HCG 91: Furious Gravity Tug of War Between Galaxies

By on May 7, 2016 in Galaxies | 0 comments

Here’s a fantastic photo of a group of galaxies playing gravitational tug of war located a staggering 320 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. These group of galaxies are what as known as Hickson Compact Group 91 or HCG 91. They are named so because a Canadian astronomer named Paul Hickson discovered 100 compact groups of galaxies. The tails of these galaxies are actually 100,000 light-years long! Because of their “close” interaction the galaxies are triggering furious star formations. On a cosmic timescale these galaxies will merge together to form one larger galaxy which is how our very own Milky Way Galaxy formed. What is also impressive about this image is that it captures fainter galaxy interactions that are 2 billion light years away from Earth! Further Reading or Sources:...

Carnival of Space 456: Best Space Stories of the Week!

By on May 6, 2016 in Carnival of Space | 0 comments

Here is another issue of Carnival of Space! We are on the 456th issue and counting. If this is your first time hearing about this community driven feature then let me give you a quick intro. Carnival of Space was started by our friends over at Universe Today and a community of astronomy bloggers gathered together to help showcase some of the best space stories. Each community member hosts the Carnival of Space and spreads the love to the interwebs. So please, sit back, relax, and let these stories take you away on the cosmic beaches of the universe. Evidence from Curiosity rover shows Mars once had oxygen-rich atmosphereHere’s an article by Planetaria.ca on how the Curiosity rover discovered that Mars once had oxygen-rich atmosphere. Read on to find out what this means for understanding Mars and its history. Read more... Don’t Blink or You’ll Miss itHave you ever looked upon the...

The Destruction of Supernova Remnant Simeis 147: The Spaghetti Nebula

By on May 5, 2016 in Nebula, Supernova | 0 comments

Located right in our own Milky Way is a story of a star that ended in utter destruction. Say hello to Supernova Remnant Simeis 147 or the Spaghetti Nebula. Discovered in 1952 this supernova remnant is located 3,000 (+/- 300) light years away from Earth on the border of constellations Auriga and Taurus. The Spaghetti nebula is about 40,000 years old or the first photon or light particle reached Earth 40,000 years ago. In its wake it left a neutron star known as pulsar PSR J0538+2817. What this means is that there is a star that is highly magnetized and shooting out electromagnetic beams as if it was a light house. The expanding remnants is expanding at an incredible rate of 950 kilometers per second! The entire nebula you see here is about 150 light years across. Further Reading or Sources: +Anne’s astronomy news +Emil Ivanov Astronomy +Wikipedia...

The Brown Spaceman’s Guide to Discovering Astronomy

By on Apr 13, 2016 in Astronomy Guide | 0 comments

Don’t Panic: Your Guide to Exploring Astronomy First I would like to say, “Welcome to the Universe!” just in case you never got your welcome when you first arrived on Earth. So it looks like you found astronomy and you’ve fallen in love or perhaps you are just curious and would like to learn more. Well you’re in luck because my job is to deliver the good stuff I’ve discovered over the years that has made astronomy beautiful, amazing, and easy to digest and understand. What you’ll walk away with: After you’ve gone through this guide you’ll have learned the key areas in astronomy that will help you figure out where you’d like to dig deeper on your own. I’ll provide as many helpful resources as I can and hope that you can suggest your own if I missed something here. So without further ado come join me and take this cosmic...

Gorgeous Wizard Nebula

By on Apr 9, 2016 in Nebula | 0 comments

Located 8,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cepheus we arrive to an open star cluster NGC 7380, or more famously known as the Wizard Nebula. This young cluster is about 4 million years old and is a many light years wide. The color red or orange is a signature of the element sulfur, green is hydrogen, and blue is oxygen. The cosmic gas is moving towards us at 34 km/s. The bright star you see on the right of it is binary star HD215835 (DH Cephei). It’s one of the main reason the nebula is illuminated as well as ionized. The solar winds from the star also contribute to carving out the magical shapes you see before your very eyes.   For more information or sources used: Anne’s Astronomy News APOD...