The Telescope Times

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Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna
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apod: “2025 January 20 Comet ATLAS Rounds the Sun Image Credit: NASA, SOHO Spacecraft, LASCO C3; Processing: Rolando Ligustri Explanation: Why does Comet ATLAS have such colorful tails? Last week Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passed its closest to the Sun...
apod

2025 January 20

Comet ATLAS Rounds the Sun
Image Credit: NASA, SOHO Spacecraft, LASCO C3; Processing: Rolando Ligustri

Explanation: Why does Comet ATLAS have such colorful tails? Last week Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passed its closest to the Sun – well inside the orbit of Mercury – and brightened dramatically. Unfortunately, the comet was then so angularly near the Sun that it was very hard for humans to see. But NASA’s SOHO spacecraft saw it. Pictured is a SOHO (LASCO C3) image of Comet ATLAS that is a composite of several different color filters. Of the several tails visible, the central white tails are likely made of dust and just reflecting back sunlight. The red, blue, and green tails are likely ion tails with their colors dominated by light emitted by specific gases that were ejected from the comet and energized by the Sun. Currently, Comet ATLAS is showing long tails in southern skies but fading as it moves out of the inner Solar System.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250120.html

beautifulmars
beautifulmars

Image cutout shows a large, less than 5-km crater with a very distinct and bright layer on one side, likely bedrock, in Oxia Planum on Mars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)ALT
Enhanced color cutout shows a closeup of the layered rim of the impact crater. There are dark streaks of sand extending down some from the exposed, bright bedrock. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)ALT

A Slice through the Layercake

Impact craters can provide a useful look into the subsurface and show us some of the buried layers from Mars’ past. Here in Oxia Planum, a crater that’s 1 to 2 kilometers (about 1 mile) across shows a prominent layer as a bright ring near the crater’s rim.

When the crater formed, a lot of debris slumped into the interior and covered up the floor. However, the higher areas near the rim can show some of the pre-impact layering.

Oxia Planum is the target of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover. It’s an area with rocks that are thought to record the activity of ancient water on the surface of Mars.

ID: ESP_084979_1975
date: 11 September 2024
altitude: 282 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Source: uahirise.org
zespaceblog
zespaceblog

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Hubble's 2.5 Gigapixel Camera

So you got yourself a 2.5 Gigapixel camera, what would you take with it ? This particular one is in Earth orbit, and it turned it's attention to the Andromeda Galaxy.

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Zooming in to different areas of the galaxy, you get a spectacular view, here is a dust lane., common in spiral arms.

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and closer in.

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and the M32 dwarf galaxy which you can see in the upper left of the top image.

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and to zoom in again.

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Thankfully, ESA has uploaded a lovely zoomable website, where you can zoom in to any part of the Andromeda galaxy.

Hubble’s panoramic view of the Andromeda Galaxy (annotated)
esahubble.org

Enjoy !

apod
apod

2025 January 5

Rocket Launch as Seen from the International Space Station
Video Credit: ISAA, NASA, Expedition 57 Crew (ISS);
Processing: Riccardo Rossi (ISAA, AstronautiCAST); Music: Inspiring Adventure Cinematic Background by Maryna

Explanation: Have you ever seen a rocket launch – from space? A close inspection of the featured time-lapse video will reveal a rocket rising to Earth orbit as seen from the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian Soyuz-FG rocket was launched in November 2018 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying a Progress MS-10 (also 71P) module to bring needed supplies to the ISS. Highlights in the 90-second video (condensing about 15-minutes) include city lights and clouds visible on the Earth on the lower left, blue and gold bands of atmospheric airglow running diagonally across the center, and distant stars on the upper right that set behind the Earth. A lower stage can be seen falling back to Earth as the robotic supply ship fires its thrusters and begins to close on the ISS, a space laboratory that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. Astronauts who live aboard the Earth-orbiting ISS conduct, among more practical duties, numerous science experiments that expand human knowledge and enable future commercial industry in low Earth orbit.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250105.html

beautifulmars
beautifulmars

Image cutout shows a highly eroded and in-filled crater with gullies on the slopes, along with cracks and possible pits on the crater’s floor. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)ALT

In a Southern Mid-Latitude Crater

The objective of this observation is to examine small gullies in a crater. Pictures like this will give us a better knowledge of the full range of gully sizes and shapes. Also visible in this field of view are cracks that may be forming from pits. HiRISE will be able to resolve pits in the cracks if they are there. If there are pits, it may be due to ground ice sublimating then causing the ground to collapse.

ID: ESP_075555_1355
date: 8 September 2022
altitude: 249 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Source: uahirise.org
dailyoverview
dailyoverview

A powerful storm known as a “bomb cyclone” is sweeping across the northwest USA and Canada today, downing trees and power lines with wind gusts over 70 mph. The storm is carrying an atmospheric river of moisture, which could trigger flooding and mudslides, and will bring heavy snow to higher elevations. Early Wednesday morning, more than 800,000 homes and businesses from Northern California to British Columbia had lost power.

🎥: NASA GOES Satellite

zespaceblog
zespaceblog

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The Helping Hand Nebula - LDN 1355

Dark nebula's are some of the most spooky and triggering of our brains to seeing stuff that isn't there, and this hand stretching out is just a beautiful one.

Dark Nebula are simply dust and gas that's so dense, that the light behind them is blocked, especially noticeable against reflective nebula, where star light rebounds towards us from dust and gas sat behind the dense clouds.

apod
apod: “2024 November 9 Neptune at Night Image Credit & Copyright: Voyager 2, NASA Explanation: Ice giant Neptune is faint in Earth’s night sky. Some 30 times farther from the Sun than our fair planet, telescopes are needed to catch a glimpse of the...
apod

2024 November 9

Neptune at Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Voyager 2, NASA

Explanation: Ice giant Neptune is faint in Earth’s night sky. Some 30 times farther from the Sun than our fair planet, telescopes are needed to catch a glimpse of the dim and distant world. This dramatic view of Neptune’s night just isn’t possible for telescopes in the vicinity of planet Earth though. Peering out from the inner Solar System they can only bring Neptune’s day side into view. In fact this night side image with Neptune’s slender crescent next to the crescent of its large moon Triton was captured by Voyager 2. Launched from planet Earth in 1977 the Voyager 2 spacecraft made a close fly by of the Solar System’s outermost planet in 1989, looking back on Neptune as the robotic spacecraft continued its voyage to interstellar space.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241109.html