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  • SomebodyWakeUpHIcks
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks Posts: 3,836 Member
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    Asteroid passes near earth!!!

    Since when is a million miles "near"???
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    The Edge of Jupiter

    gfzg17z5ki81.jpg


    This enhanced color Jupiter image, taken by the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft, showcases several interesting features on the apparent edge (limb) of the planet. Prior to Juno's fifth flyby over Jupiter's mysterious cloud tops, members of the public voted on which targets JunoCam should image.

    This picture captures not only a fascinating variety of textures in Jupiter's atmosphere, it also features three specific points of interest: "String of Pearls," "Between the Pearls," and "An Interesting Band Point." Also visible is what's known as the STB Spectre, a feature in Jupiter's South Temperate Belt where multiple atmospheric conditions appear to collide.

    JunoCam images of Jupiter sometimes appear to have an odd shape. This is because the Juno spacecraft is so close to Jupiter that it cannot capture the entire illuminated area in one image -- the sides get cut off. Juno acquired this image on March 27, 2017
  • SomebodyWakeUpHIcks
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks Posts: 3,836 Member
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    cee134 wrote: »
    The Edge of Jupiter

    gfzg17z5ki81.jpg


    This enhanced color Jupiter image,...

    Why is it lumpy?
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    cee134 wrote: »
    The Edge of Jupiter

    gfzg17z5ki81.jpg


    This enhanced color Jupiter image,...

    Why is it lumpy?

    Read the description. It explains it.

    JunoCam images of Jupiter sometimes appear to have an odd shape. This is because the Juno spacecraft is so close to Jupiter that it cannot capture the entire illuminated area in one image -- the sides get cut off. Juno acquired this image on March 27, 2017
  • SomebodyWakeUpHIcks
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks Posts: 3,836 Member
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    For the gaseous giants, what keeps them in the shape of a ball? Is it the gravity of the core center?
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    For the gaseous giants, what keeps them in the shape of a ball? Is it the gravity of the core center?

    So. I googled that for you and found this:

    Since gravity pulls toward the center of the planet or star, everything gets pulled down into a sphere. However, planets and stars are not really perfect spheres. They spin, so they bulge out a little around the equator.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    Asteroid passes near earth!!!

    Since when is a million miles "near"???

    Relative in space really. The moon is about 240k miles away and very visible. And asteroid at a million might be visible as well, so that is considered close. At least as close as I ever think we need to see one. I got to see a meteor coming down once, and that sound was damn scary.
  • Vikka_V
    Vikka_V Posts: 9,563 Member
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    dq5pagia0ilf.jpg

    Cassini took a picture between Saturn's rings, that's our Earth and moon

    Wow! What an amazing perspective. So unusual.
  • Vikka_V
    Vikka_V Posts: 9,563 Member
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    Timshel_ wrote: »
    Finally seen some new Space's Deepest Secrets episodes. Some really good ones yesterday about planet atmospheres, some news about the James Webb ELT, updates on a bunch of other stuff. <3

    Worth the watch

    I think they have season one available too!

    http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/spaces-deepest-secrets-2/

    Holly Crap-A-Tolly! This is so visually interesting!

    I'm having trouble trying to watch a whole episode...boo
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited April 2017
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    dq5pagia0ilf.jpg

    Cassini took a picture between Saturn's rings, that's our Earth and moon

    This is what I found. Is it the same?

    cur3a0a1locy.jpg
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    Hubble Observes One-of-a-Kind Star Nicknamed ‘Nasty’

    su5ifpbpfw1x.jpg


    Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered surprising new clues about a hefty, rapidly aging star whose behavior has never been seen before in our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the star is so weird that astronomers have nicknamed it “Nasty 1,” a play on its catalog name of NaSt1.

    The star may represent a brief transitory stage in the evolution of extremely massive stars. First discovered several decades ago, Nasty 1 was identified as a Wolf-Rayet star, a rapidly evolving star that is much more massive than our sun. The star loses its hydrogen-filled outer layers quickly, exposing its super-hot and extremely bright helium-burning core.

    But Nasty 1 doesn’t look like a typical Wolf-Rayet star. The astronomers using Hubble had expected to see twin lobes of gas flowing from opposite sides of the star, perhaps similar to those emanating from the massive star Eta Carinae, which is a Wolf-Rayet candidate.

    Instead, Hubble revealed a pancake-shaped disk of gas encircling the star. The vast disk is nearly 2 trillion miles wide, and may have formed from an unseen companion star that snacked on the outer envelope of the newly formed Wolf-Rayet. Based on current estimates, the nebula surrounding the stars is just a few thousand years old, and as close as 3,000 light-years from Earth.
  • SomebodyWakeUpHIcks
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks Posts: 3,836 Member
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    dq5pagia0ilf.jpg

    Cassini took a picture between Saturn's rings, that's our Earth and moon

    The earth seems much bigger compared to our view of Saturn.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    cee134 wrote: »
    Hubble Observes One-of-a-Kind Star Nicknamed ‘Nasty’

    su5ifpbpfw1x.jpg


    Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered surprising new clues about a hefty, rapidly aging star whose behavior has never been seen before in our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the star is so weird that astronomers have nicknamed it “Nasty 1,” a play on its catalog name of NaSt1.

    The star may represent a brief transitory stage in the evolution of extremely massive stars. First discovered several decades ago, Nasty 1 was identified as a Wolf-Rayet star, a rapidly evolving star that is much more massive than our sun. The star loses its hydrogen-filled outer layers quickly, exposing its super-hot and extremely bright helium-burning core.

    But Nasty 1 doesn’t look like a typical Wolf-Rayet star. The astronomers using Hubble had expected to see twin lobes of gas flowing from opposite sides of the star, perhaps similar to those emanating from the massive star Eta Carinae, which is a Wolf-Rayet candidate.

    Instead, Hubble revealed a pancake-shaped disk of gas encircling the star. The vast disk is nearly 2 trillion miles wide, and may have formed from an unseen companion star that snacked on the outer envelope of the newly formed Wolf-Rayet. Based on current estimates, the nebula surrounding the stars is just a few thousand years old, and as close as 3,000 light-years from Earth.

    That's it - how do I get a part time job observing this *kitten*?
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    Ceres's Southern Hemisphere Navigation Image

    qrys4z9r7u20.jpg

    NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this picture as it reached its new orbit to observe Ceres in opposition, when Dawn is directly between the sun and the Occator Crater bright spots. Entering the very tight opposition geometry (explained here) is a major feat that requires extra checks for increased delivery accuracy. Hence, this picture was part of a series of images intended to help the navigation of the spacecraft relative to Ceres.

    This vantage point highlights the southern hemisphere of Ceres. Abundant polygonal craters can be seen, starting with Kerwan, Ceres' largest crater at 174 miles (280 kilometers) in diameter, in the upper right of Ceres' circular disc. Kerwan's rims appear subdued and its floor is relatively relaxed. The crater found almost in the "bullseye" of the crater is called Insitor (16 miles or 26 kilometers in diameter).

    The Inamahari and Homshuk craters featured here can be found at the top of the disc. Another large polygonal crater called Chaminuka (76 miles, 122 kilometers in diameter) is found toward the center. This map can be used to locate these and more features. The name "Kerwan" refers to the Hopi spirit of sprouting maize and "Chaminuka" to the Shona (Zimbabwe) spirit who provides rains in times of droughts. "Insitor" is named for the Roman agricultural deity in charge of the sowing.

    This picture was taken on April 17, 2017, from an altitude of about 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers).
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    d4gbgt0q3odx.jpg

    The Moon, or supermoon, is seen rising behind the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the morning of November 18 (Kazakh time.) All three will spend approximately six months on the orbital complex.

    A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth.
  • Vikka_V
    Vikka_V Posts: 9,563 Member
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    cee134 wrote: »
    Ceres's Southern Hemisphere Navigation Image

    qrys4z9r7u20.jpg

    NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this picture as it reached its new orbit to observe Ceres in opposition, when Dawn is directly between the sun and the Occator Crater bright spots. Entering the very tight opposition geometry (explained here) is a major feat that requires extra checks for increased delivery accuracy. Hence, this picture was part of a series of images intended to help the navigation of the spacecraft relative to Ceres.

    This vantage point highlights the southern hemisphere of Ceres. Abundant polygonal craters can be seen, starting with Kerwan, Ceres' largest crater at 174 miles (280 kilometers) in diameter, in the upper right of Ceres' circular disc. Kerwan's rims appear subdued and its floor is relatively relaxed. The crater found almost in the "bullseye" of the crater is called Insitor (16 miles or 26 kilometers in diameter).

    The Inamahari and Homshuk craters featured here can be found at the top of the disc. Another large polygonal crater called Chaminuka (76 miles, 122 kilometers in diameter) is found toward the center. This map can be used to locate these and more features. The name "Kerwan" refers to the Hopi spirit of sprouting maize and "Chaminuka" to the Shona (Zimbabwe) spirit who provides rains in times of droughts. "Insitor" is named for the Roman agricultural deity in charge of the sowing.

    This picture was taken on April 17, 2017, from an altitude of about 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers).

    I was reading this at work and wondering if there was supposed to be a link to explain what "opposition geometry" is...I looked it up, unsurprisingly it didn't help me understand!