Astronomy picture of the day...

Post by **spot** » Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:24 am

Carry a camera tomorrow before dawn and in the evening, you might see the Northern Lights... Solar plasma aurora storm to hit Earth tomorrow! ? The Register

"This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4th," says astronomer Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:53 am

Kathy Ellen;1325700 wrote: It really would Odie.

Here's what we'd also see....Sorry...I have to post a link as the pic could be hotlinked...

http://www.inewscatcher.com/timages/f13 ... f11886.jpg

where is that located?

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 8:57 am

People said that man didn't land on the moon. Silly, of course not, a woman was the 1st person to land on the moon. And that woman was ME !!!....I can prove it with my picture below:yh_rotfl

Attached files

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 9:42 am

Kathy Ellen;1326063 wrote: People said that man didn't land on the moon. Silly, of course not, a woman was the 1st person to land on the moon. And that woman was ME !!!....I can prove it with my picture below:yh_rotfl

Like the UFO in the background :wah:

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 9:49 am

Bryn Mawr;1326070 wrote: Like the UFO in the background :wah:

Well, how do you think I got there:wah:

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 11:16 am

Kathy Ellen;1326071 wrote: Well, how do you think I got there:wah:

nanu nanu!:yh_rotfl

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 11:38 am

spot;1325704 wrote: Carry a camera tomorrow before dawn and in the evening, you might see the Northern Lights... Solar plasma aurora storm to hit Earth tomorrow! ? The Register

"This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4th," says astronomer Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."

Thank you for posting this Spot. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see it, but hope members here in Canada, northern part of the States and Europe saw it.

Here's a great link for pictures and a video of the event...

'SOLAR TSUNAMI': Northern Lights seen as far as Michigan after Sun's flare | Mail Online

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:09 pm

Kathy Ellen;1326063 wrote: People said that man didn't land on the moon. Silly, of course not, a woman was the 1st person to land on the moon. And that woman was ME !!!....I can prove it with my picture below:yh_rotfl

a woman always does everything a first time & better!:-6

my your looking good!:yh_rotfl

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:18 am

August 23, 2010 "A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge" Victoria, Australia

I thought this was a beautiful picture and interesting story about the rock formation in this image.

APOD: 2010 August 23 - A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:39 am

Kathy Ellen;1328929 wrote: August 23, 2010 "A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge" Victoria, Australia

I thought this was a beautiful picture and interesting story about the rock formation in this image.

APOD: 2010 August 23 - A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge

That's a great photo, Kathy.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:00 am

Kathy Ellen;1328929 wrote: August 23, 2010 "A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge" Victoria, Australia

I thought this was a beautiful picture and interesting story about the rock formation in this image.

APOD: 2010 August 23 - A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge

What a beautiful picture Kathy and how fascinating to read about the history of the rocks. I keep meaning to visit this site regularly and then sadly forget to. I'm so glad you bring us these wonderful pictures to remind us how beautiful the universe is. :-6

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:07 am

OpenMind;1328934 wrote: That's a great photo, Kathy.

It's lovely, isn't it OM......Did you watch the video at bottom right link...."Dancing Waters." ~~~~~~soothing~~~~~~~

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:21 am

Top 10 pictures in astronomy...

All-time top 10 astronomy pictures - Picture Stories- msnbc.com

Space slideshows.....

Space Slide Show - View Pictures from Space, Including Images from the Hubble Telescope & Space Shuttle - MSNBC.com- msnbc.com

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:23 am

Odie;1326107 wrote: a woman always does everything a first time & better!:-6

my your looking good!:yh_rotfl

Thank you Odie! They did a nice job taking my picture :wah:

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:29 am

Rapunzel;1328937 wrote: What a beautiful picture Kathy and how fascinating to read about the history of the rocks. I keep meaning to visit this site regularly and then sadly forget to. I'm so glad you bring us these wonderful pictures to remind us how beautiful the universe is. :-6

I love the story of the rocks, Rap. Every landform has a tale to tell:-6

I'd love to post a picture each day, but sometimes the pictures are a bit redundant. Also, you have to be so careful not to post copyrighted pics, so I have to post a link instead of the actual picture.

Our universe is wonderful, isn't it:-6 How can there 'not be' life in outerspace! I keep searching the skys for signs.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:11 am

Kathy Ellen;1328944 wrote: Thank you Odie! They did a nice job taking my picture :wah:

did you ever seen mine? I got married to Horatio from CSI Miami!:yh_rotfl

Attached files

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:26 am

Kathy Ellen;1328939 wrote: It's lovely, isn't it OM......Did you watch the video at bottom right link...."Dancing Waters." ~~~~~~soothing~~~~~~~

I can't seem to see the link.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:49 am

Kathy Ellen;1328946 wrote: I love the story of the rocks, Rap. Every landform has a tale to tell:-6

Our universe is wonderful, isn't it:-6 How can there 'not be' life in outerspace! I keep searching the skys for signs.

I love landforms too and agree that the study of rocks (lithography) is amazing.

I also believe there is life 'out there' but we are just in one small corner of the universe which is forever expanding.

I was having a play on your astronomy site earlier today and was interested to find that dark energy repels matter which explains the expansion of the universe as the dark energy moves away from the matter the universe contains. I then wondered about what the universe is expanding into. Do you suppose there is a vast nothingness outside of the universe for our universe to forever expand into? I wonder if there are other universes out there and if so, what are they all expanding into? Do they touch each other? Could two universes collide and coalesce into one universe? Perhaps the other universes are alternate universes where other choices are made to change events.

Some of this is fan fiction but I think the ideas are relevant as we don't know what is outside the universe.

Do other people wonder about this stuff? Maybe it's just me being weird. :-3

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:26 am

Rapunzel;1328969 wrote: I love landforms too and agree that the study of rocks (lithography) is amazing.

I also believe there is life 'out there' but we are just in one small corner of the universe which is forever expanding.

I was having a play on your astronomy site earlier today and was interested to find that dark energy repels matter which explains the expansion of the universe as the dark energy moves away from the matter the universe contains. I then wondered about what the universe is expanding into. Do you suppose there is a vast nothingness outside of the universe for our universe to forever expand into? I wonder if there are other universes out there and if so, what are they all expanding into? Do they touch each other? Could two universes collide and coalesce into one universe? Perhaps the other universes are alternate universes where other choices are made to change events.

Some of this is fan fiction but I think the ideas are relevant as we don't know what is outside the universe.

Do other people wonder about this stuff? Maybe it's just me being weird. :-3

Here's a thought for you, Rap.

I have considered the possibility that the universe is just one small cell in the body of another being. Could be a mouse or it could be sentient.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:06 pm

OpenMind;1329005 wrote: Here's a thought for you, Rap.

I have considered the possibility that the universe is just one small cell in the body of another being. Could be a mouse or it could be sentient.

Lol. Glad it's not just me. :wah:

Have you been watching Men in Black 2? :wah:

I love that bit at the end where Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) kicks open a forbidden door to reveal that a much larger locker located in an enormous alien version of Grand Central Station, contains the human world.

I also liked the original Men in Black film, in the final scene of the film, the camera pulls back into the sky through space past our solar system, past millions of stars, ultimately revealing that our galaxy is contained within a spherical container resembling a marble. The container is then picked up by an alien hand which throws it, hitting another 'marble' which also contains a galaxy, in what resembles a game of marbles. Both marbles are then picked up by the hand and placed into a bag full of galaxy-containing marbles.

Both endings are really clever and really make you think about 'what if'.

Men in Black III is due to commence filming in September 2010.

We don't know how big or small the universe is in comparison to things outside of it.

Was it in Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy that a super invasion force planned to attack our planet and take over? However, when the entire invasion force arrived they were all swallowed by a small dog. :wah::wah::wah: So size obviously DOES matter. :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

I like to think 'outside the box' about these things. So few people seem to do that though. I don't understand how Corrie and Eastenders can be so fascinating *yawn* to so many people and yet they aren't interested in what goes on in our universe or in our oceans or how all the cycles of life are connected. I was reading today about the recent floods in Pakistan which have been made worse by deforestation and climate change. The water is so much more interesting than the soap.

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:21 am

Rapunzel;1329060 wrote: Lol. Glad it's not just me. :wah:

Have you been watching Men in Black 2? :wah:

I love that bit at the end where Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) kicks open a forbidden door to reveal that a much larger locker located in an enormous alien version of Grand Central Station, contains the human world.

I also liked the original Men in Black film, in the final scene of the film, the camera pulls back into the sky through space past our solar system, past millions of stars, ultimately revealing that our galaxy is contained within a spherical container resembling a marble. The container is then picked up by an alien hand which throws it, hitting another 'marble' which also contains a galaxy, in what resembles a game of marbles. Both marbles are then picked up by the hand and placed into a bag full of galaxy-containing marbles.

Both endings are really clever and really make you think about 'what if'.

Men in Black III is due to commence filming in September 2010.

We don't know how big or small the universe is in comparison to things outside of it.

Was it in Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy that a super invasion force planned to attack our planet and take over? However, when the entire invasion force arrived they were all swallowed by a small dog. :wah::wah::wah: So size obviously DOES matter. :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

I like to think 'outside the box' about these things. So few people seem to do that though. I don't understand how Corrie and Eastenders can be so fascinating *yawn* to so many people and yet they aren't interested in what goes on in our universe or in our oceans or how all the cycles of life are connected. I was reading today about the recent floods in Pakistan which have been made worse by deforestation and climate change. The water is so much more interesting than the soap.

I've seen the first MIB film but I never did get round to seeing the follow up.

This sort of stuff fascinates me even though I can quite often go out of my depth at times. Can't say the mundane life of a soap personality engages much of my attention. I think soaps are a powerful and subtle propaganda tool for the masses. That aspect of soaps intrigues me - why so many people are engaged by these programmes.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:20 am

OpenMind;1329115 wrote: That aspect of soaps intrigues me - why so many people are engaged by these programmes.

I KNOW and I have absolutely NO idea. They can get so involved it can seem like a reality show but it's just NOT REAL. And the story lines are all gloom and doom.

I find soaps boring and I find football boring and that, folks, is why people think I'm weird. :wah:

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:45 am

Rapunzel;1329122 wrote: I KNOW and I have absolutely NO idea. They can get so involved it can seem like a reality show but it's just NOT REAL. And the story lines are all gloom and doom.

I find soaps boring and I find football boring and that, folks, is why people think I'm weird. :wah:

Perhaps it's the gossip factor.:wah:

I find cricket boring to watch.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:52 am

OpenMind;1329143 wrote: Perhaps it's the gossip factor.:wah:

I find cricket boring to watch.

I watch the Young & the Restless.....no gossip on that show.:yh_rotfl

What I hate are reality shows like Big Brother, The Bachelor etc, good grief, what a bunch of crap!:rolleyes:

you know the lines are all made up and the actors/actresses are so fake!:wah:

oops.........Sorry Kathy for interruping your thread.:-5

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:58 am

OpenMind;1329143 wrote: Perhaps it's the gossip factor.:wah:

I find cricket boring to watch.

Maybe. The women do love to gossip about it, don't they?

I also find cricket boring to watch although I LOVE playing it at school.

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 6:56 am

Rapunzel;1329147 wrote: Maybe. The women do love to gossip about it, don't they?

I also find cricket boring to watch although I LOVE playing it at school.

It must be a good laugh with the kids playing.

How did we get from Astronomy Picture of the Day to a discussion about soaps and gossip?

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:52 am

OpenMind;1329157 wrote: It must be a good laugh with the kids playing.

How did we get from Astronomy Picture of the Day to a discussion about soaps and gossip?

Lol. I verbally surf in real life too, moving from the subject under discussion onto something related then onto something else, etc etc etc. I think people must think I warble on about rubbish sometimes. :wah:

Sorry Kathy Ellen for taking your beautiful thread off-topic. Thankyou for letting us borrow it so uncomplainingly, you're a sweetheart. :-4 Please post a wonderful Astronomy Picture of the Day picture and get us back on track. Thankyou. :-6

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:24 am

Rapunzel;1329159 wrote: Lol. I verbally surf in real life too, moving from the subject under discussion onto something related then onto something else, etc etc etc. I think people must think I warble on about rubbish sometimes. :wah:

Sorry Kathy Ellen for taking your beautiful thread off-topic. Thankyou for letting us borrow it so uncomplainingly, you're a sweetheart. :-4 Please post a wonderful Astronomy Picture of the Day picture and get us back on track. Thankyou. :-6

The best evenings consist of such discussions as this. Meandering through all things of interest.:wah:

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:40 pm

Hello Rap and Roger:-4

Please don't ever think that I'd be upset that you've had fun in the Astronomy picture thread. That's what we do, and we do it very well, don't we :yh_rotfl

I remember starting my 'Hot and Spicy' food thread and one night Yzgi and I chatted quite a bit on the thread. I started a new thread 'Hot and Spicy, Part 2.' Wellll, actually, it was all Yzyi's fault. You know how chatting he can get at times:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

I would love to continue the conversation that you both have begun about ET's, Men in Black....yada...yada...yada....I love, love, love talking about the sky and the sea. I just watched 'Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind' and was rivited to the plot of the movie....I've only seen this movie about 15 times:wah:

Maybe we can start a new thread entitled "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind." and just chat about anything to do with....emmmmm....as Douglas Adams would say "Life, the Universe and Everything." We could copy/paste your thoughts from the astronomy thread and go from there.

Watcha think:wah: I could start the thread tomorrow night or you could start one...WOT AYVA mates :wah:

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:40 pm

Thankyou Kathy, you're a love. :-4 By all means go for it. Start an ET thread and a sky and sea thread, I also LOVE both of those topics. We could discuss Close Encounters too, another brilliant film!

That's the thing I really like about FG. Finding folks who think like me and aren't preoccupied with only what affects them in their own little bubbles. I'm looking forward to these conversations with you both now (and anyone else who wants to join in. Lol.)

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:02 am

I like the idea of calling it The Douglas Adams Thread.:-6

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:33 pm

OpenMind;1329235 wrote: I like the idea of calling it The Douglas Adams Thread.:-6

Or 42 :wah:

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:47 pm

Rapunzel;1329309 wrote: Or 42 :wah:

Resistance is futile.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:51 pm

Never give up. Never surrender. (Galaxy Quest). :wah:

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:54 pm

Paranoid robots.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:48 pm

"... and me with this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side." Marvin the paranoid android. :wah:

Did you ever see Robin Williams' Bicentennial Man?

In it Sam Neill says "This is our new Android" and his little daughter asks "What's an Andrew?"

A brilliant film and Robin Williams' jokes are HILARIOUS!

How do you numb a woman's breasts? Num num num num num :wah:

Also, for brilliant jokes, you should watch Steve Martin's film Roxanne where he plays a Cyrano de Bergerac type character and tells lots of jokes about his nose. :wah:

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:51 pm

Rapunzel;1329321 wrote: "... and me with this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side." Marvin the paranoid android. :wah:

Did you ever see Robin Williams' Bicentennial Man?

In it Sam Neill says "This is our new Android" and his little daughter asks "What's an Andrew?"

A brilliant film and Robin Williams' jokes are HILARIOUS!

How do you numb a woman's breasts? Num num num num num :wah:

Also, for brilliant jokes, you should watch Steve Martin's film Roxanne where he plays a Cyrano de Bergerac type character and tells lots of jokes about his nose. :wah:

You should be on stage. You have a ripping repertoire.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:59 pm

OpenMind;1329324 wrote: You should be on stage. You have a ripping repertoire.

Yeah, don't tell me, is that as in . . . You should be on the stage. There's one leaving in 10 minutes. :wah:

With awesome power comes great responsibility. :wah:

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:13 pm

Rapunzel;1329327 wrote: Yeah, don't tell me, is that as in . . . You should be on the stage. There's one leaving in 10 minutes. :wah:

With awesome power comes great responsibility. :wah:

You could kill the entire country with your power.:wah:

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 1:55 pm

August 27th, 2010 "Brighter Than Mar"..Venus and Mars over central Iran.

APOD: 2010 August 27 - Brighter Than Mars

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 1:58 pm

August 28, 2010 "Hole in the Sun"

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Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:05 pm

The ISS will be flying over my area at 7:43 tonight. I'll try to take a picture, but I only have a wee Nikon Cool Pic camera...bummer. It's so exciting for me to see this miracle fly by.

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Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:39 pm

Kathy Ellen;1329917 wrote: August 28, 2010 "Hole in the Sun"

I had no idea it was that large.:-5

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:40 pm

Kathy Ellen;1329920 wrote: The ISS will be flying over my area at 7:43 tonight. I'll try to take a picture, but I only have a wee Nikon Cool Pic camera...bummer. It's so exciting for me to see this miracle fly by.

I hope you get a good picture!

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:42 pm

I've heard that you can fit about 1 million Earth's into the Sun.....

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:55 pm

That is one ginormous sunspot. The photo of the starry planets is amazing though.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:51 pm

I like that sunspot photo, reminds me of 2010 movie, when Jupiter was disappearing with the monoliths.

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:13 am

August 30,2010 "Comanche Outcrop on Mars Indicates Hospitable Past"

Very interesting picture....

Explanation: Could life once have survived on Mars? Today, neither animal nor plant life from Earth could survive for very long on Mars because at least one key ingredient -- liquid water -- is essentially absent on the red planet's rusty surface. Although evidence from the martian rovers indicates that long ago Mars might once have had liquid water on its surface, that water might also have been too acidic for familiar life forms to thrive. Recently, however, a newly detailed analysis of an unusual outcropping of rock and soil chanced upon in 2005 by the robotic Spirit rover has uncovered a clue indicating that not all of Mars was always so acidic. The mound in question, dubbed Comanche Outcrop and visible near the top of the above image, appears to contain unusually high concentrations of elements such as magnesium iron carbonate. The above image is shown in colors exaggerated to highlight the differences in composition. Since these carbonates dissolve in acid, the persistence of these mounds indicates that water perhaps less acidic and more favorable for life might have once flowed across Mars. More detailed analyses and searches for other signs will surely continue.

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Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:19 am

September 1st, 2010 "Earth and Moon seen from Messenger"

Explanation: What does Earth look like from the planet Mercury? The robotic spacecraft MESSENGER found out as it looked toward the Earth during its closest approach to the Sun about three months ago. The Earth and Moon are visible as the double spot on the lower left of the above image. Now MESSENGER was not at Mercury when it took the above image, but at a location from which the view would be similar. From Mercury, both the Earth and its comparatively large moon will always appear as small circles of reflected sunlight and will never show a crescent phase. MESSENGER has zipped right by Mercury three times since being launched in 2004, and is scheduled to enter orbit around the innermost planet in March of 2011.

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Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:20 am

darn Kathy.........no pic!