Universe Today

June 13, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

What’s Up this Week – June 12-18, 2006

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! This week will be an exciting one as we return the the galaxy hunt and view the cosmos through the eyes of Pioneer. The excitement heats up as the Ophiuchid meteor shower comes along and Mars mixes it up with the Beehive. Still not enough? Then hang on as the June Lyrids streak across the night and Saturn and Mars team up to join Mercury! It’s going to be one great week to enjoy the night, because…

Here’s what’s up!
Continue reading “What’s Up this Week – June 12-18, 2006”

June 13, 2006June 5, 2022 by Fraser Cain

Extreme Star Birth in Merging Galaxies

The newest image released from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the turbulent region where two galaxies are merging together. The galactic collision is known as Arp 220, and it’s one of the nearest, brightest examples of this in the sky. Hubble’s keen vision has located more than 200 massive star clusters, the largest of which is twice as big as anything we have in the Milky Way. Arp 220 should continue producing new start clusters until it runs out of gas in about 40 million years.
Continue reading “Extreme Star Birth in Merging Galaxies”

June 13, 2006December 7, 2022 by Fraser Cain

Astrophoto: Sagittarius Wide Field View

Around midnight this time of year it’s possible to witness the fires that smolder at our galaxy’s core. Northern star gazers can see this by looking to the south, just above the horizon. Folks in the southern hemisphere should look closer overhead. Regardless, it’s a view that should not be missed, if possible. This picture offers a tantalizing close-up that’s part of the scene.
Continue reading “Astrophoto: Sagittarius Wide Field View”

June 13, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

Strange Cloud Features on Saturn

This close up view of Saturn shows an unusual feature in its atmosphere. It appears as if part of one belt is crossing over into another. Another possibility is that it’s just an illusion created by different layers of clouds. Cassini took this photograph on May 12, 2006 at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn.
Continue reading “Strange Cloud Features on Saturn”

June 13, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

CALIPSO Begins Scientific Observations

NASA’s newly launched CALIPSO Earth observation satellite began its scientific observations last week. The satellite is designed to help scientists understand what effect cloud reflectivity and aerosol particles are having on the planet’s climate. CALIPSO is part of a satellite formation called the A-Train; several satellites in the same orbit which can analyze the same spot on Earth, one after the other.
Continue reading “CALIPSO Begins Scientific Observations”

June 12, 2006March 29, 2013 by Fraser Cain

Gigantic Ball of Fire Discovered

An international team of astronomers have discovered a massive gas ball hurtling through a distant galaxy cluster. This ball of gas is traveling more than 750 km/second (466 miles/second) through galaxy cluster Abell 3266. The enormous speed and pressure has heated the gas up to the point that it blazes in the X-ray spectrum. The discovery was made using ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray satellite.
Continue reading “Gigantic Ball of Fire Discovered”

June 12, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

Icy Tail on Enceladus

A plume of water ice is seen streaming off the southern pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus in this photograph. Cassini used very long exposure to capture the wispy stream of vapour, so everything else in the image is overexposed. Cassini took the photograph on May 4, 2006 at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Enceladus.
Continue reading “Icy Tail on Enceladus”

June 12, 2006March 29, 2013 by Fraser Cain

Ancient Martian Volcano Caldera

This image, taken by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, shows Apollinaris Patera, an ancient volcano caldera near Gusev Crater on Mars. The massive volcano measures 180 by 280 kilometres (112 by 174 miles) at its base and rises 5 km (3 miles) above the surrounding terrain. The bluish-tinted haze are thin clouds above the rim of the caldera.
Continue reading “Ancient Martian Volcano Caldera”

June 12, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

One of the biggest brightest clusters of stars in the sky is 47 Tucanae, located in the southern constellation of the Toucan. Located about 16,000 light years away, this globular cluster contains a million times the mass of our Sun, and measures 120 light years across. The stars in the cluster are so dense, they average only 1/10th a light year apart; approximately the size of the Solar System. This photograph was taken using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.
Continue reading “Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae”

June 12, 2006March 24, 2012 by Fraser Cain

Highway of Stars in the Sky

A pair of astronomers from the US and Italy have discovered a stream of stars moving through the sky at 230 km/second (500,000 mph). The stream has been found to extend 30,000 light years across the sky, but it could extend even further. The discoverers believe the stream is all the remains of a gigantic star cluster that was torn apart by the Milky Way’s gravity. If correct, there could be hundreds more of these streams circling our galaxy.
Continue reading “Highway of Stars in the Sky”