保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
2022年1月18日 From Orion to the Southern Cross Image Credit & Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu Explanation: This is a sky filled with glowing icons. On the far left is the familiar constellation of Orion, divided by its iconic three-aligned belt stars and featuring the famous Orion Nebula, both partly encircled by Barnard’s Loop. Just left of center in the f...
2022年1月17日 Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live, Heaven’s Mirror Observatory Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light fr...
2022年1月16日 A Retreating Thunderstorm at Sunset Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Dyer (The Amazing Sky) Explanation: What type of cloud is that? This retreating cumulonimbus cloud, more commonly called a thundercloud, is somewhat unusual as it contains the unusual bumpiness of a mammatus cloud on the near end, while simultaneously producing falling rain on...
2022年1月15日 Galileo’s Europa Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips, Marty Valenti Explanation: Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered evidence that the moon’s icy surface likely hides a deep, global ocean. Galileo’s Europa image d...
2022年1月14日 NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby Explanation: An island universe of billions of stars, NGC 1566 lies about 60 million light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado. Popularly known as the Spanish Dancer galaxy, it’s seen face-on from our Milky Way perspective. A gorg...
2022年1月13日 Supernova Remnant Simeis 147 Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Dain Explanation: It’s easy to get lost following the intricate, looping, twisting filaments in this detailed image of supernova remnant Simeis 147. Also cataloged as Sharpless 2-240 it goes by the popular nickname, the Spaghetti Nebula. Seen toward the boundary of the constel...
2022年1月11日 Orion’s Belt Region in Gas and Dust Image Credit & Copyright: Matt Harbison (Space4Everybody), Marathon Remote Imaging Observatory Explanation: You may have seen Orion’s belt before — but not like this. The three bright stars across this image are, from left to right, Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak: the iconic belt stars of O...
2022年1月10日 Comet Leonard’s Tail Wag Image Credit: NASA, NRL, STEREO-A; Processing: B. Gallagher Explanation: Why does Comet Leonard’s tail wag? The featured time-lapse video shows the ion tail of Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) as it changed over ten days early last month. The video was taken by NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahea...
2022年1月9日 Hubble’s Jupiter and the Shrinking Great Red Spot Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, STScI; Processing: Karol Masztalerz Explanation: What will become of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? Gas giant Jupiter is the solar system’s largest world with about 320 times the mass of planet Earth. Jupiter is home to one of the largest a...
2022年1月8日 Quadrantids of the North Image Credit & Copyright: Cheng Luo Explanation: Named for a forgotten constellation, the Quadrantid Meteor Shower puts on an annual show for planet Earth’s northern hemisphere skygazers. The shower’s radiant on the sky lies within the old, astronomically obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis. That locati...