________________________________________________________________
This is it! You've looked at APOD all year, voted in 48 polls, cast 24,361 votes, and now, it's time to select the Astronomy Picture of the Year for 2010!
Please vote for the
three best APODs (image and text); there are 18 APODs in this poll due to ties in the underlying APOW and APOM polls. All titles are clickable and link to the original APOD page.
Thank you!
________________________________________________________________
The most distant object easily visible to the eye is
M31, the great
Andromeda Galaxy some two and a half million light-years away. But without a telescope, even this immense spiral galaxy - spanning
over 200,000 light years - appears as a faint, nebulous cloud in the
constellation Andromeda. In contrast, details of a bright yellow nucleus and dark winding dust lanes, are revealed in this
digital telescopic image. Narrow band image data, recording emission from hydrogen atoms, shows off the
reddish star-forming regions dotting gorgeous blue spiral arms and young star clusters While even casual
skygazers are now inspired by the knowledge that there are
many distant galaxies like M31, astronomers
seriously debated this fundamental concept in the 20th century. Were these "spiral nebulae" simply outlying components of our own Milky Way Galaxy or were they instead "island universes" -- distant systems of stars comparable to the Milky Way itself? This question was central to the famous
Shapley-Curtis debate of 1920, which was later resolved by
observations of M31 in favor of Andromeda,
island universe.
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
What would it look like to travel across the known universe? To help humanity visualize this, the
American Museum of Natural History has produced a modern
movie featuring many visual highlights of such a trip.
The video starts in Earth's
Himalayan Mountains and then dramatically zooms out, showing the
orbits of
Earth's satellites, the
Sun, the
Solar System, the extent of humanities
first radio signals, the
Milky Way Galaxy,
galaxies nearby,
distant galaxies, and
quasars. As the distant surface of the
microwave background is finally reached,
radiation is depicted that was emitted billions of light years away and less than one million years after the Big Bang. Frequently using the
Digital Universe Atlas, every object in the video has been rendered to scale given the best
scientific research in 2009, when the video was produced. The film has similarities to the famous
Powers of Ten video that has been
a favorite of many space enthusiasts for a generation.
Even from the top of a volcanic crater, this vista was unusual. For one reason,
Mars was dazzlingly bright two weeks ago, when this picture was taken, as
it was nearing its brightest time of the entire year.
Mars, on the far upper left, is the brightest object in the above picture. The brightness of the
red planet peaked last week near when Mars reached
opposition, the time when Earth and Mars are closest together in their orbits. Arching across the lower part of the image is a rare lunar
fog bow. Unlike a more commonly seen
rainbow, which is created by sunlight reflected
prismatically by falling rain, this
fog bow was created by
moonlight reflected by the small water drops that compose
fog. Although most
fog bows appear white,
all of the colors of the rainbow were somehow visible here. The above image was taken from high atop
Haleakala, a huge volcano in
Hawaii,
USA.
An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright
reflection nebula in the constellation of
Orion. The dark filamentary
dust not only absorbs light, but also reflects the light of several bright blue stars that
formed recently in the nebula. Of the two reflection nebulas
pictured above, the more famous nebula is
M78, in the image center, while NGC 2071 can be seen to its lower left. The same type of scattering that colors the
daytime sky further enhances the blue color.
M78 is about five
light-years across and visible through a small telescope. M78
appears above only as it was
1600 years ago, however, because that is how long it takes light to go from
there to here.
M78 belongs to the larger
Orion Molecular Cloud Complex that contains the
Great Nebula in Orion and the
Horsehead Nebula.
Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the
expansive corona, the
sun's outer atmosphere, is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and
extreme ranges in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are notoriously difficult to photograph.
Pictured above, however, using multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the Sun's corona taken during the
2008 August total solar eclipse from
Mongolia. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever
changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields. Bright
looping prominences appear pink just above the Sun's limb. The
next total solar eclipse will be in July but will only be visible in a thin swath of Earth crossing the southern
Pacific Ocean and
South America.
Near the outskirts of the
Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year
young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this
stunning Hubble image of the region.
Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a
progression of star formation moving away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud, the picture spans about 200 light-years, but a
tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are also visible in the sharp Hubble view. The
background galaxies are hundreds of millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.
Why did the
recent volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large
ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly
noticeable because it
drifted across such well populated areas. The
Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on March 20, with a second
eruption starting under the center of a small glacier on April 14. Neither eruption was
unusually powerful. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of
glacial ice which then cooled and fragmented
lava into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the
rising volcanic plume. Pictured above two days ago,
lightning bolts illuminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
Some spiral galaxies are seen almost sideways. NGC 3190, one such galaxy, is the largest member of the
Hickson 44 Group, one of the nearer groups of galaxies to our own
Local Group of galaxies.
Pictured above, finely textured
dust lanes surround the brightly glowing center of this picturesque
spiral. Gravitational
tidal interactions with other members of its group have likely caused the spiral arms of
NGC 3190 to appear asymmetric around the center, while the
galactic disk also appears
warped. NGC 3190 spans about 75,000
light years across and is visible with a small telescope toward the
constellation of the Lion (Leo).
Long before
Stonehenge was built, well before the
Dead Sea Scrolls were written, ancient artists painted life-sized figures on canyon walls in
Utah,
USA -- but why? Nobody is sure. The entire panel of figures, which dates back about 7,000 years, is called the
Great Gallery and was found on the walls of
Horseshoe Canyon in
Canyonlands National Park. The humans who painted them likely hunted
Mammoths. The unusual fuzziness of largest figure led to
this mural section's informal designation as the
Holy Ghost Panel, although the intended attribution and societal importance of the figure are really unknown. The
above image was taken during a clear night in March. The oldest objects in the above image are not the
pictographs, however, but the stars of our
Milky Way Galaxy far in the background, some of which are billions of years old.
Perhaps the original
spiral nebula, M51 is a large galaxy, over 60,000 light-years across, with a readily
apparent spiral structure. Also cataloged as
NGC 5194, M51 is a part of a well-known interacting galaxy pair, its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweeping in front of companion galaxy NGC 5195 (top).
This dramatically processed color composite combines M51 image data from the
Calar Alto Observatory's 1.2 meter telescope. The data include long exposures through a narrow hydrogen alpha filter that trace emission from atomic hydrogen.
Reddish hydrogen emission regions, called
HII regions, are the regions of intense star formation seen to lie mainly along M51's bright spiral arms. Intriguingly, this composite also shows red hydrogen
emission structures in the faint features extending even beyond NGC 5195, toward the top of the frame.
Dark shapes with bright edges winging their way through dusty
NGC 6188 are tens of light-years long. The
emission nebula is found near the edge of an otherwise dark large molecular cloud in the southern
constellation Ara, about 4,000 light-years away. Formed in that region only a few million years ago, the massive young
stars of the embedded Ara
OB1 association sculpt the fantastic shapes and power the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The recent
star formation itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. A false-color
Hubble palette was used to create the
this sharp close-up image and shows emission from sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in red, green, and blue hues. At the estimated distance of NGC 6188, the picture spans about 200 light-years.
Have you ever seen the Milky Way's glow create shadows? To do so, conditions need to be just right. First and foremost, the sky must be relatively clear of clouds so that the
long band of the
Milky Way's central disk can be seen. The surroundings must be very near to completely dark, with no bright
artificial lights visible anywhere. Next, the
Moon cannot be anywhere above the horizon, or its glow will dominate the landscape. Last, the
shadows can best be caught on
long camera exposures. In the
above image taken in
Port Campbell National Park,
Victoria,
Australia, seven 15-second images of the ground and de-
rotated sky were digitally added to bring up the needed light and detail. In the foreground lies
Loch Ard Gorge, named after a ship that tragically ran aground in
1878. The two rocks pictured are the remnants of a collapsed arch and are named Tom and Eva after the only two people who survived that
Loch Ard ship wreck. A close inspection of the
water just before the rocks will show shadows in light thrown by our
Milky Way galaxy. Low clouds are visible moving through the serene scene in
this movie.
What does Earth look like from the planet Mercury? The robotic spacecraft
MESSENGER found out as it looked toward the
Earth during its closest approach to the
Sun about three months ago. The
Earth and Moon are visible as the double spot on the lower left of the
above image. Now MESSENGER was not at Mercury when it took the above image, but at a
location from which the view would be similar. From Mercury, both the
Earth and its
comparatively large moon will always appear as small circles of reflected sunlight and will never show a
crescent phase. MESSENGER has zipped right by
Mercury three
times since being
launched in 2004, and is scheduled to enter orbit around the innermost planet in March of 2011.
What created the strange spiral structure on the left? No one is sure, although it is likely related to a star in a
binary star system entering the
planetary nebula phase, when its outer atmosphere is ejected. The
huge spiral spans about a third of a
light year across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity that is without precedent. Given the expansion rate of the
spiral gas, a new layer must appear about every 800 years, a close match to the time it takes for the two stars to orbit each other. The star system that created it is most commonly known as LL Pegasi, but also AFGL 3068. The unusual structure itself has been cataloged as
IRAS 23166+1655. The
above image was taken in near-
infrared light by the
Hubble Space Telescope. Why the
spiral glows is itself a mystery, with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light reflected from nearby stars.
Is that Venus or an airplane? A common
ponderable for sky enthusiasts is deciding if that bright spot near the horizon is the planet Venus. Usually, an airplane will show itself by
moving significantly in a few moments. Venus will set only slowly as the Earth turns. Still, the identification would be easier if Venus did not keep shifting its position each night.
Pictured above, Venus was captured on 44
different nights during 2006 and 2007 over the
Bolu mountains in
Turkey, when Earth's sister planet appeared exclusively in the
evening sky. The average spacing of the images was about five days, while the images were always taken with the
Sun about seven degrees below the horizon. That bright spot toward the west in your
evening sky this month might be neither Venus nor an airplane, but
Mars.
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.
Why is Phobos so dark?
Phobos, the largest and innermost of two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire
Solar System. Its unusual orbit and color indicate that it may be a captured
asteroid composed of a mixture of ice and dark rock. The
above picture of Phobos near the limb of Mars was
captured last month by the robot spacecraft
Mars Express currently orbiting Mars.
Phobos is a heavily cratered and
barren moon, with its
largest crater located on the far side. From images like this,
Phobos has been determined to be covered by perhaps a meter of
loose dust. Phobos
orbits so close to Mars that from some places it would appear to rise and set twice a day, but from other places it would not be visible at all.
Phobos' orbit around Mars is continually decaying -- it will likely
break up with pieces crashing to the Martian surface in about 50 million years.
One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky and similar in size to the
Milky Way, big, beautiful
spiral M81 lies 11.8 million light-years away in the northern constellation Ursa Major.
This deep image of the region reveals details in the bright yellow core, but at the same time follows fainter features along the galaxy's gorgeous blue spiral arms and sweeping dust lanes. It also follows the expansive, arcing feature, known as Arp's loop, that seems to rise from the galaxy's disk at the right. Studied in the 1960s, Arp's loop has been thought to be a
tidal tail, material pulled out of M81 by gravitational interaction with its large
neighboring galaxy M82. But a
recent investigation demonstrates that much of Arp's loop likely lies within our own galaxy. The loop's colors in visible and
infrared light match the colors of
pervasive clouds of dust, relatively
unexplored galactic cirrus only a few hundred light-years above the plane of the Milky Way. Along with the Milky Way's stars, the dust clouds lie in the foreground of this remarkable view. M81's dwarf companion galaxy,
Holmberg IX, can be seen just above and left of the large spiral. On the sky, this image spans about 0.5 degrees, about the size of the Full Moon.
[size=200][color=#FF0000]________________________________________________________________[/color][/size]
This is it! You've looked at APOD all year, voted in 48 polls, cast 24,361 votes, and now, it's time to select the Astronomy Picture of the Year for 2010!
Please vote for the [b]three[/b] best APODs (image and text); there are 18 APODs in this poll due to ties in the underlying APOW and APOM polls. All titles are clickable and link to the original APOD page.
Thank you!
[size=200][color=#FF0000]________________________________________________________________[/color][/size]
[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100109.html][b][size=150]Andromeda Island Universe, January 9[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1001/M31_HALRGBpugh_900.jpg[/img2][/float]The most distant object easily visible to the eye is [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/m-m31_42.html]M31[/url], the great [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html]Andromeda Galaxy[/url] some two and a half million light-years away. But without a telescope, even this immense spiral galaxy - spanning [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061228.html]over[/url] 200,000 light years - appears as a faint, nebulous cloud in the [url=http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/and/index.html]constellation Andromeda[/url]. In contrast, details of a bright yellow nucleus and dark winding dust lanes, are revealed in this [url=http://www.martinpughastrophotography.id.au/STXBeta.htm]digital telescopic image[/url]. Narrow band image data, recording emission from hydrogen atoms, shows off the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091017.html]reddish star-forming regions[/url] dotting gorgeous blue spiral arms and young star clusters While even casual [url=http://badastronomy.com/bitesize/galaxies.html]skygazers[/url] are now inspired by the knowledge that there are [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070208.html]many[/url] distant galaxies like M31, astronomers [url=http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1995PASP%2E%2E107%2E1133T]seriously debated[/url] this fundamental concept in the 20th century. Were these "spiral nebulae" simply outlying components of our own Milky Way Galaxy or were they instead "island universes" -- distant systems of stars comparable to the Milky Way itself? This question was central to the famous [url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate20.html]Shapley-Curtis[/url] [url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate.html]debate[/url] of 1920, which was later resolved by [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960406.html]observations[/url] of M31 in favor of Andromeda, [url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Gordon/Gordon2.html]island universe[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100120.html][b][size=150]The Known Universe, January 20[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U[/youtube][/float]What would it look like to travel across the known universe? To help humanity visualize this, the [url=http://www.amnh.org/]American Museum of Natural History[/url] has produced a modern [url=http://research.amnh.org/~bro/]movie featuring[/url] many visual highlights of such a trip. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U]The video[/url] starts in Earth's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas]Himalayan Mountains[/url] and then dramatically zooms out, showing the [url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OrbitsCatalog/]orbits[/url] of [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1283.html]Earth's satellites[/url], the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090315.html]Sun[/url], the [url=http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/]Solar System[/url], the extent of humanities [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_radio]first radio signals[/url], the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080606.html]Milky Way Galaxy[/url], [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071211.html]galaxies nearby[/url], [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091209.html]distant galaxies[/url], and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar]quasars[/url]. As the distant surface of the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_background]microwave background[/url] is finally reached, [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031231.html]radiation[/url] is depicted that was emitted billions of light years away and less than one million years after the Big Bang. Frequently using the [url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/universe/download]Digital Universe Atlas[/url], every object in the video has been rendered to scale given the best [url=http://www.sciencenews.org/2009/]scientific research in 2009[/url], when the video was produced. The film has similarities to the famous [url=http://www.powersof10.com/]Powers of Ten[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/%20http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2cmlhfdxuY]video[/url] that has been [url=http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/]a favorite[/url] of many space enthusiasts for a generation.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100202.html][b][size=150]Mars and a Colorful Lunar Fog Bow, February 2[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1002/marsbow_pacholka.jpg[/img2][/float] Even from the top of a volcanic crater, this vista was unusual. For one reason, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars]Mars[/url] was dazzlingly bright two weeks ago, when this picture was taken, as [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080714.html]it[/url] was nearing its brightest time of the entire year. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100129.html]Mars[/url], on the far upper left, is the brightest object in the above picture. The brightness of the [url=http://seds.org/~spider/spider/Mars/mars2010.html]red planet[/url] peaked last week near when Mars reached [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_(planets)]opposition[/url], the time when Earth and Mars are closest together in their orbits. Arching across the lower part of the image is a rare lunar [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_bow]fog bow[/url]. Unlike a more commonly seen [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060702.html]rainbow[/url], which is created by sunlight reflected [url=http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/prism/]prism[/url]atically by falling rain, this [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080529.html]fog bow[/url] was created by [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090810.html]moonlight reflected[/url] by the small water drops that compose [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog]fog[/url]. Although most [url=http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photos.asp?ID=3001972&Sort=Photographer]fog bows[/url] appear white, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum]all of the colors[/url] of the rainbow were somehow visible here. The above image was taken from high atop [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haleakala]Haleakala[/url], a huge volcano in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii]Hawaii[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States]USA[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100302.html][b][size=150]M78 and Reflecting Dust Clouds in Orion, March 2[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1003/m78_torregrosa.jpg[/img2][/float]An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/reflection_nebulae.html]reflection nebula[/url] in the constellation of [url=http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Orion.html]Orion[/url]. The dark filamentary [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html]dust[/url] not only absorbs light, but also reflects the light of several bright blue stars that [url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1975ApJ...196..489S]formed recently[/url] in the nebula. Of the two reflection nebulas [url=http://icueva.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/ngc-2068-2071/]pictured above[/url], the more famous nebula is [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091126.html]M78[/url], in the image center, while NGC 2071 can be seen to its lower left. The same type of scattering that colors the [url=http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html]daytime sky[/url] further enhances the blue color. [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m078.html]M78[/url] is about five [url=http://www.glyphweb.com/esky/concepts/lightyear.html]light-years[/url] across and visible through a small telescope. M78 [url=http://icueva.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/ngc-2068-2071/]appears above[/url] only as it was [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/410]1600 years ago[/url], however, because that is how long it takes light to go from [url=http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1975ApJ...195L..23B]there[/url] to here. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_78]M78[/url] belongs to the larger [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971201.html]Orion[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090929.html]Molecular[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090211.html]Cloud[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070125.html]Complex[/url] that contains the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040927.html]Great Nebula in Orion[/url] and the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070527.html]Horsehead Nebula[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100316.html][b][size=150]Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona, March 16[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1003/corona_druckmuller.jpg[/img2][/float]Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010408.html]expansive corona[/url], the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona]sun's outer atmosphere[/url], is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080920.html]extreme ranges[/url] in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are notoriously difficult to photograph. [url=http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/Eclipse/Ecl2008m/Tse2008_1250_e_hr/0-info.htm]Pictured above[/url], however, using multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the Sun's corona taken during the [url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html]2008 August total[/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOz5oGI4YGA]solar eclipse[/url] from [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia]Mongolia[/url]. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNXCXhOfiFo]changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields[/url]. Bright [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090531.html]looping prominences[/url] appear pink just above the Sun's limb. The [url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2010/TSE2010.html]next total solar eclipse[/url] will be in July but will only be visible in a thin swath of Earth crossing the southern [url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zn.html]Pacific Ocean[/url] and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_America]South America[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100403.html][b][size=150]NGC 602 and Beyond, April 3[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1004/ngc602_hst_large900.jpg[/img2][/float]Near the outskirts of the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050617.html]Small Magellanic Cloud[/url], a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_evolution]young[/url] star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this [url=http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/04/]stunning Hubble image[/url] of the region. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061227.html]Fantastic[/url] ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a [url=http://heritage.stsci.edu/2007/04/supplemental.html]progression of star formation[/url] moving away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud, the picture spans about 200 light-years, but a [url=http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/04/image/a/format/zoom]tantalizing[/url] assortment of background galaxies are also visible in the sharp Hubble view. The [url=http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/bggalaxies.html]background galaxies[/url] are hundreds of millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.
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[c][url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100419.html][b][size=150]Ash and Lightning Above an Icelandic Volcano, April 19[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1004/icevolcano_fulle.jpg[/img2][/float]Why did the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_eruption_of_Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull]recent volcanic eruption[/url] in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_ash]ash[/url] plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ztg0wUqKY]noticeable[/url] because it [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_volcanic_ash_17_April_2010.png]drifted across[/url] such well populated areas. The [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull]Eyjafjallajökull[/url] volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on March 20, with a second [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINmtRiWQ7Q]eruption[/url] starting under the center of a small glacier on April 14. Neither eruption was [url=http://www.popsci.com/environment/gallery/2009-03/top-10-volcanic-eruptions]unusually powerful[/url]. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier]glacial ice[/url] which then cooled and fragmented [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070918.html]lava[/url] into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060607.html]rising volcanic[/url] plume. Pictured above two days ago, [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100210.html]lightning bolts[/url] illuminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
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[c][url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100503.html][b][size=150]Spiral Galaxy NGC 3190 Almost Sideways, May 3[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1005/ngc3190_hstlegacy.jpg[/img2][/float]Some spiral galaxies are seen almost sideways. NGC 3190, one such galaxy, is the largest member of the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070319.html]Hickson 44 Group[/url], one of the nearer groups of galaxies to our own [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Group]Local Group[/url] of galaxies. [url=http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/NGC3190-HST-Gendler.html]Pictured above[/url], finely textured [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090925.html]dust lanes[/url] surround the brightly glowing center of this picturesque [url=http://cas.sdss.org/dr6/en/proj/basic/galaxies/spirals.asp]spiral[/url]. Gravitational [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5KXl4YORYo]tidal interactions[/url] with other members of its group have likely caused the spiral arms of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3190]NGC 3190[/url] to appear asymmetric around the center, while the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060612.html]galactic disk[/url] also appears [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030607.html]warped[/url]. NGC 3190 spans about 75,000 [url=http://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/012292.html]light years[/url] across and is visible with a small telescope toward the [url=http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/leo/]constellation of the Lion[/url] (Leo).
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[c][url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100519.html][b][size=150]Ghost Panel and Milky Way, May 19[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1005/ghostpanel_webster.jpg[/img2][/float]Long before [url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/Stonehenge]Stonehenge[/url] was built, well before the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls]Dead Sea Scrolls[/url] were written, ancient artists painted life-sized figures on canyon walls in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah]Utah[/url], [url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html]USA[/url] -- but why? Nobody is sure. The entire panel of figures, which dates back about 7,000 years, is called the [url=http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/upload/HorseshoeBook.pdf]Great Gallery[/url] and was found on the walls of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_Canyon_(Utah)]Horseshoe[/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpDeGsOUYZY]Canyon[/url] in [url=http://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm]Canyonlands National[/url] [url=http://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm]Park[/url]. The humans who painted them likely hunted [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_7GByx-4hs]Mammoths[/url]. The unusual fuzziness of largest figure led to [url=http://indra.com/~dheyser/bc/bc_j.html]this mural section[/url]'s informal designation as the [url=http://talkingtree.org/index.php?showimage=625]Holy Ghost Panel[/url], although the intended attribution and societal importance of the figure are really unknown. The [url=http://www.photoshelter.com/c/bretwebsterimages/gallery-img-show/Galactic-Desert/G00003veX5HFA71E/]above image[/url] was taken during a clear night in March. The oldest objects in the above image are not the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictographs]pictographs[/url], however, but the stars of our [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090827.html]Milky Way Galaxy[/url] far in the background, some of which are billions of years old.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100611.html][b][size=150]Hydrogen in M51, June 11[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1006/M51_peris900r.jpg[/img2][/float]
Perhaps the original [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051_rosse.html]spiral nebula, M51[/url] is a large galaxy, over 60,000 light-years across, with a readily [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010410.html]apparent spiral structure[/url]. Also cataloged as [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m051.html]NGC 5194, M51[/url] is a part of a well-known interacting galaxy pair, its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweeping in front of companion galaxy NGC 5195 (top). [url=http://www.caha.es/a-new-look-into-the-whirlpool-image-release.html]This dramatically processed[/url] color composite combines M51 image data from the [url=http://www.caha.es/calar-alto-observatory.html]Calar Alto Observatory's[/url] 1.2 meter telescope. The data include long exposures through a narrow hydrogen alpha filter that trace emission from atomic hydrogen. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080424.html]Reddish hydrogen[/url] emission regions, called [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_II_region]HII regions[/url], are the regions of intense star formation seen to lie mainly along M51's bright spiral arms. Intriguingly, this composite also shows red hydrogen [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100604.html]emission structures[/url] in the faint features extending even beyond NGC 5195, toward the top of the frame.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100716.html][size=150][b]Shaping NGC 6188, July 16[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1007/NGC6188_sadowski900r.jpg[/img2][/float]Dark shapes with bright edges winging their way through dusty [url=http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/NGC6188text.html]NGC 6188[/url] are tens of light-years long. The [url=http://fusedweb.llnl.gov/CPEP/Chart_Pages/5.Plasmas/Nebula/Emission.html]emission nebula[/url] is found near the edge of an otherwise dark large molecular cloud in the southern [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ara_(constellation)]constellation Ara[/url], about 4,000 light-years away. Formed in that region only a few million years ago, the massive young [url=http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.2148]stars of[/url] the embedded Ara [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_association#OB_associations]OB1 association[/url] [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080313.html]sculpt[/url] the fantastic shapes and power the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The recent [url=http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/Bima/StarForm.html]star formation[/url] itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. A false-color [url=http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/eagle.php]Hubble palette[/url] was used to create the [url=http://www.astrofotografia.com.pl/photogallery/6188/ngc6188.htm]this sharp close-up[/url] image and shows emission from sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in red, green, and blue hues. At the estimated distance of NGC 6188, the picture spans about 200 light-years.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100823.html][b][size=150]A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge, August 23[/size][/b][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1008/mwshadow_cherney.jpg[/img2][/float]Have you ever seen the Milky Way's glow create shadows? To do so, conditions need to be just right. First and foremost, the sky must be relatively clear of clouds so that the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070930.html]long band[/url] of the [url=http://cass.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/MW.html]Milky Way's central disk[/url] can be seen. The surroundings must be very near to completely dark, with no bright [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010827.html]artificial lights visible[/url] anywhere. Next, the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051113.html]Moon[/url] cannot be anywhere above the horizon, or its glow will dominate the landscape. Last, the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090415.html]shadows[/url] can best be caught on [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060915.html]long camera exposures[/url]. In the [url=http://www.terrastro.com/galleries/milky-way-shadow/]above image[/url] taken in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Campbell_National_Park]Port Campbell National Park[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_Australia]Victoria[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia]Australia[/url], seven 15-second images of the ground and de-[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010110.html]rotated sky[/url] were digitally added to bring up the needed light and detail. In the foreground lies [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ard_Gorge]Loch Ard Gorge[/url], named after a ship that tragically ran aground in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1878]1878[/url]. The two rocks pictured are the remnants of a collapsed arch and are named Tom and Eva after the only two people who survived that [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ard_(ship)]Loch Ard ship[/url] wreck. A close inspection of the [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgNtzFtm-m8]water just before the rocks[/url] will show shadows in light thrown by our [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18006]Milky Way galaxy[/url]. Low clouds are visible moving through the serene scene in [url=http://vimeo.com/14054461]this movie[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100901.html][size=150][b]Earth and Moon from MESSENGER, September 1[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1009/earthmoon_messenger.jpg[/img2][/float]What does Earth look like from the planet Mercury? The robotic spacecraft [url=http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/index.html]MESSENGER[/url] found out as it looked toward the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html]Earth[/url] during its closest approach to the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun]Sun[/url] about three months ago. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080903.html]Earth and Moon[/url] are visible as the double spot on the lower left of the [url=http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/image.php?image_id=388]above image[/url]. Now MESSENGER was not at Mercury when it took the above image, but at a [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otF2FjpCyZk]location[/url] from which the view would be similar. From Mercury, both the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030526.html]Earth[/url] and its [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011015.html]comparatively large moon[/url] will always appear as small circles of reflected sunlight and will never show a [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091213.html]crescent[/url] phase. MESSENGER has zipped right by [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080121.html]Mercury[/url] three [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081008.html]times[/url] since being [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040814.html]launched[/url] in 2004, and is scheduled to enter orbit around the innermost planet in March of 2011.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100914.html][size=150][b]An Extraordinary Spiral from LL Pegasi, September 14[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1009/llpegspiral_hst.jpg[/img2][/float]What created the strange spiral structure on the left? No one is sure, although it is likely related to a star in a [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970219.html]binary star[/url] system entering the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula]planetary nebula[/url] phase, when its outer atmosphere is ejected. The [url=http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/potw1020.pdf]huge spiral[/url] spans about a third of a [url=http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html]light year[/url] across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity that is without precedent. Given the expansion rate of the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral]spiral[/url] gas, a new layer must appear about every 800 years, a close match to the time it takes for the two stars to orbit each other. The star system that created it is most commonly known as LL Pegasi, but also AFGL 3068. The unusual structure itself has been cataloged as [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRAS_23166%2B1655]IRAS 23166+1655[/url]. The [url=http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1020a/]above image[/url] was taken in near- [url=http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/infrared.html]infrared[/url] light by the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090525.html]Hubble Space Telescope[/url]. Why the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/%20http://www.math.smith.edu/phyllo//Applets/Spiral/Spiral330.html]spiral glows[/url] is itself a mystery, with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light reflected from nearby stars.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101020.html][size=150][b]Venus Just After Sunset, October 20[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1010/venussunset_tezel.jpg[/img2][/float]Is that Venus or an airplane? A common [url=http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/topten.php]ponderable[/url] for sky enthusiasts is deciding if that bright spot near the horizon is the planet Venus. Usually, an airplane will show itself by [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050913.html]moving significantly[/url] in a few moments. Venus will set only slowly as the Earth turns. Still, the identification would be easier if Venus did not keep shifting its position each night. [url=http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photos.asp?ID=3001233]Pictured above[/url], Venus was captured on 44 [url=http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photos.asp?ID=3002807]different nights[/url] during 2006 and 2007 over the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolu]Bolu[/url] mountains in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey]Turkey[/url], when Earth's sister planet appeared exclusively in the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_star]evening sky[/url]. The average spacing of the images was about five days, while the images were always taken with the [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18012]Sun[/url] about seven degrees below the horizon. That bright spot toward the west in your [url=http://earthsky.org/tonight]evening sky[/url] this month might be neither Venus nor an airplane, but [url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/]Mars[/url].
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101130.html][size=150][b]A Supercell Thunderstorm Cloud Over Montana, November 30[/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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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101201.html][size=150][b]Martian Moon Phobos from Mars Express, December 1[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1012/phoboslimb_marsexpress.jpg[/img2][/float]Why is Phobos so dark? [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobos_%28moon%29]Phobos[/url], the largest and innermost of two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire [url=http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/]Solar System[/url]. Its unusual orbit and color indicate that it may be a captured [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18014]asteroid[/url] composed of a mixture of ice and dark rock. The [url=http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=480&st=195&p=167059&#entry167059]above picture[/url] of Phobos near the limb of Mars was [url=http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002791/]captured[/url] last month by the robot spacecraft [url=http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMFU55V9ED_0.html]Mars Express[/url] currently orbiting Mars. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080414.html]Phobos[/url] is a heavily cratered and [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031109.html]barren[/url] moon, with its [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080410.html]largest crater[/url] located on the far side. From images like this, [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061203.html]Phobos[/url] has been determined to be covered by perhaps a meter of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap980914.html]loose dust[/url]. Phobos [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rxqZcO-0uI]orbits[/url] so close to Mars that from some places it would appear to rise and set twice a day, but from other places it would not be visible at all. [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990313.html]Phobos[/url]' orbit around Mars is continually decaying -- it will likely [url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AGUFM.P51C1423H]break up[/url] with pieces crashing to the Martian surface in about 50 million years.
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[c][url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101209.html][size=150][b]M81 and Arp's Loop, December 9[/b][/size][/url][/c]
[float=left][img2]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/1012/lrg_ngc3031gabany900c.jpg[/img2][/float]One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky and similar in size to the [url=http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html]Milky Way[/url], big, beautiful [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060707.html]spiral M81[/url] lies 11.8 million light-years away in the northern constellation Ursa Major. [url=http://www.cosmotography.com/images/small_ngc3031.html]This deep image[/url] of the region reveals details in the bright yellow core, but at the same time follows fainter features along the galaxy's gorgeous blue spiral arms and sweeping dust lanes. It also follows the expansive, arcing feature, known as Arp's loop, that seems to rise from the galaxy's disk at the right. Studied in the 1960s, Arp's loop has been thought to be a [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100926.html]tidal tail[/url], material pulled out of M81 by gravitational interaction with its large [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100324.html]neighboring galaxy M82[/url]. But a [url=http://arxiv.org/abs/1004.1610]recent investigation[/url] demonstrates that much of Arp's loop likely lies within our own galaxy. The loop's colors in visible and [url=http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/]infrared[/url] light match the colors of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080512.html]pervasive[/url] clouds of dust, relatively [url=http://www.galaxyimages.com/UNP_IFNebula.html]unexplored[/url] galactic cirrus only a few hundred light-years above the plane of the Milky Way. Along with the Milky Way's stars, the dust clouds lie in the foreground of this remarkable view. M81's dwarf companion galaxy, [url=http://heritage.stsci.edu/2008/02/caption.html]Holmberg IX[/url], can be seen just above and left of the large spiral. On the sky, this image spans about 0.5 degrees, about the size of the Full Moon.
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