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Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New.� A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
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Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth�s shadow is apparent in the image.
Review: Explore the Cosmos Like Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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Ever want to explore the universe through an astronomer�s eyes?
The reboot of the Cosmos television series has cemented Neil DeGrasse Tyson�s place in the universe as the successor to the late great Carl Sagan. But before he was a science celebrity and a household name, Tyson was a research astrophysicist as well as a tireless science popularizer and the director of New York City�s Hayden Planetarium.
Explore the Cosmos Like Neil DeGrasse Tyson: A Space Science Journey by CAP Saucier out from Prometheus Books explores not only Neil�s personal journey to science stardom, but the arc of the study of astronomy as a whole and our understanding of our place in the universe. Though primarily written for young adults, Explore the Cosmos gives readers a great abbreviated �crash course� in astronomy, as tales about Tyson and his path towards a career in science illuminate the story along the way.
Tyson was born in Manhattan on October 5th 1958, one year and a day after the launch of Sputnik 1 and the start of the Space Age and just months after NASA was formed. Tyson grew up in the Bronx, and was inspired to become an astrophysicist after a visit to the Hayden Planetarium, which he would one day direct. He also met Carl Sagan while applying to college in a tale that is now legend, as he would also assume the mantle of science purveyor and pilot for the �spaceship of the mind� for the recently rebooted Cosmos television series.
Neil also wrote Space Chronicles, which we reviewed here back in 2012.
True story: we once met a budding space fan at a local star party in Florida who wrote to Dr. Tyson explaining his enthusiasm for space� and he actually wrote him back an extended personal letter of encouragement! That�s the kind of person Neil is, as he�ll explain that his early encounters with Sagan as a student made an impression on him, and he always makes sure he has the time to give to a new student to this day.
It seems that the American collective consciousness can hold no more than two science superstars at one time: Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Explore the Cosmos not only traces that ascent but demonstrates that, hopefully, there�s more room at the top as we become a science-themed �society hungry for more.
Neil has been vocal proponent of science, skepticism and critical thinking. He continues to host Star Talk radio and its always interesting to follow his thoughts and ruminations) on the universe as @neiltyson on Twitter. Perhaps more than anything else, Mr. Tyson has the true gift of showing us how critical thinking and skepticism can be employed not just in scientific research, but in our everyday lives.
Will there be a Cosmos season 2? What other projects and works are forthcoming from the mind of Dr Tyson? Be sure to read Explore the Cosmos Like Neil DeGrasse Tyson to get a look at the man behind the scientist!