Pushing the M4/3 sensor with ISO 1600! by mangeeriksson http://500px.com/photo/118331773
Jupiter Grazes the Moon - by: { Luis Argerich }
Italians put ‘disco ball’ into orbit
Italian physicists have put a test particle into space to attempt to measure an effect predicted by general relativity.
The object, which is about the size of a football, made of tungsten and covered with 92 reflectors, is supposedly the “most perfect” test particle ever put into space. It’s entirely passive, weighs 400kg, and will be tracked by lasers from Earth.
It was launched on 13 February, 2012, and is known as Lares, or the “Laser Relativity Satellite”. Its objective is to provide data that will allow physicists to measure a phenomenon known as rotational frame-dragging.
This is a tiny, subtle effect predicted by general relativity where massive spinning bodies, like planets, drag space-time with them as they turn, changing the angle at which small particles close by rotate.
Nasa’s Gravity Probe B, launched in 2004, contained four small, spherical gyroscopes to try and measure this effect, but problems with the spacecraft reduced their accuracy to only about 20 percent. The Italians believe their approach is a much cheaper way of achieving the same goal.
It’s hoped that by tracing the angle of Lares’ rotation, along with a pair of other less-perfect balls already in orbit - Lageos 1 & 2 - the frame-dragging effect will finally be able to be observed.
APOD| 2013 May 31 |The Eagle and The Swan
Image Credit & Copyright: Dieter Willasch (Astro-Cabinet)
Explanation: The Eagle Nebula and the Swan Nebula span this broad starscape, a telescopic view of the Sagittarius spiral arm toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The Eagle, also known as M16, is left, above center, and the Swan, or M17 at the lower right. The deep, wide-field image shows the cosmic clouds as brighter regions of active star-formation. They lie along the spiral arm suffused with reddish emission charactistic of atomic hydrogen gas, and dusty dark nebulae. In fact, the center of both nebulae are locations of well-known close-up images of star formation from the Hubble Space Telescope. M17, also called the Omega Nebula, is about 5500 light-years away, while M16 is some 6500 light-years distant. In the frame that covers 3 degrees across the sky, the extended wings of the Eagle Nebula are spread over 120 light-years.
This beautiful, glittering swirl is named, rather unpoetically, J125013.50+073441.5. A glowing haze of material seems to engulf the galaxy, stretching out into space in different directions and forming a fuzzy streak in this image.
It is a starburst galaxy — a name given to galaxies that show unusually high rates of star formation. The regions where new stars are being born are highlighted by sparkling bright blue regions along the galactic arms.
Studying starburst galaxies can tell us a lot about galactic evolution and star formation. These galaxies start off with huge amounts of gas, which is used to form new stars.
This period of furious star formation is only a phase; once all the gas is used up, this starbirth slows down. Other famous starbursts captured by Hubble include the Antennae Galaxies (heic0615) and Messier 82 (heic0604), the latter of which is forming new stars ten times faster than our galaxy, the Milky Way.
SOLAR SPIT An image captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a blast of plasma streaming from the Sun in August 2012. Scientists say a solar eruption was detected on Tuesday and was headed toward Mars. When reached for comment, Mars said “Tell the Sun to come at me, bro.” (Photo: NASA via the AP / Wall Street Journal)
did-you-kno
Rare Fire Rainbows: It looks like a rainbow on fire but these circumhorizontal arcs aren’t rainbows. They are caused by light passing through high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sun has to hit the clouds at precisely 58 degrees and have just enough crystals in order to form in the sky.
National Geographic has put together a gorgeous gallery of New Aurora Pictures.
winter is closing in soon by Gunnar Gestur on Flickr.
Dream (by Kingsley Swamidoss)