APOD 1.4

Picture from September 20, 2010

This APOD picture shows the aurora borealis over Norway. Also called the northern lights, this wondrous phenomenon actually depicts Earth's magnetic field struggling to ward off charged particles from the sun. Since the magnetic field is weakest near the poles, some of these particles get through and collide with air molecules high in the atmosphere, which causes the light show. Because the phenomenon requires both a magnetic field and a relatively substantial atmosphere, it does not occur on bodies such as the moon, but can be observed near the poles of planets like Jupiter and Saturn. In those cases however, the charged particles come less from the sun and more from the planets' moons.

Observation: 9/20/10

I observed the constellation Scorpius along with its alpha star, Antares, at about 9:00 PM EDT from my backyard. It was in the southern sky with an altitude of around 40 degrees. Due to the brightness of the waxing gibbous moon, I could see only three stars of the constellation clearly (including Antares) with the naked eye. Using binoculars, I could see around seven.

APOD 1.3

Picture from September 14, 2010

This picture, taken by the Hubble Telescope, depicts a strange phenomenon. Nobody is sure what caused that spiral shape to the left, much less why it seems to glow. The current hypothesis is that it is the proto-planetary disk (basically a mass of swirling gas and dust left over from star formation) of a young binary star system (LL Pegasi). The spiral seems to be expanding, adding another layer approximately every 800 years. Coincidentally, this is roughly the time it would take for the stars to orbit each other. This also shows that although our knowledge of the universe is constantly expanding, there is still much we have yet to learn.

APOD 1.2

Picture from  September 10, 2010

This picture is of remnants of a supernova in the northwestern edge of the constellation of Vela. The supernova was the result of the death of a large star around 11,800 years ago. The remnants are about 800 light years away, so we are actually viewing the region as it was 800 years ago. Although it might be a beautiful sight, actually going near the area might be dangerous. The star left behind a pulsar, a stellar core that spins very rapidly and emits large amounts of radiation. It is fortunate that we can observe the majesty of these remnants from a safe distance.

APOD 1.1

On picture from August 30, 2010

When we examine the area in the vicinity of the Comanche Outcrops on Mars, there are rocks containing carbonates that would have dissolved in acidic water. Therefore, the water on Mars could have been closer to a neutral pH. I believe this is strong evidence that life as we know it once existed on Mars. This is a fascinating prospect, hence why I chose this picture. Martian exploration seems to be very important in terms of gaining insight into whether there's life on other worlds and what that life might be like. This, in turn, could be very important in our ultimate understanding of the universe.