(via itsfullofstars)
Posts tagged "space"
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(via infinity-imagined)
Source eol.jsc.nasa.gov- Camera: Nikon D2xs
- • Aperture: f/11
- • Exposure: 1/640th
- • Focal Length: 12mm
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Source infinity-imagined
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The Cosmic Tadpole
Above we see what can happen when massive objects like galaxies interact, and how that interaction can produce truly incredible sights. This is the Tadpole Galaxy, and at one point, it was a normal barred spiral galaxy, minding its own business, floating through the universe about 400 million light years away in the constellation Draco.
Somewhere along the way, it crossed paths with another galaxy, and after that we’ve only got speculation. The best idea is that their mutual gravity caused the companion galaxy to swing around the Tadpole, dragging millions of stars in its wake. The end result is the 280 thousand light-year-long tail, made entirely of stars, including several pockets of bright blue stars.
And yes, astronomers do prefer the name Tadpole, because the Sperm Galaxy would be an awkward thing to put in the history books. I would have done it, though. We have the Sperm Whale, so in my mind a whole galaxy would be much better. Dare to dream
-Devin.
(via abcstarstuff)
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Source brain-food
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Dark Clouds in Aquila
Explanation: Part of a dark expanse that splits the crowded plane of our Milky Way galaxy, the Aquila Rift arcs through the northern hemisphere’s summer skies near bright star Altair and the Summer Triangle. In silhouette against the Milky Way’s faint starlight, its dusty molecular clouds likely contain raw material to form hundreds of thousands of stars and astronomers eagerly search the clouds for telltale signs of star birth. This telescopic close-uplooks toward the region at a fragmented Aquila dark cloud complex identified as LDN 673, stretching across a field of view slightly wider than the full moon. In the scene, visible indications of energetic outflows associated with young stars include the small red tinted nebulosity RNO 109 at top left and Herbig-Haro object HH32 above and right of center. The dark clouds in Aquila are estimated to be some 600 light-years away. At that distance, this field of view spans about 7 light-years
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, University of Arizona
Source apod.nasa.gov -
Million-Ring Circus
1. RINGS FROM AFAR
Measuring 175,000 miles wide but as little as 30 feet thick, Saturn’s rings contain debris of varying ages and composition, all revolving at different speeds.
2. THREE MOONS
Titan and Dione, along with speck-sized Prometheus appear in rare alignment. Tiny so-called shepherd moons help shape the rings and prevent them from dispersing.
3. TITAN
Concentric rings wind in front of Satrun’s biggest moon, Titan, with tiny Janus in teh foreground. The rings are so massive that they have their own atmosphere, separate from Saturn’s. Cassini found evidence of oxygen all around the icy rings.
4. RINGS CLOSE UP
(via astrotastic)
Source discovermagazine.com -
Source ikenbot
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Source hr8938-cephei
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IC 4406: A Seemingly Square Nebula
Credit: C. R. O’Dell (Vanderbilt U.) et al., Hubble Heritage Team, NASA
Source apod.nasa.gov -
Source planet--earth.ca
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Galaxies of the NGC 7771 group:
NGC 7771: the edge-on spiral near center
NGC 7769: face-on spiral to the right of center(via project-argus)
Source apod.nasa.gov -
our sun [x]
Source apolloadama -
Source
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Triton’s Dramatic Fade
The above picture of Triton, Neptune’s moon was taken in 1989 by the only spacecraft ever to pass Triton: Voyager 2. Voyager 2 found fascinating terrain, a thin atmosphere, and even evidence for ice volcanoes on this world of peculiar orbit and spin. Ironically, Voyager 2 also confirmed the existence of complete thin rings around Neptune.
(via uraniaproject)
Source expose-the-light
