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Sunday, January 13, 2013

Chandra Captures Neutron Star Action




This movie from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows a fast moving jet of particles produced by a rapidly rotating neutron star, and may provide new insight into the nature of some of the densest matter in the universe. The star of this movie is the Vela pulsar, a neutron star that was formed when a massive star collapsed. The Vela pulsar is about 1,000 light years from Earth, spans about 12 miles in diameter, and makes over 11 complete rotations every second, faster than a helicopter rotor.







As the pulsar whips around, it spews out a jet of charged particles that race out along the pulsar’s rotation axis at about 70% of the speed of light. In this still image from the movie, the location of the pulsar and the 0.7-light-year-long jet are labeled. The Chandra data shown in the movie, containing 8 images obtained between June and September 2010, suggest that the pulsar may be slowly wobbling, or precessing, as it spins. The shape and the motion of the Vela jet look strikingly like a helicopter.



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Exoplanet Discoveries: Sizzling Remains of a Dead Star

Exoplanet Discoveries: Sizzling Remains of a Dead Star

Supernova Remnant: Cassiopeia A


The remains of the beautiful (but certainly destructive) supernova explosion of Cassiopeia A. This supernova took place over 300 years ago (give or take a decade I suppose). NASA observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory combine to give us a full-spectrum idea of the full-scope of the Supernova Remnant, or as NASA has called it: the "sizzling remains of a dead star."

Close Encounters of the Planetary Kind


January 2013 Astronomy News

 from NASA-JPL

Still from NASA Astronomy News Video (see below)



From NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA YouTube Channel
Watch: "Close Encounters of the Planetary Kind"



Astronomy News January 2013  (Video)


Astronomy Skywatchers

Any Skywatchers out there? What's been the most interesting Astronomical Event or Phenomena that you've witnessed so far in 2013?
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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Infrared Bow Shock: Zeta Ophiuchi Star System

 
Photo of Star in Infrared Wavelength
Zeta Ophiuchi

 Zeta Ophiuchi Bow Shock

The giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is having a "shocking" effect on the surrounding dust clouds in this infrared image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 
Like a ship plowing through still waters, the giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is speeding through space, making waves in the dust ahead. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a dramatic, infrared portrait of these glowing waves, also known as a bow shock.

Astronomers theorize...

Astronomers theorize that this star was once sitting pretty next to a companion star even heftier than itself. But when that star exploded, Zeta Ophiuchi was kicked away and sent flying. Zeta Ophiuchi, which is 20 times more massive and 80,000 times brighter than our sun, is racing along at about 54,000 mph (24 kilometers per second).
In this view, infrared light that we can't see with our eyes has been assigned visible colors. Zeta Ophiuchi appears as the bright blue star at center. As it charges through the dust, which appears green, fierce stellar winds push the material into waves. Where the waves are the most compressed, and the warmest, they appear red.

 Bow Shock

This bow shock is analogous to the ripples that precede the bow of a ship as it moves through the water, or the pileup of air ahead of a supersonic airplane that results in a sonic boom.
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, released a similar picture of the same object in 2011. WISE sees infrared light as does Spitzer, but WISE was an all-sky survey designed to take snapshots of the entire sky. Spitzer, by contrast, observes less of the sky, but in more detail.

NASA Space Photos of Zeta Ophiuchi
WISE image of Zeta OPhiuchi



More information and the WISE image can be seen at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20110124.html/?rel=muse .
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about Spitzer, visit:http://spitzer.caltech.edu and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer/?rel=muse .



Credit!
Whitney Clavin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

NASA


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Video: 10 Rare Astronomical Events


10 Astronomy Events over NASA Insignia
10 Rare Astronomical Events in our Local Solar System


by Robert Hughey (Google+)

WATCH: 10 Rare Astronomical Events

In our Solar System

This is a very well-produced video by AllTime10s on YouTube using NASA data and footage, encompassing some of the truly interesting and beautiful events in Astronomy that have occurred or will occur in the near future. These Astronomical Events are all local phenomenon, and by that I mean they are all here in our Solar System.

These are rare events in Astronomy compared against the lifetime of the average human being, though are they that rare when you think about the age of our Solar System Neighborhood?
I think you'll really enjoy this video: 




What other amazing happenings do we have going on in the near future here in our Solar System, what's up in our little neck of the woods in the Milky Way Galaxy? Or what's happening in a nearby system?

NASA Website Video: NASA Launchpad


WATCH: NASA Website Video

by Robert Hughey

NASA Website's Emblem Decorated for this site
NASA Website Emblem

Astronomers, Students and Teachers of Astro Physics Engineers and Rocket Scientists: all are essential pieces of the puzzle of what makes rockets launch for NASA carrying payloads of spaceships, satellites, Astronauts and important science experiment. The experiments of NASA's are of a wide variety of subjects, from Planetary Science to Solar Mechanics, or Environmental Science all the way to Meteorology.

Astro Physics, Aeronautics and Astronauts!

The Scientists that create so many of these experiments place their trust in NASA and the Astronauts to carry out the experiment (with no mess-ups), collect the data and results and then bring all of the invaluable scientific information home - back safe and sound on the ground.

NASA Launchpad

The NASA Launchpad is a video produced by NASA to reflect the history, powerful heritage and uplifting expectations surrounding past, present and future NASA Missions of Space Explorations and Scientific Space Technology. Space Shuttle Launch,





The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the US Government agency placed with the responsibility for the civilian Space Program, Astro Physics, aerospace research and all aeronautics in general for the United States. According the NASA's Mission Statement, NASA is committed on leading the world to: "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."
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