2021 January 12

A Historic Brazilian Constellation
* Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra
https://www.instagram.com/rodrigoguerra13/

Explanation:
The night sky is filled with stories. Cultures throughout history have projected some of their most enduring legends onto the stars above. Generations of people see these stellar constellations, hear the associated stories, and pass them down. Featured here is the perhaps unfamiliar constellation of the Old Man, long recognized by the Tupi peoples native to regions of South America now known as Brazil. The Old Man, in more modern vernacular, may be composed of the Hyades star cluster as his head and the belt of Orion as part of one leg. Tupi folklore relates that the other leg was cut off by his unhappy wife, causing it to end at the orange star now known as Betelgeuse. The Pleiades star cluster, on the far left, can be interpreted as a head feather. In the featured image, the hobbled Old Man is mirrored by a person posing in the foreground. Folklore of the night sky is important for many reasons, including that it records cultural heritage and documents the universality of human intelligence and imagination.

+ Culture
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43392390
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupi_people

+ Constellation
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191206.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161204.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200101.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190901.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210112.html

#space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #philosophy #biology #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

2018 March 19

The Nebra Sky Disk
* Image Credit: Dbachmann, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Dbachmann
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebra_Scheibe.jpg

Explanation:
Some consider it the oldest known illustration of the night sky. But what, exactly, does it depict, and why was it made? The Nebra sky disk was found with a metal detector in 1999 by treasure hunters near Nebra, Germany, in the midst of several bronze-age weapons. The ancient artifact spans about 30 centimeters and has been associated with the Unetice culture that inhabited part of Europe around 1600 BC. Reconstructed, the dots are thought to represent stars, with the cluster representing the Pleiades, and the large circle and the crescent representing the Sun and Moon. The purpose of the disk remains unknown -- hypotheses including an astronomical clock, a work of art, and a religious symbol. Valued at about $11 million, some believe that the Nebra sky disk is only one of a pair, with the other disk still out there waiting to be discovered.

+ #History & Culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disc
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/235/the-nebra-sky-disk---ancient-map-of-the-stars/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_(Unstrut)
https://www.science.org/content/article/slaughter-bridge-uncovering-colossal-bronze-age-battle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9An%C4%9Btice_culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600s_BC_(decade)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age_Europe

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171107.html

+ Constellation
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171114.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160919.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180318.html

#space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #philosophy #biology #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

2019 October 23

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
* Painting Credit: Vincent van Gogh;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
* Digital Rendering: MoMA, Google Arts & Culture, via Wikipedia
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802

Explanation:
The painting Starry Night is one of the most famous icons of the night sky ever created. The scene was painted by Vincent van Gogh in southern France in 1889. The swirling style of Starry Night appears, to many, to make the night sky come alive. Although van Gogh frequently portrayed real settings in his paintings, art historians do not agree on precisely what stars and planets are being depicted in Starry Night. The style of Starry Night is post-impressionism, a popular painting style at the end of the nineteenth century. The original Starry Night painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York, USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Night

!>> https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/the-starry-night-756b03a918544497b7a4ba644e37550b
https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/
https://vangoghletters.org/vg/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starry_Night_Over_the_Rh%C3%B4ne
https://www.andreaplanet.com/mosaic/starrynight/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Impressionism

https://www.moma.org/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191023.html

#space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #culture #Space_Culture_Club

2024 September 14

The Moona Lisa
* Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Sarcone and Marcella Giulia Pace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_A._Sarcone

Explanation:
Only natural colors of the Moon in planet Earth's sky appear in this creative visual presentation. Arranged as pixels in a framed image, the lunar disks were photographed at different times. Their varying hues are ultimately due to reflected sunlight affected by changing atmospheric conditions and the alignment geometry of Moon, Earth, and Sun. Here, the darkest lunar disks are the colors of earthshine. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. But stand farther back from your screen or just shift your gaze to the smaller versions of the image. You might also see one of da Vinci's most famous works of art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_A._Sarcone

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/portrait-of-lisa-gherardini-wife-of-francesco-del-giocondo-known-as-monna-lisa-la-gioconda-or-mona-lisa-1503-1519-leonardo-di-ser-piero-da-vinci-dit-l%C3%A9onard-de-vinci-1452-1519-paris-mus%C3%A9e-du-louvre/uQGZ28lYUJ3OGw?hl=en&ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.7%2C%22y%22%3A0.3638750021607957%2C%22z%22%3A9%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A2.4024024024024024%2C%22height%22%3A0.75%7D%7D

https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5187/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240914.html

#space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #literature #Space_Culture_Club

2021 July 10

Mercury and the Da Vinci Glow
* Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Funes

Explanation:
On July 8th early morning risers saw Mercury near an old Moon low on the eastern horizon. On that date bright planet, faint glow of lunar night side, and sunlit crescent were captured in this predawn skyscape from Tenerife's Teide National Park in the Canary Islands. Never far from the Sun in planet Earth's sky, the fleeting inner planet shines near its brightest in the morning twilight scene. Mercury lies just below the zeta star of the constellation Taurus, Zeta Tauri, near the tip of the celestial bull's horn. Of course the Moon's ashen glow is earthshine, earthlight reflected from the Moon's night side. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Waiting for the coming dawn in the foreground are the Teide Observatory's sentinels of the Sun, also known as (large domes left to right) the THEMIS, VTT, and GREGOR solar telescopes.
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury/
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83782
https://science.nasa.gov/mercury/

https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/04oct_leonardo

https://www.iac.es/en/observatorios-de-canarias/teide-observatory

#space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #biology #Space_Culture_Club

So I think that was a pretty nice start for our newly founded
Space Culture Club,
wasn't it?

But after so much but somewhat dry theory, I would suggest a short entertainment break for the next 5 minutes. Something romantic, emotional, humorous or in short "something for the heart" perhaps? Let's see...

*** Please contact our Equal Opportunities Officer Mr. Spock for complaints about gender-specific roles.

#space #space_related #kids #humor #fediverse #mastodon #entertainment #Space_Culture_Club

"Ahem, yes.. and no this is not First Mate Piggy's spacesuit and not Michael Jackson's costume for one of his most famous stage performances, even if this sculpture was called "Mooooonwalk", but read on for yourself..."

Suiting Up for the Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Tech. U.)
https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/

Explanation:
How will cows survive on the Moon? One of the most vexing questions asked about space, scientists have spent decades debating this key issue. Finally, after extensive computer modeling and over a dozen midnight milkings, engineers have designed, built, and now tested the new Lunar Grazing Module (LGM), a multi-purpose celestial bovine containment system. By now, many of you will not be surprised to be wished a Happy April Fool's Day from APOD. To the best of our knowledge, there are no current plans to launch cows into space. For one reason, cows tend to be large animals that don't launch easily or cheaply. As friendly as cows may be, head-to-head comparisons show that robotic rovers are usually more effective as scientific explorers. The featured image is of a thought-provoking work of art named "Mooooonwalk" which really is on display at a popular science museum.

+ Tech
https://www.ominous-valve.com/images/1954_c64.jpg
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140627.html

+ Science
https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/

+ Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXKDu6cdXLI

+ Culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools%27_Day

+ Nature
https://www.wikihow.com/Milk-a-Cow

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150401.html

#space_related #space #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #biology #culture #physics #Space_Culture_Club #tech

A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved, so they say ...

Shared joy is multiple joy, is another old wisdom ...

So we share the joy of you accompanying me to this party in the inner Mongolian steppe, where we are happy about little scattered light and some heavenly surprises, together with some joyful local astrophotographers:

"The Awe Perseid Meteors Party"

Feel free to make good whishes everytime you see one ...

Video Credit: Jeff Dai (TWAN); Music: Ibaotu catalog number 771024

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230809.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151118.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NnMJUvU1L0
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids

#space_related #space #astrophotography #science #nature #culture #Space_Culture_Club #fun #wisdom

"Here, too, great parties have already been celebrated and this time with a very special fireworks display!"

2024 August 12

Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge
* Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury
https://www.instagram.com/josh_dury_photomedia/

Explanation:
What's happening in the sky above Stonehenge? A meteor shower: specifically, the Perseid meteor shower. A few nights ago, after the sky darkened, many images of meteors from this year's Perseids were captured separately and merged into a single frame. Although the meteors all traveled on straight paths, these paths appear slightly curved by the wide-angle lens of the capturing camera. The meteor streaks can all be traced back to a single point on the sky called the radiant, here just off the top of the frame in the constellation of Perseus. The same camera took a deep image of the background sky that brought up the central band of our Milky Way galaxy running nearly vertical through the image center. The featured image was taken from Wiltshire, England, being careful to include, at the bottom, the famous astronomical monument of Stonehenge. Although the Perseids peaked last night, some Perseid meteors should still be visible for a few more nights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240811.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_(meteor_shower)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_(constellation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240812.html

#space_related #space #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #culture #Space_Culture_Club

This is the hottest party location in any case!

2013 February 26

Coronal Rain on the Sun
* Video Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, SVS, GSFC, NASA;
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/
* Music: Thunderbolt by Lars Leonhard
http://www.lars-leonhard.de/

Explanation:
Does it rain on the Sun? Yes, although what falls is not water but extremely hot plasma. An example occurred in mid-July 2012 after an eruption on the Sun that produced both a Coronal Mass Ejection and a moderate solar flare. What was more unusual, however, was what happened next. Plasma in the nearby solar corona was imaged cooling and falling back, a phenomenon known as coronal rain. Because they are electrically charged, electrons, protons, and ions in the rain were gracefully channeled along existing magnetic loops near the Sun's surface, making the scene appear as a surreal three-dimensional sourceless waterfall. The resulting surprisingly-serene spectacle is shown in ultraviolet light and highlights matter glowing at a temperature of about 50,000 Kelvin. Each second in the above time lapse video takes about 6 minutes in real time, so that the entire coronal rain sequence lasted about 10 hours.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031029.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090726.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_rain

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130226.html

#space_related #space #sun #astrophotography #Photography #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

2025 May 31

Afterimage Sunset
* Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
https://greenflash.photo/about-me/

Explanation:
On May 7, the Sun setting behind a church bell tower was captured in this filtered and manipulated digital skyscape from Ragusa, Sicily, planet Earth. In this version of the image the colors look bizarre. Still, an intriguing optical illusion known as an afterimage can help you experience the same scene with a more natural looking appearance. To try it, find the sunspots of active region AR4079 grouped near the bottom of the blue solar disk. Relax and stare at the dark sunspot group for about 30 seconds, then close your eyes or shift your gaze to a plain white surface. In a moment an afterimage of the sunset should faintly appear. But the afterimage sunset will have this image's complementary colors and a more normal yellow Sun against a familiar blue sky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterimage
https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/ar4079-giant-sunspot-with-eyes/
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/sunspots/

#space_related #space #sun #astrophotography #Photography #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

Electronic System is a project of the Belgian synthesizer legend Dan Lacksman.

He has performed under his own name, and in groups (most notably Telex). He was an early adopter of synth music, to the point where the first synthesizer he bought, just 3 years before the release of this song, was the first one in Belgium!

“Skylab” is a 14 minute long voyage through time and space. It’s definitely more of a lazy pleasure cruise than a hyperspace rush; you get plenty of time to appreciate the scenery.

And what scenery! The basis of the track is a sort of slow, jazzy strut, with a smooth bass part and a relaxed drum section. The dreamy electric piano lays down the primary texture for the song, which is embellished by confident Moog noodling.

The track was released in 1974 on the album Tchip.Tchip (Vol. 3), although a different version was released first in 1973 on a different version of the album called Electronic System 3, which is credited to “Dan Lacksman With Moog Synthesizer”.

Credit:
mymusic365.co.uk

#space_related #space #music #jazz #moog #skylab #grobi_muzak #Space_Culture_Club

Apollo 18 Mission:
Pride Flag Hoisting on the Lunar Surface
* Music Credit:
REM - UMan On The Moon

Explanation:
The Apollo 18 mission, which was originally planned but never executed by NASA, became a symbol of unity and inclusivity when a group of enthusiasts from the LGBTQ+ community and space aficionados covertly sent a spacecraft to the moon, culminating in the historic hoisting of a Pride flag on its surface. This unprecedented event was a testament to the human spirit and the universal reach of the Pride movement.

The Apollo 18 mission was conceived as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which marked the first time humans set foot on the lunar surface. While NASA had long ago abandoned the idea of sending another manned mission to the moon under the Apollo program, the dream was not lost on a group of individuals who believed in the power of symbolism and representation.
The decision to plant the Pride flag on the moon was a poignant gesture. The flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community's struggle for equality and visibility, now stands as a beacon on a celestial body that has historically been a symbol of human ambition and exploration. It serves as a reminder that space belongs to everyone, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, or nationality.
While the Apollo 18 mission was not an official NASA endeavor, it adhered to strict safety protocols and international space laws.
The hoisting of the Pride flag on the moon is a monumental event in the history of space exploration. It not only showcases humanity's technological achievements but also exemplifies the universal quest for equality and representation. As we continue to reach for the stars, this small yet significant gesture serves as a powerful reminder that the spirit of Pride is not bound by gravity, extending far beyond our planet into the cosmos

#space_related #moon #photography #music #NASA #fediverse #mastodon #nature #Space_Culture_Club #grobi_muzak

And now to something completely mist irious:

2019 June 24

Anticrepuscular Rays Converge Opposite the Sun
* Image Credit & Copyright: Juraj Patekar
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190624.html

Explanation:
Is there ever anything interesting to see in the direction opposite the Sun? Sometimes there is. Notable items include your own shadow, a shadow of the Moon during a total solar eclipse, a full moon -- in eclipse if the alignment's good enough, a full earth, planets at opposition, glints from planets, the gegenschein from interplanetary dust, the center of a rainbow, hall-of-mountain fogbows, an airplane glory, and something yet again different if your timing, clouds and Sun position are just right. This different effect starts with clouds near the Sun that are causing common crepuscular rays to stream through. In the featured rare image taken from an airplane in mid-April, these beams were caught converging 180 degrees around, on the opposite side of the sky from the Sun, where they are called anticrepuscular rays. Therefore, it may look like something bright is shining at the antisolar point near the image center, but actually it is reverse-shining because, from your direction, light is streaming in, not out.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190624.html

#space_related #space #sun #astrophotography #Photography #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

2014 August 23

The Spectre of Veszprem
* Image Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN)
https://www.asztrotajkep.hu/

Explanation:
The city of Veszprem, Hungary was only briefly haunted by this mysterious spectre. On the morning of August 11, its monstrous form hovered in the mist above municipal buildings near the town center. A clue to its true identity is offered by the photographer, though, who reports he took the picture from the top of a twenty story building with the rising Sun directly at his back. That special geometry suggests this is an example of an atmospheric phenomenon called the Glory or sometimes "the Spectre of the Brocken". Also seen from mountain tops and airplanes when looking opposite the Sun, the dramatic apparition is the observer's shadow on clouds or fog, the small droplets of water scattering light back towards the Sun through complex internal reflections. Careful night sky watchers can also encounter this spectre's analog in astronomy, a brightening of zodiacal light opposite the Sun known as the gegenschein.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140823.html

#space_related #space #mist #astrophotography #Photography #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

Partager la « Nuit de la Vue Magnifique » avec la chèvre

2018 August 7

Eclipsed Moon and Mars over Mountains
* Image Credit & Copyright: Clèment Brustel

Explanation:
There is something unusual about this astronomically-oriented photograph. It's not obvious -- it was discovered only during post-processing. It is not the Moon, although capturing the Moon rising during a total lunar eclipse is quite an unusually interesting sight. It is not Mars, found to the lower right of the Moon, although Mars being captured near its brightest also makes for an unusually interesting sight. It is not the foreground mountains, although the French Alps do provide unusually spectacular perspectives on planet Earth.
It is the goat.

#space_related #space #moon #mars #mountain #astrophotography #Photography #nature #Space_Culture_Club

2013 September 28

Equinox Earth
* Image Credit: Roscosmos / NTSOMZ / zelenyikot.livejournal.com
https://zelenyikot.livejournal.com/17213.html
* Courtesy: Igor Tirsky, Vitaliy Egorov

Explanation:
From a geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the equator, Russian meteorological satellite Elektro-L takes high-resolution images of our fair planet every 30 minutes. But only twice a year, during an Equinox, can it capture an image like this one, showing an entire hemisphere bathed in sunlight. At an Equinox, the Earth's axis of rotation is not tilted toward or away from the Sun, so the solar illumination can extend to both the planet's poles. Of course, this Elektro-L picture was recorded on September 22nd, at the northern hemisphere's autumnal equinox. For a moment on that date, the Sun was behind the geostationary satellite and a telltale glint of reflected sunlight is seen crossing the equator, at the location on the planet with satellite and sun directly overhead

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130928.html

#space_related #space #earth #equinox #astrophotography #Photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

2014 January 14

The Gegenschein Over Chile
* Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Institution)

Explanation:
Is the night sky darkest in the direction opposite the Sun? No. In fact, a rarely discernable faint glow known as the gegenschein (German for "counter glow") can be seen 180 degrees around from the Sun in an extremely dark sky. The gegenschein is sunlight back-scattered off small interplanetary dust particles. These dust particles are millimeter sized splinters from asteroids and orbit in the ecliptic plane of the planets. Pictured above from last year is one of the more spectacular pictures of the gegenschein yet taken. Here a deep exposure of an extremely dark sky over Las Campanas Observatory in Chile shows the gegenschein so clearly that even a surrounding glow is visible. Notable background objects include the Andromeda galaxy, the Pleiades star cluster, the California Nebula, the belt of Orion just below the Orion Nebula and inside Barnard's Loop, and bright stars Rigel and Betelgeuse. The gegenschein is distinguished from zodiacal light near the Sun by the high angle of reflection. During the day, a phenomenon similar to the gegenschein called the glory can be seen in reflecting air or clouds opposite the Sun from an airplane.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140114.html

#space_related #space #gegenschein #astrophotography #Photography #mountains #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

"The last and only time I saw a full circle rainbow was at an exhibition by Olafur Eliasson at the ARoS Museum Aarhus in Denmark. And in a completely unspectacular room with a black floor, walls and ceiling, to which a curved black garden hose peppered with fine holes was attached, from which a mist floated downwards. On two opposite walls hung a construction lamp, which shone light on the fog in the middle of the room at a 45° angle downwards. I walked through the fog with my eyes open and saw a complete rainbow ring that closed from the outside in, opened again and then disappeared."
https://olafureliasson.net/
https://www.aros.dk/en

2014 September 30

A Full Circle Rainbow over Australia
* Image Credit & Copyright: Colin Leonhardt (Birdseye View Photography)
https://www.birdseyeviewphotography.com.au/contact.shtml

Explanation:
Have you ever seen an entire rainbow? From the ground, typically, only the top portion of a rainbow is visible because directions toward the ground have fewer raindrops. From the air, though, the entire 360 degree circle of a rainbow is more commonly visible. Pictured here, a full circle rainbow was captured over Cottesloe Beach near Perth, Australia last year by a helicopter flying between a setting sun and a downpour. An observer-dependent phenomenon primarily caused by the internal reflection of sunlight by raindrops, the 84-degree diameter rainbow followed the helicopter, intact, for about 5 kilometers. As a bonus, a second rainbow that was more faint and color-reversed was visible outside the first.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140930.html

#space_related #space #rainbow #astrophotography #Photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

"Now it's time for me and I wish you a pleasant night and endless beautiful dreams. Thanks for the nice chat in between. Stay hopeful."

2025 March 30
A Partial Solar Eclipse over Iceland
* Image Credit & Copyright: Wioleta Gorecka
https://www.instagram.com/wiola.gorecka/

Explanation:
What if the Sun and Moon rose together? That happened yesterday over some northern parts of planet Earth as a partial solar eclipse occurred shortly after sunrise. Regions that experienced the Moon blocking part of the Sun included northeastern parts of North America and northwestern parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The featured image was captured yesterday over the Grábrók volcanic crater in Iceland where much of the Sun became momentarily hidden behind the Moon. The image was taken through a cloudy sky but so well planned that the photographer's friend appeared to be pulling the Sun out from behind the Moon. No part of the Earth experienced a total solar eclipse this time. In the distant past, some of humanity was so surprised when an eclipse occurred that ongoing battles suddenly stopped. Today, eclipses are not a surprise and are predicted with an accuracy of seconds.
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/mar-29-2025-eclipse/
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240310.html
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/accuracy.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIPyR6-bko

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250330.html

#space #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #iceland #NASA

2004 August 6

The Giant and the Glory
* Credit & Copyright: Franz Kerschbaum (Univ. Vienna)

Explanation:
On a flight from Vienna to Brussels, astronomer Franz Kerschbaum looked out the window and photographed this beautiful atmospheric phenomenon, the glory, shining in the direction directly opposite the Sun. Before airplanes, the glory, known to some as the heiligenschein or the Specter of the Brocken, was occasionally seen from mountaintops. There, when conditions were right, one could look away from the Sun and see what appeared to be the shadow of a giant surrounded by a bright halo. Of course, the giant turns out to be the observer, and in the modern version a silhouette of a plane frequently occupies the glory's center. The cause of the glory is relatively complex. Briefly, small droplets of water reflect, refract, and diffract sunlight backwards towards the Sun. The phenomenon has a counterpart in astronomy, where looking out from planet Earth in the direction opposite the Sun yields a bright spot called the gegenschein.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040806.html

#space_related #space #rainbow #astrophotography #Photography #science #physics #nature #Space_Culture_Club

2012 March 31

Paris by Night
* Image Credit & Copyright: Serge Brunier (TWAN)

Explanation:
Do you recognize the lights of Paris in this picture? In the cityscape taken on March 25 from the top of the 210 meter tall Montparnasse skyscraper, many will spot the looming Eiffel Tower, or the large domed structure of Les Invalides (right), or the colorfully lit elevated Metro train line gently curving toward picture center. You can even pick out the Arc de Triomphe close to the horizon on the right. But regardless of your location, the celestial lights near the western horizon should look very familiar. The lovely triple conjuntion of brilliant Venus (top), Jupiter, and a young crescent Moon was visible in evening skies around planet Earth.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120331.html

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2009 October 23

A Galilean Night
* Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann

Explanation:
Driving along on a summer evening, near the small town of Weikersheim in southern Germany, photographer Jens Hackmann had to stop. He couldn't resist pointing his camera and telephoto lens at this lovely conjunction of a Full Moon and planet Jupiter looming near the steeple of a local church. Of course, 400 years ago, Galileo couldn't resist pointing his newly constructed telescope at these celestial beacons either. When he did, he found craters and mountains on the not-so-smooth lunar surface and discovered the large moons of Jupiter now known as the Galilean Moons. Jupiter's Galilean moons are just visible in this photo as tiny pinpricks of light very near the bright planet.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091023.html

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