Panoramic view of Noctulucent Clouds from Kendal Castle in the UK. Credit: Stu Atkinson
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Mysterious “night shining” or Noctilucent Clouds are beautiful to behold, and here are some gorgeous examples what skywatchers in the UK have been experiencing. Stu Atkinson took this stunning panoramic view from Kendal Castle. (Click image for access to a larger version). NLCs are usually seen during the summertime, appearing at sunset. They are thin, wavy ice clouds that form at very high altitudes and reflect sunlight long after the Sun has dropped below the horizon. Scientists don’t know exactly why they form, and they seem to be appearing more and more in recent times.
See more below.
Science writer Will Gater also had a great view of NLCs this morning. Click the image to see his animation, or see more of his images and animations at his website post.
NLCs seen over the UK on July 1, 2011. Click to see animation. Credit: Will GaterAnother view of Noctilucent Clouds from Kendal Castle in the UK on July 1, 2011. Credit: Stu Atkinson
Noctilucent Cloud display with the bright star Capella over West Berkshire UK Credit: Adrian West
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Noctilucent Clouds are finally here! Well, at least they were for me at about 3:00am on the 29th of June.
I have heard that there have been some sightings, but for me, this mornings display heralds the new NLC season – a month later than usual?
Conditions were amazingly warm, and the night was still and magical as I looked northwards from my home in West Berkshire UK. I couldn’t help but notice a burning bright star almost due North and quite low, Capella in the constellation of Auriga! This is when I spotted the first faint wisps of noctilucent cloud.
Capella isn’t always in the North, but it is this time of year and it usually makes a guest appearance during morning noctilucent cloud displays.
Noctilucent clouds are very rare and tenuous clouds on the edge of space and occur at altitudes of around 76 to 85 kilometers (47 to 53 miles).
They are only seen when conditions are just right (still not fully understood) after sunset or before sunrise. They are illuminated by the sun, which is still way below the horizon from the observers location. Due to their very delicate nature, noctilucent clouds can only be seen at these times. More info on what NLC’s are, can be found here
'Blazing Bristlecone' by Tom Lowe of the USA, winner of the 2010 years Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
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Astrophotography is one thing we can’t get enough of here on Universe Today and some of the best amateur astronomy images can be found at the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Interested in entering? There’s just over a month to go until the Royal Observatory in Greenwich’s annual contest closes. If you have taken some astrophotos this year, why not enter? You’ll need to submit any entries by 13 July, 2011 for a chance of winning what has become a prestigious award for amateur astronomers.
The prizes include a top prize of £1,500 and pride of place in the exhibition of photos which opens at the ROG in September. I was fortunate to be on hand for the award ceremony in 2010, and it was a wonderful event. Each entrant can submit up to five images to the competition and some truly breathtaking photos can already be seen on the official Flickr page for the competition.
There are four main categories you can enter: Earth & Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space and Young Astronomy Photographer of The Year. And this year there are also three special awards – one for newcomers, another for shots that creatively capture people and space, and a third for images that have been taken by robotic/remote telescopes and that have been processed by you.
Photographers can enter online by visiting www.nmm.ac.uk/astrophoto, where full competition rules and some top tips on photographing everything from star trails to deep space objects are also available.
The panel of judges includes Sir Patrick Moore and the ROG’s Public Astronomer Dr. Marek Kukula. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on the 8 September, and an exhibition of the winning images will open to the public at the Royal Observatory the following day.
Good luck, and we hope to be posting YOUR winning image here on Universe Today!
You can follow Universe Today senior editor Nancy Atkinson on Twitter: @Nancy_A. Follow Universe Today for the latest space and astronomy news on Twitter @universetoday and on Facebook.
Europa and Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Voyager 1, March 3, 1979. 2003 Credit: NASA; JPL/Kinetikon Pictures. Used by permission.
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We’ve featured many space images here on Universe Today that have been produced by imaging enthusiasts who take raw images from a mission or spacecraft and refine them into what many consider works of art. Michael Benson has taken this activity to a level “above and beyond” by creating exhibits, books, and movies portraying the images taken by our robotic emissaries to the solar system.
“Travelers hurrying through Concourse C of Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC may be in danger of missing their flight because of a stunning and attention-grabbing exhibit of Benson’s work in the walkway there,” said Bob Hirshon from the American Association for the Advancement for Science (AAAS), who interviewed Benson on today’s 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. Above is an example of Benson’s work, a Voyager image of Europa hovering in front of a tempestuous Jupiter.
Since 1995 Benson, through his company Kinetikon, has produced a series of books, exhibitions, films, and photographic prints which explore the intersection of art and ideology and feature planetary landscapes and galactic vistas.
“Experiencing Benson’s work, you get the feeling that it comprises a kind of travel log—the way Anselm Adams’ photos give you a sense of the photographer visiting exotic locales and waiting patiently for the light and shadows to hit exactly right before snapping his photo,” said Hirshon, artistically describing Benson’s images. “But of course, Benson can’t really visit his locations.”
Benson said this type of work is not hard, but it’s not easy either. For example, the image above is created from about 60 raw frames assembled by Benson over a period of months. “I would like to think that that picture will kind of take its place as a key image in the history of exploration, because it’s such an extraordinary image,” Benson said.
Some other examples of Benson’s work:
Night Side of Saturn, Cassini, October 28, 2006. 2011 Credit: NASA; JPL/Kinetikon Pictures. Used by permission.
Of this Cassini image of Saturn, Benson said: “The only way to really see it in its full glory is to do the image processing. And when I put that picture together, I felt extraordinarily privileged, you know because I realized that I was probably the first human being to see it in color, the way it would be seen if we were there, because I doubt any planetary scientist went into that data and did what I did, it took about two days of work. And so I had this feeling of privilege, almost like I was exploring space myself, to see that extraordinary thing.”
Transit of Io, Cassini, January 1, 2001. 2011 Credit: NASA; JPL/Kinetikon Pictures. Used by Permission.
Benson’s next project is a book with a working title of “Planetfall,” featuring solar system images taken since the turn of the century, a period of exploration that humankind has never experienced before.
If you’d like to see more of Michael Benson’s work, visit his website at www.kinetikonpictures.com. To read about how he creates his work, click on Exhibits and then “About The Photographs.”
Astronaut Fill'er Up! Image credit and copyright: Hunter Freeman. Used by permission.
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What do astronauts do when they aren’t in space? Commercial photographer Hunter Freeman’s images all seem to have a bit of whimsy included, and his series of suited astronauts doing everyday things us regular humans may find humdrum will bring a smile to your face, guaranteed. Make sure you look for the small, very relevant details! Check out the entire series at this link, and learn more about his work at his website.
The Orion Nebula from Paredón, Coah, Mexico. Credit: César Cantú
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This stunning new image of the Orion Nebula has a bit of salsa to it! César Cantú of the Chiledog Observatory in Monterrey, Mexico took this image earlier this month. But he had to travel to Paredón, Coah in Mexico to escape the fog to get this great image. Here are the specs: Orion Atlas mount, 90mm Astrotech APO telescope camera; LRGB QSI540, 3 hours with 600 seconds subs. But the fog tried to follow, César told us. “The intention was 4 hours, but the fog did not allow it,” he said. See more of his great images at this website, Astronomía Y Astrofotografía.
Photographer Terje Sorgjerd spent a week capturing what he called “one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years,” and the results are simply stunning. The footage was shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park in the very north part of Norway, which borders Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures were around -25 Celsius, Sorgjerd said.
The full Moon on March 19, 2011, as seen in Ankara, Turkey. Credit: Ra?id Tu?ra
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How super was your full Moon on March 19, 2011? I was completely clouded out, but thankfully quite a few people have been kind enough to share their images. Here are a pictures sent in by readers, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. We’ve got images from all around the world, and even though the size of the Moon really wasn’t that much bigger than usual, (read here why not) it is great to see so many people getting out and looking up at the sky! Our lead image comes from Rasid Tugral in Ankara, Turkey.
This view of the March 19, 2011 full Moon was taken on West Kennet Avenue at the Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Credit: Pete GlastonburyPerigee moonrise from Rothenfels, Germany. Credit: Daniel Fischer.
Jason Major from Lights in the Dark created this image from a combination of two exposures from his Nikon D80 and 200mm telephoto.
The full super moon. Credit: Peter RiesettThe full moon is seen as it rises near the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Washington. The full moon tonight is called a "Super Perigee Moon" since it is at it's closest to Earth in 2011. The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Supermoon through the trees. Credit: Adam Schaefer‘I took a few shots of the moon during last week and collected three of them to the same picture adding color lines to help the viewer to compare the size of the moon when it is nearing to its perigree status. All the shots have been taken in Laukaa, Central Finland with Sony Alpha700 dslr -camera equipped with 300mm minolta telephoto lens and 2x tele converter, hand held, manual focus. Unfortunately, the night 19.3.2011 was here cloudy, so I couldn't take photos then.’ Credit: Jukka Seppala, Teacher, nature photographer, Vihtavuori, Central FinlandFull Moon over Florida, sent in by cmurray6.'I see the Supermoon a rising, I see trouble on the way ....' taken with an iPhone and a 3.5-inch scope: Credit: Bill DillonThe Moon over the San Francisco, CA Bay Area. Credit: Diane GarberThe Moon and an old coal fired power station in Fremantle, Western Australia. Credit: Donna Oliver Rockingham, Western Australia
This gorgeous shot, was sent in by Donna Oliver from western Australia, take a bit of creative license. She says: “The goal was not to shoot the moon as such but to take advantage of the additional light. Obviously on a long exposure, the moon would not look this good, so I shot the moon, then added it. You can see star movement if you look carefully. I made the moon extra large as my interpretation of the Super Moon.”
'The Moon rising behind a couple of palm trees with cows grazing in the foreground. As you can see in the image, the bottom half of the moon has a different tint due to the earths atmosphere.' Credit: Tom Connor, Parrish, FL SuperMoon taken from Alpha Ridge, March 19, 2011. Credit: James WillinghanMoon over New Orleans. Credit: Peter JansenMoon over Cape Town, South Africa. Equipment: Canon 400D, Sigma 170-500 lens 'The Moon was definitely at its best. I did not try any new tricks as I wanted to compare the "supermoon" with my previous attempts. Phocussing was definitely much easier. My exposure was just right to show up the ejecta rays of the impact craters, Tycho and Copernicus as well.' Credit: Carol BothaThe Moon over Gulf Islands National Seashore near Navarre Beach, Florida. Credit: Mindi Meeks. Click the image to see more in a series taken by Mindi.A 'side by side' comparison of 4 different shots taken over the period of 30 hours before 'SuperMoon'. It shows the progression of Moon in it's orbit until the closest point. Credit: Ramiz Qureshi, from Karachi, Pakistan.This one is pretty creative: Saturdays "Supermoon" compared to the size of an apogee moon (2008). The 'big one' was taken yesterday (March 19, 2011). It is compared to the full moon fotographed at 20.4.2008. The same camera and optics was used (Canon EOS 40 D and Canon 100-400L IS @400mm). In 2008 moon distance was 406,000km, Saturday only 357,000km. Credit: Hans Schremmer Niederkrüchten GermanyThe Moon over Teneriffa, Canary Islands. Camera: Atik 314 E, Astrotrac and 70/420 tube. Credit: Vesa K.'I took this in my garden this evening about 9pm using my Tokina 500mm mirror lens. More detail than I was expecting to be honest,' said photographer Dave Green. Click the image to see his Flickr page. 'Supermoon was scared to shows its face to me.' Credit: Euan McIntoshFull moon over Bassett, Virginia, 03/19/2011. Credit: Essie HollandswortImage of the Full Moon at perigee, taken from Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on March 19th., 2011 at 20.05UT using a Canon 30D camera set at 1/800sec and 1000ASA. The camera was attached to an 80mm refractor of 500mm focal length and a x3 teleconverter giving an effective focal length of 1,500mm. Credit: Colin Henshaw.The full Moon over England. Credit: Jerry T Krzyzanowski. Click the image to see his gallery.This Super Moon image was taken in Pointe-Claire,Canada. The Super Moon is right behind Mercier bridge, one of the key bridge that ties the Montreal island to the south shore. Credit: Jean-Guy Corbeil, Beaconsfield, QuébecFull Moon over Lake Ontario, beside Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Credit: Nona Clark
Check out these two from Tavi Greiner on her blog, A Sky Full of Stars: In this one, the Moon rises over a boat on the Shallotte River, just a few hundred yards from the Atlantic Ocean.
And in this one, the Moon appears captured by the rigging, and even almost appears to have lit the ropes on fire.
The Rosette Nebula, double time. Credit: Cesar Cantu from Monterrey, Mexico, and the Chilidog Observatory. Click for high resolution version.
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Think you are seeing double in this new image of the Rosette Nebula? This new astrophoto from César Cantú in Monterrey, Mexico shows two different views of this massive cloud of dust and gas, comparing two techniques of combining filters so that different features stand out. César used a Takahashi FSQ106 telescope and a FLI 8300 camera with 3 nanometer narrowband and RGB filters, using an exposure time of 8 hours and subexposures of 600 seconds each. He used PixInsight and Photoshop CS for processing.
The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244) is part of a larger cluster, which lies at a distance of about 5,200 light years from Earth and in its entirety measures roughly 130 light years in diameter.
Thanks César for sharing your stunning image — flowers just in time for Valentine’s Day! See more at his website, Astronomía Y Astrofotografía.
35 hours of exposure time by R. Jay GaBany resulted in this deep, detailed view of NGC 891. Credit: R. Jay Gabany. Click for larger version.
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This image is a “first light” for noted amateur astronomer R. Jay GaBany’s new observatory, and it might be the deepest, most detailed view of the iconic edge-on spiral galaxy NCG 891. This first photograph from his new observatory in California includes almost 35 hours of exposure time! “As a result, hundreds of small, much more distant galaxies can be seen in the image as well as very small scale structures across the galaxy’s edge,” Jay wrote us. If you go to Jay’s website, Cosmotography.com, you can see larger versions where you can see very faint dust clouds, called cirrus, that have never been imaged within NGC 891 at this scale.
“Last fall, I moved my remote observatory from the south central mountains of New Mexico, where I have been taking pictures for the past five years,” Jay said, “to high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, between Yosemite and King’s Canyon National Parks, in the east central part of California….For me, the first picture included many test exposures taken to insure my instruments were functioning correctly. As a result, I chose a familiar subject so I could spot problems quickly. Luckily, I had very few challenges and my new remote observatory is now operating both smoothly and reliably!”
NGC 891 is located in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It’s easily visible with a small telescope this time of year and is a favorite subject for astrophotographers. “However, no image of this galaxy (to my knowledge) has gone as deep as this picture,” Jay said.
Also, Universe Today would like to send our congratulations to Jay for being recognized by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and Sky & Telescope Magazine, as he was awarded the Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award for his work with Dr. David Delgado and his team of professional astronomers! The award is given annually to an amateur astronomer from North America who makes outstanding contributions to scientific research.
Jay was cited as being one of the world’s leading amateur astrophotographers for the past decade, “who has single-handedly, through his dedicated and careful work, spawned a new research direction in the exploration of galaxy evolution via low-surface-brightness imaging of galaxy halo substructure,” the AAS press release said. “GaBany has devoted hundreds of hours working with professional astronomers to make deep images that reveal faint tidal streams and rings in the outer halos of galaxies, indicative of recent and ongoing galaxy interactions with dwarf satellites, supporting studies of galaxy formation.”
