Mars Sunset

Friends,

 

If you ever wondered what a sunset would look like on Mars...here you go. :-)

 

Blessing, Don

 

  



A Comet, A Planet and a Star

Friends,

I love this recent photo courtesy of APOD and Pete Lawrence (Digital-Atronomy)...(and I am happy that the site is back up, as it is APOD.gov ;-). The photo features...from top to bottom...the comet ISON, the planet Mars and the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo. ISON should become brighter over the next few months.

Blessings, Don

Saturn Peekaboo

Friends,

Any picture containing Saturn in it is automatically going to be a favorite for me. There is just something about the rings, of course...but it is also about the colors on the planet itself. Here, in a picture by Jens Hackmann who captures the planet phasing from behind the moon in an intriguing "close-up".

Blessings, Don

Friends,

Shots from Saturn

Friends, speaking of the Creator of the universe, it has been awhile since I have posted anything related to "space", but these shots of the Earth from Saturn by the Cassini spacecraft fascinated me. It is definitely blue, but not the big blue marble shots that we are accustomed to seeing from the moon. Blessings, Don

Points of Light



Friends,

I believe that shots of the earth like the one below...that show the lights of populated areas...are remarkable.  This is the first one that I have seen that is a composite of the whole earth.  Enjoy!

Blessings, Don

Going Deep into the Universe

Friends,

This is the deepest picture of the universe ever taken in visible light.  It was done with the Hubble Space Telescope's ACS camera and is of an eXtreme Deep Field (obviously) or XDF.  Some of the oldest galaxies ever seen are in this image.  I marvel at all of the colors in God's creation.  Enjoy!

Blessings, Don

Flare of Fire

Friends,

Close-up photos of the sun by the Solar Dynamics Observatory are always stunning to me.  This image makes it appear that the sun is exploding, (which, in all likelihood, it will do someday)...but this eruption of a solar filament, while striking, is not too unusual. 

Blessings, Don

Venus Transit...A Closer View.

Friends,

Last week's transit of Venus across the sun was spectacular in so many respects.  There have been images captured of it.  I had the opportunity to view it through my telescope on a sunscreen, and it was a treat.  Here is a closer view from the Hinode spacecraft.  Enjoy!

Blessings, Don

Recent Eclipse...Outside of the Box

Friends,

Many of you may have seen some beautiful photos of the eclipse last week...just before sunset on the skyline.  Here is a view of the moon's shadow (top center) cast upon the earth as viewed from a satellite.  I thought it was an interesting perspective...

Blessings, Don

A Fascinating Little Graphic

Friends,

Even though oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface, they are quite shallow in comprarison to the radius of the earth.  The image below (with credit to Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Howard Perlman, USGS) shows what would happen if all of the water on the surface of the Earth, relative to it's depth, was rolled up into a ball.  It would be able to fit easily in relationship to the area of the U.S...amazing. 

Blessings, Don

Shuttle Swan Song

Friends,

The space shuttle program has ended and the space shuttles, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavor, are being retired to three different museums in Washington D.C., Florida, and California.  Below are shots of the flightdeck of the shuttle Endeavor and of the shuttle Discovery riding piggy back for a last time...much the same way as did the experimental shuttle, Enterprise, 35 years ago.  (Both pictures courtesy of Ben Cooper, Launch Photography).  It is hard to believe this much time has passed since the beginning of the program.  I look forward to what other space travel alternatives that NASA, Richard Branson and others continue to develop.

Blessings, Don

Milky Way Minus Dust

Friends,

Here is an intensive picture of the Milky Way by Mike Reid showing, literally, more than a billion stars. I am not certain how they figure such matters, but we'll take the experts' word for it. :-) Our galaxy has at least 100 billion stars in it, so this is truly a infinitely small sample. Suddenly, I am feeling mighty small. Nonetheless, I have never seen anything like this photo. It was was taken with a special infrared filter than cuts through much of the galactic dust that regularly obscures atronomers' views, so much, much more can be seen.

Blessings, Don

Makes Me Thankful for 70 Degrees and Sunny

Friends,

Here is a picture of one of Saturn's moon, Enceladus, from the spacecraft Cassini. It is interesting to note the mountain ranges and half-mile deep canyon. The dark side looks gray, but in reality, it is a bright (cold) snowy white color as revealed by the sun in the crescent. The video reveals ice geysers on the south pole --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7fpErxgWzQ. The surface temperature averages about -200 degree C. Thankful that winter is nearly over here on the home world. :-)

Blessings, Don

Eagle Aurora

Friends,

Over the past few days, the earth has been pounded by magnetic radiation from a massive solar flare. By the time these flares reach the earth, they display themselves as beautiful auroras in our atmosphere. Below is a picture taken by Bjørn Jørgensen in Norway. Enjoy God's wondrous blessings,

Don

Four Moons of Saturn

Friends,

I love this picture of Saturn and four of its moons. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, measuring 3200 miles across (larger than our own moon, 2160 miles across) is quite imposing in the background, while Dione, measuring 700 miles across, is in front of Titan in the foreground. The small moon, Pandora, measuring 50 miles across, is just outside of the last ring. I mention "four" moons, but where is fourth? It is called, Pan, and is in the black space between rings in an area called Encke Gap. It is one of the smallest of Saturn's many moon, measuring only 22 miles across. I marvel at the shots that our telescopes and spacecraft provide.

Blessings, Don




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A View from the ISS

Seeing Red

Friends,

I asked Ian where this picture was taken? He said what I was thinking -- Arizona? New Mexico? Perhaps, Eastern WA even? How about Mars...

Blessings, Don

Last Shuttle Flight

Friends,

This is a picture of the very last shuttle reentry from orbit. The Space Shuttle Atlantis came home for the last time 10 days ago. There will be a hiatus in manned space flight from the U.S. for some time, but there will continue to be flights from Russia, as well as other robotic crafts that will be launched to explore our solar system...and beyond.

Blessings,
Don

The Lights of Egypt

Friends,

A wondrous shot of the Nile River Delta population in Egypt...from above...

Blessings, Don

Italy from Space

Friends,

Here is a great night-time view of Italy's boot and the island of Sicily by astronaut, Doug Wheelock, from the International Space Station. I wouldn't mind seeing Italy from space...or on the ground.

Blessings, Don