Picture This – Page 26 – Astronomy Now

SDO captures impressive view of holes in the Sun’s super-heated corona

24 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a spectacular view of two coronal holes on the surface of the Sun, one already well formed and another developing nearby, cooler regions where open magnetic field lines facilitate the movement of the solar wind.

Phoenix dwarf galaxy, rocked by supernova blasts

19 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The Phoenix dwarf galaxy defies easy classification, without enough mass to form new stars but. But gas ejected from supernova blasts indicates star formation in the recent past with the possibility of more int the future.

Jupiter probe captures intriguing look at a ‘brown barge’

16 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Extended oval storms known as “brown barges” are occasionally seen in Jupiter’s North and South Equatorial Belts, but they tend to blend into the surrounding area and are difficult to spot. NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently captured a clear view of a brown barge in the southern belt.

ESO captures a ‘galactic gem’ floating amid a sea of stars

12 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope captured a sublime view of galaxy NGC 3981 some 65 million light years from Earth, showing stretched out spiral arms that may indicate past gravitational encounters with other nearby galaxies.

Revisiting a jaw-dropping Hubble view of Saturn and its moons

10 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this spectacular view of Saturn last June, showing six of the ringed planet’s moons, during an ongoing study of outer planet atmospheres. This view expands on an earlier version posted here in July.

Curiosity panorama shows still-dusty Mars from Vera Rubin Ridge

7 September 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover paused its research last month to snap images for a spectacular 360-degree panorama showing the robot’s view from Vera Rubin Ridge on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp, revealing a still-dusty world in the aftermath of a global dust storm.

Shimmering aurora flicker above Saturn’s north pole

1 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope’s imaging spectrograph captured Saturn’s spectacular aurora flickering over the ringed planets north polar region over a period of seven months in 2017.

VISTA captures huge Carina Nebula in all its infrared glory

29 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The European Observatory’s VISTA telescope captured this remarkably detailed view of the spectacular Carina Nebula, showing the vast star-forming region in infrared light with countless suns blazing through thin clouds of gas and dust, including the gigantic Eta Carinae binary system.

The Hubble Space Telescope looks into the heart of M13

26 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The great globular cluster in Hercules, M13, was first noted by western astronomers in 1714 when Edmund Halley described it as a “little patch” that “shews it self to the naked Eye.” The Hubble Space Telescope takes it to another level.

The Milky Way arches over La Silla Observatory

23 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The Milky Way arcs above ESO’s La Silla Observatory in this spectacular panorama demonstrating the extraordinarily clear, dark sky enjoyed by astronomers at one of the premier viewing sites in the world. This image captures the disk of the galaxy, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and Jupiter.