Riverside)

Explanation: This tiny ball provides evidence that the universe will expand forever. Measuring slightly over one tenth of a millimeter, the ball moves toward a smooth plate in response to energy fluctuations in the vacuum of empty space. The attraction is known as the Casimir Effect, named for its discoverer, who, 50 years ago, was trying to understand why fluids like mayonnaise move so slowly. Today, evidence is accumulating that most of the energy density in the universe is in an unknown form dubbed dark energy. The form and genesis of dark energy is almost completely unknown, but postulated as related to vacuum fluctuations similar to the Casimir Effect but generated somehow by space itself. This vast and mysterious dark energy appears to gravitationally repel all matter and hence will likely cause the universe to expand forever. Understanding vacuum fluctuations is on the forefront of research not only to better understand our universe but also for stopping micro-mechanical machine parts from sticking together.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100103.html

Next APOD: 2010 January 2 - Blue Moon Eclipse

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APOD: 2010 January 2 - Blue Moon Eclipse

Blue Moon Eclipse
Credit & Copyright: Jean Paul Roux

Explanation: The International Year of Astronomy 2009 ended with a Blue Moon and a partial lunar eclipse, as the second Full Moon of December grazed the Earth's shadow on December 31st. The New Year's Eve Blue Moon eclipse was visible throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and parts of Alaska, captured in this two exposure composite in cloudy skies over Saint Bonnet de Mure, France. Playing across the Moon's southern reaches, the edge of Earth's umbra, or dark central shadow, appears on the right side along with the prominent ray crater Tycho. At maximum eclipse, the umbra covered only about 8 percent of the diameter of the lunar disk.

If you are a digger please respect the submit enough to use a description. There is now no reason not to, you have it already. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100102.html