保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
2021年01月28日 Messier 66 Close Up Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Leo Shatz Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 66 lies a mere 35 million light-years away. The gorgeous island universe is about 100 thousand light-years across, similar in size to the Milky Way. This reprocessed Hubble Space Telescope close-up view spa...
2020年10月29日 The Ghoul of IC 2118 Image Credit & Copyright: Casey Good/Steve Timmons Explanation: Inspired by the halloween season, this telescopic portrait captures a cosmic cloud with a scary visage. The interstellar scene lies within the dusty expanse of reflection nebula IC 2118 in the constellation Orion, the Hunter. IC 2118 is about 800 light-years...
2020年7月6日 M43: Dust, Gas, and Stars in the Orion Nebula Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Bryan Goff Explanation: Unspeakable beauty and unimaginable bedlam can be found together in the Orion Nebula Arguably the most famous of all astronomy nebulas, the Great Nebula in Orion is an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1...
2020 June 17 Magnetic Streamlines of the Milky Way Image Credit: ESA, Planck; Text: Joan Schmelz (USRA) Explanation: What role do magnetic fields play in interstellar physics? Analyses of observations by ESA’s Planck satellite of emission by small magnetically-aligned dust grains reveal previously unknown magnetic field structures in our Milky Way Gala...
2020 April 14 NGC 253: The Silver Coin Galaxy Image Credit: NOAJ: Subaru, NASA & ESA: Hubble, ESO: VLT & Danish 1.5-m; Processing & Copyright: Robert Gendler & Roberto Colombari Explanation: NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, but also one of the dustiest. Dubbed the Silver Coin for its appearance in smalltelescopes, ...
2020 February 21 LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion Image Credit & Copyright: Min Xie Explanation: The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene. Lynds’ Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint background of glowing hydrogen gas only visible in long telescopic exposures of the region. In contrast, the brighter reflection ...
2019 October 24 Dark Seahorse in Cepheus Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Kaminsky Explanation: Light-years across, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula appears in silhouette against a rich, luminous background of stars. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Way molecular c...
2019 September 27 The Annotated Galactic Center Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva) Explanation: The center of our Milky Way galaxy can be found some 26,000 light-years away toward the constellation Sagittarius. Even on a dark night, you can’t really see it though. Gaze in that direction, and your sight-line is quickly o...
2019 August 27 Dark Dust and Colorful Clouds near Antares Image Credit: David McGarvey Explanation: Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so dusty yet colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue reflection nebulae. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultravi...
2019 August 26 NGC 2170: Angel Nebula Still Life Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Lozano de Haro Explanation: Is this a painting or a photograph? In this classic celestial still life composed with a cosmic brush, dusty nebula NGC 2170, also known as the Angel Nebula, shines near the image center. Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars, NGC 2170 is joined...