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Herschel’s Swan
Chaotic networks of dust and gas signpost the next generations of massive stars in this stunning new image of the Cygnus-X star-nursery captured by ESA’s Herschel space observatory.
Cygnus-X is an extremely active region of massive-star birth some 4500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.
Using Herschel’s far-infrared eyes, astronomers can seek out regions where dust has been gently heated by stars, pointing them to dense clumps of gas where new generations of stars are forming.
Bright white areas highlight zones where large stars have recently formed out of turbulent clouds, especially evident in the chaotic network of filaments seen in the right-hand portion of the image.
Here, dense knots of gas and dust mark intersections where filaments meet and collapse to form new stars, and where bubble-like structures are carved by their immense radiation.
In the center of the image, fierce radiation and powerful stellar winds from stars undetected at Herschel’s wavelengths have partly cleared and heated interstellar material, which then glows blue in this representation.
The left-hand part of the scene is dominated by a pillar of gas whose shape resembles that of the neck of a swan.
Below and to the right, a shell of gas and dust has likely been ejected from a supergiant star at its center, but which is not seen directly in this image.
Strings of compact red objects scattered throughout the scene map the cold seeds of future generations of stars.
The image highlights the unique capabilities of Herschel to probe the birth of large stars and their influence on the surrounding interstellar material with a level of detail at far-infrared wavelengths that has never before been available.
Credits: ESA/PACS/SPIRE/Martin Hennemann & Frédérique Motte, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/Irfu – CNRS/INSU – Univ. Paris Diderot, France.
Cygnus-X is an extremely active region of massive-star birth some 4500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.
Using Herschel’s far-infrared eyes, astronomers can seek out regions where dust has been gently heated by stars, pointing them to dense clumps of gas where new generations of stars are forming.
Bright white areas highlight zones where large stars have recently formed out of turbulent clouds, especially evident in the chaotic network of filaments seen in the right-hand portion of the image.
Here, dense knots of gas and dust mark intersections where filaments meet and collapse to form new stars, and where bubble-like structures are carved by their immense radiation.
In the center of the image, fierce radiation and powerful stellar winds from stars undetected at Herschel’s wavelengths have partly cleared and heated interstellar material, which then glows blue in this representation.
The left-hand part of the scene is dominated by a pillar of gas whose shape resembles that of the neck of a swan.
Below and to the right, a shell of gas and dust has likely been ejected from a supergiant star at its center, but which is not seen directly in this image.
Strings of compact red objects scattered throughout the scene map the cold seeds of future generations of stars.
The image highlights the unique capabilities of Herschel to probe the birth of large stars and their influence on the surrounding interstellar material with a level of detail at far-infrared wavelengths that has never before been available.
Credits: ESA/PACS/SPIRE/Martin Hennemann & Frédérique Motte, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/Irfu – CNRS/INSU – Univ. Paris Diderot, France.
Posted: May 18, 2012, 11:08 am
Channels
Small channels dissect the inner rim of this unnamed crater in Arabia Terra.
Posted: May 18, 2012, 7:00 am
Composite of a Series of Images Taken From Space Aboard the Station
This is a composite of a series of images photographed from a mounted camera on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, from approximately 240 miles above Earth. Space station hardware in the foreground includes the Mini-Research Module (MRM1, center) and a Russian Progress vehicle docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment (right). Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Don Pettit said of the photographic techniques used to achieve the images: "My star trail images are made by taking a time exposure of about 10 to 15 minutes. However, with modern digital cameras, 30 seconds is about the longest exposure possible, due to electronic detector noise effectively snowing out the image. To achieve the longer exposures I do what many amateur astronomers do. I take multiple 30-second exposures, then 'stack' them using imaging software, thus producing the longer exposure." A total of 47 images photographed by the astronaut-monitored stationary camera were combined to create this composite. Image Credit: NASA
Posted: May 18, 2012, 4:00 am
Saturn\'s Brightly Reflective Moon Enceladus
A brightly reflective Enceladus appears before Saturn\'s rings, while the planet\'s larger moon Titan looms in the distance.
Jets of water ice and vapor emanating from the south pole of Enceladus, which hint at subsurface sea rich in organics, and liquid hydrocarbons ponding on the surface on the surface of Titan make these two of the most fascinating moons in the Saturnian system.
Enceladus (313 miles, or 504 kilometers across) is in the center of the image. Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers across) glows faintly in the background beyond the rings. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Enceladus and the Saturn-facing side of Titan. The northern, sunlit side of the rings is seen from just above the ringplane.
The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 12, 2012. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 600,000 miles (1 million kilometers) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 36 degrees. Image scale is 4 miles (6 kilometers) per pixel on Enceladus.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Jets of water ice and vapor emanating from the south pole of Enceladus, which hint at subsurface sea rich in organics, and liquid hydrocarbons ponding on the surface on the surface of Titan make these two of the most fascinating moons in the Saturnian system.
Enceladus (313 miles, or 504 kilometers across) is in the center of the image. Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers across) glows faintly in the background beyond the rings. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Enceladus and the Saturn-facing side of Titan. The northern, sunlit side of the rings is seen from just above the ringplane.
The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 12, 2012. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 600,000 miles (1 million kilometers) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 36 degrees. Image scale is 4 miles (6 kilometers) per pixel on Enceladus.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Posted: May 17, 2012, 11:12 am
Daedalia Planum
Today's VIS image shows different surface textures in some of the lava flows of Daedalia Planum.
Posted: May 17, 2012, 7:00 am
Three-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/17/2012
Posted: May 17, 2012, 12:00 am
Dwarf Galaxy with a Bright Nebula
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made detailed observations of the dwarf galaxy NGC 2366. While it lacks the elegant spiral arms of many larger galaxies, NGC 2366 is home to a bright, star-forming nebula and is close enough for astronomers to discern its individual stars.
The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. The most obvious feature in this galaxy is a large nebula visible in the upper-right part of the image, an object listed just a few entries prior in the New General Catalogue as NGC 2363.
A nearby yellowish swirl is not in fact part of the nebula. It is a spiral galaxy much further away, whose light is shining right through NGC 2366. This is possible because galaxies are not solid objects. While we see the stars because they shine brightly, galaxies are overwhelmingly made up of the empty space between them. Hubble’s high-resolution image illustrates this perfectly: the stars are small points of light surrounded by the darkness of space.
The splendid interconnected objects of NGC 2366 and NGC 2363 are located about 10 million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). As a dwarf galaxy, NGC 2366’s size is in the same ballpark as the two main satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, named the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Like the Magellanic clouds, NGC 2366\'s lack of well-defined structure leads astronomers to further classify it as an irregular galaxy.
Although NGC 2366 might be small by the standards of galaxies, many of its stars are not, and the galaxy is home to numerous gigantic blue stars. The blue dots scattered throughout the galaxy speak to the burst of star formation that the galaxy has undergone in recent cosmic time. A new generation of these stellar titans has lit up the nebula NGC 2363.
In gas-rich star-forming regions, the ultraviolet radiation from young, big, blue stars excites the hydrogen gas, making it glow. NGC 2363, as well as other, smaller patches seen throughout Hubble’s image, serve as the latest formation sites for stellar giants.
Imaged through green and infrared filters, these nebulae take on a blueish tinge in this image, though the actual color is a shade of red.
This image was produced from two adjacent fields observed by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 5.5 arcminutes across, which is equivalent to a little over a fifth of the diameter of the full Moon. Although this is comparatively large by the standard of Hubble’s images, NGC 2366 is much too faint to observe with the naked eye.
Notes
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA & ESA
The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. The most obvious feature in this galaxy is a large nebula visible in the upper-right part of the image, an object listed just a few entries prior in the New General Catalogue as NGC 2363.
A nearby yellowish swirl is not in fact part of the nebula. It is a spiral galaxy much further away, whose light is shining right through NGC 2366. This is possible because galaxies are not solid objects. While we see the stars because they shine brightly, galaxies are overwhelmingly made up of the empty space between them. Hubble’s high-resolution image illustrates this perfectly: the stars are small points of light surrounded by the darkness of space.
The splendid interconnected objects of NGC 2366 and NGC 2363 are located about 10 million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). As a dwarf galaxy, NGC 2366’s size is in the same ballpark as the two main satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, named the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Like the Magellanic clouds, NGC 2366\'s lack of well-defined structure leads astronomers to further classify it as an irregular galaxy.
Although NGC 2366 might be small by the standards of galaxies, many of its stars are not, and the galaxy is home to numerous gigantic blue stars. The blue dots scattered throughout the galaxy speak to the burst of star formation that the galaxy has undergone in recent cosmic time. A new generation of these stellar titans has lit up the nebula NGC 2363.
In gas-rich star-forming regions, the ultraviolet radiation from young, big, blue stars excites the hydrogen gas, making it glow. NGC 2363, as well as other, smaller patches seen throughout Hubble’s image, serve as the latest formation sites for stellar giants.
Imaged through green and infrared filters, these nebulae take on a blueish tinge in this image, though the actual color is a shade of red.
This image was produced from two adjacent fields observed by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 5.5 arcminutes across, which is equivalent to a little over a fifth of the diameter of the full Moon. Although this is comparatively large by the standard of Hubble’s images, NGC 2366 is much too faint to observe with the naked eye.
Notes
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA & ESA
Posted: May 16, 2012, 10:57 am
Arcuate Fratures
Arcuate fractures are a common feature in this region south of Avernus Colles.
Posted: May 16, 2012, 7:00 am
A supernova cocoon breakthrough
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/16/2012
Posted: May 16, 2012, 12:00 am
A deeper look at Centaurus A
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/16/2012
Posted: May 16, 2012, 12:00 am
False-Color Rhea
Hemispheric color differences on Saturn\'s moon Rhea are apparent in this false-color view from NASA\'s Cassini spacecraft. This image shows the side of the moon that always faces the planet.
In this image, the left half of the visible disk of Rhea faces in the direction of Rhea\'s orbital motion around Saturn, while the right side faces the trailing direction. It is not unusual for large icy Saturnian satellites to exhibit hemispheric albedo (reflectivity) and color differences. These differences are likely related to systematic regional changes in surface composition or the sizes and mechanical structure of grains making up the icy soil. Such large-scale variations can arise from numerous processes, such as meteoritic debris preferentially hitting one side of Rhea. The differences can also arise from \"magnetic sweeping,\" a process that happens when ions that are trapped in Saturn\'s magnetic field drag over and implant themselves in Rhea\'s icy surface. The slightly reddish false-color hues near Rhea\'s poles identify subtle composition changes that might be caused by differences in the surface exposure to meteoric debris falling into the moon or implantation of ions. These differences could vary by latitude. They suggest that at least some of the color differences are exogenic, or derived externally.
This view was captured during Cassini\'s March 2, 2010 flyby of Rhea. To create the false-color view, ultraviolet, green and infrared images were combined into a single picture that isolates and maps regional color differences. This \"color map\" was then superimposed over a clear-filter image that preserves the relative brightness across the body.
This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Rhea (1528 kilometers, 949 miles across). North is up. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) from Rhea and at a sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 3 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA\'s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI
In this image, the left half of the visible disk of Rhea faces in the direction of Rhea\'s orbital motion around Saturn, while the right side faces the trailing direction. It is not unusual for large icy Saturnian satellites to exhibit hemispheric albedo (reflectivity) and color differences. These differences are likely related to systematic regional changes in surface composition or the sizes and mechanical structure of grains making up the icy soil. Such large-scale variations can arise from numerous processes, such as meteoritic debris preferentially hitting one side of Rhea. The differences can also arise from \"magnetic sweeping,\" a process that happens when ions that are trapped in Saturn\'s magnetic field drag over and implant themselves in Rhea\'s icy surface. The slightly reddish false-color hues near Rhea\'s poles identify subtle composition changes that might be caused by differences in the surface exposure to meteoric debris falling into the moon or implantation of ions. These differences could vary by latitude. They suggest that at least some of the color differences are exogenic, or derived externally.
This view was captured during Cassini\'s March 2, 2010 flyby of Rhea. To create the false-color view, ultraviolet, green and infrared images were combined into a single picture that isolates and maps regional color differences. This \"color map\" was then superimposed over a clear-filter image that preserves the relative brightness across the body.
This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Rhea (1528 kilometers, 949 miles across). North is up. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) from Rhea and at a sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 3 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA\'s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI
Posted: May 15, 2012, 11:12 am
Pavonis Mons
Today's VIS image shows part of the southern flank of Pavonis Mons. Visible at the bottom of the image are collapse features and lava channels.
Posted: May 15, 2012, 7:00 am
Ultra-cool companion helps reveal giant planets
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/15/2012
Posted: May 15, 2012, 12:00 am
How nature shapes the birth of stars
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/15/2012
Posted: May 15, 2012, 12:00 am
Dwarf Galaxy with a Bright Nebula
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made detailed observations of the dwarf galaxy NGC 2366. While it lacks the elegant spiral arms of many larger galaxies, NGC 2366 is home to a bright, star-forming nebula and is close enough for astronomers to discern its individual stars.
The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. The most obvious feature in this galaxy is a large nebula visible in the upper-right part of the image, an object listed just a few entries prior in the New General Catalogue as NGC 2363.
A nearby yellowish swirl is not in fact part of the nebula. It is a spiral galaxy much further away, whose light is shining right through NGC 2366. This is possible because galaxies are not solid objects. While we see the stars because they shine brightly, galaxies are overwhelmingly made up of the empty space between them. Hubble’s high-resolution image illustrates this perfectly: the stars are small points of light surrounded by the darkness of space.
The splendid interconnected objects of NGC 2366 and NGC 2363 are located about 10 million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). As a dwarf galaxy, NGC 2366’s size is in the same ballpark as the two main satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, named the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Like the Magellanic clouds, NGC 2366\'s lack of well-defined structure leads astronomers to further classify it as an irregular galaxy.
Although NGC 2366 might be small by the standards of galaxies, many of its stars are not, and the galaxy is home to numerous gigantic blue stars. The blue dots scattered throughout the galaxy speak to the burst of star formation that the galaxy has undergone in recent cosmic time. A new generation of these stellar titans has lit up the nebula NGC 2363.
In gas-rich star-forming regions, the ultraviolet radiation from young, big, blue stars excites the hydrogen gas, making it glow. NGC 2363, as well as other, smaller patches seen throughout Hubble’s image, serve as the latest formation sites for stellar giants.
Imaged through green and infrared filters, these nebulae take on a blueish tinge in this image, though the actual colour is a shade of red.
This image was produced from two adjacent fields observed by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 5.5 arcminutes across, which is equivalent to a little over a fifth of the diameter of the full Moon. Although this is comparatively large by the standard of Hubble’s images, NGC 2366 is much too faint to observe with the naked eye.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA & ESA
The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. The most obvious feature in this galaxy is a large nebula visible in the upper-right part of the image, an object listed just a few entries prior in the New General Catalogue as NGC 2363.
A nearby yellowish swirl is not in fact part of the nebula. It is a spiral galaxy much further away, whose light is shining right through NGC 2366. This is possible because galaxies are not solid objects. While we see the stars because they shine brightly, galaxies are overwhelmingly made up of the empty space between them. Hubble’s high-resolution image illustrates this perfectly: the stars are small points of light surrounded by the darkness of space.
The splendid interconnected objects of NGC 2366 and NGC 2363 are located about 10 million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). As a dwarf galaxy, NGC 2366’s size is in the same ballpark as the two main satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, named the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Like the Magellanic clouds, NGC 2366\'s lack of well-defined structure leads astronomers to further classify it as an irregular galaxy.
Although NGC 2366 might be small by the standards of galaxies, many of its stars are not, and the galaxy is home to numerous gigantic blue stars. The blue dots scattered throughout the galaxy speak to the burst of star formation that the galaxy has undergone in recent cosmic time. A new generation of these stellar titans has lit up the nebula NGC 2363.
In gas-rich star-forming regions, the ultraviolet radiation from young, big, blue stars excites the hydrogen gas, making it glow. NGC 2363, as well as other, smaller patches seen throughout Hubble’s image, serve as the latest formation sites for stellar giants.
Imaged through green and infrared filters, these nebulae take on a blueish tinge in this image, though the actual colour is a shade of red.
This image was produced from two adjacent fields observed by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 5.5 arcminutes across, which is equivalent to a little over a fifth of the diameter of the full Moon. Although this is comparatively large by the standard of Hubble’s images, NGC 2366 is much too faint to observe with the naked eye.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA & ESA
Posted: May 14, 2012, 11:02 am
Arsinoes Chaos
The isolated mesas in this VIS image are part of Arsinoes Chaos. There is a material that differs from the rest of the chaos visible at the bottom of the image.
Posted: May 14, 2012, 7:00 am
Cygnus X: the cool swan glowing in flight
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/14/2012
Posted: May 14, 2012, 12:00 am
New IBEX data show heliosphere's long-theorized bow shock does not exist
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/14/2012
Posted: May 14, 2012, 12:00 am
Active Black Hole Squashes Star Formation
The Herschel Space Observatory has shown that galaxies with the most powerful, active, supermassive black holes at their cores produce fewer stars than galaxies with less active black holes.
Supermassive black holes are believed to reside in the hearts of all large galaxies. When gas falls upon these monsters, the materials are accelerated and heated around the black hole, releasing great torrents of energy. In the process, active black holes often generate colossal jets that blast out twin streams of heated matter.
Inflows of gas into a galaxy also fuel the formation of new stars. In a new study of distant galaxies, Herschel helped show that star formation and black hole activity increase together, but only up to a point. Astronomers think that if an active black hole flares up too much, it starts spewing radiation that prevents raw material from coalescing into new stars.
This artistically modified image of the local galaxy Arp 220, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, helps illustrate the Herschel results. The bright core of the galaxy, paired with an overlaid artist\'s impression of jets emanating from it, indicate that the central black hole\'s activity is intensifying. As the active black hole continues to rev up, the rate of star formation will, in turn, be suppressed in the galaxy. Astronomers want to further study how star formation and black hole activity are intertwined.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Supermassive black holes are believed to reside in the hearts of all large galaxies. When gas falls upon these monsters, the materials are accelerated and heated around the black hole, releasing great torrents of energy. In the process, active black holes often generate colossal jets that blast out twin streams of heated matter.
Inflows of gas into a galaxy also fuel the formation of new stars. In a new study of distant galaxies, Herschel helped show that star formation and black hole activity increase together, but only up to a point. Astronomers think that if an active black hole flares up too much, it starts spewing radiation that prevents raw material from coalescing into new stars.
This artistically modified image of the local galaxy Arp 220, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, helps illustrate the Herschel results. The bright core of the galaxy, paired with an overlaid artist\'s impression of jets emanating from it, indicate that the central black hole\'s activity is intensifying. As the active black hole continues to rev up, the rate of star formation will, in turn, be suppressed in the galaxy. Astronomers want to further study how star formation and black hole activity are intertwined.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted: May 13, 2012, 11:09 am
Glimpse at a Super Earth
Super Earths are exotic planets unlike any in our solar system. They are more massive than Earth yet lighter than gas giants like Neptune, and they can be made of gas, rock or a combination of both. There are about 70 known to circle stars beyond our sun, and NASA\'s Kepler mission has detected hundreds of candidates. These planets\' relatively small sizes make them very hard to see.
NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth\'s direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision.
Seen here in this artist\'s concept, the planet is called 55 Cancri e. It\'s a toasty world that rushes around its star every 18 hours. It orbits so closely -- about 25 times closer than Mercury is to our sun -- that it is tidally locked with one face forever blisters under the heat of its sun. The planet is proposed to have a rocky core surrounded by a layer of water in a \"supercritical\" state, where it is both liquid and gas, and then the whole planet is thought to be topped by a blanket of steam.
Spitzer was able to see the light of the planet by watching it slip behind its star in what is called an occultation. Because the planet is brighter relative to its star when viewed in infrared light, Spitzer was able to measure the slight drop in total brightness that occurred as the planet disappeared from view. This technique, pioneered by Spitzer in 2005, has since been performed by other telescopes, including NASA\'s Hubble and Kepler space telescopes. The method can be used to obtain information about a planet\'s temperature, and in some cases, its composition.
In this current study, the Spitzer data revealed that 55 Cancri e is very dark and that its sun-facing side is blistering hot at 2,000 kelvins or 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth\'s direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision.
Seen here in this artist\'s concept, the planet is called 55 Cancri e. It\'s a toasty world that rushes around its star every 18 hours. It orbits so closely -- about 25 times closer than Mercury is to our sun -- that it is tidally locked with one face forever blisters under the heat of its sun. The planet is proposed to have a rocky core surrounded by a layer of water in a \"supercritical\" state, where it is both liquid and gas, and then the whole planet is thought to be topped by a blanket of steam.
Spitzer was able to see the light of the planet by watching it slip behind its star in what is called an occultation. Because the planet is brighter relative to its star when viewed in infrared light, Spitzer was able to measure the slight drop in total brightness that occurred as the planet disappeared from view. This technique, pioneered by Spitzer in 2005, has since been performed by other telescopes, including NASA\'s Hubble and Kepler space telescopes. The method can be used to obtain information about a planet\'s temperature, and in some cases, its composition.
In this current study, the Spitzer data revealed that 55 Cancri e is very dark and that its sun-facing side is blistering hot at 2,000 kelvins or 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted: May 12, 2012, 11:27 am
Sun Unleashes An M4.7 Class Flare
The sun unleashed an M4.7 class flare at 8:32 EDT on May 9, 2012 as captured here by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The flare was over quickly and there was no coronal mass ejection associated with it. This image is shown in the 131 Angstrom wavelength, a wavelength that is typically colorized in teal and that provided the most detailed picture of this particular flare.
Credit: NASA/SDO
Credit: NASA/SDO
Posted: May 11, 2012, 11:22 am
Granicus Valles
The complex channels in today's VIS image are part of Granicus Valles, located on the western margin of the Elysium volcanic region.
Posted: May 11, 2012, 7:00 am
Granicus Valles
The complex channels in today's VIS image are part of Granicus Valles, located on the western margin of the Elysium volcanic region.
Posted: May 11, 2012, 7:00 am
The week in pictures: May 5–11, 2012
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/11/2012
Posted: May 11, 2012, 12:00 am
NASA's Dawn mission reveals secrets of large asteroid
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/11/2012
Posted: May 11, 2012, 12:00 am
A solar eclipse darkens American skies
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/11/2012
Posted: May 11, 2012, 12:00 am
Unseen potential planet revealed by its gravity
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/11/2012
Posted: May 11, 2012, 12:00 am
Star-Forming Region NGC 281
This wide-field view of the star-forming region NGC 281 in the constellation Cassiopeia was taken with the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ.
Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage and WIYN/AURA/NSF
Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage and WIYN/AURA/NSF
Posted: May 10, 2012, 11:22 am
Northern Plains
Dark markings mar the surface of Mars' northern plains. While many may be the tracks of dust devils, some marks may be narrow fractures.
Posted: May 10, 2012, 7:00 am
Northern Plains
Dark markings mar the surface of Mars' northern plains. While many may be the tracks of dust devils, some marks may be narrow fractures.
Posted: May 10, 2012, 7:00 am
Overfed black holes shut down galactic star-making
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/10/2012
Posted: May 10, 2012, 12:00 am
Hubble observes a dwarf galaxy with a bright nebula
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/10/2012
Posted: May 10, 2012, 12:00 am
Hungry White Dwarf Stars
University of Warwick astrophysicists have pinpointed four white dwarfs surrounded by dust from shattered planetary bodies which once bore striking similarities to the composition of the Earth.
Using the Hubble Space Telescope for the biggest survey to date of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of white dwarf stars, the researchers found that the most frequently occurring elements in the dust around these four white dwarfs were oxygen, magnesium, iron and silicon – the four elements that make up roughly 93 per cent of the Earth.
However an even more significant observation was that this material also contained an extremely low proportion of carbon, which matched very closely that of the Earth and the other rocky planets orbiting closest to our own Sun.
This is the first time that such low proportions of carbon have been measured in the atmospheres of white dwarf stars polluted by debris. Not only is this clear evidence that these stars once had at least one rocky exoplanet which they have now destroyed, the observations must also pinpoint the last phase of the death of these worlds.
The atmosphere of a white dwarf is made up of hydrogen and/or helium, so any heavy elements that come into their atmosphere are dragged downwards to their core and out of sight within a matter of days by the dwarf’s high gravity. Given this, the astronomers must literally be observing the final phase of the death of these worlds as the material rains down on the stars at rates of up to 1 million kilograms every second.
Not only is this clear evidence that these stars once had rocky exoplanetary bodies which have now been destroyed, the observations of one particular white dwarf, PG0843+516, may also tell the story of the destruction of these worlds.
This star stood out from the rest owing to the relative overabundance of the elements iron, nickel and sulphur in the dust found in its atmosphere.
Iron and nickel are found in the cores of terrestrial planets, as they sink to the center owing to the pull of gravity during planetary formation, and so does sulphur thanks to its chemical affinity to iron.
Therefore, researchers believe they are observing White Dwarf PG0843+516 in the very act of swallowing up material from the core of a rocky planet that was large enough to undergo differentiation, similar to the process that separated the core and the mantle of the Earth.
The study entitled “The chemical diversity of exo-terrestrial planetary debris around white dwarfs” by B. T. Gänsicke, D. Koester, J. Farihi, J. Girven, S.G.Parsons, and E. Breedt is accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Professor Boris Gänsicke of the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, who led the study, said the destructive process which caused the discs of dust around these distant white dwarfs is likely to one day play out in our own solar system.
“What we are seeing today in these white dwarfs several hundred light years away could well be a snapshot of the very distant future of the Earth.
“As stars like our Sun reach the end of their life, they expand to become red giants when the nuclear fuel in their cores is depleted.
“When this happens in our own solar system, billions of years from now, the Sun will engulf the inner planets Mercury and Venus.
“It’s unclear whether the Earth will also be swallowed up by the Sun in its red giant phase - but even if it survives, its surface will be roasted.
“During the transformation of the Sun into a white dwarf, it will lose a large amount of mass, and all the planets will move further out.
“This may destabilize the orbits and lead to collisions between planetary bodies as happened in the unstable early days of our solar system. This may even shatter entire terrestrial planets, forming large amounts of asteroids, some of which will have chemical compositions similar to those of the planetary core.
“In our solar system, Jupiter will survive the late evolution of the Sun unscathed, and scatter asteroids, new or old, towards the white dwarf.
“It is entirely feasible that in PG0843+516 we see the accretion of such fragments made from the core material of what was once a terrestrial exoplanet.”
The University of Warwick led team surveyed more than 80 white dwarfs within a few hundred light years, using the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope.
Credits: Mark A. Garlick for University of Warwick
Using the Hubble Space Telescope for the biggest survey to date of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of white dwarf stars, the researchers found that the most frequently occurring elements in the dust around these four white dwarfs were oxygen, magnesium, iron and silicon – the four elements that make up roughly 93 per cent of the Earth.
However an even more significant observation was that this material also contained an extremely low proportion of carbon, which matched very closely that of the Earth and the other rocky planets orbiting closest to our own Sun.
This is the first time that such low proportions of carbon have been measured in the atmospheres of white dwarf stars polluted by debris. Not only is this clear evidence that these stars once had at least one rocky exoplanet which they have now destroyed, the observations must also pinpoint the last phase of the death of these worlds.
The atmosphere of a white dwarf is made up of hydrogen and/or helium, so any heavy elements that come into their atmosphere are dragged downwards to their core and out of sight within a matter of days by the dwarf’s high gravity. Given this, the astronomers must literally be observing the final phase of the death of these worlds as the material rains down on the stars at rates of up to 1 million kilograms every second.
Not only is this clear evidence that these stars once had rocky exoplanetary bodies which have now been destroyed, the observations of one particular white dwarf, PG0843+516, may also tell the story of the destruction of these worlds.
This star stood out from the rest owing to the relative overabundance of the elements iron, nickel and sulphur in the dust found in its atmosphere.
Iron and nickel are found in the cores of terrestrial planets, as they sink to the center owing to the pull of gravity during planetary formation, and so does sulphur thanks to its chemical affinity to iron.
Therefore, researchers believe they are observing White Dwarf PG0843+516 in the very act of swallowing up material from the core of a rocky planet that was large enough to undergo differentiation, similar to the process that separated the core and the mantle of the Earth.
The study entitled “The chemical diversity of exo-terrestrial planetary debris around white dwarfs” by B. T. Gänsicke, D. Koester, J. Farihi, J. Girven, S.G.Parsons, and E. Breedt is accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Professor Boris Gänsicke of the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, who led the study, said the destructive process which caused the discs of dust around these distant white dwarfs is likely to one day play out in our own solar system.
“What we are seeing today in these white dwarfs several hundred light years away could well be a snapshot of the very distant future of the Earth.
“As stars like our Sun reach the end of their life, they expand to become red giants when the nuclear fuel in their cores is depleted.
“When this happens in our own solar system, billions of years from now, the Sun will engulf the inner planets Mercury and Venus.
“It’s unclear whether the Earth will also be swallowed up by the Sun in its red giant phase - but even if it survives, its surface will be roasted.
“During the transformation of the Sun into a white dwarf, it will lose a large amount of mass, and all the planets will move further out.
“This may destabilize the orbits and lead to collisions between planetary bodies as happened in the unstable early days of our solar system. This may even shatter entire terrestrial planets, forming large amounts of asteroids, some of which will have chemical compositions similar to those of the planetary core.
“In our solar system, Jupiter will survive the late evolution of the Sun unscathed, and scatter asteroids, new or old, towards the white dwarf.
“It is entirely feasible that in PG0843+516 we see the accretion of such fragments made from the core material of what was once a terrestrial exoplanet.”
The University of Warwick led team surveyed more than 80 white dwarfs within a few hundred light years, using the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope.
Credits: Mark A. Garlick for University of Warwick
Posted: May 9, 2012, 11:26 am
Cerberus Fossae Fractures
The dark fractures in this VIS image are part of Cerberus Fossae.
Posted: May 9, 2012, 7:00 am
VISTA views a vast ball of stars
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/9/2012
Posted: May 9, 2012, 12:00 am
Spitzer sees the light of alien "super-Earth"
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/9/2012
Posted: May 9, 2012, 12:00 am
Simulation of Black Hole Flare
This computer-simulated image shows gas from a tidally shredded star falling into a black hole. Some of the gas also is being ejected at high speeds into space. Astronomers observed a flare in ultraviolet and optical light from the gas falling into the black hole and glowing helium from the stars\'s helium-rich gas expelled from the system.
Credit: NASA, S. Gezari (The Johns Hopkins University), and J. Guillochon (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Credit: NASA, S. Gezari (The Johns Hopkins University), and J. Guillochon (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Posted: May 8, 2012, 11:19 am
Channels
The channels in this VIS image were most likely created by lava flows from Alba Mons.
Posted: May 8, 2012, 7:00 am
One supernova type, two different sources
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/8/2012
Posted: May 8, 2012, 12:00 am
Subaru Telescope discovers the most distant protocluster of galaxies
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/8/2012
Posted: May 8, 2012, 12:00 am
Cosmic Dust Clouds in Messier 78
This image of the region surrounding the reflection nebula Messier 78, just to the north of Orion’s belt, shows clouds of cosmic dust threaded through the nebula like a string of pearls. The submillimeter-wavelength observations, made with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope and shown here in orange, use the heat glow of interstellar dust grains to show astronomers where new stars are being formed. They are overlaid on a view of the region in visible light.
Credit: ESO/APEX (MPIfR/ESO/OSO)/T. Stanke et al./Igor Chekalin/Digitized Sky Survey 2
Credit: ESO/APEX (MPIfR/ESO/OSO)/T. Stanke et al./Igor Chekalin/Digitized Sky Survey 2
Posted: May 7, 2012, 11:04 am
Olympus Mons
The narrow volcanic flows in this VIS image are located on Olympus Mons.
Posted: May 7, 2012, 7:00 am
Hubble to use Moon as mirror to see Venus transit
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/7/2012
Posted: May 7, 2012, 12:00 am
Subaru-led team discovers a rare stellar disk of quartz dust
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/7/2012
Posted: May 7, 2012, 12:00 am
Pink Opaque
An extraordinary outburst produced by a black hole in a nearby galaxy has provided direct evidence for a population of old, volatile stellar black holes. The discovery, made by astronomers using data from NASA\'s Chandra X-ray Observatory, provides new insight into the nature of a mysterious class of black holes that can produce as much energy in X-rays as a million suns radiate at all wavelengths.
Researchers used Chandra to discover a new ultraluminous X-ray source, or ULX. These objects give off more X-rays than most binary systems, in which a companion star orbits the remains of a collapsed star. These collapsed stars form either a dense core called a neutron star or a black hole. The extra X-ray emission suggests ULXs contain black holes that might be much more massive than the ones found elsewhere in our galaxy.
A paper describing these results will appear in the May 10, 2012, issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Curtin University/R. Soria et al., Optical: NASA/STScI/ Middlebury College/F. Winkler et al.
Researchers used Chandra to discover a new ultraluminous X-ray source, or ULX. These objects give off more X-rays than most binary systems, in which a companion star orbits the remains of a collapsed star. These collapsed stars form either a dense core called a neutron star or a black hole. The extra X-ray emission suggests ULXs contain black holes that might be much more massive than the ones found elsewhere in our galaxy.
A paper describing these results will appear in the May 10, 2012, issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Curtin University/R. Soria et al., Optical: NASA/STScI/ Middlebury College/F. Winkler et al.
Posted: May 6, 2012, 1:52 pm
Testing the Webb Telescope
Several critical items related to NASA\'s next-generation James Webb Space Telescope currently are being tested in the thermal vacuum test chamber at NASA\'s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
This image shows the Optical Telescope Element Simulator, or OSIM, wrapped in a silver blanket on a platform, being lowered into the Space Environment Simulator vacuum chamber via crane to be tested to withstand the cold temperatures of space.
Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
This image shows the Optical Telescope Element Simulator, or OSIM, wrapped in a silver blanket on a platform, being lowered into the Space Environment Simulator vacuum chamber via crane to be tested to withstand the cold temperatures of space.
Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Posted: May 5, 2012, 1:37 pm
Searchlight Beams from a Preplanetary Nebula
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been at the cutting edge of research into what happens to stars like our sun at the ends of their lives. One stage that stars pass through as they run out of nuclear fuel is called the preplanetary or protoplanetary nebula stage. This Hubble image of the Egg Nebula shows one of the best views to date of this brief but dramatic phase in a star’s life.
The preplanetary nebula phase is a short period in the cycle of stellar evolution, and has nothing to do with planets. Over a few thousand years, the hot remains of the aging star in the center of the nebula heat it up, excite the gas, and make it glow as a subsequent planetary nebula. The short lifespan of preplanetary nebulae means there are relatively few of them in existence at any one time. Moreover, they are very dim, requiring powerful telescopes to be seen. This combination of rarity and faintness means they were only discovered comparatively recently. The Egg Nebula, the first to be discovered, was first spotted less than 40 years ago, and many aspects of this class of object remain shrouded in mystery.
At the center of this image, and hidden in a thick cloud of dust, is the nebula’s central star. While we can’t see the star directly, four searchlight beams of light coming from it shine out through the nebula. It is thought that ring-shaped holes in the thick cocoon of dust, carved by jets coming from the star, let the beams of light emerge through the otherwise opaque cloud. The precise mechanism by which stellar jets produce these holes is not known for certain, but one possible explanation is that a binary star system, rather than a single star, exists at the center of the nebula.
The onion-like layered structure of the more diffuse cloud surrounding the central cocoon is caused by periodic bursts of material being ejected from the dying star. The bursts typically occur every few hundred years.
The distance to the Egg Nebula is only known very approximately, the best guess placing it at around 3,000 light-years from Earth. This in turn means that astronomers do not have any accurate figures for the size of the nebula (it may be larger and further away, or smaller but nearer).
This image is produced from exposures in visible and infrared light from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.
Credits: ESA/Hubble, NASA
The preplanetary nebula phase is a short period in the cycle of stellar evolution, and has nothing to do with planets. Over a few thousand years, the hot remains of the aging star in the center of the nebula heat it up, excite the gas, and make it glow as a subsequent planetary nebula. The short lifespan of preplanetary nebulae means there are relatively few of them in existence at any one time. Moreover, they are very dim, requiring powerful telescopes to be seen. This combination of rarity and faintness means they were only discovered comparatively recently. The Egg Nebula, the first to be discovered, was first spotted less than 40 years ago, and many aspects of this class of object remain shrouded in mystery.
At the center of this image, and hidden in a thick cloud of dust, is the nebula’s central star. While we can’t see the star directly, four searchlight beams of light coming from it shine out through the nebula. It is thought that ring-shaped holes in the thick cocoon of dust, carved by jets coming from the star, let the beams of light emerge through the otherwise opaque cloud. The precise mechanism by which stellar jets produce these holes is not known for certain, but one possible explanation is that a binary star system, rather than a single star, exists at the center of the nebula.
The onion-like layered structure of the more diffuse cloud surrounding the central cocoon is caused by periodic bursts of material being ejected from the dying star. The bursts typically occur every few hundred years.
The distance to the Egg Nebula is only known very approximately, the best guess placing it at around 3,000 light-years from Earth. This in turn means that astronomers do not have any accurate figures for the size of the nebula (it may be larger and further away, or smaller but nearer).
This image is produced from exposures in visible and infrared light from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.
Credits: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Posted: May 4, 2012, 11:20 am
Cloudy Day
Clouds are common feature over the north polar dunes in spring. Today's image shows line after line of puffy clouds, with hints of dark sand dunes below.
Posted: May 4, 2012, 7:00 am
The week in pictures: April 28–May 4, 2012
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/4/2012
Posted: May 4, 2012, 12:00 am
Paydirt at 8-year-old Mars rover's "new landing site"
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/4/2012
Posted: May 4, 2012, 12:00 am
The Face of Phoebe
Phoebe\'s true nature is revealed in startling clarity in this mosaic of two images taken during Cassini\'s flyby on June 11, 2004. The image shows evidence for the emerging view that Phoebe may be an ice-rich body coated with a thin layer of dark material. Small bright craters in the image are probably fairly young features. This phenomenon has been observed on other icy satellites, such as Ganymede at Jupiter. When impactors slammed into the surface of Phoebe, the collisions excavated fresh, bright material -- probably ice -- underlying the surface layer. Further evidence for this can be seen on some crater walls where the darker material appears to have slid downwards, exposing more light-colored material. Some areas of the image that are particularly bright - especially near lower right - are over-exposed.
An accurate determination of Phoebe\'s density -- a forthcoming result from the flyby -- will help Cassini mission scientists understand how much of the little moon is comprised of ices.
This spectacular view was obtained at a phase, or Sun-Phoebe-spacecraft, angle of 84 degrees, and from a distance of approximately 32,500 kilometers (20,200 miles). The image scale is approximately 190 meters (624 feet) per pixel. No enhancement was performed on this image.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA\'s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras, were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
An accurate determination of Phoebe\'s density -- a forthcoming result from the flyby -- will help Cassini mission scientists understand how much of the little moon is comprised of ices.
This spectacular view was obtained at a phase, or Sun-Phoebe-spacecraft, angle of 84 degrees, and from a distance of approximately 32,500 kilometers (20,200 miles). The image scale is approximately 190 meters (624 feet) per pixel. No enhancement was performed on this image.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA\'s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras, were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Posted: May 3, 2012, 11:19 am
Aeolis Planum
This complexly eroded region is part of Aeolis Planum. The image has portions that appear to be layered material that has been eroded by wind action. The top of the image has a branching feature that may represent a filled channel that is now a topographic high (the channel fill material being more resistant to erosion than the surrounding materials).
Posted: May 3, 2012, 7:00 am
Four white dwarf stars caught in the act of consuming Earth-like exoplanets
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/3/2012
Posted: May 3, 2012, 12:00 am
JUICE is Europe's next large science mission
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/3/2012
Posted: May 3, 2012, 12:00 am
Solar Orbiter
ESA’s next generation Sun explorer, Solar Orbiter will be launched in 2017. It will investigate the connections and the coupling between the Sun and the heliosphere, a huge bubble in space created by the solar wind. The solar wind can cause auroras and disrupt satellite-based communication.
Credits: ESA/AOES
Credits: ESA/AOES
Posted: May 2, 2012, 11:35 am
Puzzle Pieces
Platy lava flows in Elysium look very different from the thicker flows of the Tharsis region. In this VIS image, the darker plates are separated by lighter material and some edges "match-up" like puzzle pieces.
Posted: May 2, 2012, 7:00 am
Sifting through dust near Orion's Belt
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/2/2012
Posted: May 2, 2012, 12:00 am
Black hole caught in a feeding frenzy
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/2/2012
Posted: May 2, 2012, 12:00 am
Cosmic Dust Bunny
It\'s a dust bunny of cosmic proportions. Astronomers used images from NASA\'s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, to locate an aging star shedding loads of dust (orange dot at upper left). Only one other star, called Sakurai\'s object, has been caught erupting with such large amounts of dust. The process is a natural part of aging for stars like our sun. As they puff up into red giants, they shed dust that is later recycled back into other stars, planets, and in the case of our solar system, living creatures.
In this image, infrared data from WISE and a past all-sky survey mission, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), have been combined. Color is used to show similar observations taken almost thirty years apart; the recent WISE data are color-coded green and red, while the older IRAS data are blue.
The picture reveals that the newfound dusty star, called WISE J180956.27–330500.2, was not seen at all by IRAS, which surveyed the sky in 1983 (it is the only bright star in this field that does not have a corresponding blue halo). Astronomers say the star has brightened by a factor of 100. This appears to have been caused by a sudden eruption in the star around 15 years ago. Dust freshly created in this event is heated by starlight and glows at infrared wavelengths.
The image also demonstrates that WISE and its state-of-the-art technology produced, as expected, much crisper images than its predecessors. The blue IRAS data show both stars, and, higher up in the picture, interstellar dust.
Data from IRAS show 12-micron infrared light (blue); data from WISE show 12- and 22-micron infrared light (green and red, respectively).
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In this image, infrared data from WISE and a past all-sky survey mission, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), have been combined. Color is used to show similar observations taken almost thirty years apart; the recent WISE data are color-coded green and red, while the older IRAS data are blue.
The picture reveals that the newfound dusty star, called WISE J180956.27–330500.2, was not seen at all by IRAS, which surveyed the sky in 1983 (it is the only bright star in this field that does not have a corresponding blue halo). Astronomers say the star has brightened by a factor of 100. This appears to have been caused by a sudden eruption in the star around 15 years ago. Dust freshly created in this event is heated by starlight and glows at infrared wavelengths.
The image also demonstrates that WISE and its state-of-the-art technology produced, as expected, much crisper images than its predecessors. The blue IRAS data show both stars, and, higher up in the picture, interstellar dust.
Data from IRAS show 12-micron infrared light (blue); data from WISE show 12- and 22-micron infrared light (green and red, respectively).
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted: May 1, 2012, 11:13 am
Arsia Mons Flows
Today's VIS image shows volcanic flows from Arsia Mons.
Posted: May 1, 2012, 7:00 am
May's first meteor shower battles a Full Moon
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/1/2012
Posted: May 1, 2012, 12:00 am
First Mars Express gravity results plot volcanic history
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/1/2012
Posted: May 1, 2012, 12:00 am
Chandra sees remarkable outburst from old black hole
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:5/1/2012
Posted: May 1, 2012, 12:00 am
The Milky Way\'s 100 Billion Planets
This artist\'s illustration gives an impression of how common planets are around the stars in the Milky Way. The planets, their orbits and their host stars are all vastly magnified compared to their real separations. A six-year search that surveyed millions of stars using the microlensing technique concluded that planets around stars are the rule rather than the exception. The average number of planets per star is greater than one. This means that there is likely to be a minimum of 1,500 planets within just 50 light-years of Earth.
The results are based on observations taken over six years by the PLANET (Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork) collaboration, which was founded in 1995. The study concludes that there are far more Earth-sized planets than bloated Jupiter-sized worlds. This is based on calibrating a planetary mass function that shows the number of planets increases for lower mass worlds. A rough estimate from this survey would point to the existence of more than 10 billion terrestrial planets across our galaxy.
The results were published in the Jan. 12, 2012, issue of the British science journal Nature.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Kornmesser (ESO)
The results are based on observations taken over six years by the PLANET (Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork) collaboration, which was founded in 1995. The study concludes that there are far more Earth-sized planets than bloated Jupiter-sized worlds. This is based on calibrating a planetary mass function that shows the number of planets increases for lower mass worlds. A rough estimate from this survey would point to the existence of more than 10 billion terrestrial planets across our galaxy.
The results were published in the Jan. 12, 2012, issue of the British science journal Nature.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Kornmesser (ESO)
Posted: April 30, 2012, 11:24 am
Channels
The unnamed channels in this image are located in Arabia Terra.
Posted: April 30, 2012, 7:00 am
Cassini finds Saturn moon has planet-like qualities
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/30/2012
Posted: April 30, 2012, 12:00 am
Hubble images searchlight beams from a preplanetary nebula
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/30/2012
Posted: April 30, 2012, 12:00 am
Star Cluster NGC 6604
The star cluster NGC 6604 is shown in this image taken by the Wide Field Imager attached to the 2.2-meter MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. NGC 6604 is the bright grouping towards to the upper left of the image. It is a young star cluster that is the densest part of a more widely scattered association containing about one hundred brilliant blue-white stars. The picture also shows the cluster’s associated nebula — a cloud of glowing hydrogen gas that is called Sh2-54 — as well as dust clouds.
Credit: ESO
Credit: ESO
Posted: April 29, 2012, 10:56 am
The Sombrero Galaxy\'s Split Personality
The infrared vision of NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed that the Sombrero galaxy -- named after its appearance in visible light to a wide-brimmed hat -- is in fact two galaxies in one. It is a large elliptical galaxy (blue-green) with a thin disk galaxy (partly seen in red) embedded within. Previous visible-light images led astronomers to believe the Sombrero was simply a regular flat disk galaxy.
Spitzer\'s infrared view highlights the stars and dust. The starlight detected at 3.5 and 4.6 microns is represented in blue-green while the dust detected at 8.0 microns appears red. This image allowed astronomers to sample the full population of stars in the galaxy, in addition to its structure.
The flat disk within the galaxy is made up of two portions. The inner disk is composed almost entirely of stars, with no dust. Beyond this is a slight gap, then an outer ring of intermingled dust and stars, seen here in red.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Spitzer\'s infrared view highlights the stars and dust. The starlight detected at 3.5 and 4.6 microns is represented in blue-green while the dust detected at 8.0 microns appears red. This image allowed astronomers to sample the full population of stars in the galaxy, in addition to its structure.
The flat disk within the galaxy is made up of two portions. The inner disk is composed almost entirely of stars, with no dust. Beyond this is a slight gap, then an outer ring of intermingled dust and stars, seen here in red.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted: April 28, 2012, 10:53 am
Pleiades Cluster
An image of the Pleiades (M45), a famous star cluster about 135 million years old. This age means that any massive stars in the cluster would have exploded as supernovae when ammonites were prominent in the sea. According to Henrik Svensmark, the rate of nearby supernovae strongly influenced the diversity of such marine invertebrates.
Credit: NASA, ESA and AURA/Caltech
Credit: NASA, ESA and AURA/Caltech
Posted: April 27, 2012, 11:25 am
Capri Chasma
A sand sheet and dune forms are present in this image of the floor of Capri Chasma.
Posted: April 27, 2012, 7:00 am
Dawn reveals secrets of giant asteroid Vesta
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/27/2012
Posted: April 27, 2012, 12:00 am
The week in pictures: April 21–27, 2012
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/27/2012
Posted: April 27, 2012, 12:00 am
NASA’s WISE catches aging star erupting with dust
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/27/2012
Posted: April 27, 2012, 12:00 am
A New View of the Tarantula Nebula
To celebrate its 22nd anniversary in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope released a dramatic new image of the star-forming region 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula because its glowing filaments resemble spider legs. A new image from all three of NASA\'s Great Observatories--Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer--has also been created to mark the event.
The nebula is located in the neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud, and is one of the largest star-forming regions located close to the Milky Way. At the center of 30 Doradus, thousands of massive stars are blowing off material and producing intense radiation along with powerful winds. The Chandra X-ray Observatory detects gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by these stellar winds and also by supernova explosions. These X-rays, colored blue in this composite image, come from shock fronts--similar to sonic booms--formed by this high-energy stellar activity.
The Hubble data in the composite image, colored green, reveals the light from these massive stars along with different stages of star birth, including embryonic stars a few thousand years old still wrapped in cocoons of dark gas. Infrared emission data from Spitzer, seen in red, shows cooler gas and dust that have giant bubbles carved into them. These bubbles are sculpted by the same searing radiation and strong winds that comes from the massive stars at the center of 30 Doradus.
Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/L.Townsley et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL/PSU/L.Townsley et al.
The nebula is located in the neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud, and is one of the largest star-forming regions located close to the Milky Way. At the center of 30 Doradus, thousands of massive stars are blowing off material and producing intense radiation along with powerful winds. The Chandra X-ray Observatory detects gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by these stellar winds and also by supernova explosions. These X-rays, colored blue in this composite image, come from shock fronts--similar to sonic booms--formed by this high-energy stellar activity.
The Hubble data in the composite image, colored green, reveals the light from these massive stars along with different stages of star birth, including embryonic stars a few thousand years old still wrapped in cocoons of dark gas. Infrared emission data from Spitzer, seen in red, shows cooler gas and dust that have giant bubbles carved into them. These bubbles are sculpted by the same searing radiation and strong winds that comes from the massive stars at the center of 30 Doradus.
Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/L.Townsley et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL/PSU/L.Townsley et al.
Posted: April 26, 2012, 11:25 am
Windstreaks
These windstreaks, located north of Olympus Mons, indicate winds from the south-southeast.
Posted: April 26, 2012, 7:00 am
NASA's Spitzer finds galaxy with split personality
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/26/2012
Posted: April 26, 2012, 12:00 am
NASA scientists find history of asteroid impacts in Earth rocks
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/26/2012
Posted: April 26, 2012, 12:00 am
Dark Matter Distribution Around The Milky Way
This artist’s impression shows the Milky Way galaxy. The blue halo of material surrounding the galaxy indicates the expected distribution of the mysterious dark matter, which was first introduced by astronomers to explain the rotation properties of the galaxy and is now also an essential ingredient in current theories of the formation and evolution of galaxies. New measurements show that the amount of dark matter in a large region around the Sun is far smaller than predicted and have indicated that there is no significant dark matter at all in our neighborhood.
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
Posted: April 25, 2012, 11:26 am
Olympus Rupes
This VIS image shows lava flows that cover the steep embankment called Olympus Rupes on the margin of Olympus Mons.
Posted: April 25, 2012, 7:00 am
Cassini investigates Titan's chemical factory
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/25/2012
Posted: April 25, 2012, 12:00 am
A cluster within a cluster
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/25/2012
Posted: April 25, 2012, 12:00 am
Rings, Titan and Enceladus
Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus hangs below the gas giant’s rings while Titan lurks in the background, in this new image taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
Faint detail of the tiger stripe markings can be seen on Enceladus’ surface, which is framed against Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. With jets of water ice and vapor streaming from Enceladus’ south pole, and liquid hydrocarbon lakes pooling beneath Titan’s thick atmosphere, these are two of Saturn’s most enigmatic moons.
The northern, sun-lit side of Saturn’s rings are seen from just above the ring plane in this image, which was taken in visible green light by Cassini’s narrow-angle camera on 12 March while it was approximately one million kilometers from Enceladus. The image scale is six kilometers per pixel on Enceladus.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Faint detail of the tiger stripe markings can be seen on Enceladus’ surface, which is framed against Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. With jets of water ice and vapor streaming from Enceladus’ south pole, and liquid hydrocarbon lakes pooling beneath Titan’s thick atmosphere, these are two of Saturn’s most enigmatic moons.
The northern, sun-lit side of Saturn’s rings are seen from just above the ring plane in this image, which was taken in visible green light by Cassini’s narrow-angle camera on 12 March while it was approximately one million kilometers from Enceladus. The image scale is six kilometers per pixel on Enceladus.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Posted: April 24, 2012, 11:24 am
Ascraeus Mons
Today's VIS image shows the complex collapse features on the southern flank of Ascraeus Mons.
Posted: April 24, 2012, 7:00 am
Get ready for National Astronomy Day 2012
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/24/2012
Posted: April 24, 2012, 12:00 am
Cassini sees objects blazing trails in Saturn ring
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/24/2012
Posted: April 24, 2012, 12:00 am
Storm Front
Spring time brings storms to the north polar region of Mars. This VIS image shows a storm front, as bright clouds shadow and obscure the surface.
Posted: April 23, 2012, 7:00 am
Supergiant census supports stellar evolution theory
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/23/2012
Posted: April 23, 2012, 12:00 am
Dusty stellar nurseries from the dark side of a galaxy
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/23/2012
Posted: April 23, 2012, 12:00 am
Orson Welles Dunes
This VIS image shows dune forms on the floor of Orson Welles Crater.
Posted: April 20, 2012, 7:00 am
Far-off cousin of part-time African lake found on Titan
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/20/2012
Posted: April 20, 2012, 12:00 am
The week in pictures: April 14–20, 2012
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/20/2012
Posted: April 20, 2012, 12:00 am
Dawn gets extra time to explore Vesta
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/20/2012
Posted: April 20, 2012, 12:00 am
Ares Vallis
Today's VIS image shows where Ares Vallis starts (top of image) from Iani Chaos (bottom of image).
Posted: April 19, 2012, 7:00 am
New study finds mysterious lack of dark matter in Sun’s neighborhood
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/19/2012
Posted: April 19, 2012, 12:00 am
Where do the highest-energy cosmic rays come from?
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/19/2012
Posted: April 19, 2012, 12:00 am
Wind Erosion
The wind eroded material in this VIS image are located just north of Amazonis Mensa.
Posted: April 18, 2012, 7:00 am
Some stars capture rogue planets
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/18/2012
Posted: April 18, 2012, 12:00 am
Cassini successfully flies over Enceladus
Astronomy Magazine News Article - Released:4/18/2012
Posted: April 18, 2012, 12:00 am
Hubblecast 54: 22 years in images
To celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope this month, episode 54 of the Hubblecast gives a slideshow of some of the best images from over two decades in orbit, set to specially commissioned music.Posted: April 17, 2012, 1:00 pm
External Links
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