Eye on the Sky: 30 Doradus Nebula

September 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Eye on the Sky, Miscellaneous, Regular Feature, Science News | Leave a comment
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30 Doradus Nebula has been an active star-forming region for 25 million years.  Using data from Hubble astronomers first thought they were seeing one star cluster, but then realized they were actually viewing two merging clusters.  The Hubble observations were made with the Wide Field Camera 3.  The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of oxygen; and the red from fluorescing hydrogen.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI)

(via: NASA)

Posted by Synlah for Roqoo Depot

 

 

Eye on the Sky: Stellar Clouds

May 1, 2012 at 9:34 am | Posted in Astronomy, Eye on the Sky, Regular Feature | Leave a comment
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This image of the Large Magellanic Cloud (dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way) was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.  This loose star cluster — known as a stellar grouping — is classified as an OB association.  OB’s usually contain 10-100 high mass stars with brilliant but short lives.  Speculations is that most of the Milky Way’s stars were created in OB associations.

Posted by Synlah for Roqoo Depot

Eye on the Sky: UFO Galaxy

April 26, 2012 at 9:28 am | Posted in Eye on the Sky, Regular Feature, Science News | Leave a comment
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Captured in visible and infrared light by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, the UFO Galaxy image (NGC 2683) is a side-on view, giving the galaxy it’s distinctive nickname.  It looks like the classic sci-fi image of an alien ship.  UFO is, like our own, a spiral galaxy, and this view of it allows astronomers to see details like dusty space lanes and clusters of young blue stars in the galaxy’s star-forming regions.

(Via NASA)

Posted by Synlah for Roqoo Depot


How Big Is Big? – Time For Some Perspective

September 27, 2011 at 1:56 pm | Posted in Regular Feature, Science News | Leave a comment
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This week for science Tuesday I thought I would share an excellent series of pictures a reader emailed me that lend a little perspective to how small we really are. In the vernacular I use in this column I often refer to planet Earth as “our little blue marble” or occasionally I wax a bit less eloquent and call her “this mudball”. From a certain more cosmic point of view though, we don’t even rate that large.

I would love to give credit to whoever created these pictures. Sadly I found it difficult to google an image. I do not know where they originated but if they are your work please verify that in some reasonable way as I would be happy to credit you.

First, let’s have a look at Earth in relation to our closest celestial neighbors.

Who's a big dog? Earth is a big dog baby. Woof!

Looking good for our little blue marble, yes? By the way, I am aware that Pluto isn’t nearby and I’m not even going to get into the “is it a planet” thing but it’s there for further perspective. Now let’s see how we stack up against some of the heavy hitters in the Solar System. Continue Reading How Big Is Big? – Time For Some Perspective…

Pluto Gets A New Moon

July 28, 2011 at 10:12 am | Posted in Science News | 1 Comment
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This week for science Thursday it brings me great pleasure to report that the planet Pluto got a new moon this week. Or rather The “dwarf planet” Pluto. For that matter, it was a moon that was always there but we, the evolved primates of planet Earth, have just discovered it.

"I said sit Cerberus! Bad dog!"

Currently designated as “P4” by NASA, the name “Cerberus” is the favorite in the naming pool for the moment. Cerberus was the three headed, snarling, drooling, vicious hound that guarded the entrance to Hell in Greek mythology. Perhaps it is an appropriate name considering  the harshness of the conditions in that little corner of our solar system. While any part of the solar system that isn’t on the surface of the Earth may not be very conducive to human existence, the extreme cold temperatures of Pluto and it’s system are easily some of the harshest possible.

P4 is only between 8 and 21 miles in diameter. It was discovered on July 3RD after NASA technicians assigned to the Hubble Space Telescope noticed a faint dot on a long exposure photo of the Pluto system and decided to have a closer look. At that size it is the smallest of Pluto’s known moons, of which there are now four total.

The other three moons are Charon (Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron), Hydra (an ancient Greek nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast that possessed many heads), and Nix (the Greek goddess of darkness).  All seemingly appropriate names as Pluto was actually the Roman god of the underworld.

The Hubble image of Cerberus and the Pluto system.

So welcome Cerberus, to our galactic community. We know you’ve been here some time now but shyly waited until now to be known. Perhaps one day we’ll swing by and say hello in person. Until then, try to stay warm and keep your kibble dry.

by Revmacd For Roqoo Depot – Where Science Meets Science Fiction

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