________________________________________________________________
Please vote for the
two best APODs (image and text) for November.
All titles are clickable and link to the original APOD page.
We ask for your help in choosing an APOM, as this helps Jerry and Robert create "year in APOD images" review lectures and a free PDF calendar at year's end, and provides feedback on which images and APODs were relatively well received.
Thank you!
________________________________________________________________
<- Previous month's poll
On
Reunion Island, it is known simply as "The Volcano." To others, it is known as the
Piton de la Fournaise, which is French for the Peak of the Furnace. It is one of the
most active volcanoes in the world. The Volcano started a new eruption last month by spewing
hot lava bombs as high as 10 meters into the air from several vents.
Pictured above, the recent eruption was
caught before a star filled southern sky, appearing somehow contained beneath the arching band of our
Milky Way Galaxy. Also visible in the background sky is the
Pleiades open star cluster, the
constellation of Orion, the
brightest star Sirius, and the neighboring
Large and
Small Magellanic
Cloud galaxies. (Can you
find them?) The Piton de la Fournaise erupted for months in 2006, and for days in 2007, 2008, and in
January of 2010. Nobody knows how long the
current eruption will last, or when The Volcano will erupt next.
Imagine a pipe as wide as a state and as long as the Earth. Now imagine that this pipe is filled with
hot gas moving 50,000 kilometers per hour. Further imagine that this pipe is not made of metal but a transparent
magnetic field. You are envisioning just one of thousands of young spicules on the
active Sun.
Pictured above is one of the highest resolution image yet of these enigmatic solar flux tubes.
Spicules line the above frame of solar active
region 11092 that crossed the
Sun last month, but are particularly evident converging on the
sunspot on the lower left.
Time-sequenced images have recently shown that
spicules last about five minutes, starting out as
tall tubes of rapidly rising gas but eventually fading as the gas peaks and falls back down to the
Sun. What determines the creation and dynamics of
spicules remains a topic of active research.
What kind of comet is this? Last week, NASA's robotic
EPOXI spacecraft whizzed past
Comet 103P/Hartley, also known as Comet Hartley 2, and
recorded images and data that are both strange and fascinating. EPOXI was near its closest approach -- about 700 kilometers away -- when it snapped the
above picture. As expected, the comet has indeed
shown itself to be a tumbling iceberg orbiting the Sun between Earth and Jupiter. However, unexpected features on the images have raised many questions. For example, where are all the craters? Why is there a large smooth area around the middle? How much of
Comet Hartley 2 is a
loose pile of dust and ice shards? Future analyses and comparisons to
other comet
nuclei may answer some of these questions and, hopefully, lead to a better general understanding of comets, meteors, and the
early Solar System.
There's no place like
home. Peering out of the windows of the
International Space Station (ISS), astronaut
Tracy Caldwell Dyson takes in the planet on which we were all born, and to which she would soon return. About 350 kilometers up, the ISS is high enough so that the
Earth's horizon appears clearly curved. Astronaut Dyson's windows show some of Earth's
complex clouds, in white, and life giving atmosphere and oceans, in
blue. The space station orbits the Earth about once every 90 minutes. It is not difficult for people living below to look back toward the
ISS. The
ISS can frequently be seen as a bright point of
light drifting overhead just after sunset. Telescopes can even resolve the
overall structure of the space station. The
above image was taken in late September from the ISS's
Cupola window bay. Dr. Dyson is a lead vocalist in the band
Max Q.
Sometimes, you can put some night sky in your art. Captured above
Japan earlier this month, a picturesque night sky was photographed behind a picturesque frosted leaf. The reflecting ice crystals on the leaf coolly mimic the shining stars far in the background. The particular background sky on
this 48-second wide angle exposure, however, might appear quite interesting and familiar. On the far left, although hard to find, appears a
streaking meteor. Below and to the right of the meteor appears a longer and brighter streak of an airplane. The bright star on the left is the dog-star
Sirius, the brightest star on the night sky. To Sirius' right appears the
constellation of Orion, including the three linear belt stars below the red giant
Betelgeuse. The bright patch of light further to the right is the
Pleiades open star cluster. Similar views including the constellation
Orion can be seen above much of the northern hemisphere for the next several months, although you might have to provide your own leaf.
Have you ever seen an aurora? Auroras are occurring again with increasing frequency. With the Sun being
unusually dormant over the past three years, the amount of Sun-induced auroras has also been unusually low. More
recently, however, our Sun has become increasingly active and
exhibiting a greater abundance of
sunspots,
flares, and
coronal mass ejections. Solar activity
like this typically expels charged particles into the Solar System, some of which may trigger
Earthly auroras. As this year unfolded, the
above timelapse displays of picturesque auroras were
captured above
Tromsø,
Norway.
Curtains of auroral light, usually green,
flow,
shimmer and
dance as energetic particles fall toward the Earth and
ionize air molecules high up in the Earth's atmosphere. With
solar maximum still in the future, there may be opportunities to see spectacular
aurora personally over the next three years.
Is that a spaceship or a cloud? Although it may seem like an
alien mothership, it's actually a impressive thunderstorm cloud called a
supercell. Such
colossal storm systems center on
mesocyclones -- rotating updrafts that can span several kilometers and deliver
torrential rain and high winds including
tornadoes. Jagged sculptured clouds adorn the supercell's
edge, while wind swept dust and rain
dominate the center. A tree
waits patiently in the foreground. The
above supercell cloud was photographed in July west of
Glasgow,
Montana,
USA, caused minor damage, and lasted several hours before moving on.
<- Previous month's poll
[size=200][color=#FF0000]________________________________________________________________[/color][/size]
Please vote for the [b]two[/b] best APODs (image and text) for November.
All titles are clickable and link to the original APOD page.
We ask for your help in choosing an APOM, as this helps Jerry and Robert create "year in APOD images" review lectures and a free PDF calendar at year's end, and provides feedback on which images and APODs were relatively well received.
Thank you!
[size=200][color=#FF0000]________________________________________________________________[/color][/size]
[size=110][url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21967][color=#4040FF][b]<- Previous month's poll[/b][/color][/url][/size]
[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101101.html][b][size=150]The Milky Way Over the Peak of the Furnace[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/volcanosky_perrot.jpg[/img2][/float]On [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union]Reunion Island[/url], it is known simply as "The Volcano." To others, it is known as the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piton_de_la_Fournaise]Piton de la Fournaise[/url], which is French for the Peak of the Furnace. It is one of the [url=http://www.volcanolive.com/active2.html]most active volcanoes[/url] in the world. The Volcano started a new eruption last month by spewing [url=http://www.lucperrot.fr/sa/eruption.jpg]hot lava[/url] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_bomb]bombs[/url] as high as 10 meters into the air from several vents. [url=http://www.lucperrot.fr/?multimedia/eruption_volcan_vr]Pictured above[/url], the recent eruption was [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEzkfrwZ-vI]caught before[/url] a star filled southern sky, appearing somehow contained beneath the arching band of our [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18006]Milky Way Galaxy[/url]. Also visible in the background sky is the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091014.html]Pleiades[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html]open star cluster[/url], the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100329.html]constellation of Orion[/url], the [url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sirius.html]brightest star Sirius[/url], and the neighboring [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101016.html]Large[/url] and [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100903.html]Small[/url] Magellanic [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100514.html]Cloud galaxies[/url]. (Can you [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=101101]find them[/url]?) The Piton de la Fournaise erupted for months in 2006, and for days in 2007, 2008, and in [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc1TTJuRKxA]January of 2010[/url]. Nobody knows how long the [url=http://bigthink.com/ideas/24511]current eruption[/url] will last, or when The Volcano will erupt next.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101102.html][size=150][b]Spicules: Jets on the Sun[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/spicules_nso.jpg[/img2][/float] Imagine a pipe as wide as a state and as long as the Earth. Now imagine that this pipe is filled with [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970904.html]hot gas moving[/url] 50,000 kilometers per hour. Further imagine that this pipe is not made of metal but a transparent [url=http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/Spotlight/Magnetic/]magnetic field[/url]. You are envisioning just one of thousands of young spicules on the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090405.html]active Sun[/url]. [url=http://www.arcetri.astro.it/science/solar/IBIS/gallery/IBIS/Photos.html]Pictured above[/url] is one of the highest resolution image yet of these enigmatic solar flux tubes. [url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/star_quakes_40728.html]Spicules[/url] line the above frame of solar active [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyaqxKkSCpU]region 11092[/url] that crossed the [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18012]Sun[/url] last month, but are particularly evident converging on the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051106.html]sunspot[/url] on the lower left. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1WsC1TR-x8]Time-sequenced images[/url] have recently shown that [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081102.html]spicules[/url] last about five minutes, starting out as [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050216.html]tall tubes[/url] of rapidly rising gas but eventually fading as the gas peaks and falls back down to the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun]Sun[/url]. What determines the creation and dynamics of [url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ApJ...708.1579C]spicules[/url] remains a topic of active research.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101108.html][size=150][b]700 Kilometers Below Comet Hartley 2[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/hartley2close_epoxi.jpg[/img2][/float] What kind of comet is this? Last week, NASA's robotic [url=http://epoxi.umd.edu/1mission/index.shtml]EPOXI spacecraft[/url] whizzed past [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/103P/Hartley]Comet 103P/Hartley[/url], also known as Comet Hartley 2, and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IlnueAk1dM]recorded images[/url] and data that are both strange and fascinating. EPOXI was near its closest approach -- about 700 kilometers away -- when it snapped the [url=http://epoxi.umd.edu/3gallery/20101104_Five_c.shtml]above picture[/url]. As expected, the comet has indeed [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101105.html]shown itself[/url] to be a tumbling iceberg orbiting the Sun between Earth and Jupiter. However, unexpected features on the images have raised many questions. For example, where are all the craters? Why is there a large smooth area around the middle? How much of [url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/index.html]Comet Hartley 2[/url] is a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubble_pile]loose pile[/url] of dust and ice shards? Future analyses and comparisons to [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070422.html]other[/url] comet [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100726.html]nuclei[/url] may answer some of these questions and, hopefully, lead to a better general understanding of comets, meteors, and the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_and_evolution_of_the_Solar_System]early Solar System[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101115.html][b][size=150]Home from Above[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/cupolaview_iss14.jpg[/img2][/float]There's no place like [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YKn53vWIHA]home[/url]. Peering out of the windows of the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091207.html]International Space Station[/url] (ISS), astronaut [url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/caldwell.html]Tracy Caldwell Dyson[/url] takes in the planet on which we were all born, and to which she would soon return. About 350 kilometers up, the ISS is high enough so that the [url=http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/ast99/ast99605.htm]Earth's horizon appears clearly curved[/url]. Astronaut Dyson's windows show some of Earth's [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071230.html]complex clouds[/url], in white, and life giving atmosphere and oceans, in [url=http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html]blue[/url]. The space station orbits the Earth about once every 90 minutes. It is not difficult for people living below to look back toward the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100523.html]ISS[/url]. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080604.html]ISS[/url] can frequently be seen as a bright point of [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXltH3Sw45k]light drifting overhead[/url] just after sunset. Telescopes can even resolve the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080524.html]overall structure[/url] of the space station. The [url=http://twitpic.com/2sapus]above image[/url] was taken in late September from the ISS's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupola_(ISS)]Cupola[/url] window bay. Dr. Dyson is a lead vocalist in the band [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Q_(astronaut_band)]Max[/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-DLc9CRYYc]Q[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101117.html][size=150][b]Frosted Leaf Orion[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/leaforion_miyasaka.jpg[/img2][/float]Sometimes, you can put some night sky in your art. Captured above [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan]Japan[/url] earlier this month, a picturesque night sky was photographed behind a picturesque frosted leaf. The reflecting ice crystals on the leaf coolly mimic the shining stars far in the background. The particular background sky on [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/43894176@N07/5150022192/]this 48-second wide angle exposure[/url], however, might appear quite interesting and familiar. On the far left, although hard to find, appears a [url=http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide]streaking meteor[/url]. Below and to the right of the meteor appears a longer and brighter streak of an airplane. The bright star on the left is the dog-star [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius]Sirius[/url], the brightest star on the night sky. To Sirius' right appears the [url=http://160.114.99.91/astrojan/orion.htm]constellation of Orion[/url], including the three linear belt stars below the red giant [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100106.html]Betelgeuse[/url]. The bright patch of light further to the right is the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091014.html]Pleiades[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html]open star cluster[/url]. Similar views including the constellation [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101023.html]Orion[/url] can be seen above much of the northern hemisphere for the next several months, although you might have to provide your own leaf.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101124.html][size=150][b]Flowing Auroras Over Norway[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][vimeo]http://vimeo.com/16917950[/vimeo][/float]Have you ever seen an aurora? Auroras are occurring again with increasing frequency. With the Sun being [url=http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2009/01apr_deepsolarminimum/]unusually dormant[/url] over the past three years, the amount of Sun-induced auroras has also been unusually low. More [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100806.html]recently[/url], however, our Sun has become increasingly active and [url=http://www.universetoday.com/79389/breathtaking-recent-aurora-images-from-earth-and-space/]exhibiting[/url] a greater abundance of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051106.html]sunspots[/url], [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031029.html]flares[/url], and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection]coronal mass ejections[/url]. Solar activity [url=http://spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01nov10.htm]like this[/url] typically expels charged particles into the Solar System, some of which may trigger [url=http://odin.gi.alaska.edu/FAQ/]Earthly auroras[/url]. As this year unfolded, the [url=http://vimeo.com/16917950]above timelapse displays[/url] of picturesque auroras were [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/tittentem/4501029462/meta/]captured[/url] above [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troms%C3%B8]Tromsø[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway]Norway[/url]. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050807.html]Curtains[/url] of auroral light, usually green, [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icugqEEOgkg]flow[/url], [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100917.html]shimmer[/url] and [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070715.html]dance[/url] as energetic particles fall toward the Earth and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionization]ionize[/url] air molecules high up in the Earth's atmosphere. With [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071203.html]solar maximum[/url] still in the future, there may be opportunities to see spectacular [url=http://www.ips.gov.au/Solar/1/3]aurora[/url] personally over the next three years.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101130.html][size=150][b]A Supercell Thunderstorm Cloud Over Montana[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/thundercell_heavey.jpg[/img2][/float] Is that a spaceship or a cloud? Although it may seem like an [url=http://www.ugo.com/movies/100-best-movie-spaceships]alien mothership[/url], it's actually a impressive thunderstorm cloud called a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercell]supercell[/url]. Such [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvSHGx1ZO50]colossal storm[/url] systems center on [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesocyclone]mesocyclones[/url] -- rotating updrafts that can span several kilometers and deliver [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBTb5Yd20cM]torrential rain[/url] and high winds including [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060702.html]tornadoes[/url]. Jagged sculptured clouds adorn the supercell's [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080122.html]edge[/url], while wind swept dust and rain [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFW7PABbJYQ]dominate[/url] the center. A tree [url=http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2008/10/67%20Bear%20Waiting%20Patiently%20For%20Picnic.jpg]waits patiently[/url] in the foreground. The [url=http://www.alconartz.com/AlconArtz/Storm.html#1]above supercell cloud[/url] was photographed in July west of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow,_MT]Glasgow[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana]Montana[/url], [url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html]USA[/url], caused minor damage, and lasted several hours before moving on.
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[size=110][url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21967][color=#4040FF][b]<- Previous month's poll[/b][/color][/url][/size]