Picture This – Page 61 – Astronomy Now

Hubble sees a cosmic couple

22 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Here we see the spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 — more commonly known as WR 124 — and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it. Both objects, captured here by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope are found in the constellation of Sagittarius and lie 15,000 light-years away.

Cassini’s final breathtaking close views of Saturn’s moon Dione

21 August 2015 Astronomy Now

A pockmarked, icy landscape looms beneath NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in new images of Saturn’s moon Dione taken during the mission’s last close approach to the small, frozen world. Two of the new images show the surface of Dione at the best resolution ever. Cassini passed 295 miles (474 kilometres) above Dione’s surface at 7:33pm BST on 17 August 2015.

The lives of sibling stars in open cluster IC 4651

19 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Most stars form within clusters and these clusters can be used by astronomers as laboratories to study how stars evolve and die. The cluster captured here by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at ESO’s La Silla Observatory is known as IC 4651, and the stars born within it now display a wide variety of characteristics.

Chasms on Dione

18 August 2015 Astronomy Now

While not bursting with activity like its sister moon Enceladus, the surface of Saturn’s moon Dione is definitely not boring. Some parts of the surface are covered by linear features, called chasmata — bright icy cliffs among myriad fractures — which provide dramatic contrast to the round impact craters that typically cover moons.

“Star trails over Green Lake” by Dan Barr

17 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Nomination number nine from the prestigious Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, an annual celebration of the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos by astrophotographers worldwide. The 2015 competition received 2700 spectacular entries from over 60 countries and the winners will be announced 17 September.

“Motind” by Rune Engebo

13 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Our eighth nomination from the prestigious Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, an annual celebration of the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos by astrophotographers worldwide. Now in its seventh year, the 2015 competition received 2700 spectacular entries from over 60 countries and the winners will be announced 17 September.

“Ascent of Angels” by Brad Goldpaint

9 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Nomination number seven from the prestigious Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, an annual celebration of the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos by astrophotographers worldwide. The 2015 competition received 2700 spectacular entries from over 60 countries and the winners will be announced 17 September.

Hubble views the Little Gem Nebula

8 August 2015 Astronomy Now

This colourful bubble is a planetary nebula called NGC 6818, also known as the Little Gem Nebula, discovered by William Herschel in 1787. It is located in the constellation of Sagittarius, roughly 6,000 light-years away from us. The rich glow of the cloud is just over half a light-year across.

“Herschel 36, the Heart of the Lagoon” by László Francsics

6 August 2015 Astronomy Now

Our sixth nomination from the prestigious Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, an annual celebration of the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos by astrophotographers worldwide. Now in its seventh year, the 2015 competition received 2700 spectacular entries from over 60 countries and the winners will be announced 17 September.

The ghost of a dying star — the Southern Owl Nebula

5 August 2015 Astronomy Now

This extraordinary bubble, glowing like the ghost of a star in the haunting darkness of space, may appear supernatural and mysterious, but it is a familiar astronomical object: a planetary nebula, the remnants of a dying star. This is the best view of the little-known object ESO 378-1 yet obtained and was captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope in northern Chile.