Astronomy Pictures

Woodmonkey · 10-09-2006, 01:55

The Sharpest View of the Sun
Credit: SST, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Explanation: This stunning image shows remarkable and mysterious details near the dark central region of a planet-sized sunspot in one of the sharpest views ever of the surface of the Sun. Just released, the picture was made using the Swedish Solar Telescope now in its first year of operation on the Canary Island of La Palma. Along with features described as hairs and canals are dark cores visible within the bright filaments that extend into the sunspot, representing previously unknown and unexplored solar phenomena. The filaments' newly revealed dark cores are seen to be thousands of kilometers long but only about 100 kilometers wide. Resolving features 100 kilometers wide or less is a milestone in solar astronomy and has been achieved here using sophisticated adaptive optics, digital image stacking, and processing techniques to counter the blurring effect of Earth's atmosphere. At optical wavelengths, these images are sharper than even current space-based solar observatories can produce. Recorded on 15 July 2002, the sunspot shown is the largest of the group of sunspots cataloged as solar active region AR 10030.

JudyLynne · 10-09-2006, 10:56

Awesome!!!!!!

Anth · 10-09-2006, 11:54

Hows this for a shot?

Taken from STS-114 (the first Return to Flight mission for the Shuttle), the Moon is in the centre with sunrise over the Earth at the top.

An unusual shot of the Southern Lights, taken from the top - ie Discovery on STS-114.

Pics originally found on NASA website

conlor · 10-09-2006, 14:12

The sun sure looks hot. Anybody got marshmellows?

Those are great pictures, Anth!

When I first saw this, I read it as Anatomy Pictures. I see those go across my desk all the time. I really didn't want to see the results of another person's endoscopy! Or worse!

mgstrow · 10-09-2006, 14:36

Great pics!

Woodmonkey · 10-09-2006, 17:20

Glad you all liked it. Thanks for adding those pics, Anth.

Woodmonkey · 10-09-2006, 21:16

Night Trails of Africa

Explanation: Spanning southern to northern skies, stars trail across this panoramic view of the African night from equatorial Kenya. The three hour long exposure was made on a clear, dark, mid November evening facing due west and covers just over 180 degrees along the horizon. So, the South Celestial Pole is at the center of the concentric arcs on the left and the North Celestial Pole is at the far right (scroll right). And, you guessed it(!), the stars setting along the Celestial Equator leave the straight trails near the middle of the picture. Well illustrated in this thoughtfully composed panorama, the star trails in the African night are, of course, not due to motions of the individual stars but simply reflect the daily rotation of planet Earth itself.