保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
2021年10月29日 Haunting the Cepheus Flare Image Credit & Copyright: Leo Shatz Explanation: Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting through the night in the royal constellation Cepheus. Of course, the shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far from your own neighborhood, they lurk above the plane of the Milky Wa...
2021年10月28日 Mirach’s Ghost Image Credit & Copyright: John Chumack Explanation: As far as ghosts go, Mirach’s Ghost isn’t really that scary. Mirach’s Ghost is just a faint, fuzzy galaxy, well known to astronomers, that happens to be seen nearly along the line-of-sight to Mirach, a bright star. Centered in this star field, Mirach i...
2021年10月27日 NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Howard Trottier Explanation: Do you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearl...
2021年10月26日 Jupiter Rotates Video Credit & Copyright: JL Dauvergne; Music: Oro Aqua (Benoit Reeves) Explanation: Observe the graceful twirl of our Solar System’s largest planet. Many interesting features of Jupiter’s enigmatic atmosphere, including dark belts and light zones, can be followed in detail. A careful inspection will reveal that d...
2021年10月25日 Road to the Galactic Center Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Abramyan Explanation: Does the road to our galaxy’s center go through Monument Valley? It doesn’t have to, but if your road does — take a picture. In this case, the road is US Route 163 and iconic buttes on the Navajo National Reservation populate the horizon. Th...
2021年10月24日 Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula Image Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris) et al., ESA, NASA Explanation: Halloween’s origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day, a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a solstice (minimu...
2021年10月23日 3D Bennu Image Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona – Stereo Image Copyright: Patrick Vantuyne Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid 101955 Bennu. Shaped like a spinning toy top with boulders littering its rough surface, the tiny Solar System world is about one Empire State Building (less than 500 meters) across. Fr...
2021年10月22日 A Comet and a Crab Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanous Explanation: This pretty field of view spans over 2 degrees or 4 full moons on the sky, filled with stars toward the constellation Taurus, the Bull. Above and right of center in the frame you can spot the faint fuzzy reddish appearance of Messier 1 (M1), also known as the Crab Nebula....
2021年10月21日 SH2-308: The Dolphin-Head Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Nik Szymanek Explanation: Blown by fast winds from a hot, massive star, this cosmic bubble is huge. Cataloged as Sharpless 2-308 it lies some 5,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major) and covers slightly more of the sky than a Full Moon. That corres...
2021年10月20日 Lucy Launches to Eight Asteroids Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus Explanation: Why would this mission go out as far as Jupiter — but then not visit Jupiter? Lucy’s plan is to follow different leads about the origin of our Solar System than can be found at Jupiter — where Juno now orbits. Jupiter is such a massive planet...