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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

Next APOD: 2010 January 1 - Not a Blue Moon

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2010 January 1 - Not a Blue Moon

Not a Blue Moon
Credit & Copyright: Stefano De Rosa

Explanation: This bright Full Moon was captured on December 2nd, shining above a church overlooking the River Po, in Turin, Italy, It was the first Full Moon in December. Shining on celebrations of New Year's Eve, last night's Full Moon was the second Full Moon of December and so fits the modern definition of a Blue Moon - the second Full Moon in a month. Because the lunar cycle, Full Moon to Full Moon, spans 29.5 days, Blue Moons tend to occur in some month about every 2.5 years. Shining in the glare just above and right of December's first Full Moon is the Pleiades star cluster.

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/ap100101.html

Next APOD: 2009 December 31 - Dust and the Helix Nebula

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 December 31 - Dust and the Helix Nebula

Dust and the Helix Nebula
NASA, JPL-Caltech, Kate Su (Steward Obs, U. Arizona) et al.

Explanation: Dust makes this cosmic eye look red. The eerie Spitzer Space Telescope image shows infrared radiation from the well-studied Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) a mere 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. The two light-year diameter shroud of dust and gas around a central white dwarf has long been considered an excellent example of a planetary nebula, representing the final stages in the evolution of a sun-like star. But the Spitzer data show the nebula's central star itself is immersed in a surprisingly bright infrared glow. Models suggest the glow is produced by a dust debris disk. Even though the nebular material was ejected from the star many thousands of years ago, the close-in dust could be generated by collisions in a reservoir of objects analogous to our own solar system's Kuiper Belt or cometary Oort cloud. Formed in the distant planetary system, the comet-like bodies would have otherwise survived even the dramatic late stages of the star's evolution.

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/ap091231.html

Next APOD: 2009 December 29 - Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 December 29 - Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula

Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)

Explanation: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble -- maybe Macbeth should have consulted the Witch Head Nebula. This suggestively shaped reflection nebula on the lower left is associated with the bright star Rigel, to its right, in the constellation Orion. More formally known as IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula glows primarily by light reflected from Rigel. Fine dust in the nebula reflects the light. Pictured above, the blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the dust surrounding Rigel is caused not only by Rigel's blue color but because the dust grains reflect blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas and dust that surrounds them lie about 800 light-years away.

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/ap091229.html

Related articles by Zemanta

• New Infared Telescope's Awesome First Images (wired.com)
• Picture of the Day - Fireball Above Mojave Desert (spacefellowship.com)
• You: Meteor shower: Orionids reach peak (telegraph.co.uk)

Next APOD: 2009 December 22 - Planetary Systems Now Forming in Orion

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 December 22 - Planetary Systems Now Forming in Orion

Planetary Systems Now Forming in Orion
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (STScI/ESA), the HST Orion Treasury Project Team, & L. Ricci (ESO)

Explanation: How do planets form? To help find out, the Hubble Space Telescope was tasked to take a detailed look at one of the more interesting of all astronomical nebulae, the Great Nebula in Orion. The Orion nebula, visible with the unaided eye near the belt in the constellation of Orion, is an immense nearby starbirth region and probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Insets to the above mosaic show numerous proplyds, many of which are stellar nurseries likely harboring planetary systems in formation. Some proplyds glow as close disks surrounding bright stars light up, while other proplyds contain disks further from their host star, contain cooler dust, and hence appear as dark silhouettes against brighter gas. Studying this dust, in particular, is giving insight for how planets are forming. Many proplyd images also show arcs that are shock waves - fronts where fast moving material encounters slow moving gas. The Orion Nebula lies about 1,500 light years distant and is located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as our Sun.

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/ap091222.html

Next APOD: 2009 December 16 - Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Next APOD: 2009 December 16 - Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth

Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth
Credit & Copyright: Doug Zubenel (TWAN)

Explanation: In 1996, an unexpectedly bright comet passed by planet Earth. Discovered less than two months before, Comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake came within only 1/10th of the Earth-Sun distance from the Earth in late March. At that time, Comet Hyakutake, dubbed the Great Comet of 1996, became the brightest comet to grace the skies of Earth in 20 years. During its previous visit, Comet Hyakutake may well have been seen by the stone age Magdalenian culture, who 17,000 years ago were possibly among the first humans to live in tents as well as caves. Pictured above near closest approach as it appeared on 1996 March 26, the long ion and dust tails of Comet Hyakutake are visible flowing off to the left in front of a distant star field that includes both the Big and Little Dippers. On the far left, the blue ion tail appears to have recently undergone a magnetic disconnection event. On the far right, the comet's green-tinted coma obscures a dense nucleus of melting dirty ice estimated to be about 5 kilometers across. A few months later, Comet Hyakutake began its long trek back to the outer Solar System. Because of being gravitationally deflected by massive planets, Comet Hyakutake is not expected back for about 100,000 years.

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/ap091216.html

Next APOD: 2009 December 4 - The Double Cluster

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 December 4 - The Double Cluster

The Double Cluster
Credit & Copyright: Neil Fleming

Explanation: A lovely starfield in the heroic northern constellation Perseus holds this famous pair of open or galactic star clusters, h and Chi Perseii. Also cataloged as NGC 869 (right) and NGC 884, both clusters are about 7,000 light-years away and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. Separated by only a few hundred light-years, the clusters' ages based on their individual stars are similar - evidence that they were likely a product of the same star-forming region. Always a rewarding sight in binoculars, the Double Cluster is even visible to the unaided eye from dark locations. Star colors (and spikes) are enhanced in this beautiful, wide field, telescopic image.

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/ap091204.html

Next APOD: 2009 December 1 - NGC 6992: Filaments of the Veil Nebula

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 December 1 - NGC 6992: Filaments of the Veil Nebula

NGC 6992: Filaments of the Veil Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Daniel Lopez (Observatorio del Teide)

Explanation: Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. About 7,500 years ago that star exploded in a supernova leaving the Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop. At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon, remaining visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history. Today, the resulting supernova remnant has faded and is now visible only through a small telescope directed toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). The remaining Veil Nebula is physically huge, however, and even though it lies about 1,400 light-years distant, it covers over five times the size of the full Moon. In images of the complete Veil Nebula, studious readers should be able to identify the above filaments on the lower left. The above image is a mosaic from the 2.5-meter Isaac Newton Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the Canary Islands.

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/ap091201.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 30 - Bright Sun and Crescent Earth from the Space Station

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 30 - Bright Sun and Crescent Earth from the Space Station

 

Bright Sun and Crescent Earth from the Space Station
Credit: STS-129 Crew, NASA

Explanation: This was just one more breathtaking view from the International Space Station. The Sun, a crescent Earth, and the long arm of a solar panel were all visible outside a window when the Space Shuttle Atlantis visited the orbiting outpost last week. Reflections from the window and hexagonal lens flares from the camera are superposed. The space shuttle landed Friday after a successful 10 day mission to expand and resupply the ISS. Numbered STS-129, the space shuttle mission returned astronaut Nicole Stott to Earth from her stay on the ISS as a Flight Engineer in the Expedition 20 and21 crews.

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/ap091130.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 29 - Ancient Layered Hills on Mars

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 29 - Ancient Layered Hills on Mars

Ancient Layered Hills on Mars
Credit: Malin Space Science Systems, MOC, MGS, JPL, NASA

Explanation: Is this a picture of Mars or Earth? Oddly enough, it is a picture of Mars. What may appear to some as a terrestrial coastline is in fact a formation of ancient layered hills and wind-blown sand on Mars. The above-pictured region spans about three kilometers in Schiaparelli Crater. What created the layers of sediment is still a topic of research. Viable hypotheses include ancient epochs of deposit either from running water or wind-blown sand. Winds and sandstorms have smoothed and eroded the structures more recently. The "water" that appears near the bottom is actually dark colored sand. The image was taken with the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft that operated around Mars from 1996-2006 and returned over 200,000 images.

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/ap091129.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 28 - Annapurna Star Trails

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 28 - Annapurna Star Trails

Annapurna Star Trails
Credit & Copyright: Wang Jinglei, Jia Hao

Explanation: In myth, Atlas holds up the heavens. But in this moonlit mountainscape, peaks of the Himalayan Annapurna Range appear to prop up the sky as seen from Ghandruk, Nepal. From left to right the three main peaks are Annapurna South (7,219 meters), Hiunchuli (6,441 metes), and Machapuchare (6,995 meters). Of course the mountains are moving not the stars, the Earth's rotation about its axis causing the concentric star trails recorded in the time exposure. Positioned above Annapurna South, the North Celestial Pole is easily identified as the point at the center of all the star trail arcs. The star Polaris, also known as the North Star, made the very short and bright arc closest to the North Celestial Pole.

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/ap091128.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 25 - All Sky Milky Way Panorama

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 25 - All Sky Milky Way Panorama

All-Sky Milky Way Panorama
Credit & Copyright: Axel Mellinger (Central Mich. U)

Explanation: If you could go far away from the Earth and look around the entire sky -- what would you see? Such was the goal of the All-Sky Milky Way Panorama 2.0 project of Axel Mellinger. Presented above is the result: a digital compilation of over 3,000 images comprising the highest resolution digital panorama of the entire night sky yet created. An interactive zoom version, featuring over 500 million pixels, can be found here. Every fixed astronomical object visible to the unaided eye has been imaged, including every constellation, every nebula, and every star cluster. Moreover, millions are individual stars are also visible, all in our Milky Way Galaxy, and many a thousand times fainter than a human can see. Dark filaments of dust lace central band of our Milky Way Galaxy, visible across the image center. The satellite galaxies Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are visible on the lower right. This was not the first time Dr. Mellinger has embarked on such a project: the results of his first All-Sky Milky Way Panorama Project, taken using photographic film, are visible here.

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/ap091125.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 19 - Leonid over Mono Lake

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 19 - Leonid over Mono Lake

Leonid over Mono Lake
Credit & Copyright: Tony Rowell

Explanation: Eerie spires of rock rise from shore of Mono Lake in the foreground of this early morning skyscape. The salty, mineral-laden lake is located in California's eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range and the spindly rock formations are naturally formed limestone towers called tufa. In the scene, recorded near the peak of the annual Leonid meteor shower (now subsiding) on November 17th, a meteor trails through the frigid predawn sky. Arcturus is the brightest star to the right of the meteor streak, while the constellation Leo and the shower's radiant point lie well above the field of view. Reports for this year's Leonids suggest the peak activity briefly exceeded 120 meteors per hour, but rates were typically much lower for many locations.

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/ap091119.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 18 - Water Discovered in Moon Shadow

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 18 - Water Discovered in Moon Shadow

Water Discovered in Moon Shadow
Credit: LCROSS, NASA

Explanation: Why is there water on the Moon? Last month, the LCROSS mission crashed a large impactor into a permanently shadowed crater near the Moon's South Pole. A plume of dust rose that was visible to the satellite, although hard to discern from Earth. The plume is shown above in visible light. Last week, the results of a preliminary chemical analysis gave a clear indication that the dust plume contained water. Such water is of importance not only for understanding the history of the Moon, but as a possible reservoir for future astronauts trying to live on the Moon for long periods. The source of the lunar water is now a topic of debate. Possible origins include many small meteorites, a comet, or primordial moon soil.

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/ap091118.html

Next APOD: 2009 November 16 - M83s Center from Refurbished Hubble

APOD Next the Coming NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

APOD: 2009 November 16 - M83s Center from Refurbished Hubble

M83's Center from Refurbished Hubble
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgement: R. O'Connell (U. Virginia)

Explanation: What's happening at the center of spiral galaxy M83? Just about everything, from the looks of it. M83 is one of the closest spiral galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy and from a distance of 15 million light-years, appears to be relatively normal. Zooming in on M83's nucleus with the latest telescopes, however, shows the center to be an energetic and busy place. Visible in the above image -- from the newly installed Wide Field Camera 3 pointing through the recently refurbished Hubble Space Telescope -- are bright newly formed stars and giant lanes of dark dust. An image with similar perspective from the Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the region is also rich in very hot gas and small bright sources. The remnants of about 60 supernova blasts can be found in the above image.

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/ap091116.html