Showing posts with label google pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google pictures. Show all posts

Monday, October 3, 2011

Astrophoto: Venus Setting by Rick Ellis

Astrophoto: Venus Setting by Rick Ellis:

Astrophoto: Venus Setting by Rick Ellis
Venus Setting. Credit: Rick Ellis



Rick Ellis of Toronto, Canada came up with this multiple-exposure image of Venus setting. The changing position of Venus from the observer’s point of view serves as a proof of the the Earth’s counter-clockwise rotation.

This image was generated from multiple shots captured by Rick using his Canon A460 camera.

“It was not created on a single frame. The camera was locked down on its tripod and the original background photo was taken with Venus in the upper left. Then at exactly 5 minute intervals exposures were taken at ISO 80 for 5 seconds. Twenty seven exposures were made in all and then compiled in Photoshop. The trick then was to

find where Venus was on each successive layer and “punch a hole” very accurately in the main image layer.”

Check out Rick’s website here.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Astrophoto: Moon Halo by Earl Matenga

Astrophoto: Moon Halo by Earl Matenga:

Astrophoto: Moon Halo by Earl Matenga
Moon Halo. Credit: Earl Matenga



After Niki Giada’s photo of the Sun’s halo, here we are again with another impressive astrophoto. This time, it’s the Moon’s halo.

Earl Matenga captured this photo of the Moon and its halo on March 25, 2010 using a Pentax K-7.

Moon halos are brought about by the same phenomenon as Sun halos are. It’s caused by the refraction of light from tiny hexagonal ice crystals in the atmosphere.

This photo was shot through a Pentax fish eye lens mounted on tripod, bulb setting 2-3 sec exposure remotely fired. The red star on the left is Betelgeuse which is located in the constellation of Orion.

Check out Earl’s photos here.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

SpaceX: Next Dragon to Launch No-Earlier-Than Dec. 19

SpaceX: Next Dragon to Launch No-Earlier-Than Dec. 19:


SpaceX has announced that it will work to launch the next Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no-earlier-than Dec. 19, 2011. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla – The launch date of the next Falcon 9 rocket with its Dragon Spacecraft payload has been announced to occur no-earlier-than Dec. 19. This will mean that it will have been over a year since the last time that the NewSpace firm launched one of its rockets.(...)
Read the rest of SpaceX: Next Dragon to Launch No-Earlier-Than Dec. 19 (502 words)




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Astrophoto: The Hidden Galaxy by Don Scott

Astrophoto: The Hidden Galaxy by Don Scott:

Astrophoto: The Hidden Galaxy by Don Scott
The Hidden Galaxy. Credit: Don Scott



It’s one of the challenging subjects for astrophotography. But Don Scott of Arizona was able to obtain this amazing picture of The Hidden Galaxy, also known as IC 342.

IC 342 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. Since it’s also located near the Galactic Equator, IC 342 is mostly covered by dust from the Milky Way. With that, it has been nicknamed the “Hidden Galaxy.”

“I obtained this image last winter (Dec & Jan) here in Arizona using my telescope (Takahashi 130) and CCD camera (SBIG ST-10XME). It was a time exposure: Luminosity 3 hours, Red, Green, and Blue components 1 hour each. So this photo required 6 hours of exposure time. The scope focal length is 1000 mm, objective lens diameter is 130 mm, for a focal ratio of f/7.69. All of the foreground stars are approximately 10th magnitude.”

Check out Don’s collection of astro-images.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Astrophoto: Rosette Nebula by Maurice De Castro

Astrophoto: Rosette Nebula by Maurice De Castro:

Astrophoto: Rosette Nebula by Maurice De Castro
Rosette Nebula. Credit: Maurice De Castro



Rosette Nebula, or Caldwell 49 is an H II region located 5,200 light-years from Earth near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Chandra X-ray Observatory conducted a survey in 2001 which showed the presence of hot, young stars at the core of the Rosette Nebula.

This photo of the Rosette Nebula was captured by Maurice De Castro on November 3, 2009. Maurice provided us with the camera specs he used:

Orion 190mm Mak Newt

Losmandy G-11

QHY9 CCD camera

Baader Ha (120 mints)

Baader SII (120 mints)

Check out Maurice’s Flickr page for more photos.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

United Launch Alliance’s Delta II Approved for Potentially Five More Launches

United Launch Alliance’s Delta II Approved for Potentially Five More Launches:


United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket has been added to the National Launch Services II contract by NASA. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com



NASA announced that it has added the Delta II rocket, a launch vehicle that appeared to be slipping into history, to the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract. The Delta II, produced by United Launch Alliance, is one of the most successful expendable launch vehicles that has ever been produced.(...)
Read the rest of United Launch Alliance’s Delta II Approved for Potentially Five More Launches (571 words)




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Astrophoto: Saturn by Stuart Ward

Astrophoto: Saturn by Stuart Ward:

Astrophoto: Saturn by Stuart Ward
Saturn. Credit: Stuart Ward



It was the first time Stuart Ward pointed his 8″ Dobsonian telescope to the sky and to his surprise, it was the view of planet Saturn that welcomed him up.

Stuart Ward captured this photo on August 30, 2011 in New South Wales, Australia. He used a Philips Webcam attached to his telescope.

Check out Stuart’s Flickr page for more photos.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Astrophoto: Partial Lunar Eclipse by Erika Valdueza

Astrophoto: Partial Lunar Eclipse by Erika Valdueza:


Astrophoto: Partial Lunar Eclipse by Erika Valdueza

Partial Lunar Eclipse. Credit: Erika Valdueza




Erika Valdueza of the Philippines captured this photo of the partial lunar eclipse on December 21, 2010. The eclipse occurred at moonrise and appeared above the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in the northeastern part of Luzon island, Philippines.


“I wasn’t really expecting to see this eclipse because of poor weather and it was predicted to be visible 5 degrees above the horizon. Without losing hope, I tried my luck and went to one of the highest buildings in Mandaluyong City that has a good view of the east.”


The image was taken using Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi camera with Canon EFS 55-250mm telephoto lens at f/6.3, ISO 400, 1/10 sec.


Check out Erika’s website for more photos.


Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.




NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG:
FernandoPaoliello postou uma foto:


Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

Categories : pictures of nature, wallpaper nature pictures, nature wallpaper, nature photos, beautiful nature, beautiful nature pictures, beautiful pictures, nature wallpapers, google images, google pictures,


NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG:
FernandoPaoliello postou uma foto:


Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

categories : pictures of nature, wallpaper nature pictures, nature wallpaper, nature photos, beautiful nature, beautiful nature pictures, beautiful pictures, nature wallpapers, google images, google pictures,

NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG:
FernandoPaoliello postou uma foto:


Pequizeiro em flor- Condomínio Vivendas - Lagoa Santa, MG

Categories : pictures of nature, wallpaper nature pictures, nature wallpaper, nature photos, beautiful nature, beautiful nature pictures, beautiful pictures, nature wallpapers, google images, google pictures,

Friday, September 30, 2011

Halo Solar Distrito Federal Goias Brasil 30-09-2011

Halo Solar Distrito Federal Goias Brasil 30-09-2011


Halo Solar Distrito Federal Goias Brasil 30-09-2011 - Google Images Google Pictures



É um jogo? é um hit da Beyoncé? Não, meus amigos, é um halo solar, quando as nuvens estão cheias de cristais de gelo e criam um círculo ao redor de nossa estrela maior. E o fenômeno está acontecendo aqui no Brasil, mais exatamente no Distrito Federal, com resquício para os moradores de Goiás.

NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

Getting to Know the Giant Asteroid

Getting to Know the Giant Asteroid:
By Marc Rayman

As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft investigates its first target, the giant asteroid Vesta, Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer, shares a monthly update on the mission’s progress.

Latest Image of Vesta captured by Dawn on July 17, 2011

This anaglyph image of Vesta’s equator was put together from two clear filter images, taken on July 24, 2011 by the framing camera instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The anaglyph image shows hills, troughs, ridges and steep craters. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

› Full image and caption | › Read related news release















Dear Magdawnificents,

Dawn has completed the first phase of its exploration of Vesta with tremendous success, and the peripatetic adventurer is now in powered flight again, on its way to a new location from which to scrutinize its subject. Meanwhile, scientists are deeply engaged in analyzing the magnificent views the stalwart surveyor has transmitted to Earth.

Most of August was devoted to survey orbit. At an altitude of about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles), the ship sailed slowly around the world beneath it, completing a loop every 69 hours. Vesta rotates faster, turning once on its axis each 5 hours, 20 minutes. As we saw in the previous log, the survey orbit phase of the mission consisted of seven revolutions around Vesta, providing ample opportunities to acquire the rich bounty of data that scientists yearned for.

As Dawn follows its course, it passes over the north pole, then heads south on the day side of Vesta. On each orbit, it trained its sensors on the illuminated surface and filled its memory with the spectacular sights. On the other half of its orbit, gliding high above the dark landscape, it radioed its findings to distant Earth.

As we discussed last year, Vesta has seasons, just as your planet probably does. For readers on Earth, for example, it is summer in the northern hemisphere, and a region around the south pole is in constant darkness. On Vesta right now, the southern hemisphere is facing the sun, so everywhere between about 52 degrees north latitude and the north pole is in a long night. That ten percent of the surface is presently impossible to see. Because Dawn will stay in orbit around Vesta as together they travel around the sun, in 2012 it will be able to see some of this hidden scenery as the seasons advance.

The campaign of acquiring data in survey orbit was very complex. On the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth loops, the strategy included collecting more than Dawn’s memory could accommodate in the half of an orbit in which it was over sunlit terrain. Therefore, during those orbits, mission planners incorporated instructions to turn away from looking at Vesta to allow the spacecraft to point its main antenna to Earth for five to six hours. That provided time to transmit enough of its precious findings to make room for still more during the rest of the passage over the day side.

On the first and third revolutions, the computer in the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) encountered an unexpected condition, so it stopped collecting data. When the spacecraft was next on the night side, controllers reconfigured the instrument so it could resume normal operation for the subsequent lap. Engineers and scientists from Italy who developed the complex device and from JPL are working closely together to establish the underlying cause. They have taken advantage of the extended periods in each orbit when the main antenna is pointing to Earth to run diagnostic tests on the unit. All indications are that it is healthy, and evidence points strongly to the glitches being related to some detail of the mode in which VIR collects and processes data. The team is confident that once they understand the behavior, they will be able to formulate plans to operate the spectrometer in ways that avoid triggering it.

Thanks to the strategy to perform more observations than needed, even with the interruptions, VIR accumulated a fantastic wealth of information. The principal scientific objective of survey orbit was to collect 5,000 sets of spectra or “frames.” A spectrum is the intensity of light at different wavelengths, and each frame consists of visible and infrared spectra at 256 locations on Vesta’s complex and mysterious surface. By the end of survey orbit, Dawn had obtained well in excess of 13,000 frames, or more than three million spectra. Acquiring more than one spectrum of the same location is valuable, as different angles of incident or reflected sunlight allow scientists to gain greater insight into the mineralogical composition and properties of the material. With an initial plan of observing 52 percent of the surface with VIR from survey orbit, the team is elated now to have spectra from about 63 percent.

The science camera has similarly overachieved. The intent was to photograph 60 percent of Vesta, but the entire 90 percent not in the darkness of northern winter has been captured at least five times. With pictures taken from multiple angles, stereo views can be constructed; and images at different times allow features to be observed under varied lighting conditions. All of the camera’s color filters were used, providing coverage in the near infrared and visible. Until recently, Vesta was known as little more than a smudge of light, but now scientists have more than 2,800 photos from Dawn’s survey.

A selection of stunning scenes of the latest world to come into the realm of humankind’s knowledge is here. As scientists pore through the treasure trove, they will continue to add their favorite views to that site.

This mission has already revealed far more about Vesta than a flyby mission could. While much more data will be obtained during the rest of Dawn’s residence there, the six gigabytes from VIR and the three gigabytes from the camera so far are enough to keep researchers busy (and extremely happy!) for a very long time as they tease out the nature of this alien world.

› Continue reading Marc Rayman’s September Dawn Journal


NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE

The Giant Asteroid, Up Close and Personal

The Giant Asteroid, Up Close and Personal:
By Marc Rayman

As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft investigates its first target, the giant asteroid Vesta, Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer, shares a monthly update on the mission’s progress.

Image of the giant asteroid Vesta by Dawn

This image obtained by the framing camera on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft shows the south pole of the giant asteroid Vesta. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

› Full image and caption | › Read related news release















Dear Dawnniversaries,

Dawn’s fourth anniversary of being in space is very different from its previous ones. Indeed, those days all were devoted to reaching the distant destination the ship is now exploring. Celebrating its anniversary of leaving Earth, Dawn is in orbit around a kindred terrestrial-type world, the ancient protoplanet Vesta.

The adventurer spent August on Vesta’s shores and now it’s ready to dive in. Dawn devoted most of this month to working its way down from the 2,700-kilometer (1,700-mile) survey orbit to its current altitude of about 680 kilometers (420 miles) and changing the orientation of the orbit. (For a more detailed discussion of the altitude, go here.) The sensationally successful observing campaign in survey orbit produced captivating views, revealing a complex, fascinating landscape. Now four times closer to the surface, the probe is nearly ready for an even more comprehensive exploration from the high altitude mapping orbit (HAMO). The plans for HAMO have changed very little since it was described on the third anniversary of Dawn’s launch.

Dawn’s spiral descent went extremely well. We have seen before that bodies travel at higher velocities in lower altitude orbits, where the force of gravity is greater. For example, Mercury hurtles around the sun faster than Earth in order to balance the stronger pull of gravity, and Earth’s speed is greater than that of more remote Vesta. Similarly, satellites in close orbits around Earth, such as the International Space Station, race around faster than the much more distant moon. When it began its spiral on August 31, Dawn’s orbital speed high above Vesta was 76 meters per second (170 mph), and each revolution took nearly 69 hours. Under the gentle thrust of its ion propulsion system, the spacecraft completed 18 revolutions of Vesta, the loops getting tighter and faster as the orbital altitude gradually decreased, until it arrived at its new orbit on schedule on Sept. 18. In HAMO, Dawn orbits at 135 meters per second (302 mph), circling the world beneath it every 12.3 hours.

When Dawn’s itinerary called for it to stop thrusting, it was very close to HAMO but not quite there yet. As mission planners had recognized long beforehand, small differences between the planned and the actual flight profiles were inevitable. Extensive and sophisticated analysis has been undertaken in recent years to estimate the size of such discrepancies so the intricate plans for completing all the work at Vesta could account for the time and the work needed to deliver the robotic explorer to the intended destination. In order to accomplish the intensive program of observations with its scientific instruments, the spacecraft must follow an orbital path carefully matched to the sequences of commands already developed with painstaking attention to detail. The beauty of Dawn’;s artistically choreographed pas de deux with Vesta depends on the music and the movements being well synchronized.

During its descent, Dawn paused frequently to allow controllers to update the flight profile, accounting for some of the variances in its course along the way. Following the completion of thrusting, navigators tracked the ship more extensively as it sailed around Vesta, measuring its orbit with great accuracy. This revealed not only the details of the orbital parameters (such as size, shape, and orientation) but also more about the character of Vesta’s gravity field than could be detected at higher altitudes. With the new information, the team designed two short maneuvers to adjust the orbit. The first, lasting four hours, was executed last night, and the second, half an hour shorter, will be completed tonight. After further measurements to verify the final orbit, the month of HAMO observations will begin on Sept. 29.

› Continue reading Marc Rayman’s Dawn Journal


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hidden Secrets in The Galactic Center of The Milky Way

Hidden Secrets in The Galactic Center of The Milky Way:






A Supermassive Black Hole Disguised by Sagittarius A



The Galactic Center is the rotational center of our home galaxy. It is located in the direction of the Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpius Constellations where the Milky Way shines the most. It has been theorized that the Galactic Center is also home for a supermassive black hole.


Because interstellar dust conceal the Galactic Center, studies at visible, ultraviolet or soft X-ray wavelengths are impossible to conduct. However, observations at gamma ray, hard X-ray, infrared, sub-millimetre and radio wavelengths provide a substantial amount of information. The existence of the supermassive black hole has been confirmed using a VLT (Very Large Telescope) facility. Also accretion of gas onto a black hole would release enough energy to power up the intense compact radio source (Sagittarius A*), which is part of a larger astronomical radio source (Sagittarius A), and is located at the same location as the supermassive black hole.


Scientists were surprised to find out that the Galactic Center contains not only old red main-sequence stars, but also high amounts of massive stars. The birth of those stars was triggered a few millions years ago. This creates a “youth paradox” because the black hole tidal forces would prevent such a star formation event to take place. One explanation for this enigma is that the stars migrated near the Galactic Center after they formed in a remote location like a star cluster or a massive gas cloud near the black hole.


The Galactic Center is a quiet place for the next 200 million years when a star birth event will commence. Many stars will rush to supernovae states at higher rates (100x) than the current rate. The starburst may also be accompanied by the formation of galactic jets as matter falls into the central black hole. The Galactic Center of the Milky Way undergoes a starburst of this sort every 500 million years.


Distance from Earth: ~ 27000 light years.



Click below for full resolution picture of The Galactic Center


Galactic center of the Milky Way Galaxy









NATURE PICTURES & THE UNIVERSE