19.3.10
The Seagull and the Duck
Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)

Explanation: Seen as a seagull and a duck, these nebulae are not the only cosmic clouds to evoke images of flight. But both are winging their way across this broad celestial landscape, spanning almost 7 degrees across planet Earth's night sky toward the constellation Canis Major. The expansive Seagull (upper left) is itself composed of two major cataloged emission nebulae. Brighter NGC 2327 forms the head with the more diffuse IC 2177 as the wings and body. Impressively, the Seagull's wingspan would correspond to about 250 light-years at an estimated distance of 3,800 light-years. At the lower right, the Duck appears much more compact and would span only about 50 light-years given its 15,000 light-year distance estimate. Blown by energetic winds from an extremely massive, hot star near its center, the Duck nebula is cataloged as NGC 2359. Of course, the Duck's thick body and winged appendages also lend it a more dramatic popular moniker -- Thor's Helmet.

Skysurfed needs an assistant to fill in sometimes. Today's APOD is amazing.

20.3.2010

Explanation: Ghostly Zodiacal light, featured near the center of this remarkable panorama, is produced as sunlight is scattered by dust in the Solar System's ecliptic plane. In the weeks surrounding the March equinox (today at 1732UT Zodiacal light is more prominent after sunset in the northern hemisphere, and before sunrise in the south, when the ecliptic makes a steep angle with the horizon. In the picture, the narrow triangle of Zodiacal light extends above the western horizon and seems to end at the lovely Pleiiades star cluster. Arcing above the Pleiades are stars and nebulae along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Recorded on March 10 from Teide National Park on the island of Tenerife, the vista is composed of 4 separate pictures spanning over 180 degrees.

Not really astronomy pictures but I figure you peeps will appreciate these lil nuggets I found today....generally all about the scale of things...it blew me away anyhow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347

I was hoping someone was going to keep it going!

Oh I did not realise the reason for the hiatus.

21.3.2010

A really slendid picture.

22.3.2010

The Nearby Milky Way in Cold Dust

Well you could always do it!

I don't mind

That would be really good if you did!

Thank you Henry for posting the missing links!!
I do like to check this thread out at lunch time so it was great to see them all come up today. I hope you or Apollo18 will keep us up to date please, until Skysurfer comes back to us.

Here you go! I've even copied the format. I will try to do it until the OP comes back



23.3.10
Reinvigorated Sun and Prominence
Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination)

Explanation: Dramatic prominences can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun. Such was the case last week as a giant prominence, visible above on the right, highlighted a Sun showing increased activity as it comes off an unusually quiet Solar Minimum. A changing carpet of hot gas is visible in the chromosphere of the Sun in the above image taken in a very specific color of light emitted by hydrogen. A solar prominence is a cloud of solar gas held just above the surface by the Sun's magnetic field. The Earth would easily fit below the prominence on the right. Although very hot, prominences typically appear dark when viewed against the Sun, since they are slightly cooler than the surface. A quiescent prominence typically lasts about a month, and may erupt in a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) expelling hot gas into the Solar System. The next day, the same prominence looked slightly different.

Well done Apollo 18. Thank you.

No problem! I see the OP is still away so....

24.3.10
Galaxy Wars: M81 versus M82
Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Orazi

Explanation: On the right, surrounded by blue spiral arms, is spiral galaxy M81. On the left, marked by red gas and dust clouds, is irregular galaxy M82. This stunning vista shows these two mammoth galaxies locked in gravitational combat, as they have been for the past billion years. The gravity from each galaxy dramatically affects the other during each hundred million-year pass. Last go-round, M82's gravity likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in the richness of M81's spiral arms. But M81 left M82 with violent star forming regions and colliding gas clouds so energetic the galaxy glows in X-rays. In a few billion years only one galaxy will remain.

I was introduced to APOD many years ago by someone called Gary. I discovered last weekend that he had died on 19th February 2010. This thread will always remind me of him.

Fab picture today, thanks Apollo 18!

So sorry to hear about your friend Henry, it sounds like he was a very interesting person.

You never truly know what people mean to you until they are gone!

25.3.10
NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
Image Credit: Data - Hubble Legacy Archive, Processing - Robert Gendler

Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar have a hook-like appearance in wide-field images. But this mosaicked close-up, constructed from Hubble Space Telescope data, follows the galaxy's structure in amazing detail. Obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions surround a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. The sharp Hubble data also reveal more distant background galaxies seen right through NGC 2442's star clusters and nebulae. The image spans about 75,000 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 2442.

26.3.10
Young Moon and Sister Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Anna Morris

Explanation: A young crescent Moon shares the western sky with sister stars of the Pleiades cluster in this pretty, evening skyscape recorded on the March equinox from San Antonio, Texas. In the processed digital image, multiple exposures of the celestial scene were combined to show details of the bright lunar surface along with the Pleiades stars. Astronomical images of the well-known Pleiades often show the cluster's alluring blue reflection nebulae, but they are washed-out here in the bright moonlight. Still, during this particular night, skygazers in South and Central America could even watch the 5 day old Moon occult or pass in front of some of the brighter Pleiades stars.

A really lovely picture.

Thanks everyone for keeping this going when I was away.

Fab picture Apollo18, that moon is beautiful, thanks lots for deputising!
And welcome back Skysurfer

27.3.10
Hesiodus Sunrise Ray
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip (TWAN)

Explanation: Stark shadows of mountains and crater walls stand out along the lunar terminator, or shadow line between night and day, in this telescopic image. Of course, if viewed from the lunar surface near the terminator line, the Sun would be rising and still close to the lunar horizon. But the picture's inset at the left highlights a more elusive lunar sunrise phenomenon. Streaming through a gap in the eastern wall of 45 kilometer wide Hesiodus crater, the low-angle sunlight produces a long sunrise ray playing along the otherwise shadowed crater floor. Sunrise rays are short-lived and can be rewarding to spot for Moon enthusiasts with telescopes. Seen in Hesiodus and other craters, the ray timing can be calculated based on the observer's location. This picture of a first quarter Moon was recorded at 23:45 UT on February 22nd from Stuttgart, Germany. In the inset, the larger crater Pitatus is at the right. For location, Hesiodus and Pitatus are circled at the bottom of the picture.

Two great pictures in the last few days.

8.4.2010

9.4.2010