El gusano

thecosmosmadeconscious: Cool Andromeda In this new view of the...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:35:23 -0300

Cool Andromeda

In this new view of the Andromeda, also known as M31, galaxy from the Herschel space observatory, cool lanes of forming stars are revealed in the finest detail yet. M31 is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way at a distance of 2.5 million light-years.

La wea maravillosa

spacettf: Goðafoss “Waterfall of the Gods” - North Iceland by...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:47:23 -0300

spacettf:

Goðafoss “Waterfall of the Gods” - North Iceland by skarpi - www.skarpi.is on Flickr.

spacettf: NGC2244 Rosette Nebula by J. Jongmans on Flickr.

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:46:44 -0300

spacettf:

NGC2244 Rosette Nebula by J. Jongmans on Flickr.

spacettf: *** by Hakka69 on Flickr.

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:13:58 -0300

spacettf:

*** by Hakka69 on Flickr.

pedroam-bang: Monday, 8th of October, 2012 ~ 6:00am MDT Felix...

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:43:08 -0300

pedroam-bang:

Monday, 8th of October, 2012 ~ 6:00am MDT

Felix Baumgartner - The first human jump from the edge of Space will attempt to break the speed of sound in freefall (2012)

spacettf: NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula Image Credit &...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 09:58:56 -0300

spacettf:

NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas

Explanation: Like delicate cosmic petals, these clouds of interstellar dust and gas have blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus. Sometimes called the Iris Nebula and dutifully cataloged as NGC 7023 this is not the only nebula in the sky to evoke the imagery of flowers. Still, this remarkable image shows off the Iris Nebula’s range of colors and symmetries in impressive detail. Within the Iris, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Central filaments of the dusty clouds glow with a faint reddish photoluminesence as some dust grains effectively convert the star’s invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Infrared observations indicate that this nebula may contain complex carbon molecules known as PAHs. The bright blue portion of the Iris Nebula is about six light-years across.

NASA APOD 29 Sept 2012

spacettf: NightWatch by Hakka69 on Flickr.

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:54:56 -0300

spacettf:

NightWatch by Hakka69 on Flickr.

ahaha los monos lindos

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 10:25:45 -0300

ahaha los monos lindos

thenewenlightenmentage: Farthest Galaxy Yet Revealed by Cosmic...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:45:03 -0300

thenewenlightenmentage:

Farthest Galaxy Yet Revealed by Cosmic Lens

The earliest known confirmed galaxy has been discovered with the help of cosmic lenses formed out of the warped fabric of space and time, researchers say.

Continue Reading

thecosmosmadeconscious: A Solar Filament Erupts What’s happened...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:02:04 -0300

thecosmosmadeconscious:

A Solar Filament Erupts

What’s happened to our Sun? Nothing very unusual — it just threw a filament. At the end of last month, a long standing solar filament suddenly erupted into space producing an energetic Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The filament had been held up for days by the Sun’s ever changing magnetic field and the timing of the eruption was unexpected. Watched closely by the Sun-orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory, the resulting explosion shot electrons and ions into the Solar System, some of which arrived at Earth three days later and impacted Earth’s magnetosphere, causing visible aurorae. Loops of plasma surrounding an active region can be seen above the erupting filament in the ultraviolet image. If you missed this auroral display please do not despair — over the next two years our Sun will be experiencing a solar maximum of activity which promises to produce more CMEs that induce more Earthly auroras.

spacettf: RBSP Night Launch Image Credit & Copyright:...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:02:42 -0300

spacettf:

RBSP Night Launch
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Killian

Explanation: This graceful arc traces a Delta rocket climbing through Thursday’s early morning skies over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA. Snug inside the rocket’s Centaur upper stage were NASA’s twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), now in separate orbits within planet Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts. Reflected in the Turn Basin from a vantage point about 3 miles from Space Launch Complex 41, the scene was captured in a composite of two exposures. One highlights the dramatic play of launch pad lighting, clouds, and sky. A subsequent 3 minute long exposure records the rocket’s fiery trail. While most spacecraft try to avoid the radiation belts, named for their discoverer James Van Allen, RBSP’s mission will be to explore their dynamic and harsh conditions.

NASA APOD 2 Sept 2012

spacettf: Moon in clouds. 2012, Aug. 31 by SlartyB52 on...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 12:45:15 -0300

spacettf:

Moon in clouds. 2012, Aug. 31 by SlartyB52 on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
In memory of Neil Armstrong. Father, astronaut, and all-round decent human being. You will be remembered.

spacettf: The Heart Nebula IC 1805 Hubble Palette by Terry...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 12:44:52 -0300

spacettf:

The Heart Nebula IC 1805 Hubble Palette by Terry Hancock www.downunderobservatory.com on Flickr.

thenewenlightenmentage: Getting Closer! New SuperEarth Found in...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:31:58 -0400

thenewenlightenmentage:

Getting Closer! New SuperEarth Found in Red Dwarf Habitable Zone

A new superterran exoplanet (aka Super-Earth),a rock-water world, was found in the stellar habitable zone of the red dwarf star Gliese 163 by the European HARPS team. The planet, Gliese 163c, has a minimum mass of 6.9 Earth masses and takes nearly 26 days to orbit its star. Superterrans are those exoplanets between two and ten Earth masses, which are more likely composed of rock and water.

Continue reading “Getting Closer! New SuperEarth Found in Red Dwarf Habitable Zone” »

w4kala: mayestation: TE MATAREEEE!… luego soon

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:18:21 -0400

w4kala:

mayestation:

TE MATAREEEE!… luego

soon

Photo

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:00:36 -0400

spacettf: The Perfect Evening by Shane Michael Black on Flickr.

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 10:07:57 -0400

spacettf:

The Perfect Evening by Shane Michael Black on Flickr.

mrclarinet: Close enough…?

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:10:10 -0400

mrclarinet:

Close enough…?

spacettf: Milkyway behind trees by \saiph on Flickr.

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:53:00 -0400

spacettf:

Milkyway behind trees by \saiph on Flickr.

expose-the-light: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Eclipses 1 ...

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 02:28:49 -0400

expose-the-light:

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Eclipses

1 The longest total solar eclipse of the century occurred on July 22 over India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It peaked over the Pacific Ocean, but even there the darkness lasted a mere 6 minutes and 29 seconds.

2 Fast and furious: The moon’s shadow zooms across Earth’s surface at up to 5,000 miles per hour.

3 Canadian astronomer and renowned eclipse chaser J. W. Campbell traveled the world for 50 years trying to see 12 different eclipses. He ran into overcast skies every time.

4 Don’t repeat J. W.’s mistakes: Monsoon season throughout south Asia means that there is a good chance the eclipse this July will be clouded out too.

5 Just before full eclipse, dazzling “Baily’s beads” appear where sunlight shines through valleys on the moon. The last bead creates the impression of a diamond ring in the sky.

6 On eclipse-viewing expeditions, this phenomenon is frequently accompanied by a marriage proposal.

7 The beautiful symmetry of a total solar eclipse happens because—by pure chance—the sun is 400 times larger than the moon but is also 400 times farther from Earth, making the two bodies appear the exact same size in the sky.

8 In case you were thinking about relocating: Earth is the only place in the solar system where that happens.

9 Other planets get other kinds of fun, though. Jupiter can have a triple eclipse, in which three moons cast shadows on the planet simultaneously. The event is easily visible through a backyard telescope.

10 The Chinese word for solar eclipse is shih, meaning “to eat.” In ancient China people traditionally beat drums and banged on pots to scare off the “heavenly dog” believed to be devouring the sun.

11 Then again, China also produced the first known astronomical recordings of solar eclipses, inscribed in pieces of bone and shell called “oracle bones,” from around 1050 B.C. or earlier.

12 By comparing those ancient records with modern calculations of eclipse patterns, scientists have determined that the day is 0.047 second longer today than it was back then.

13 Tidal friction, which causes that lengthening of the day, is also making the moon drift away. In about 600 million years it will appear too small to cover the sun, and there will be no more total solar eclipses.

14 In any given location, a total solar eclipse happens just once every 360 years on average.

15 Luckiest place on Earth Carbondale, Illinois, will beat the odds: Folks there will see an eclipse on August 21, 2017, and again on April 8, 2024.

16 In contrast, everyone on the night side of the world can see a lunar eclipse, where the moon slips into Earth’s shadow.

17 During a total lunar eclipse, the moon takes on a deep reddish hue due to the sunlight filtering through our atmosphere—the cumulative glow of all the world’s sunsets.

18 While stranded in Jamaica, Christopher Columbus was famously saved by the lunar eclipse of February 29, 1504, which he had read about in his almanac. After a fracas with the locals, Columbus warned that the moon would disappear if they did not start supplying his men with food.

19 When the moon vanished, the locals promptly complied, and Columbus breathed a huge sigh of relief: His almanac was calibrated for Germany, and he was not sure that he had adjusted correctly for local time.

20 Who knows—it might be useful to you, too. The next lunar eclipse visible from the United States will take place on December 21, 2010.