Radiomind
@radiomind.bsky.social
Tuned-in to the vibe of the visible universe.
Have Telescope; Will Travel
I'm getting fired-up for the Grand Canyon Star Party June 1-8, 2024. I'll be at the South Rim Visitor Center with my 8" SCT, and the focus will be on springtime globular clusters. Come have a look! 🔭
May 5, 2024 at 1:57 PM
Have Telescope; Will Travel
I'm getting fired-up for the Grand Canyon Star Party June 1-8, 2024. I'll be at the South Rim Visitor Center with my 8" SCT, and the focus will be on springtime globular clusters. Come have a look! 🔭
Ice has formed on Euclid's mirrors. Water outgassing from the structure in the vacuum of space has condensed and frozen on the cold optical surfaces.
The ice is the thickness of a DNA strand. Careful heating should remove the ice, and over time, deplete the outgassing.
🔭
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
The ice is the thickness of a DNA strand. Careful heating should remove the ice, and over time, deplete the outgassing.
🔭
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
March 21, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Ice has formed on Euclid's mirrors. Water outgassing from the structure in the vacuum of space has condensed and frozen on the cold optical surfaces.
The ice is the thickness of a DNA strand. Careful heating should remove the ice, and over time, deplete the outgassing.
🔭
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
The ice is the thickness of a DNA strand. Careful heating should remove the ice, and over time, deplete the outgassing.
🔭
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
It appears that something exploded...
March 13, 2024 at 3:00 AM
It appears that something exploded...
Lunar crater Mendeleev contains a line of smaller craters called "Catena Mendeleev." This is an example of a crater chain created when elements of a single larger object disintegrated before impact due to tidal forces.
March 10, 2024 at 8:59 PM
Lunar crater Mendeleev contains a line of smaller craters called "Catena Mendeleev." This is an example of a crater chain created when elements of a single larger object disintegrated before impact due to tidal forces.
Graze craters of the lunar surface.
Eons after the Moon was created, debris from the Earth and the impactor rained back down on the Moon helping to create the pockmarked surface.
Here is an example of graze craters where meteors impacted at an acute angle, creating a divot in the lunar surface.
Eons after the Moon was created, debris from the Earth and the impactor rained back down on the Moon helping to create the pockmarked surface.
Here is an example of graze craters where meteors impacted at an acute angle, creating a divot in the lunar surface.
March 6, 2024 at 10:18 PM
Graze craters of the lunar surface.
Eons after the Moon was created, debris from the Earth and the impactor rained back down on the Moon helping to create the pockmarked surface.
Here is an example of graze craters where meteors impacted at an acute angle, creating a divot in the lunar surface.
Eons after the Moon was created, debris from the Earth and the impactor rained back down on the Moon helping to create the pockmarked surface.
Here is an example of graze craters where meteors impacted at an acute angle, creating a divot in the lunar surface.
This is Westerlund 2, a compact star cluster with some of the most massive, luminous stars in the galaxy, including numerous O-class stars and runaway Wolf-Rayet stars.
The large number of pre-main sequence stars with masses below 2.5 M☉ suggests the cluster is only 2 million years old.
The large number of pre-main sequence stars with masses below 2.5 M☉ suggests the cluster is only 2 million years old.
March 4, 2024 at 2:53 PM
This is Westerlund 2, a compact star cluster with some of the most massive, luminous stars in the galaxy, including numerous O-class stars and runaway Wolf-Rayet stars.
The large number of pre-main sequence stars with masses below 2.5 M☉ suggests the cluster is only 2 million years old.
The large number of pre-main sequence stars with masses below 2.5 M☉ suggests the cluster is only 2 million years old.
An Astronomer's Notebook.
My wife, an antiquarian, hand made this replica of a third century Nag Hammadi codex using goatskin, papyrus and modern fountain pen paper for the signature (quire). It's the perfect accessory to my new telescope!🔭
March 3, 2024 at 1:01 AM
An Astronomer's Notebook.
My wife, an antiquarian, hand made this replica of a third century Nag Hammadi codex using goatskin, papyrus and modern fountain pen paper for the signature (quire). It's the perfect accessory to my new telescope!🔭
NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured this image of the Jovian ring system while the probe was in the planet's shadow and the planet was backlit by the Sun.
March 2, 2024 at 6:11 PM
NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured this image of the Jovian ring system while the probe was in the planet's shadow and the planet was backlit by the Sun.
This portion of a lunar wrinkle ridge has many boulders gathered on its slopes. These boulders are eroding out of the wrinkle ridge. What is the erosive mechanism? There is no wind or rain on the Moon. Most likely micrometeorites are slowly blasting loose regolith particles revealing the boulders.
February 29, 2024 at 10:49 PM
This portion of a lunar wrinkle ridge has many boulders gathered on its slopes. These boulders are eroding out of the wrinkle ridge. What is the erosive mechanism? There is no wind or rain on the Moon. Most likely micrometeorites are slowly blasting loose regolith particles revealing the boulders.
On Feb. 22, Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, completed a seven-day journey to lunar orbit and softly landed near crater Malapert A. On Feb. 24, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over the landing site at an altitude of about 56 miles (90 km) and photographed Odysseus.
February 29, 2024 at 3:50 PM
On Feb. 22, Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, completed a seven-day journey to lunar orbit and softly landed near crater Malapert A. On Feb. 24, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over the landing site at an altitude of about 56 miles (90 km) and photographed Odysseus.
"The Pillars of Creation"
This is the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens imaged by the JWST NIRcam infrared camera. In our galaxy about 1-3 new stars are born every year. The largest new stars will live short lives before exploding as core collapse supernovae. Note the red glow of new stars.
This is the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens imaged by the JWST NIRcam infrared camera. In our galaxy about 1-3 new stars are born every year. The largest new stars will live short lives before exploding as core collapse supernovae. Note the red glow of new stars.
February 24, 2024 at 10:22 PM
"The Pillars of Creation"
This is the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens imaged by the JWST NIRcam infrared camera. In our galaxy about 1-3 new stars are born every year. The largest new stars will live short lives before exploding as core collapse supernovae. Note the red glow of new stars.
This is the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens imaged by the JWST NIRcam infrared camera. In our galaxy about 1-3 new stars are born every year. The largest new stars will live short lives before exploding as core collapse supernovae. Note the red glow of new stars.
The Dwingeloo Radio Telescope (DRT), commissioned in 1956, is one of the oldest radio telescopes in the world. Enthusiastic radio amateurs gave the DRT a second life. In 2007 they established the CAMRAS foundation and started to renovate and use the telescope again.
www.camras.nl/en/about-the...
www.camras.nl/en/about-the...
February 22, 2024 at 3:25 PM
The Dwingeloo Radio Telescope (DRT), commissioned in 1956, is one of the oldest radio telescopes in the world. Enthusiastic radio amateurs gave the DRT a second life. In 2007 they established the CAMRAS foundation and started to renovate and use the telescope again.
www.camras.nl/en/about-the...
www.camras.nl/en/about-the...
Uranus' moon Ariel with a surface of water and CO2 ice cross-cut by a system of scarps, canyons, and ridges. The core of the moon is likely rocky and the smoother, seemingly weathered regions are ice remelted by tidal friction. Ariel is the fourth-largest of the 27 known moons of Uranus.
February 21, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Uranus' moon Ariel with a surface of water and CO2 ice cross-cut by a system of scarps, canyons, and ridges. The core of the moon is likely rocky and the smoother, seemingly weathered regions are ice remelted by tidal friction. Ariel is the fourth-largest of the 27 known moons of Uranus.
Miranda is the fifth largest of Uranus’ moons. Miranda’s surface consists of water ice and reveals intense geological activity in the moon’s past. Impacts melt the ice, and then it refreezes without craters.
This tortured moon is criss-crossed by huge ice canyons as deep as 20 kilometers!
February 19, 2024 at 6:39 PM
Miranda is the fifth largest of Uranus’ moons. Miranda’s surface consists of water ice and reveals intense geological activity in the moon’s past. Impacts melt the ice, and then it refreezes without craters.
This tortured moon is criss-crossed by huge ice canyons as deep as 20 kilometers!
"The Aristarchus plateau is one of the most geologically diverse places on the moon: a mysterious raised flat plateau, a giant rille carved by enormous outpourings of lava, fields of explosive volcanic ash, and all surrounded by massive flood basalts." — Mark Robinson, LRO principal investigator.
February 18, 2024 at 2:11 PM
"The Aristarchus plateau is one of the most geologically diverse places on the moon: a mysterious raised flat plateau, a giant rille carved by enormous outpourings of lava, fields of explosive volcanic ash, and all surrounded by massive flood basalts." — Mark Robinson, LRO principal investigator.
“We’ve been chasing this particular galaxy for seven years and spent hours observing it with the two largest telescopes on earth to figure out how old it was. But it was too red and too faint, and we couldn’t measure it." —Karl Glazebrook
The JWST finally imaged this ancient z ~ 11 massive galaxy.
February 15, 2024 at 11:29 PM
“We’ve been chasing this particular galaxy for seven years and spent hours observing it with the two largest telescopes on earth to figure out how old it was. But it was too red and too faint, and we couldn’t measure it." —Karl Glazebrook
The JWST finally imaged this ancient z ~ 11 massive galaxy.
The Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland.
This is what they mean by "Reaching for the stars."
At an elevation of 3,571 m, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. An elevator in a vertical shaft inside the rock serves the facility.
This is what they mean by "Reaching for the stars."
At an elevation of 3,571 m, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. An elevator in a vertical shaft inside the rock serves the facility.
February 13, 2024 at 2:23 PM
The Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland.
This is what they mean by "Reaching for the stars."
At an elevation of 3,571 m, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. An elevator in a vertical shaft inside the rock serves the facility.
This is what they mean by "Reaching for the stars."
At an elevation of 3,571 m, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. An elevator in a vertical shaft inside the rock serves the facility.
"Astronomers, like burglars and jazz musicians, operate best at night."
— Miles Kington
February 12, 2024 at 2:58 PM
"Astronomers, like burglars and jazz musicians, operate best at night."
— Miles Kington
Here is a mesmerizing image of planetary nebula NGC 2392. When a sun-like star reaches the end of its lifespan, radiation pressure causes material to be ejected into shells. Then the star will collapse into a white dwarf and spend eternity as a dense, cooling ember.
![The image shows a shell of material ejected from a dying star. There is an outer irregular ring of gas and a central structure that looks like bubbles. The dying star is visible in the center.
Credit: NASA, Andrew Fruchter and the ERO Team [Sylvia Baggett (STScI), Richard Hook (ST-ECF), Zoltan Levay (STScI)].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:m7jbuqtvyd6g4rvoqtedtrz3/bafkreigj3kesk5zitnznaxyvqibsma46iozv75baw7b3njjfhbegq7fxpi@jpeg)
February 10, 2024 at 11:07 AM
Here is a mesmerizing image of planetary nebula NGC 2392. When a sun-like star reaches the end of its lifespan, radiation pressure causes material to be ejected into shells. Then the star will collapse into a white dwarf and spend eternity as a dense, cooling ember.
With a mass 100x greater than our Sun and 7500 ly away — the Eta Carinae star system is a sure candidate for a full blown supernova. About 170-years-ago Eta Carinae underwent a powerful outburst that made it one of the brightest stars in the sky. She's going to blow, but when? Nobody knows.
February 8, 2024 at 3:52 PM
With a mass 100x greater than our Sun and 7500 ly away — the Eta Carinae star system is a sure candidate for a full blown supernova. About 170-years-ago Eta Carinae underwent a powerful outburst that made it one of the brightest stars in the sky. She's going to blow, but when? Nobody knows.
Below: a long exposure image of The Trapezium in the Orion Nebula. I can detect the six brightest starts in the Trap in my 8" SCT, but the pollywogs were not visible with recent seeing conditions. The brightest of the pollywogs is magnitude 13.68, and I need darker skies to see it.
February 7, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Below: a long exposure image of The Trapezium in the Orion Nebula. I can detect the six brightest starts in the Trap in my 8" SCT, but the pollywogs were not visible with recent seeing conditions. The brightest of the pollywogs is magnitude 13.68, and I need darker skies to see it.
There were no clear nights in January — solid clouds. Then, last night was clear, but with poor seeing. The dew heater worked as intended, and I used it for 6-hours. I used my new 7mm eyepiece on Jupiter, Uranus, and The Trapezium with outstanding results. Uranus looks like a blue-green dot at 285x.
February 3, 2024 at 5:58 PM
There were no clear nights in January — solid clouds. Then, last night was clear, but with poor seeing. The dew heater worked as intended, and I used it for 6-hours. I used my new 7mm eyepiece on Jupiter, Uranus, and The Trapezium with outstanding results. Uranus looks like a blue-green dot at 285x.
The image below depicts the Horsehead Nebula taken by the Euclid space telescope, and the insert shows a region of the nebula in closeup detail taken by the JWST.
February 1, 2024 at 1:23 PM
The image below depicts the Horsehead Nebula taken by the Euclid space telescope, and the insert shows a region of the nebula in closeup detail taken by the JWST.
"The great spirals, with their enormous radial velocities and insensible proper motions, apparently lie outside our Solar system."
—Edwin Powell Hubble
January 31, 2024 at 11:11 AM
"The great spirals, with their enormous radial velocities and insensible proper motions, apparently lie outside our Solar system."
—Edwin Powell Hubble
JWST Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image of Saturn and several of its moons. The NIRCam is Webb's primary imager with 10 mercury-cadmium-telluride detector arrays. Each array is 2048×2048 pixels. The camera has a fov of 2.2×2.2 arc minutes with an angular resolution of 0.07 arcsec at 2 microns.
January 28, 2024 at 2:12 PM
JWST Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image of Saturn and several of its moons. The NIRCam is Webb's primary imager with 10 mercury-cadmium-telluride detector arrays. Each array is 2048×2048 pixels. The camera has a fov of 2.2×2.2 arc minutes with an angular resolution of 0.07 arcsec at 2 microns.