3
POPSNew Comet http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/08/18/a-newly-discovered-comet-brings-tidings-from-the-oort-cloud/
10
POPSSun dog -nature A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, plural parhelia, for "beside the sun") is a common bright circular spot on a solar halo. It is an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Often, two sun dogs can be seen (one on each side of the sun) simultaneously.
6
POPSComet Holmes Take a look at some of the amazing photos taken by stargazers all over the world.
1
POPSHolmes Shakes Tail in Nightsky At this time, Comet Holmes doesn't appear to have a tail. Astronomers do not know if one will eventually become visible. You can follow Comet Holmes progress with the naked eye. It can be seen in the northeast evening sky. It is in the Perseus constellation. First face the North Star (Polaris) and locate the constellation Cassiopeia, which is at about 2 o'clock from Polaris. Perseus is at about 4 o'clock from Cassiopeia. In the Perseus constellation, find the brightest star, Mirfak. Mirfak is the top corner of a small triangle. Comet Holmes is the lower-left corner of the small triangle.
0
POPSComet 17P/Holmes outburst Comet 17P/Holmes A 30-minute exposure by I. Roberts (England) revealed "a very dense circular nucleus surrounded by symmetrical nebulosity, which gave the comet the appearance of a nebulous star." He measured the coma as 39 arc seconds across and the nuclear condensation as 14 arc seconds across. very early on the morning of October 24, Juan Antonio HenrÂ’quez Santana (Spain) reported that the comet was much brighter than expected. Through the end of October, most observers were reporting the comet holding at magnitude 2.6-2.8. G. W. Kronk obtained this image of comet 17P/Holmes on 2007 October 28.
5
POPSExploding comet draws attention The comet has grown larger than Jupiter, and can now be seen with the naked eye in the constellation Perseus.It is said to be, like the shoemaker levy collision with Jupiter, a once in a lifetime event. I'don't know how far away it is, but I'll paste to a link in comments with more technical details, (and a better picture) in comments.
5
POPSColossal Tail Trails Dying Star And this is why the Human Race needs to expand into space. One day, this will be our Sun, and if we are still trapped on one little ball of rock orbiting it, Humanity too will die.
7
POPSSimply amazing - star leaving a "comet tail" This is a star, travelling at roughly 82 miles per second. The tail you see is caused by mass being ejected due to the conditions under which its fuel is burning (thin shell helium fusion), making the star almost pulse with energy, throwing off gas, which is glowing in the ultra-violet spectrum. The tail is 13 light-years long and represents 30 millennia of travel for the star in question, which has been named Mira (my-rah), translated as "wonderful". Truly awe-inspiring.
0
POPSPhotos of an Australian Summer. Sky, Sea and Earth The beauty of Nature can make so many problems seem unimportant, and so many others seem critical. If we pick a rose, we can enjoy it's perfume. If we leave it on the rose bush we can still enjoy the perfume, but so can everybody else.
13
POPS The Magnificent Tail of Comet McNaught Explanation: Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, has grown a long and filamentary tail. The spectacular tail spreads across the sky and is visible to Southern Hemisphere observers just after sunset. The head of the comet remains quite bright and easily visible to even city observers without any optical aide. The amazing tail is visible on long exposures and even to the unaided eye from a dark location. Reports even have the tail visible just above the horizon after sunset for many northern observers as well. Comet McNaught, estimated at magnitude -2 (minus two), was caught by the comet's discoverer in the above image just after sunset last Friday from Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Comet McNaught, the brightest comet in decades, is now fading as it moves further into southern skies and away from the Sun and Earth.
6
POPSSun Dogs I had never heard of sun dogs until recently. I had seen the little rainbow like light, but had no idea what it was. Now I know.
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update