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The Helix Nebula: Bigger in Death than Life

By Guest PostOctober 6, 2012Scienceaquarius, carbon, constellation, dwarf star, dying star, evolution, explorer, fuel source, fusion reaction, Galaxy, galex, helium, helix nebula, hydrogen, infrared, light year, NASA, nebula, ngc 7293, nitrogen, nuclear, oxygen, planetary nebulae, Space, space telescope, spitzer, stellar core, ultraviolet, ultraviolet radiation, wise

A dying star is refusing to go quietly into the night, as seen in this combined infrared and ultraviolet view from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), which NASA has lent to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In death, the star’s dusty outer layers are unraveling into space, glowing from the intense ultraviolet radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core.

This object, called the Helix nebula, lies 650 light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius. Also known by the catalog number NGC 7293, it is a typical example of a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic works of art were erroneously named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets. (more…)

Echoes From an Exploding Star

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2012Sciencearmin rest, astronomers, astronomical equivalent, brightness, british astronomer, canyon, double star system, earth, erupting stars, eta carinae, fahrenheit, great eruption, hubble images, Hubble Space Telescope, kelvin, light, light echo, luminous blue variables, milky way galaxy, nathan smith, nebula, peak, physical models, sir john herschel, sky, spectroscopic observations, stellar class, supernova

*Astronomers watch a delayed broadcast of a powerful stellar eruption.*

Astronomers are watching the astronomical equivalent of streaming live video of a spectacular outburst from the unstable, behemoth double-star system Eta Carinae, which initially was seen on Earth nearly 170 years ago.

Dubbed the “Great Eruption,” the outburst lasted from 1837 to 1858 and caught the attention of sky-watchers at the time, including the British astronomer Sir John Herschel. He did not have the benefit of the imaging cameras and spectrographs that modern astronomers use to learn about stars, so we only have a historical record of the star’s visual brightness. (more…)

Making a Spectacle of Star Formation in Orion

By Guest PostJuly 1, 2011Scienceconstellation of orion, dust clouds, dusty nebula, green ring, messier 78, microns, NASA, nebula, photometer, spitzer, spitzer space telescope

Looking like a pair of eyeglasses only a rock star would wear, this nebula brings into focus a murky region of star formation. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope exposes the depths of this dusty nebula with its infrared vision, showing stellar infants that are lost behind dark clouds when viewed in visible light.

Best known as Messier 78, the two round greenish nebulae are actually cavities carved out of the surrounding dark dust clouds. The extended dust is mostly dark, even to Spitzer’s view, but the edges show up in mid-wavelength infrared light as glowing, red frames surrounding the bright interiors. Messier 78 is easily seen in small telescopes in the constellation of Orion, just to the northeast of Orion’s belt, but looks strikingly different, with dominant, dark swaths of dust. Spitzer’s infrared eyes penetrate this dust, revealing the glowing interior of the nebulae. (more…)

The Art of Making Stars

By Guest PostApril 5, 2011Scienceabstract painting, earth, edward wright, infrared light, NASA, nearby stars, nebula, reflection nebula, rho ophiuchi, sigma scorpii, splash of colors, star forming complex, wavelengths, wide field infrared explorer, wise

It might look like an abstract painting, but this splash of colors is in fact a busy star-forming complex called Rho Ophiuchi. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Explorer, or WISE, captured the picturesque image of the region, which is one of the closest star-forming complexes to Earth. (more…)

Microsoft and NASA Bring Mars Down to Earth Through the WorldWide Telescope

By Guest PostJuly 13, 20102 commentsScience, Technologyames research center, Baltimore, california, california institute of technology, earth, energy, Environment, fay, high resolution imaging science experiment, hirise, hubble, intelligent robotics group, irg, mars, mars orbiter laser altimeter, martian surface, michael broxton, Microsoft, mola, NASA, nebula, pasadena, red planet, san josé, WorldWide Telescope

*Dramatic imagery from NASA Mars missions creates new user experiences in the Microsoft Research WorldWide Telescope.*

REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft Research and NASA are providing an entirely new experience to users of the WorldWide Telescope, which will allow visitors to interact with and explore our solar system like never before.

(more…)

Tag Archives: nebula

The Helix Nebula: Bigger in Death than Life

Echoes From an Exploding Star

Making a Spectacle of Star Formation in Orion

The Art of Making Stars

Microsoft and NASA Bring Mars Down to Earth Through the WorldWide Telescope