APOD 2.6

The image below shows Comet ISON before and after perihelion, it's closest approach to the sun. These images were taken by the LASCO instrument on the SOHO, the solar and heliospheric observatory. Using ultraviolet radiation, the coronographs that make up LASCO capture the sun and it's atmosphere as well as comet ISON's path. The sun and the bright light that it emits is blocked out by LASCO's central occulting disk. The white circle shows the Sun's actual position and scale. Many astronomers and avid viewers hoped that comet ISON would survive it's journey past the sun's perihelion. However, the images below show the faint remnants of the comet as it exits perihelion. The streak across the image may represent the remaining dust trail of comet ISON.

Observation 2.2

Week of Nov 17 - Nov 23 (1.5h)
The full moon rose up early in the evening Sunday and I was able to closely observe its surface features. As it was close to the horizon, it appeared much larger than it did later that evening. Later in the evening I was able to make out most of Pegasus and other constellations. I tried to spot Ursa Minor as well as Cepheus, however it was too light and my view was obstructed by some trees on the horizon.

APOD 2.5

The image below is an illustration of a black hole with the purpose of creating a visual representation of black hole jets. Black holes are areas of small radii of extremely high concentrations of mass. The strong gravitational pull created by the concentrated mass in the small volume of space pulls in plasma and gas from surrounding stars and celestial objects. This gas and plasma creates flat disks that revolve around the black hole. As the space material approaches the black hole it may encounter the ergosphere, an egg-shaped region of distorted space around the center of the black hole. There, the space material is ejected through these jets when it gains energy from the rotating motion of the core of the spinning black hole. If the material reaches the event horizon, however, it is sucked into the opening of the black hole. These powerful jets are the universe's recycling method. They contain electrons as well as heavy atoms such as iron and nickel. When shot away from the center of the black hole at two-thirds the speed of light, black hole jets have the potential to dictate when and how new nearby galaxies form.

APOD 2.4

The image below shows two views of the Comet ISON as it nears its potential end with its close encounter with the sun. As a result of Comet ISON's recent outburst, it is clearly visible to the naked eye, falling through Earth's predawn skies. As the comet approaches the Sun, it will no longer be visible to the naked eye until it turns around the sun. Once it finishes its turn around, it will make its closest approach to Earth in late December and Early January. A notable development in Comet ISON is the evolution of a more complex tail. The comet has developed "coma wings" which suggests that the comet have begun the process of fragmentation among other things. These wings are not visible to the naked eye and despite close observation of the comet, it is still uncertain whether it has fragmented. Astronomers predict that following the comet's outburst, Comet ISON should become brighter and brighter in the sky assuming it is not broken up.

APOD 2.3

The image below compares planet Earth with an exoplanet- Kepler 78b. Kepler orbits a star about 400 light-years away from Earth, found in the constellation of Cygnus. This planet is most similar to Earth with regard to its size and density. Compared to Earth's mass, Kepler is only 20% larger and Kepler's planet density is most similar to Earth's than any other known planet's. However, many astronomers argue that this planet should not even exist. The entire planet consists of molten lava, however the most unbelievable characteristic of the planet is its distance from the sun. In accordance with the current theories of planet formation, Kepler could not have formed so close to the star it orbits, nor could it have moved to its current radius of orbit. This radius is forty times less than the radius of Mercury's orbit, the planet closest to our sun. Unfortunately for this planet, its star's gravitational force will keep pulling the planet closer and closer until it is eventually enveloped by the star.

APOD 2.2

The image below is a close-up of the Eastern Veil Nebula,the remnant of a supernova. It is located in the night sky towards the constellation Cygnus, giving the nebula it's second name, the Cygnus Loop. The entirety of the nebula extends to 3 degrees in the night sky which is the equivalent of 6 times the diameter of the Moon or an actual 70 light years across.The gas and debris that resulted from the supernova are still expanding in the form of a large cloud. The light from this supernova, located an astounding 1500 light-years from Earth, first reached our planet approximately five thousand years ago. The massive size of the nebula has led astronomers to identify parts of it as completely separate nebulae (i.e. Witch's Broom and Pickering's Triangle). This image was created using a compilation of image data collected through narrow band filters. The red color denotes emission from hydrogen atoms while the blue-green colors denote the strong emission from oxygen atoms.

Observation 2.1

Week of Oct 27- Nov 2 (3h)
This week at the stargaze, the sky was clear with a few scattered clouds. The moon was a waning crescent and did not hinder our view of the stars and celestial objects (sky of magnitude of 5). With the aid of telescopes and binoculars we were able to observe various M objects in the fall night sky. The stars that compose the Summer triangle as well as the Great Square of Pegasus were clearly visible. I observed M31 and M13 through binoculars. We were also able to observe M57, M27, and M11 through a telescope. Near the end of the stargaze we observed the ISS passing through our field of view.

APOD 2.1

The image below is a top view of Saturn. The significance of the images lies in the capture of Saturn's night side- it would be impossible for this image to be captured by an Earth-based observer because Earth is much closer to than Sun than it is to Saturn. This means that Earth observers can only see the day side of Saturn and its rings. Cassini was able to capture yet another image of Saturn. Cassini took thirty-six separate image of the same view each with varying filters (red, green, and blue). This one, however, stands out above the rest. For the first time, astronomers have been able to see the gap between Saturn and its rings. So far, the separation between Saturn and its rings has not been visible, but thanks to this mosaic put together by Gordan Ugarkovic we can see not only that, but a lot more. This image also reveals Saturn's polar hexagon, a rotating cloud pattern at Saturn's North Pole with six sides of equal length.