Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 17th of 2015

The Big Dipper Enhanced
Image Credit & Copyright: VegaStar Carpentier
Explanation: Do you see it? This common question frequently precedes the rediscovery of one of the most commonly recognized configurations of stars on the northern sky: the Big Dipper. This grouping of stars is one of the few things that has likely been seen, and will be seen, by every human generation. In this featured image, however, the stars of the Big Dipper have been digitally enhanced -- they do not really appear this much brighter than nearby stars. The image was taken earlier this month from France. The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. Although part of the constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major), the Big Dipper is an asterism that has been known by different names to different societies. Five of the Big Dipper stars are actually near each other in space and were likely formed at nearly the same time. Relative stellar motions will cause the Big Dipper to slowly change its apparent configuration over the next 100,000 years.

National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 17th of 2015

March 17, 2015

Evening Snowfall

Photograph by Haruka Iwasaki, National Geographic Your Shot

“When I arrived at the Blue Pond in Biei in Hokkaido, Japan, a lot of snow had fallen and the wind was blowing strongly,” writes Your Shot member Haruka Iwasaki. “The moment the light that illuminates the pond was reflected in the snow, I witnessed a fantastic spectacle.”

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Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 16th of 2015

The Clouds of Orion the Hunter
Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo
Explanation: Cradled in cosmic dust and glowing hydrogen, stellar nurseries in Orion the Hunter lie at the edge of giant molecular clouds some 1,500 light-years away. Spanning about 30 degrees, this breath-taking vista stretches across the well-known constellation from head to toe (left to right) and beyond. At 1,500 light years away, the Great Orion Nebula is the closest large star forming region, here visible just right and below center. To its left are the Horsehead Nebula, M78, and Orion's belt stars. Sliding your cursor over the picture will also find red giant Betelgeuse at the hunter's shoulder, bright blue Rigel at his foot, the Witch Head Nebula above -- and illuminated by -- Rigel, and the glowing Lambda Orionis (Meissa) nebula on the left, near Orion's head. Of course, the Orion Nebula and bright stars are easy to see with the unaided eye, but dust clouds and emission from the extensive interstellar gas in this nebula-rich complex, are too faint and much harder to record. In this mosaic of broadband telescopic images, additional image data acquired with a narrow hydrogen alpha filter was used to bring out the pervasive tendrils of energized atomic hydrogen gas like in the arc of the giant Barnard's Loop.

National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 16th of 2015

March 16, 2015

Southwestern Sungraph

Photograph by Andrei Stoica, National Geographic Your Shot

Your Shot member Andrei Stoica used the sun and an Arizona landscape to create this self-portrait for a recent community assignment. “It wasn’t that different from using dyes to create pictographs,” writes Stoica, who calls his image a “sungraph.”

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Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 15th of 2015

A Total Eclipse at the End of the World
Image Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)
Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic eclipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the treasures collected was the above picture -- a composite of four separate images digitally combined to realistically simulate how the adaptive human eye saw the eclipse. As the image was taken, both the Moon and the Sun peeked together over an Antarctic ridge. In the sudden darkness, the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the Moon. Quite by accident, another photographer was caught in one of the images checking his video camera. Visible to his left are an equipment bag and a collapsible chair. A total solar eclipse will occur on Friday and be visible from the north Atlantic Ocean.

National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 15th of 2015

March 15, 2015

The Twins

Photograph by Fabrice Guerin, National Geographic Your Shot

Every year, a sardine run occurs in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, says Your Shot member Fabrice Guerin, who adds that this is when it’s possible to spot the fastest fish in the ocean—the sailfish—hunting fish shoals. “They drill the balls of terrified fish, offering us a stunning show,” he writes. “When I saw these two sailfish going toward the sardines against the sun, I shot as quickly as possible.”

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Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 14th of 2015

Return at Sunrise
NASA, Bill Ingalls
Explanation: Thursday, shortly after local sunrise over central Asia, this Soyuz spacecraft floated over a sea of golden clouds during its descent by parachute through planet Earth's dense atmosphere. On board were Expedition 42 commander Barry Wilmore of NASA and Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). Touch down was at approximately 10:07 p.m. EDT (8:07 a.m. March 12, Kazakh time) southeast of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The three were returning from low Earth orbit, after almost six months on the International Space Station as members of the Expedition 41 and Expedition 42 crews.

National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 14th of 2015

March 14, 2015

Worth the Wait

Photograph by Takashi Nakagawa, National Geographic Your Shot

“A beautiful and active aurora appeared the day after a storm had passed over Iceland,” writes Takashi Nakagawa, a member of our Your Shot community. “Iceland is not an ideal place to watch the aurora because the weather in winter is mostly cloudy. I waited at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon for three days to photograph the aurora [at] this amazing place. This was a perfect night. I’ll never forget this moment.”

Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 13th of 2015

The Great Wall by Moonlight
Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Audet
Explanation: Last Friday, an almost Full Moon rose as the Sun set, over this mountainous landscape north of Beijing, China. Also near apogee, the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around planet Earth, it was this year's smallest and faintest Full Moon. The Jiankou section of the Great Wall of China meanders through the scene, the ancient Great Wall itself the subject of an older-than-the-space-age myth that it would be visible to the eye when standing on the lunar surface. But even from low Earth orbit, the large scale artifact of human civilization is very difficult to identify. At its farthest from our fair planet, the Moon shines brightly in the twilight sky though, posing in the faint, pinkish band known as the antitwilight arch or the belt of Venus.

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National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 13th of 2015

March 13, 2015

Group Flight

Photograph by Navtej Singh, National Geographic Your Shot

“Lying on important flyways, the wetlands of Gujarat, India, are thronged by millions of birds migrating south in winter,” writes Your Shot member Navtej Singh, who captured this scene while taking aerial shots of the port town of Jamnagar. “As I flew over the flamingoes, the birds took flight. It was an unbelievable sight, and I was right above them to capture the magnificent event.”

Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 12th of 2015

Along the Cygnus Wall
Image Credit & Copyright: Jimmy Walker
Explanation: The W-shaped ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is known as the Cygnus Wall. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive outline popularly called The North America Nebula, the cosmic ridge spans about 20 light-years. Constructed using narrowband data to highlight the telltale reddish glow from ionized hydrogen atoms recombining with electrons, the two frame mosaic image follows an ionization front with fine details of dark, dusty forms in silhouette. Sculpted by energetic radiation from the region's young, hot, massive stars, the dark shapes inhabiting the view are clouds of cool gas and dust with stars likely forming within. The North America Nebula itself, NGC 7000, is about 1,500 light-years away.

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National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 12th of 2015

March 12, 2015

Fox on the Rocks

Photograph by Irina C., National Geographic Your Shot

Lingering at a lookout in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, Your Shot member Irina C. spotted this fox entering the scene. “It navigated very confidently among the rocks, moving small ones with its paws and picking up food scraps dropped by tourists during the day,” she writes. “I thought it was genius: Instead of wasting energy and time hunting for mice, this fox had it all figured out.”

Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 11th of 2015

Volcano of Fire Erupts Under the Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Diego Rizzo
Explanation: First, there was an unusual smell. Then there was a loud bang. But what appeared to the eye was the most amazing of all. While waiting near midnight to see a possible eruption of Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) in Guatemala last month, a ready camera captured this extraordinary image. Lava is seen running down the side of the volcano, while ash rises up, and glowing magma bubbles explode out of the caldera. Lights near the town of Escuintla can be seen in the background, one of several nearby towns that have witnessed several spectacular eruptions previously. High above, seemingly tranquil by comparison, are familiar stars from the night sky. Although the Volcán de Fuego usually undergoes low-level activity, when the next spectacular eruption will occur is unknown.

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National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 11th of 2015

March 11, 2015

Parade Rest

Photograph by Sara Lewkowicz, National Geographic

In Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico, a group of unmarried young women and girls gather in front of Preciosa Sangre de Cristo Church after marching in a calenda (parade) for La Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre. During the parade, the young women wear traditional Zapotec clothing and walk while carrying canastas (baskets) with images of the saints on their heads.

Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 10th of 2015

Aurora over Icelandic Glacier
Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman Woodend (Images Inspired by Nature)
Explanation: Several key conditions came together to create this award-winning shot. These included a dark night, few clouds, an epic auroral display, and a body of water that was both calm enough and unfrozen enough to show reflected stars. The featured skyscape of activity and serenity appeared over Iceland's Vatnajökull Glacier a year ago January, with the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon captured in the foreground. Aurora filled skies continue to be common near Earth's poles as our Sun, near Solar Maximum, continues to expel energetic clouds of plasma into the Solar System.

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National Geographic Photo of the Day: March 10th of 2015

March 10, 2015

Grooming the Young

Photograph by Masanobu Oka, National Geographic Your Shot

A snow monkey grooms a youngster while soaking in a hot spring at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. “When I visited, about 30 monkeys were in the hot spring,” writes Your Shot member Masanobu Oka. “I realized that the mother was taking care of her kid just like a human. I watched them for a while before capturing the baby as it opened its eyes.”

Astronomy Picture of the Day: March 9th of 2015

Galaxy and Cluster Create Four Images of Distant Supernova
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and S. Rodney (JHU) and the FrontierSN team; T. Treu (UCLA), P. Kelly (UC Berkeley), and the GLASS team; J. Lotz (STScI) and the Frontier Fields team; M. Postman (STScI) and the CLASH team; and Z. Levay (STScI)
Explanation: What are the unusual spots surrounding that galaxy? They are all images of the same supernova. For the first time, a single supernova explosion has been seen split into multiple images by the gravitational lens deflections of intervening masses. In this case the masses are a large galaxy and its home galaxy cluster. The featured image was captured last November by the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. The yellow-hued quadruply-imaged Supernova Refsdal occurred in the early universe far behind the cluster. Measuring the locations and time-delays between the supernova images should allow astrophysicists to recover the amount of dark matter in the galaxy and cluster. With patience and luck, a fifth image of the supernova will also be recovered nearby in the next few years.

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