The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
This is a picture of NGC 6543, also known as the Cat's Eye, taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. It is located about three thousand light-years from Earth, and has a width of about half a light-year. This nebula is a classic planetary nebula, representing the brief and final stage in the life of a sun-like star. The outer pattern of dusty concentric shells was likely produced by shrugging off outer layers. Unfortunately, we do not fully understand this bizaar, yet glorious, phenomenon, but it is believed that this is the fate of our very own sun. Luckily, it will not be for another 5 billion years!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
APOD 4.3
Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet
In this picture the Sun looks like a violent, chaotic place, but this is actually a quiet day for the Sun! The photo is shown in ultravioletn light. Even the cool, dark regions have a temperature of thousands of degrees celsius. The sunspot group featured in the picture is named AR 9169 and the gas flowing out of and around it has a temperature of over one million degrees celsius! We still do not know why the temperature of the gas is so high, but it is believed to be related to the rapidly changing magnetic field loops that channel solar plasma. Continued research and pictures like these will no doubt further pour knowledge of this mysterious phenomenon!
In this picture the Sun looks like a violent, chaotic place, but this is actually a quiet day for the Sun! The photo is shown in ultravioletn light. Even the cool, dark regions have a temperature of thousands of degrees celsius. The sunspot group featured in the picture is named AR 9169 and the gas flowing out of and around it has a temperature of over one million degrees celsius! We still do not know why the temperature of the gas is so high, but it is believed to be related to the rapidly changing magnetic field loops that channel solar plasma. Continued research and pictures like these will no doubt further pour knowledge of this mysterious phenomenon!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Zooniverse
Last week I worked on Zooniverse Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I explored The Milky Way Project, Solar Stormwatch, Old Weather, and Galaxy Zoo Hubble. I found Solar Stormwatch to be the most interesting and have decided to do in depth work on it this week.
Friday, April 8, 2011
APOD 4.2
M74: The Perfect Spiral
This spiral galaxy is considered a "perfect galaxy" because it is extremely photogenic. M74 is an island galaxy with about 100 billion stars. It is located in the direction of the constellation Pisces, about 32 million light years away. Right now, we can see it face on. The spiral arms of M74 are traced by bright blue star clusters and dark cosmic dust lanes, making them an awe-inspiring sight. This galaxy spans over 30,000 light years across. This image covers half the width of the moon. It was obtained by hours of exposure on the Calar Alto Observatory telescope in a mountain range in Spain, and includes exposure from hydrogen atoms emisson.
This spiral galaxy is considered a "perfect galaxy" because it is extremely photogenic. M74 is an island galaxy with about 100 billion stars. It is located in the direction of the constellation Pisces, about 32 million light years away. Right now, we can see it face on. The spiral arms of M74 are traced by bright blue star clusters and dark cosmic dust lanes, making them an awe-inspiring sight. This galaxy spans over 30,000 light years across. This image covers half the width of the moon. It was obtained by hours of exposure on the Calar Alto Observatory telescope in a mountain range in Spain, and includes exposure from hydrogen atoms emisson.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
APOD 4.1
MESSENGER at Mercury
At first glance, this picture seems to be of our moon, but it is actually a photograph of Mercury, our innermost planet. This image was taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft on March 17th, which was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. This was its first color processed image since entering the planet's orbit. After looking closely, it is easy to see the difference between Mercury and the Moon. There are light blue and brown areas near the craters, but perhaps the most noticable thing about this image are the long bright rays on the surface of the planet. This particular ray crater is Debussy. It is about 50 miles in diameter. With the MESSENGER spacecraft, we will be able to discover much more information on Mercury!
At first glance, this picture seems to be of our moon, but it is actually a photograph of Mercury, our innermost planet. This image was taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft on March 17th, which was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. This was its first color processed image since entering the planet's orbit. After looking closely, it is easy to see the difference between Mercury and the Moon. There are light blue and brown areas near the craters, but perhaps the most noticable thing about this image are the long bright rays on the surface of the planet. This particular ray crater is Debussy. It is about 50 miles in diameter. With the MESSENGER spacecraft, we will be able to discover much more information on Mercury!
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