Dark Clouds of the Carina Nebula
The Carina Nebula can be found in the constellation of Carina, which is about 7,500 light years away, and it has a span of about 300 light years! It contains two of the most massive stars in the Milky Way galaxy- Eta Carinae and HD 93129A. I have now looked at and admired many different pictures of nebulae, but this one particularly stands out from the rest! The Carina Nebula has many dark clouds in it. These clouds are made up of such thick gas and dust that they actually become opaque, but yet they are still less dense than Earth's atmosphere.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
September 22, 2010
Tonight was the night of the autumnal equinox! The moon is a beautiful sight in the sky. It is completely full. There were a few clouds in the sky, but many stars were still visible. I was able to identify Jupiter, which looked like a bright star slightly below the moon.
I will continue to observe the night sky, looking out for the movement between Jupiter and the moon!
I will continue to observe the night sky, looking out for the movement between Jupiter and the moon!
Friday, September 17, 2010
APOD 1.3
The Veil Nebula
A nebula is an expanding cloud that is the result of an exploding, massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion that caused The Veil Nebula, likely reached Earth about 5,000 years ago! It is 1,500 light years away, and appears to have a span of 6 times the diameter of the moon. That means it is approximately 70 light years wide! It is hard for the human mind to even understand such massiveness. The veil nebula is so large that the brighter parts of it are considered to be seperate nebulae.
A nebula is an expanding cloud that is the result of an exploding, massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion that caused The Veil Nebula, likely reached Earth about 5,000 years ago! It is 1,500 light years away, and appears to have a span of 6 times the diameter of the moon. That means it is approximately 70 light years wide! It is hard for the human mind to even understand such massiveness. The veil nebula is so large that the brighter parts of it are considered to be seperate nebulae.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
APOD 1.2
NGC 4911: Spiral Diving into a Dense Cluster
What an incredible picture! I had no idea that we had the technology to take a photograph of an entire galaxy! I learned that NGC 4911 is one of the millions of spiral galaxy. It is currently in the beginning of the process of becoming an elliptical galaxy, which means it will be nearly featureless. NGC 4911 is being pulled at by neighboring galaxies causing faint rings around it. This constant pulling will eventually cause the spiral galaxy to fall into the Coma Cluster of Galaxies, one of the most massive objects known. When this happens dust, gas, and surrounding satellite galaxies from NGC 4911 will be lost, and the galaxy will turn a yellowish color.
What an incredible picture! I had no idea that we had the technology to take a photograph of an entire galaxy! I learned that NGC 4911 is one of the millions of spiral galaxy. It is currently in the beginning of the process of becoming an elliptical galaxy, which means it will be nearly featureless. NGC 4911 is being pulled at by neighboring galaxies causing faint rings around it. This constant pulling will eventually cause the spiral galaxy to fall into the Coma Cluster of Galaxies, one of the most massive objects known. When this happens dust, gas, and surrounding satellite galaxies from NGC 4911 will be lost, and the galaxy will turn a yellowish color.
APOD 1.1
Comanche Outcrop on Mars Indicates Hospitable Past
I had never imagined Mars to look like this, nor did I ever think I would be able to see such a vivd and incredible picture of this foreign planet. Because there is no water on Mars, it would be physically impossible for any life on Earth to survive there. Martian rovers have found evidence that indicates that there may have been water on Mars surface many years ago, but this water was likely too acidic for any Earth life forms. However, an outcropping on Mars' surface, given the name "Comanche", was recently discovered. Comanche gives evidence that Mars has not always been so acidic. The outcrop has a very high concentration of magnesium iron carbonate. Carbonate dissolves in acid, meaning that there is the possibility that less acidic water once flowed through Mars! This means there could have been life on Mars!!!
I had never imagined Mars to look like this, nor did I ever think I would be able to see such a vivd and incredible picture of this foreign planet. Because there is no water on Mars, it would be physically impossible for any life on Earth to survive there. Martian rovers have found evidence that indicates that there may have been water on Mars surface many years ago, but this water was likely too acidic for any Earth life forms. However, an outcropping on Mars' surface, given the name "Comanche", was recently discovered. Comanche gives evidence that Mars has not always been so acidic. The outcrop has a very high concentration of magnesium iron carbonate. Carbonate dissolves in acid, meaning that there is the possibility that less acidic water once flowed through Mars! This means there could have been life on Mars!!!
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