APOD 4.8

This beautiful vista was seen from atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, in the picture are three planets and many bright stars as well as the moon and the Milky Way. This picture was taken above the clouds and there is a city on the left side of the frame. The volcanic caldera of Kilauea lights up the clouds near the center a bright orange color. The atmosphere is glowing green due to excited air molecules.

APOD 4.7

During a largely unsuccessful trip to northern Norway to photograph auroras following a period of increased solar activity, the two brothers were packing up to leave when suddenly the sky erupted into brilliant green light. The aurora only lasted a few minutes but the impact of this fantastic experience on the two brothers will most likely last much longer.

Observations

I have gone out many nights this year to observe the stars as they move across the sky. I have looked at many planets as they travel across the sky and taken pictures of some of them. I am now able to name many constellations in the sky from memory and identify most of the first magnitude stars in the sky. I have also observed several iridium flares and other satellites in the sky.

APOD 4.6

This picture shows the International Space Station in front of a partially lit moon. The picture was taken in Madrid, Spain with an exposure of only 1/1000 of a second. The station is over the darkened side of the moon and adjacent to the terminator, or the day/night line on the moon.

APOD 4.5

This beautiful image of NGC 2841, a galaxy only 46 million light years away, depicts one of the more massive galaxies we know of. The beautiful red color is because most of the stars in the galaxy are old and there is little star formation. The spiral arms are very tightly wound and star clusters are embedded within them. Most other galaxies have very large regions of blue star formation but this ancient galaxy has few of these areas.

APOD 4.4

This image shows NGC 4725, a spiral galaxy in which is unusual because it only contains one arm. Most spiral galaxies contain many arms but this one contains just one which appears to form a ring around the galactic core. It is located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Simulations have been run to try and determine how this galaxy was formed, but no conclusive results have been found.

APOD 4.3

The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is a giant formation of several galaxies located relatively close to our own Milky Way, enough that it spans nearly 10 degrees of the night sky. The heart of the cluster is about 70 million light years away and contains over 2000 galaxies which means it has gravitational influence on our own local cluster of  galaxies. This cluster also contains several objects from Messier's list.

APOD 4.2

This image was taken by the Opportunity rover on Mars which has been operational on the red planet since 2004. It has found evidence of ancient water and has been exploring craters and sending pictures back to NASA. It is traveling across a vast martian landscape to discover clues about the history of the planet and the early solar system.

APOD 4.1

This image shows the familiar constellation Orion in the early evening. The first magnitude stars Betelgeuse and Rigel can be seen as well as the three stars in Orion's Belt and the sword which contains the horsehead nebula. Aldebaren, a star in the constellation Taurus, is also visible in the picture.