observation 4.1

(observations were written dow - just now posting)

April 27

sarasota

9:00 pm

partly cloudy skies

Right now, i can see the constellation Orion to the south, which has been moving farther and farther east lately. I think that i can see which stars are Betelgeuse and Rigel - Betelgeuse is a little bit more red. I can also see the bright star which i think is Sirius in the constellation Canis Major.

apod 4.7

Friday May 16th

This is a picture taken from onboard the International Space Station. It shows a spacecraft called the Soyuz TMA-12, which is bringing new supplies to the crew on the ISS. It is amazing to me that people are actually living in a craft all the way in space. 

apod 4.6

Friday May 9th

This is a picture of a large black nebula on top of a thick field of stars. This is located in the constellation Scorpio. It is called the "dark tower" which is an allusion to Shakespeare's King Lear. This black object is almost scary and ominous against the beautiful purple sky. 

apod 4.5

Friday May 2nd

This is a picture of NGC 6188, located in the constellation Ara. The glow comes from the intense ultraviolet radiation and strong winds emitted by the young stars in this cluster which is only a few million years old. This nebula can be seen from the southern Hemisphere, but in order to see it in great detail a large telescope is needed. 

apod 4.4

Friday April 25th

This is a picture of the nebula created by the interaction of gas and dust with the light and wind from hot young stars. It is called the Fox Fur Nebula in Monocerous. I think this is a really amazing photo as the dust and light actually make it look like there is fur in the sky!

apod 4.3

This is a picture of the night sky in Sweden. There are red and green auroras that can be seen in the distant sky. The red color comes from many emission nebulas including the Heart and Soul nebula in Casseopeia. The Anrdromeda galaxy is also seen in this beautiful picture.
friday april 18

apod 4.2

This is a picture of layered rock outcrops found in Aureum Chaos, which is found on the planet Mars. These layers are composed of volcanic ash or dust or sediment deposits. I just think this is a very cool picture. It is unlike anything i have ever seen before. These rocks look somewhat like waves. I also think it is interesting how Mars is usually thought of as being red, but this picture shows a distinct blue.