Tag: apod 2023

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 31 May 2023: The history of our Universe
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 31 May 2023: The history of our Universe

[ad_1] The Universe is around 13.8 billion years old, although the exact age remains unknown. But how do experts calculate the age? According to NASA, astronomers can calculate the age of the Universe by looking for the oldest stars, and measuring the rate of expansion of the universe and extrapolating back to the Big Bang. Since the Universe moves too slowly for us to witness it develop, scientists have developed a new way to uncover the secrets - through computer simulations.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is the computer simulation of our Universe as it developed throughout history. This simulation tracks gases leading from the early Universe till today. As the simulation goes on, the formation of a disk galaxy takes place. For the unaware, Disk Galaxies are formed when two...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 30 May 2023: The awesome Dumbbell Nebula!
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 30 May 2023: The awesome Dumbbell Nebula!

[ad_1] Over the past few months, we have witnessed several breathtaking but peculiarly-shaped nebulae, as part of NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day which is published on a daily basis. Although most nebulae belong to just three types - spherical, elliptical, and bipolar, some of them might be irregularly shaped, so much so that they resemble objects on Earth. Some of the most peculiar shapes include the Headphone Nebula, the Heart and Soul Nebula, and the Flying Ghost Nebula. For the unaware, a nebula is a star-forming region located in Interstellar space, which is the space between stars. It consists of gases, mainly hydrogen, and helium.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is planetary nebula M27, also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, which is located about 1360 light-years away tow...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 29 May 2023: Milky Way Galaxy and the Bioluminescent Sea
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 29 May 2023: Milky Way Galaxy and the Bioluminescent Sea

[ad_1] Our solar system, with the Sun at the center and 8 other planets besides Earth, reside in an obscure part of a galaxy known as the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a barred spiral galaxy that spans about 100,000 light-years across and was formed approximately 14 billion years ago. According to NASA, the Milky Way Galaxy has over 100 billion stars and all of them orbit a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center, which is estimated to be four million times as massive as our Sun.NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a breathtaking snapshot of the Milky Way Galaxy captured over the bioluminescence of the sea in the Maldives. What is the turquoise glow in the water? It occurs due to single-celled Planktons, known as Noctiluca scintillans, which illuminate when stimulated by the sea wave...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 26 May 2023: Virgo cluster of galaxies
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 26 May 2023: Virgo cluster of galaxies

[ad_1] Galaxies which exist in the vastness of space, consist of various celestial objects such as stars, clouds of dust, and gas, all of which are bound together by gravity. Most galaxies exist in groups or clusters with dozens or hundreds of members, and these cluster galaxies are all in constant motion, pulled and twisted by their neighbour's gravity. Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the Universe bound by gravity and astronomers can use them to measure important cosmological properties, according to NASA.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of the Virgo cluster of galaxies located about 50 million light-years away. According to NASA, the Virgo cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies and contains over 2000 galaxies. This cluster also includes bright Mes...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 25 May 2023: Breathtaking Cat’s Eye Nebula
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 25 May 2023: Breathtaking Cat’s Eye Nebula

[ad_1] NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is published on a daily basis and the US space agency showcases photographs of celestial objects captured by astrophotographers from all over the world. NASA also snaps objects in space using its advanced technology such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and other observational assets. In fact, the newly launched James Webb Telescope has enabled NASA to observe and study objects located millions of light-years away in space, much further than the veteran Hubble Telescope. However, while these big guns are in constant use by NASA, the agency also keeps an eye on what lay astrophotographers around the world are doing in order to highlight the images they took too.Today's NASA Astronomy Pict...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 24 May 2023: As Moon hides behind Jupiter, Sony camera snaps amazing pic
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 24 May 2023: As Moon hides behind Jupiter, Sony camera snaps amazing pic

[ad_1] Over the past few months, we have seen several stunning snapshots of celestial objects as part of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, which is published on a daily basis. Snapshots of celestial objects like galaxies, black holes, nebulae, and more, were captured by astrophotographers from all over the world and have been shared by NASA. However, today's picture is a different one as it is not a snapshot of one particular object, but rather an occultation. For the unaware, occultation occurs when an object like a moon hides from the observer behind another object.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of lunar occultation, as the Moon hid behind Jupiter. This phenomenon occurred earlier this month, and while the Moon is half-lit by the Sun, its other part is in h...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 23 March 2023: Breathtaking swirls of Jupiter
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 23 March 2023: Breathtaking swirls of Jupiter

[ad_1] Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system, and it is by far the biggest one. In fact, it is twice as big as all the other planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter is also known as the Gas Giant due to a dense atmosphere of hydrogen and helium with windy clouds of ammonia. It also has the most moons in the solar system, with 92 confirmed moons with orbits, according to International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of Jupiter's swirls, formed due to the storms raging on the surface of the planet. According to NASA, The planet has also been harboring various natural phenomena for hundreds of years. Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. Tech u...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 22 May 2023: Supernova snapped by astrophotographer
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 22 May 2023: Supernova snapped by astrophotographer

[ad_1] The universe contains an astonishing number of stars, estimated to be around 200 billion trillion. There are at least 100 billion stars within our own Milky Way Galaxy, while the entire universe harbours over 100 billion galaxies. When a star explodes, the subsequent explosion which takes place, known as a Supernova, is the largest explosion to occur in space. According to NASA, a supernova happens when there is a change in the core, or center, of a star. A change can occur in two different ways, with both resulting in a supernova. Just days ago, a supernova was discovered located near a spiral galaxy.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of the supernova SN 2023ixf located near the M101 spiral galaxy. This supernova was discovered by Japanese astronomer Koichi ...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 19 May 2023: M63 Spiral Galaxy shot by deep-sky imaging camera
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 19 May 2023: M63 Spiral Galaxy shot by deep-sky imaging camera

[ad_1] Over the past few days, we have seen NASA publish mesmerizing snapshots of celestial objects as part of its daily Astronomy Picture of the Day. But how does NASA capture these objects that are located millions of kilometers away in space? The space agency uses its advanced telescopes such as Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope. One of the most visually appealing celestial objects captured by NASA is spiral galaxies. These types of galaxies have winding spiral arms that make them look a little like massive pinwheels.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of the M63 Curly Spiral Galaxy located about 30 million light-years away towards the constellation Canes Venatici. Also known as NGC 5055, this sp...
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 18 May 2023: Breathtaking WR134 Ring Nebula
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 18 May 2023: Breathtaking WR134 Ring Nebula

[ad_1] We have seen several stunning images of celestial objects in the last few days as part of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, which the space agency publishes on a daily basis. Some of these celestial objects include Nebulae, which are giant clouds of dust and gas in space. Some nebulae originate from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star while other nebulae are star-forming regions. Although most of the Nebulae are located millions of light-years away, NASA is able to capture them with the help of its Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and the new James Webb Space Telescope.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a breathtaking snapshot of the WR134 Ring Nebula, located about 6000 light-years from Earth towards the constellation Cygnus....