final frontier

findlilyhere: This recently released NASA photo shows the Moon...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:51:25 -0500

This recently released NASA photo shows the Moon colorized—a combination of 18 individual shots taken by Galileo through a green filter, augmenting the true gray color to resemble moldy cheese . Download it wallpaper-sized at NASA.

The Moon, In Technicolor - Gizmodo

lickystickypickyme: A star’s spectacular death in the...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:13:23 -0500

lickystickypickyme:

A star’s spectacular death in the constellation Taurus was observed on Earth as the supernova of the year 1054. Now, almost a millennium later, a super-dense neutron star left behind by the explosion is seen spewing out a blizzard of high-energy particles into the expanding debris field known as the Crab Nebula.

source

findlilyhere: “Want to wave at the International Space Station...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:33:54 -0500

findlilyhere:

“Want to wave at the International Space Station as if flies overhead? Web site Heavens Above keeps space freaks and NASA junkies advised of precisely where man-made and naturally occurring objects are orbiting to make tracking their movements a snap.

You’ll need a telescope to see most stars and planets, but the Space Station and many satellites can be seen with the naked eye. The site will even let you know when to expect solar flares and meteor showers.

It’s easy to locate activity in the skies above your location by selecting the town nearest you from the online database. Alternately, you can enter your exact location using your longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates. The results tell you exactly what time, direction, and altitude to look in the sky—all you need is a compass to get your bearings.”

Heavens Above Locates Space Objects Worth Watching - Nasa - Lifehacker

findlilyhere: Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from pad 39A at...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:54:57 -0500

findlilyhere:

Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday.

seattlepi.com

findlilyhere: “NASA’s Ares 1-X rocket lifts off from launch pad...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:25:44 -0500

findlilyhere:

“NASA’s Ares 1-X rocket lifts off from launch pad 39-b at the Kennedy Space Center October 28, 2009 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)”

Launch of the Ares I-X - The Big Picture - Boston.com

lickystickypickyme: source

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:10:49 -0500

lickystickypickyme:

source

findlilyhere: “A close view of the surface of Saturn’s large...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:21:54 -0400

findlilyhere:

“A close view of the surface of Saturn’s large moon Rhea, as Cassini passes by on October 13, 2009. (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)”

Saturn at equinox - The Big Picture - Boston.com

findlilyhere: “The moon Prometheus and its nearby disturbance...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:21:52 -0400

findlilyhere:

“The moon Prometheus and its nearby disturbance of Saturn’s F ring. Prometheus periodically gores the F ring, drawing out streamers of material from the ring. The image was taken in visible light at a distance of approximately 950,000 km (590,000 mi) from Saturn. (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)”

Saturn at equinox - The Big Picture - Boston.com

NASA’s Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:51:42 -0400

NASA’s Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled Oct. 27, 2009, will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls (via NASA)

The towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket is reflected in a...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:31:47 -0400

The towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket is reflected in a lagoon as it moves towards launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida October 20, 2009. The rocket is scheduled for an unmanned test flight on October 27. The vehicle is considered to be the next step in replacing the aging space shuttle fleet. (via Day Life)

This view of the whole full moon was photographed from the...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:26:25 -0400

This view of the whole full moon was photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey homeward. When this picture was taken, the spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles away, on July 21st, 1969. (NASA) (via The Big Picture)

Most of Africa and portions of Europe and Asia can be seen in...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:18:22 -0400

Most of Africa and portions of Europe and Asia can be seen in this photograph taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its translunar coast toward the moon. Apollo 11 was already 98,000 nautical miles from Earth when this picture was made on July 17th, 1969. (NASA) # (via The Big Picture)

amyyy: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon | by Neil Armstrong (1969)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:43:51 -0400

amyyy:

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon | by Neil Armstrong (1969)

supernature486:mypeterpancomplex:(via allegra) good night.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:17:34 -0400

supernature486:mypeterpancomplex:(via allegra)

good night.

findlilyhere: “When amateur photographer Robert Mikaelyan went...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:43:48 -0400

findlilyhere:

“When amateur photographer Robert Mikaelyan went out to snap an old Dutch sugar factory on Tuesday, he captured a rare treat: a huge exploding fireball in the sky.

Hundreds of people in the Netherlands and Germany reported seeing the fireball streak across the twilight skies around 7 p.m. local time on October 13.

Mikaelyan managed to capture several shots of the fireball as it swung low over the northern city of Groningen and began to break apart into smaller chunks. “I suddenly saw a light in the sky coming fast … and quickly got the pictures taken,” Mikaelyan said via email.

A few seconds after the fireball had been sighted, witnesses heard a sonic boom followed by low rumbles that rattled windows—signatures of a high-altitude explosion. The object was most likely a rogue space rock that disintegrated shortly after hitting Earth’s atmosphere, say experts, who speculate that pieces of the meteor may have landed in the North Sea.

“Indeed it was a huge event,” said Theo Jurriens, of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute at the University of Groningen. Earth is constantly being bombarded by smaller debris from comets, asteroids, and even other rocky planets in the solar system. But a fireball of this size and brightness is likely seen anywhere in the world only every 20 to 25 years, Jurriens estimates. For photographer Mikaelyan, “it was a very special thing to see, especially the light and the speed.”“

Meteor Explodes Over the Netherlands

ronniebruce: Extremely cool diagram of all of the human races’...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:47:54 -0400

ronniebruce:

Extremely cool diagram of all of the human races’ space missions and to which planets. Also how far our telescopes have flown into space. Click through. | via flickr

findlilyhere: “Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may be the...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:46:03 -0400

findlilyhere:

“Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may be the extraterrestrial body most likely to support life as we know it in our solar system, according to a new way to measure a world’s fitness for life. The Standard Microbial Habitability index rates worlds on a scale of 0 to 1 as to how suitable they are for microscopic life-forms like those on Earth. “What’s good for [microorganisms] is good for life in general,” said research leader Abel Mendez, of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. Enceladus scored 0.4—the same as Earth.

Scientists think Enceladus’s icy shell hides a vast under-ice ocean, and the moon’s relatively small size means its internal pressure is not too great. “The problem is the ocean could be very deep” beneath the ice, said Mendez, who presented his results October 5 at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. “If we want to explore it directly, it would be very hard.”“

3 Worlds Most Likely to Harbor Life Named

findlilyhere: “Like Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Jupiter’s moon...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:07:48 -0400

findlilyhere:

“Like Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Jupiter’s moon Europa has a subsurface ocean that might support earthly life, according to the new Standard Microbial Habitability index, announced in October 2009. The purported habitable zone on Europa—which earned a 0.3 on the index—is not as large as that of Saturn’s Enceladus, but the ocean is shallower and perhaps easier to explore than that of Enceladus, said Mendez, of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo.

But even if a world has potentially habitable environments, that doesn’t guarantee life is present, Mendez cautioned. “Life is a complex process,” he said. “Even if life started or was introduced in any of these bodies, it requires a relatively stable environment to maintain it.”“

3 Worlds Most Likely to Harbor Life Named

findlilyhere: “NASA’s Messenger spacecraft took this photograph...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:52:45 -0400

findlilyhere:

“NASA’s Messenger spacecraft took this photograph this week as it approached Mercury for its third encounter with the planet closest to the Sun. The picture is one of 11 taken through the Wide Angle Camera’s narrow-band color filters. This set of images will be used to examine color differences on Mercury’s surface and to learn about the evolution of crustal rocks on the planet.”

Science in Pictures - The New York Times

findlilyhere: “This picture of Mercury’s surface shows a...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:49:59 -0400

findlilyhere:

“This picture of Mercury’s surface shows a double-ring impact basin, with another large impact crater next to it. Smaller, more recent impacts are also visible. The floor in the inner, or peak, ring appears to be smoother than the floor between the peak ring and the outer rim, possibly the result of lava flows that partly flooded the basin some time after impact. Double-ring basins are formed when a large meteoroid strikes the surface of a rocky planet.”

Science in Pictures - The New York Times