Official Space is Awesome Thread

[Argonne69]

ISRO successfully launched its Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) on July 14, sending its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to the Moon. The landing was successful.

 

 

Image: A. Rahi
 

[Argonne69]

Globular cluster NGC 6652 lies in our own galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius, ~30,000 light-years away,and ~6500 light-years from the center of the galaxy. Globular clusters are stable, tightly gravitationally bound clusters containing tens of thousands to  millions of stars.

 

 

Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, G. Piotto
 

[Argonne69]

Clouds over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina viewed from the International Space Station. 

 

 

Image: NASA
 

[JungleJimbo]

25 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Clouds over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina viewed from the International Space Station. 

 

 

Image: NASA
 

 

https://www.wsj.com/video/watch-satellite-images-show-hurricane-idalia-from-space/37B8BB73-E862-42B3-BCC2-0C22B4B03354.html

 

..https://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-idalia-seen-international-space-184435795.html

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by JungleJimbo

[Argonne69]

The aurora over Olstind mountain, Norway.

 

 

Image: A. Ettl
 

[Argonne69]

Spiral galaxy UGC 12295 lies ~192 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces.

 

 

Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko, J. Lyman
 

[Argonne69]

The aurora from the coast of Ireland.

 

 

Image: B. Alexander

 

[Argonne69]

A portion of the globular cluster Terzan 12. It lies ~15,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

 

Image: NASA, ESA, ESA/Hubble, R. Cohen

 

The cluster's position relative to the Milky Way.

 

 

Image: NASA, ESA, S. Guisard, R. Cohen, J. DePasquale, DSS, ESA/Hubble

 

[Argonne69]

Arp 263 (NGC 3239) is an irregular galaxy with regions of recent star formation. Astronomers believe that its appearance is due to its having formed from the merger of two galaxies. It lies ~25 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The galaxy is photobombed by the bright star BD+17 2217.

 

 

Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, A. Filippenko 

 

[Argonne69]

Streaks of stars over a radio telescope antenna at Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory.

 

 

Image: J. Yordanov Serralheiro
 

[Argonne69]

NGC 4632, a galaxy ~56 million light-years away. The image reveals a halo of cool hydrogen orbiting perpendicular to the galaxy itself. The image is a composite, a combination of data from CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope in Western Australia (ring), and optical data from the Subaru telescope in Hawaii (galaxy).

 

 

Image: J. English, N. Deg & WALLABY Survey, CSIRO/ASKAP, NAOJ/Subaru Telescope Science, K. Spekkens, and WALLABY survey (CSIRO/ASKAP)

 

[Argonne69]

Bipolar jets collectively known as Herbig-Haro 211. They shoot outwards in opposite directions from a young star that sits ~1,000 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. Imaged by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

 

 

Image: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, T. Ray

 

[Argonne69]

During its 53rd close flyby of Jupiter on July 31, Juno caught a glimpse of its Jovian moon Io. Juno was ~32,170 miles away from Io, and ~245,000 miles from Jupiter.

 

 

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
 

[Argonne69]

The Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2944, aka Lambda Centauri Nebula) bursting with colors. It's located ~6,500 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.

 

 

Image: R. Xu and B. Wang
 

[JungleJimbo]

 

@Argonne69 This "home made telescope" might inspire your stargazing?

 

 

Picture of Jupiter captured from Singapore flat finishes 2nd in international competition

...straitstimes.com/singapore/picture-of-jupiter-captured-from-singapore-flat-finishes-2nd-in-international-competition

 

..September 21, 2023

SINGAPORE – A photograph of Jupiter that was shot from the terrace of a Kembangan flat has clinched second place in an international space photography competition. 

 

Captured through the lens of Mr Marco Lorenzi’s 2m-tall homemade telescope, the picture of the largest planet in the solar system was internationally recognised in the Planets, Comets and Asteroids category of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 competition. There were 11 categories in total.

 

Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual competition organised by the Royal Museum of Greenwich in the United Kingdom and, according to its website, features the world’s greatest space photography. This year is its 15th edition. 

 

Mr Lorenzi, 53, said that the runner-up award was extremely meaningful to him, as the competition received a total of some 4,000 images this year.

“I am very happy about this achievement, as it affirms that all the time and effort I dedicated to improving my craft was well spent,” said the Italian, who has pursued astronomy since he was a teenager.

Mr Lorenzi’s childhood in a small town in northeastern Italy ignited in him a deep fascination with the vast sky, where he often found himself spending countless evenings entranced by the shimmer of distant stars.

 

His parents fanned his passion by buying him his first telescope and refractor at age 10. At 14, he remembered using his father’s film camera, equipped with a tripod and a wide-angle lens, to capture a snapshot of the night sky.  

 

“I took my first picture then, and I never stopped,” said Mr Lorenzi. 

Mr Lorenzi, who is the Asia-Pacific marketing manager of an industrial equipment supplier, has been living in Asia for the last 20 years, and Singapore for the last seven. 

The heavy light pollution that comes with living in a city has proved quite challenging for his pursuit of the stars, he said, but he has also found some advantages of stargazing in Singapore.

 

For one thing, he said, it is easy to see the planets in Singapore, as the winds reaching the island have been travelling undisturbed over the sea and move smoothly without any turbulence.

“Thanks to Singapore’s unique location on the equator, it is excellent for high-resolution imaging as we do not have any strong air currents to disturb the stability of the atmosphere,” he added.

Mr Marco Lorenzi operates his homemade telescope on the terrace of his Kembangan flat. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Also, Mr Lorenzi said that the planets are always transiting quite high in the sky over Singapore, which allows him a better view of them compared to if they were near the horizon and their light would be blocked by air layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.

When Mr Lorenzi captured the image, it was when Jupiter was transiting straight overhead, which provided him a “short moment of perfect seeing”. 

“Seeing” describes the turbulence of the sky, and how steady it is. 

“At the time of the shot, the sky was scattered with clouds, as often is in Singapore, so I just managed to catch the moment that Jupiter was visible in between the clouds,” he said. 

Mr Lorenzi also lauded his homemade telescope, which allowed him to capture the image. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he designed and built his own telescope, that would fit nicely on the terrace just outside his bedroom, which has a clear view of the night sky.

He built a reflecting telescope, or a Newtonian telescope, which is known for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness and consists of a concave mirror which collects the light and reflects it back to a focal point. 

Mr Lorenzi designed and built his own telescope during the Covid-19 pandemic. PHOTO: MARCO LORENZI

At the focal point, a small, flat mirror that is placed at an angle bends the light to the side where an observer can put an eyepiece for visual observation or a camera for imaging, Mr Lorenzi explained. 

The telescope was built using both imported parts and locally manufactured ones, with the supporting mount made of stainless steel parts that were laser-cut and assembled in Singapore.

Mr Lorenzi’s telescope has a primary mirror that spans 535mm in diameter. In comparison, the Science Centre Observatory’s main telescope is a 400mm reflector.

“Using a powerful telescope was an important goal of mine, as the planets look like very tiny disks from Earth,” he said, adding that he wanted to reveal many fine details of the planets’ atmosphere. 

Other than Singapore, Mr Lorenzi also takes photographs of gas and dust clouds – or nebula – and other galaxies from multiple observatories in Australia and Chile, which he runs remotely from Singapore. 

Mr Lorenzi also takes photographs of gas and dust clouds – or nebula – and other galaxies from multiple observatories in Australia and Chile, which he runs remotely from Singapore. PHOTO: MARCO LORENZI

Throughout his years pursuing astrophotography, Mr Lorenzi’s images have been published in astronomy magazines and books around the world, and selected by Nasa as the astrophoto image of the day on its website, among many other notable achievements.

But the true reward for Mr Lorenzi is knowing that his images have the power to inspire others. 

He said: “If this encourages some kids out there to delve deeper into the magic of the cosmos and perhaps become the astronomer of tomorrow, then, that would be my true reward. 

“Even within the cityscape of Singapore, the sky is a treasure trove of jewels awaiting exploration.”

 

 

[Argonne69]

The Shackleton Crater on the Moon’s south pole.

 

 

Image: NASA/KARI/ASU

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2337) is ~130 light-years across, and ~5,000 light-years away.

 

 

Image: Y. Mo

 

[Argonne69]

The aurora behind an Icelandic waterfall, streaming over the face of a cave.

 

Image: J. Cornou
 

[Argonne69]

Mars is seen beyond the Moon in this shot just before it passes behind our satellite.

 

 

Image: J. Harwood-White
 

[Argonne69]

The Wolf Nebula (aka the Fenrir Nebula) is located in the constellation of Scorpius.

 

 

Image: J. Baguley

 

[Argonne69]

A stellar remnant named "The Heart of the Hydra" surrounds star YY Hya.

 

 

Image: M. Drechsler

 

[Argonne69]

The Northern Lights appear to crown an Icelandic mountain.

 

Image: P. Salvatore
 

[Argonne69]

LDN 1448, a molecular cloud filled with dust. A molecular cloud is a cold, dense region of space filled with molecular gas, primarily hydrogen, where new stars are often born.

 

Image: A. Quintile

 

[Argonne69]

Sprites over the Himalayas.

 

 

Image: A. An
 

[Argonne69]

14 years after first landing on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Opportunity rover captures a dust devil in Marathon Valley on March 31, 2016 in one of its final images. An intense planet-wide dust storm sealed the rover's fate.

 

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

 

Image: R. Jones Ross

 

[Argonne69]

A new infrared image from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). NGC 346 is the brightest and largest star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, visible to the unaided eye in the southern constellation Tucana. 

 

 

Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Habel, P. Kavanagh

 

[TiScape]

Great stuff per usual A69! Appreciate it 😊

[Argonne69]

The Jellyfish Nebula, a supernovae remnant in Gemini. The Jellyfish is ~5000 light-years away, and ~300 light years in diameter.

 

 

Image: P. Larkin
 

[JungleJimbo]

5 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

The Jellyfish Nebula, a supernovae remnant in Gemini. The Jellyfish is ~5000 light-years away, and ~300 light years in diameter.

 

 

Image: P. Larkin
 

 

Small compared to our Milky Way galaxy (today i learnt!)