保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
2020年12月27日 Cosmic Latte: The Average Color of the Universe Color Credit: Karl Glazebrook & Ivan Baldry (JHU) Explanation: What color is the universe? More precisely, if the entire sky were smeared out, what color would the final mix be? This whimsical question came up when trying to determine what stars are commonplace in nearby galaxies. The answer, d...
2020年12月26日 Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva) Explanation: Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill this colorful skyscape in the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 ligh...
2020年12月25日 Northern Winter Night Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block Explanation: Orion always seems to come up sideways on northern winter evenings. Those familiar stars of the constellation of the Hunter are caught above the trees in this colorful night skyscape. Not a star at all but still visible to eye, the Great Nebula of Orion shines below the ...
2020年12月24日 Portrait of NGC 1055 Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own M...
2020年12月23日 Jupiter Meets Saturn: A Red Spotted Great Conjunction Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach Explanation: It was time for their close-up. Two days ago Jupiter and Saturn passed a tenth of a degree from each other in what is known a Great Conjunction. Although the two planets pass each other on the sky every 20 years, this was the closest pas...
2020年12月22日 Trifid Pillars and Jets Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope, HLA; Processing: Advait Mehla Explanation: Dust pillars are like interstellar mountains. They survive because they are more dense than their surroundings, but they are being slowly eroded away by a hostile environment. Visible in the featured picture is the end of a huge gas...
2020年12月21日 Solstice: Sunrises Around the Year Image Credit & Copyright: Zaid M. Al-Abbadi Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019 as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The came...
2020年12月20日 A Volcanic Great Conjunction Image Credit & Copyright: Francisco Sojuel Explanation: Where can I see the Great Conjunction? Near where the Sun just set. Directionally, this close passing of Jupiter and Saturn will be toward the southwest. Since the planetary pair, the Sun, and the Earth are nearly in a geometric straight line, the planets wi...
2020年12月19日 Conjunction after Sunset Image Credit & Copyright: Alireza Vafa Explanation: How close will Jupiter and Saturn be at their Great Conjunction? Consider this beautiful triple conjunction of Moon, Jupiter and Saturn captured through clouds in the wintry twilight. The telephoto view looks toward the western horizon and the Alborz Mountains in Ir...
2020年12月18日 Diamond in the Sky Image Credit & Copyright: Mariano Ribas (Planetario de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires) Explanation: When the shadow of the Moon raced across planet Earth’s southern hemisphere on December 14, sky watchers along the shadow’s dark central path were treated to the only total solar eclipse of 2020. During the New Moon&#...