M57 in the Constellation Lyra
Lyra was a constellation we studied last week so I found this picture very fitting. The Ring Nebula M57 is one of the most famous celestial bands in the night sky. Like most Nebulae, this one was made from a dying central star. The Nebula itself is about 1 ly across and over 2,000 ly away from planet Earth.
Site: Picture from APOD
Three Galaxies in Draco
In this photo, from left to right, is NGC 5981, 5982, and 5985. All of these galaxies are about 100 million ly from Earth. Not much is known about these three objects, but they are a very popular stop for astro-photographers.
I chose this picture mostly because the false color imagery used was from the light gathered by a spectrograph. We learned in class that this means it used electromagnetic radiation from the white light to decompose into the colors above. This was especially interesting to me as well because Isaac Newton, the astronomer my biography was on, invented the first spectrograph by using a prism to generate the colors found in the white light.
Site: Picture from APOD
This plane is designed to reach supersonic speeds while using a minimal amount of fuel, producing less pollution, and making less noise. The arch over the engines is called a Y-Wing, its function is to reduce the sound made by sonic booms created when reaching supersonic speeds.
Site: Picture from APOD
Scorpius, Jupiter, and the Milky Way
In this long exposure photo a part of the Milky Way is clearly visible as a brown cloud with red areas (Hydrogen) in the center, known as the Dark River . To the right of that is a bright orange star; Antares, the heart of Scorpius. The group of dimmer blue stars to the right of Antares is Scorpius' head. Above Antares is a very bright white star, known commonly as Jupiter. In addition, numerous red emission nebulas and blue reflection nebulas are visible throughout this image.
Antares is easily found by spotting a bright red star in the evening sky. It should be the 16th brightest star with a magnitude of +1.09. Its red color comes from its nature of being a red supergiant, its brightness is nearly 10,000 times that of our sun. Antares is located about 600 ly from Earth. The star is in opposition on May 31st, which would be the best viewing time since it rises at dawn and sets at dusk.
Site: Picture from APOD
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) has been a very popular case of study over the past 15 years. Many images have been seen thus far; this one however shows X-Rays emitting from the Nebula. The colors range from white, to blue, to purple, to red. This order is from the most intense temperature down. The central binary star is a multimillion degree X-Ray emitter that is in the stage of dieing.
Cat's Eye is located in the constellation Draco and about 3,300 ly from Earth. Its notable rings that interlock around the center have been a case for study because nobody really knows how they formed. My guess is that the central binary star emitted larger quantities of gasses at certain time intervals, but who knows?
Site: Picture from APOD
The New Horizons spacecraft is currently traveling traveling through our Solar System towards Pluto; except it made a pit stop off at Jupiter and caught a glimpse of this amazing scene. This picture was captured using infrared light to false color both the planet and its moon.
I chose this picture mostly because on September 21st Jupiter will be in opposition to the Sun which will make it much brighter in the sky. In addition, Jupiter is supposed to be closer to Earth than any year since 1963. This is all supposed to happen at sunset; it will be spectacular.
On September 23rd a Full Moon is expected which would mean that it will also be in opposition to the Sun. Looks like this week will be a great one to look to the sky!
Site: Picture from APOD
M78 "The Reflection Nebula"
M78 is a Reflection Nebula in the constellation Orion. Its classified as a Reflection Nebula due to two blue tenth magnitude stars (HD 38563A & HD 38563B).
The nebula is part of a cluster called the Orion Molecular Cloud, which is nearly 1,600 Ly from Earth and 5 Ly across. Its easily viewable by small telescopes as a hazy patch with two bright stars. The Orion Molecular Cloud also includes the Horsehead Nebula and the Great Nebula.
Through my observations I saw Orion at 6:30 AM this morning almost directly over me, unfortunately I was not able to see this nebula through my binoculars. Also, to the West and near the Horizon was Jupiter shining brightly.
Site: Picture from APOD
The Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is one of the most beautiful objects in known space; it is the product of a Supernova dating back to 1054 A.D. It has very unique filament like structures expelling from the Pulsar; a neutron star with the same mass as our Sun, but only one millionth the size. The Pulsar in the center is known as the Crab Pulsar, and it rotates at an astounding 30 times each second.
It is located within the constellation of Taurus and has a length of 11 light years with an expansion rate of 1,500 kilometers/sec. The nebula is 6,500 miles from Earth. Another common same for it is Messier 1 (M1)
The picture was taken by the Hubble Telescope and has false color added for scientific purposes (mostly for seeing which gasses or rays are within the nebula).
