SIDEWAYS ORION OVER SNOWY IRELAND - 2010 DECEMBER 26

Orion always comes up sidways... and was caught in the act ealier this month by over snowy landscape in Donegal, Ireland. To compose this serene picture, the photographer found a picturesque setting to the east, waited until after sunset, and then momentarily lit the foreground with a flashlight.

The three bright stars in Orion's belt stand in a nealy vertical line above the snow covered road at the bottom.

Hanging from his belt, the stars and nebulae of the Hunter's sword are visible lower and to the right. Yellow-orange Betelguese is the brightest star on the image left. 

As winter progresses in Earth's northern hemisphere, Orion will rise earlier and appear continually higher in the sky at sunset.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101226.html

SEVEN SISTERS VERSUS CALIFORNIA - 2009 NOVEMBER 3

On the upper right, dressed  in blue, is the Pleiades. Also Known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one ot the brightest and most easily visible open clusters on the sky.

The Pleiades contains over 3,000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Surronding the stars is a spectacular blue reflection nebula made of fine dust. A common legend is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named.

On the lower left, shining in red, is the California Nebual. Named for it's shape, the California Nebual is much dimmer and hence harder to see than the Pleiades. also known as NGC 1499, this mass of red glowing hydrogen gas is about 1,500 light years away. 

Although about 25 full moons could fit between them, the above wide angle, deep field image composite has captures them both.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091103.html

NGC 1499: THE CALIFORNIA NEBULA - 2011 MARCH 2

What's California doing in space? Drifting through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west cost of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light years from the California Nebula.

Also known ass NGC 1499, the emission nebula is around 100 light years long. On many images, the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, stripped away (ionized) by energy starlight.

In the above image, however, hydrogen is colored green, while sulfur is mapped to red and oxygen mapped to blue. The star most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot bluish Xi Persei, just outside the right image edge.

A regular target for astophotographers, the California Nebula can be spotted with wide-field telescope under a dark sky towards the constellation of Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110302.html

M45: THE PLEIADES STAR CLUSTER - 2012 SEPTEMBER 3

Perhaps the most famous star cluster in the sky, the Pleiades, can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one of the brightest and the closest open clusters.

The Pleiades contains over 3000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Quite evident in the above photograph are the blue reflection nebulae that surround the brighter cluster stars.

Low mass, faint, brown dwarfs have also been found in the Pleiades.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120903.html

M31: THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY - 2006 NOVEMBER 26

Andromeda is the nearest major galacy to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda. Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies.

The diffuse light from Andromeda is caused by hundreds of billions od stars that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda's image are actually stars in our Galaxy that are well in front of the background object.

Andromeda is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object on Messier's list of diffuse sky objects. M31 is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope.

Much about M31 remains unknown, including how the center acquired two nuclei.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061126.html

THE GEGENSCHEIN OVER CHILE - 2014 JANUARY 14

Is the night sky darkest in the direction opposite the Sun? No. In fact, a rarely discernable faint glow known as the gegenschein (German for "counter glow") can be seen 180 degrees around the Sun in an extremely dark sky.

The gegenschein is sunlight back scattered off small interplanetary dust particles. These dust particles are millimeter sixed splinters from asteroids and orbit the ecliptic plane of the planets.

Pictured above from last year is one of the more spectacular pictures of the gegenschein yet taken. Here a deep exposure of an extremely dark sky over Las Campaas Observatory in Chile shows the gegenschein so clearly that even a surrounding glow is visible.

Notable background objects include the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pleiades star cluster, ther California Nebula, the belt of Orion just below the Orion Nebula and inside Bernard's Loop, and bright stars Rigel and Betelgeuse.

The gegenschein is distinguished from zodiacal light near the Sun by the high angle of reflection. During the day, a phenomenon similar to the gegenschein called the glory can be seen in air or clouds opposite the Sun from an airplane.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140114.html

JELLY DONUT SHAPED ROCK APPEARS ON MARS - 2014 JANUARY 29

What if a rock that looked like a jelly donut suddenlyappeared on Mars? 

That's just what happened in front of the robotic Opportunity rover currently exploring the red planet. The unexpectedly placed rock, pictured above, was imaged recently by Opportunity after not appearing in the other images taken as recently as twelve days (sols) before.

Given the intriguing mystery, the leading explanation is somewhat tame - the rock was recently scattered by one of the over's tires.

Even so, the rock's unusual light tones surrounding a red interior created interest in its composition - as well as causing it to be nicknamed Jelly Donut. A subsequent chemical analysis showed the rock has twice the abundance of manganese than any other rock yet examined - an unexpected clue that doesn't yet fit into humanity's understanding of the Martian geologic history.

Opportunity, just passing its 10th anniversary on Mars, continues to explore the Murray Ridge section of the rim of 22 kilometer wide Endeavor Crater.

See: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140129.html