Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Astrophoto: Space Station on the Moon

Astrophoto: Space Station on the Moon:
The International Space Station captured as it passed in front of the Moon on Dec. 6, 2013, as seen from Puerto Rico. Credit and copyright: Juan Gonzalez-Alicea.
Astrophoto: Space Station on the Moon
The International Space Station captured as it passed in front of the Moon on Dec. 6, 2013, as seen from Puerto Rico. Credit and copyright: Juan Gonzalez-Alicea.
We can dream, right? … because we’d all love to have a space station on the Moon. But this is as close as we’re going to get for the foreseeable future, anyway. Juan Gonzalez-Alicea of Sociedad de Astronomia del Caribe in Puerto Rico captured this great image of the International Space Station crossing in front of the crescent Moon on Dec. 6, 2013. He used a Canon 7D with a 300 mm lens, and actually got a fair amount of detail. A shot like this is tricky, as from our vantage point on Earth, it takes just a half second for the International Space Station to fly across the face of the Moon, so timing is everything!

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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!

Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!:
Venus reflected in the Pacific Ocean late this fall seen from the island of Maui, Hawaii. The planet is now quickly dropping toward the sun. Credit: Bob King
Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!
Venus reflected in the Pacific Ocean late this fall from the island of Maui in Hawaii. The planet is now quickly dropping toward the sun. Credit: Bob King
I put down down the snow shovel to give my back a rest yesterday evening and couldn’t believe what I saw. Or didn’t see. Where was Venus? (...)
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Videopalooza Shows Off Phobos Flyby As Moon’s Mysterious Origins Probed

Videopalooza Shows Off Phobos Flyby As Moon’s Mysterious Origins Probed:

There won’t be any pictures out of this close encounter, but the animations sure were spectacular. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft skimmed just 45 kilometers (28 miles) above the surface of the moon Phobos yesterday, and through these various videos you can see what the orbital trajectory would have looked like during that time.
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Jan. 16 May Be Last Best Chance to Search for Comet ISON’s Remains

Jan. 16 May Be Last Best Chance to Search for Comet ISON’s Remains:
Comet ISON revolves around the sun in steeply inclined orbit. Earth will pass through the plane of that orbit on Jan. 16. As we look
Jan. 16 May Be Last Best Chance to Search for Comet ISON’s Remains
Comet ISON revolves around the sun in steeply inclined orbit. Earth will pass through the plane of that orbit on Jan. 16. As we look “up” toward the comet, ISON’s dust stacks up along our line of sight and could appear temporarily brighter. Credit: solarsystemscope.com with annotations and additions by Bob King
Is there any hope of detecting what’s left of Comet ISON after the sun proved too much for its delicate constitution? German amateur astronomer Uwe Pilz suggest there remains a possibility that a photographic search might turn up a vestige of the comet when Earth crosses its orbital plane on January 16, 2014. (...)
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See the Youngest Moon of Your Life Tonight

See the Youngest Moon of Your Life Tonight:
A 24-hour-old moon photographed from Duluth, Minn. U.S. on in May 2010. Credit: Bob King
See the Youngest Moon of Your Life Tonight
A 24-hour-old moon photographed from Duluth, Minn. U.S. on in May 2010. Credit: Bob King
The new year starts out with a bang, offering the chance to spy an exceptionally thin crescent moon shortly after sunset. Here’s how to find it. (...)
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Astrophoto: Crecent Venus in the Afternoon

Astrophoto: Crecent Venus in the Afternoon:
Venus visible in the daytime skies over Kuala Lumpur on January 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Shahrin Ahmad.
Astrophoto: Crecent Venus in the Afternoon
Venus visible in the daytime skies over Kuala Lumpur on January 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Shahrin Ahmad.
In December, we challenged our readers to try and see Venus during the daytime. Sharin Ahmad from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia started off the new year by nailing this awesome picture of a crescent Venus at just after noon local time today (January 2, 2014). “The usual cloudy Kuala Lumpur sky is teasing me again, giving me crystal blue sky today!” Shahrin said via email.
Based on SkySafari, Venus was about 3.2% illuminated, and about 15 degrees from Sun.
Equipment: Skywatcher 120ED (F=1800mm), and IMG132E video camera.
Here are other recent images of Venus submitted to our Flickr page by our readers:
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Comets Prospects for 2014: A Look Into the Crystal Ball

Comets Prospects for 2014: A Look Into the Crystal Ball:
Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy starts the new year as the brightest comet in the sky at around magnitude 6. In this photo taken on Dec. 31, two tails are visible. The longer one is the ion or gas tail; the broader fan is the dust tail. Credit: Damian Peach
Comets Prospects for 2014: A Look Into the Crystal Ball
Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy starts the new year as the brightest comet in the sky at around magnitude 6. In this photo taken on Dec. 31, two tails are visible. The longer one is the ion or gas tail; the broader pale yellow fan is the dust tail. Credit: Damian Peach
As 2014 opens, most of the half dozen comets traversing the morning and evening sky are faint and require detailed charts and a good-sized telescope to see and appreciate. Except for Comet Lovejoy. This gift to beginner and amateur astronomers alike keeps on giving. But wait, there’s more. Three additional binocular-bright comets will keep us busy starting this spring.(...)
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Three-Meter Asteroid Hits Earth’s Atmosphere

Three-Meter Asteroid Hits Earth’s Atmosphere:
Projected path of 2014 AA south of the Cape Verde islands. (Credit: Asteroid Initiatives, LLC)
Three-Meter Asteroid Hits Earth’s Atmosphere
One projected path of 2014 AA south and west of the Cape Verde islands. (Credit: Asteroid Initiatives, LLC)
This was very likely the last trip around the Sun for the Earth-crossing asteroid 2014 AA, according to calculations by several teams of astronomers and published online earlier today on the IAU’s Minor Planet Center. Discovered just yesterday by the Catalina Sky Survey, the estimated 3-meter-wide Apollo asteroid was supposed to clear Earth today with the razor-thin margin of about 611 km (380 miles)… but it’s now looking like it didn’t quite make it.

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Gorgeous Astrophoto: Twin Crescents of the Moon and Venus at Sunset

Gorgeous Astrophoto: Twin Crescents of the Moon and Venus at Sunset:
The Moon and Venus, both in crescent phase, as seen from Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy on January 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca.
Gorgeous Astrophoto: Twin Crescents of the Moon and Venus at Sunset
The Moon and Venus, both in crescent phase, as seen from Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy on January 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca.
2014 starts out with sunset view of a new Moon and a fading look at Venus, both captured together in this gorgeous image from astrophotographer Giuseppe Petricca.
“A wonderful sunset conjunction this evening from Central Italy,” Giuseppe wrote via email. “The Moon and Venus were both crescent, in an awesome sight! Some clouds entered the scene, and helped me filter the bright light of the ‘evening star’, revealing the little arch of the planet, from our point of view.” He added that this is “the youngest Moon I’ve ever captured, about 2% lit.”
Below is an image with an inset of Venus enlarged for a better view:
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This Town Celebrates Every New Year with a Falling Meteor

This Town Celebrates Every New Year with a Falling Meteor:

Video from YouTube User Pam Bergmann
The popular jazz tune “Stars Fell on Alabama” was inspired in part by the Leonid meteor shower in November of 1833, sometimes referred to as “the night the stars fell.” But the central region of Alabama region has a history of meteor impacts, including a massive impact over 84 million years ago. The town of Wetumpka, Alabama sits in the middle of an ancient 8-kilometer-wide impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, creating the unique geology of what is now Elmore County.
To celebrate this “striking” heritage, Wetumpka celebrates every New Year’s Eve with a spectacular recreation of a falling, exploding meteor.

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Spirit Retrospective: Top Shots on 10th Year Since Mars Touchdown

Spirit Retrospective: Top Shots on 10th Year Since Mars Touchdown:
A Moment Frozen in Time On May 19th, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera (Pancam) mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of Sol 489. The terrain in the foreground is the rock outcrop
Spirit Retrospective: Top Shots on 10th Year Since Mars Touchdown
A Moment Frozen in Time

On May 19th, 2005, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera (Pancam) mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of Sol 489. The terrain in the foreground is the rock outcrop “Jibsheet,” a feature that Spirit has been investigating for several weeks (rover tracks are dimly visible leading up to “Jibsheet”). The floor of Gusev crater is visible in the distance, and the Sun is setting behind the wall of Gusev some 80 km (50 miles) in the distance. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Texas A&M/Cornell
Today it’s hard to imagine a Mars without Spirit.
But a decade ago, NASA’s six wheeled Spirit rover was but a promise of great things to come. And her rich Martian scientific heritage we know today was but a dream yet to ensue
Jan. 3 marks the 10th anniversary since her touchdown on Mars on Jan. 3, 2004. Her twin sister Opportunity soft landed 3 weeks later on Jan. 24, 2004.
So here’s a collection of some of Spirit’s greatest hits on the Red Planet for all to enjoy and remember her fabulous exploits.
Read my detailed new overview marking ‘Spirits 10 Years on Mars’ – here – with even more spectacular Red Planet imagery! (...)
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Virtual Star Party – January 5, 2014

Virtual Star Party – January 5, 2014:

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Will The Sun Explode?

Will The Sun Explode?:

All stars die, some more violently than others.
Once our own Sun has consumed all the hydrogen fuel in its core, it too will reach the end of its life. Astronomers estimate this to be a short 7 billion years from now. For a few million years, it will expand into a red giant, puffing away its outer layers. Then it’ll collapse down into a white dwarf and slowly cool down to the background temperature of the Universe.

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Internet Search Yields No Evidence of Time Travelers

Internet Search Yields No Evidence of Time Travelers:
Comet ISON was used in a search for time travelers. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope provides a close-up look of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), as photographed on April 10. Credit: NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute), and the Hubble Comet ISON Imaging Science Team.
Internet Search Yields No Evidence of Time Travelers
Comet ISON was used in a search for time travelers. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope provides a close-up look of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), as photographed on April 10. Credit: NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute), and the Hubble Comet ISON Imaging Science Team.
You can find anything on the internet, right? A new study reveals, however, that you can’t find evidence of time travelers on the internet. Credible time travelers, that is.
The study was conducted by astrophysicist Robert Nemiroff who is part of the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) team, along with some of his students from Michigan Technological University.

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Kepler Finds an Earth-Sized “Gas Giant”

Kepler Finds an Earth-Sized “Gas Giant”:
Artist's impression of KOI-314c
Kepler Finds an Earth-Sized “Gas Giant”
Artist’s impression of KOI-314c, a gas-covered planet with the same mass as Earth. Credit: C. Pulliam & D. Aguilar (CfA)
Gas planets aren’t always bloated, monstrous worlds the size of Jupiter or Saturn —  or larger — they can also apparently be just barely bigger than Earth. This was the discovery announced earlier today during the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, DC, when findings regarding the gassy (but surprisingly small) exoplanet KOI-314c were presented.
“This planet might have the same mass as Earth, but it is certainly not Earth-like,” said David Kipping of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), lead author of the discovery. “It proves that there is no clear dividing line between rocky worlds like Earth and fluffier planets like water worlds or gas giants.”
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Monday, January 6, 2014

Picasa Happy New Year HD Wallpaper Auto Awesome


From Google Images & Google Pictures

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 - HD THEME
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Picasa Siberian Husky HD Wallpaper

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Siberian Husky - Dog Breed
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The Siberian Husky is a medium to large, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in north-eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. Wikipedia
Hypoallergenic: No
Lifespan: 12 – 15 y
Higher classification: Dog
Temperament: Outgoing, Alert, Gentle, Friendly, Intelligent
Height: 53 – 60 cm (Male, Adult), 51 – 56 cm (Adult, Female)
Mass: 16 – 23 kg (Female, Adult), 20 – 27 kg (Male, Adult)


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Picasa Horse Wallpaper HD

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Google Images & Google Pictures
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Saturday, December 28, 2013

‘Tis the Season to Spot Jupiter: A Guide to the 2014 Opposition

‘Tis the Season to Spot Jupiter: A Guide to the 2014 Opposition:
Jupiter+moon imaged recently by Paul Cotton (@paultbird66) of Lincolnshire, England. Used with permission.
Jupiter+moon imaged recently by Paul Cotton (@paultbird66) of Lincolnshire, England. Used with permission.
Lovers of planetary action rejoice; the king of the planets is returning to the evening skies.
One of the very first notable astronomical events for 2014 occurs on January 5th, when the planet Jupiter reaches opposition. You can already catch site of Jove in late December, rising in the east about an hour after local sunset. And while Venus will be dropping faster than the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve to the west in early 2014, Jupiter will begin to dominate the evening planetary action.(...)
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Happy Holidays from Cassini!

Happy Holidays from Cassini!:
Saturn makes a beautifully striped ornament in this natural-color image, showing its north polar hexagon and central vortex (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
Saturn makes a beautifully-striped ornament in this natural-color image, showing its north polar hexagon jet stream and central vortex (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
Cassini couldn’t make it to the mall this year to do any Christmas shopping but that’s ok: we’re all getting something even better in our stockings than anything store-bought! To celebrate the holiday season the Cassini team has shared some truly incredible images of Saturn and some of its many moons for the world to “ooh” and “ahh” over. So stoke the fire, pour yourself a glass of egg nog, sit back and marvel at some sights from a wintry wonderland 900 million miles away…
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Prebiotic Molecules May Form in Exoplanet Atmospheres

Prebiotic Molecules May Form in Exoplanet Atmospheres:
Image Credit: NASA/JPL
An artist’s conception of an exoplanet with a thick atmosphere. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Before there was life as we know it, there were molecules. And after many seemingly unlikely steps these molecules underwent a magnificent transition: they became complex systems with the capability to reproduce, pass along information and drive chemical reactions. But the host of steps leading up to this transition has remained one of science’s beloved mysteries.
New research suggests that the building blocks of life — prebiotic molecules — may form in the atmospheres of planets, where the dust provides a safe platform to form on and various reactions with the surrounding plasma provide enough energy necessary to create life.
(...)
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Astrophoto: Comet Love, Joy and Santa

Astrophoto: Comet Love, Joy and Santa:
Close up of Comet Lovejoy ... wait a minute that's no comet! Image and photoshop credit: Lee Jennings.
Close up of Comet Lovejoy … wait a minute that’s no comet! Image and photoshop credit: Lee Jennings.
A closeup of Comet Lovejoy reveals a little known secret! Thanks to astrophotographer Lee Jennings for his holiday handiwork!
Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season from all of us at Universe Today!
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Astrophoto: Nova Centauri 2013 Turns Pink

Astrophoto: Nova Centauri 2013 Turns Pink:
This image taken on Dec. 28, 2013 from New Zealand shows Nova Centauri 2013, a bright naked eye nova in the Southern constellation of Centaurus. The nova appears pink because of emissions from ionised hydrogen. Credit and copyright: Rolf Wahl Olsen.
This image taken on Dec. 28, 2013 from New Zealand shows Nova Centauri 2013, a bright naked eye nova in the Southern constellation of Centaurus. The nova appears pink because of emissions from ionised hydrogen. Credit and copyright: Rolf Wahl Olsen.
A recent naked-eye visible nova that erupted the first week in December 2013 is still showing its stuff, and this new “hot off the press” image from Rolf Wahl Olsen in New Zealand reveals its unusual color. “I managed to grab a close-up of Nova Centauri 2013 with my new 12.5″ f/4 scope,” Rolf said via email to Universe Today. “Curiously, I have only so far seen wide field images of this nova, and none that actually show it’s very unusual strong pink colour.”
Nova Centauri 2013 (in the Southern constellation of Centaurus) was discovered by John Seach from Australia on December 2, 2013, and it was visible at about magnitude 5.5. It subsequently brightened to reach a peak at magnitude 3.3.
Rolf’s image was taken today (it’s already Dec. 28, 2013 in New Zealand!) when the nova had faded to around magnitude 4.5.
Why is it pink?
(...)
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Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!

Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!:
Venus reflected in the Pacific Ocean late this fall seen from the island of Maui, Hawaii. The planet is now quickly dropping toward the sun. Credit: Bob King
Venus Slip-Slides Away – Catch it While You Can!
Venus reflected in the Pacific Ocean late this fall from the island of Maui in Hawaii. The planet is now quickly dropping toward the sun. Credit: Bob King
I put down down the snow shovel to give my back a rest yesterday evening and couldn’t believe what I saw. Or didn’t see. Where was Venus? (...)
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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Visions of Earth through the Yutu Rover’s Eyes

Visions of Earth through the Yutu Rover’s Eyes:
Earth eclipses the sun from Chang'e 3's location in the Sea of Rains on April 15, 2014. At the same time, we'll see a total lunar eclipse from the ground. Stellarium
Visions of Earth through the Yutu Rover’s Eyes
Earth eclipses the sun from Chang’e 3′s location in the Sea of Rains on April 15, 2014. At the same time, we’ll see a total lunar eclipse from the ground. Stellarium
Last night I used my telescope to eye-hike the volcanic plains of the Sea of Rains (Mare Imbrium) where the Yutu rover and lander sit beneath a blistering sun. With no atmosphere to speak of and days that last two weeks, noontime temperatures can hit 250 degrees Fahrenheit (122 C) . That’s hot enough that mission control at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center has decided to draw the shades and give the rover a nap from science duties until December 23 when things cool down a bit.
While studying the subtle gray hues of the Imbrium lava flows I got to wondering what the sky might look like if I could don a spacesuit and visit the landing site “where the skies are not cloudy all day” (to quote a famous song). (...)
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Friday, December 20, 2013

When Science is Art: a New Map of Wind Patterns

When Science is Art: a New Map of Wind Patterns:
When Science is Art: a New Map of Wind Patterns
When Science is Art: a New Map of Wind Patterns
A screen capture of the Earth’s surface wind patterns over the Atlantic Ocean.
A new map of wind patterns is so visually stunning it’s easily mistaken for art.
This interactive visualization of wind patterns — modeled from the U.S. National Weather Service’s Global Forecast System database — provides nearly current weather conditions on the global scale. And it’s beautiful.
(...)
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