... Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2013 February 15 . Shadows Across Jupiter . ... Explanation: Two dark shadows loom across the banded and mottled cloud tops of Jupiter in this sharp telescopic view. ... With the two moon shadows still in transit, Jupiter's rapid rotation has almost carried its famous Great Red Spot (GRS) around the planet's limb from the right. ... About APOD | ...

... Asteroids in the Distance . ... Credit Copyright: R. Evans K. Stapelfeldt ( JPL ), WFPC2 , HST , NASA Explanation: Rocks from space hit Earth every day. ... Many kilograms of space dust pitter to Earth daily. ... Further, just last year the 50-meter wide asteroid 2012 DA14 was discovered that will pass inside the orbit of Earth's geosynchronous satellites this coming Friday. A collision with a large asteroid would not affect Earth's orbit so much as raise dust that would affect Earth's climate . ...

Supernova 2009js in NGC 918 . This page is devoted to information on Supernova 2009js in NGC 918 . Basic information on this SN, including the last reported brightness, on this Supernova can be found on the main page . Information on the original web pages for many of these images can be found on the updates and links web pages. Discovered independently by Lick Observatory Supernova Search (USA) and Koichi Itagaki (Japan). ... 2009/10/11.44 . 17.2 . ... Joseph Brimacombe . ...

... Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG, +44 (0)28 3752 2928 . On Friday 15th February the recently discovered Apollo-class near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will make a close pass by the Earth. The asteroid will come within about 34,000 km (21,000 miles) of the centre of our planet at 7.26 p.m. That is, within the ring of geostationary communication satellites which orbit at some 35,800 km above the surface of the Earth. ... Last Revised: 2013 February 11th . ...

... February 3, 1998 . A Magellanic Mural . ... Explanation: Two galaxies stand out to casual observers in Earth's Southern Hemisphere : the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). ... Recent observations of the LMC (on the left) have determined that it is on a nearly circular orbit around our Galaxy, and have even helped in the determination of the composition of dark matter in our Galaxy . ... About APOD > . ...

... Armagh Planetarium . ... Universe . ... Posted on April 2, 2014 | ... Continue Reading.. ... No Comments Astronomy is a science that knows no borders. ... 1 Comment Comets are frozen lumps of ice (often called volatiles) and rock that come from distant parts of our Solar System. ... Newer Entries . Hello, IтАЩm Colin, welcoming you to Astronotes, the PlanetariumтАЩs official blog. Here you will find the latest news and views from the fascinating worlds of astronomy and space exploration. ...

Image credit: Michael Nolan, Arecibo Observatory. These radar images of near-Earth asteroid 2001 SN263 were obtained on 2008 Feb 12 and 13. ... Image from Feb 12 . ... First near-Earth triple asteroid discovered by Arecibo Observatory . ... was discovered this week by astronomers at the sensitive radar telescope at Cornell University?s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. ... For example, Arecibo has discovered more than half of the near-Earth binary asteroid systems discovered since 1999. ...

... Magnetic compass discovered in China . ... Richard Carrington in England observes a violent and rapid eruption near a sunspot; 17 hours later a large magnetic storm begins. ... The electrons hit near the magnetic poles, leading him to propose that the polar aurora is created by electron beams from the Sun. ... Syun-Ichi Akasofu (Japan-US) and Sydney Chapman revive and expand Birkeland's notion of a "polar magnetic storm", now named "magnetospheric substorm." ...

... What a beautiful picture of a field of stars from the European Southern Observatory! ... A patch of sky so filled with stars that hardly any dark spots are seen across the entire picture. However in the centre, next to an especially bright, blue star cluster, you can see a strange dark cloud. ... We call clouds like this one Bok globules'. ... Bok globules are the remains of much larger clouds, known as 'molecular clouds'. ... What do you see in this dark patch? We see a lizard. ...

... Hiorter and Celsius note that the polar aurora is accompanied by a disturbance of the magnetic needle. ... Richard Carrington in England observes a violent and rapid eruption near a sunspot; 17 hours later a large magnetic storm begins. ... Using it he observes a solar flare and confirms the connection between flares and magnetic storms. ... Explorer 1, launched by the US January 31, observes the radiation belt; Explorer 3, launched in March, comes up with the first clear evidence for its existence....

Particles, Energy, and Cosmology Particles, Energy, and Cosmology Eugene Rotary Jim Brau February 5, 2008 1 The End of Physics "The more important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplanted in consequence of new discoveries is exceedingly remote." ... Creation of massive matter (E=mc2) Particles, Energy, and Cosmology Eugene Rotary Jim Brau February 5, 2008 8 What is matter? ...