Tag Archives: astronomy

Messier objects gallery. M67-M77

Friday, March 20th, 2009

The 7th post of this gallery (distributed in 10 posts) that will include all Messier objects, 110.
This post contains a popular space object Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76) – remember Messier 27 The Dumbell Nebula – among many other star clusters and Messier 74, a galaxy that is used as an archetypal example of a [...]

Messier 67 (also known as M67 or NGC 2682) is an open cluster, or galactic cluster, in the constellation Cancer.
Messier 67 (also known as M67 or NGC 2682) is an open cluster, or galactic cluster, in the constellation Cancer. Credit Palomar Observatory/STScI/WikiSky
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Phobos & Deimos, Mars moons

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars’ two small moons, the other being Deimos. It is named after the Greek god Phobos (which means “fear”), a son of Ares (Mars). A small, irregularly shaped object, Phobos orbits about 9.377 km from the center of Mars, closer to its primary than any other planetary [...]

Phobos Imaged by HiRISE.
Phobos Imaged by HiRISE. Credit NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
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Messier objects gallery. M56-M66

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

The 6th post of this gallery (distributed in 10 posts) that will include all Messier objects, 110.
This post contains 3 popular space objects The Ring Nebula (M57), Sunflower Galaxy (M63) and the spectacular Black Eye Galaxy (M64) among many other spiral galaxies.
M63 credit links to another explanation on how this kind of images are processed [...]

Messier 56 (also known as M56 or NGC 6779) is a globular cluster in the constellation Lyra. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1779. M56 is at a distance of about 32,900 light-years from Earth and measures roughly 84 light-years across.
Messier 56 (also known as M56 or NGC 6779) is a globular cluster in the constellation Lyra. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1779. M56 is at a distance of about 32,900 light-years from Earth and measures roughly 84 light-years across. Credit NASA/STScI/WikiSky
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Messier objects gallery. M45-M55

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

The 5th post of this gallery (distributed in 10 posts) that will include all Messier objects, 110.
This post opens with the Pleiades (M45), probably the best pic of this set, and it also contains the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) among other open and globular clusters of stars.
The Pleiades, also known as Messier 45 (M45), are among [...]

The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45, is a conspicuous object in the night sky with a prominent place in ancient mythology. The cluster contains hundreds of stars, of which only a handful are commonly visible to the unaided eye. The stars in the Pleiades are thought to have formed together around 100 million years ago, making them 1/50th the age of our sun, and they lie some 130 parsecs (425 light years) away. From our perspective they appear in the constellation of Taurus.
The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45, is a conspicuous object in the night sky with a prominent place in ancient mythology. The cluster contains hundreds of stars, of which only a handful are commonly visible to the unaided eye. The stars in the Pleiades are thought to have formed together around 100 million years ago, making them 1/50th the age of our sun, and they lie some 130 parsecs (425 light years) away. From our perspective they appear in the constellation of Taurus. Credit NASA/ESA/AURA/Caltech.
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Messier objects gallery. M34-M44

Friday, February 27th, 2009

The 4th post of this gallery (distributed in 10 posts) that will include all Messier objects, 110.
Today I will show the best pictures I have found for Messier objects from 34 to 44 (M34-M44). These objects refers to a  popular nebula, a double star Winnecke4 (M40) and many open clusters like Beehive Cluster(M44). The popular [...]

Messier 34 (also known as M 34 or NGC 1039) is an open cluster in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. M34 is at a distance of about 1,400 light-years away from Earth and consists of some 100 stars. It spans about 35' on the sky which translates to a true radius of 7 light years. The cluster is just visible to the naked eye in very dark conditions, well away from city lights. It is well seen in binoculars.
Messier 34 (also known as M 34 or NGC 1039) is an open cluster in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. M34 is at a distance of about 1,400 light-years away from Earth and consists of some 100 stars. It spans about 35' on the sky which translates to a true radius of 7 light years. The cluster is just visible to the naked eye in very dark conditions, well away from city lights. It is well seen in binoculars. Credit REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF
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Best of SOHO II

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

SOHO, the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, is a project of international collaboration between ESA and NASA to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind. Previous post Best of SOHO I

Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) 304Å image of a pair of similarly shaped prominences from 11 January 1998. A collage of prominences, which are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. For all four images, emission in this spectral line of EIT 304Å shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures. Going clockwise from the upper left, the images are from: 15 May 2001; 28 March 2000; 18 January 2000, and 2 February 2001.
Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) 304Å image of a pair of similarly shaped prominences from 11 January 1998. A collage of prominences, which are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. For all four images, emission in this spectral line of EIT 304Å shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures. Going clockwise from the upper left, the images are from: 15 May 2001; 28 March 2000; 18 January 2000, and 2 February 2001. Credit SOHO (ESA & NASA)
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Mars from space

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the “Red Planet” because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface. Wikipedia

Mars Global Surveyor data creates a view of weather on Mars, with blue-white ice clouds apparent.
Mars Global Surveyor data creates a view of weather on Mars, with blue-white ice clouds apparent. Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
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