Orion and the Horse-head in Infrared
This wide image of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex features the Flame nebula (NGC 2024) and the Horsehead nebula (NGC 2023). In this infrared image, the Horsehead can be seen on the bottom right as a small wisp of gas protruding from the complex. The colors in this image do not represent visible light because it was imaged with the Spritzer Space Telescope - which can only see infrared light. As a result, scientist must map temperatures to colors. Cooler objects, such as the dust of the nebulae, appear green and red and hotter objects appear more blue. Astronomers are essentially “shifting” the infrared light into the visible spectrum.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Cal Tech
Planets: Life
Mercury: What’s your full name?
Venus: What’s your first language?
Earth: Where’s your home?
Mars: What’s your sexuality?
Jupiter: Do you have any siblings?
Saturn: Any pets?
Uranus: What’s your hobby?
Neptune: When’s your birthday?
Pluto: What time is it right now where you are?
Moon: What are you currently studying/hope to study?
Stars: Experiences
Sun: Have you ever had alcohol?
Sirius: Have you ever failed a class?
Rigel: Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster?
Deneb: Have you ever been out of your home country?
Arcturus: Have you cried out of something other than sadness?
Betelgeuse: What’s something you can never forget about?
Aldebaran: What’s something you care desperately about?
Canopus: Have you ever broken a bone?
Bellatrix: Have you ever been forced to lie/keep a secret?
Alphard: Have you ever lost a friend?
Vega: What’s something you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t?
Constellations: Favourites
Centaurus: Favourite holiday?
Orion: Favourite month?
Cassiopeia: Favourite book?
Delphinus: Favourite study?
Hercules: Favourite instrument?
Gemini: Favourite song?
Pegasus: Favourite place to be?
Libra: Favourite colour?
Phoenix: Favourite thing to wear?
Aries: Favourite movie?
Cygnus: Favourite weather?
Hydra: Favourite sound?
Galaxies: Love/Friends
Milky Way: Who’s your oldest friend?
Andromeda: Do you consider yourself social?
Black Eye Galaxy: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Cartwheel Galaxy: When was your first kiss?
Cigar Galaxy: How’s your flirting skills?
Comet Galaxy: Have you ever had to leave a relationship because someone changed too much?
Pinwheel Galaxy: Would you date the last person you talked to?
Sombrero Galaxy: Do you have a crush right now?
Bode’s Galaxy: Have you ever had a secret admirer?
Sunflower Galaxy: Would you date/make friends with someone out of pity?
Tadpole Galaxy: Would you deny a relationship/friendship?
Whirlpool Galaxy: Have you ever cried over a breakup?
Other stuff: Wishes
Comet: What’s your big dream?
Asteroid: What does your dream life look like?
Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t?
Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be?
Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be?
Pulsar: What do you hope to do in the next 10 years?
Supernova: What’s one thing you want to do before you die?
Quasar: If you could spend the rest of your life with only one person, who would it be?
Wormhole: What’s something you wish would happen, but know won’t?
Black Hole: What’s the last thing you want to see?
Southern Cross by Carlos Fairbairn
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Jupiter’s moon, Callisto.
Psychedelic Pluto : New Horizons scientists made this false color image of Pluto using a technique called principal component analysis to highlight the many subtle color differences between Plutos distinct regions.
js
Wow me too
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The Quadrantid meteor shower on Jan. 4 will either sizzle or fizzle for observers in the U.S. The shower may favor the U.S. or it could favor Europe depending on which prediction turns out to be correct. For viewing in the United States, observers should start at 3 a.m. EST. The peak should last about two hours with rates of 120 meteors per hour predicted in areas with a dark sky.
Comet Catalina
In the middle of the month, midnight to predawn will be primetime for viewing Comet Catalina. It should be visible with binoculars if you have a dark sky, but a telescope would be ideal. Between the 14th and 17th the comet will pass by two stunning galaxies: M51, the whirlpool galaxy and M101, a fainter spiral galaxy.
Constellation Orion
Winter is also the best time to view the constellation Orion in the southeastern sky. Even in the city, you’ll see that it’s stars have different colors. Not telescope needed, just look up a few hours after sunset! The colorful stars of Orion are part of the winter circle of stars.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
i think the coolest thing would be to see a new color
The Trapezium is that a space ghost?
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A century ago, Albert Einstein theorized there was such a thing as a fabric of space and time — that the universe was malleable, and that large objects and events would cause it to bend.
He was right. From studying the signals emanating from the merging of two black holes — have separate masses equal to 36 and 29 suns — scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory were able to observe gravitational waves. Their measurements matched expectations of what Einstein predicted in his General Theory of Relativity.
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"Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another." - Plato
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