... Solar System . ... Comets and Asteroids . ... Vision of Vesta: a dark feature with a diameter of approximately 100 kim near the asteroid's equator can be seen in this image from Dawn (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA) . Between Mars and Jupiter lies the Asteroid Belt. ... The Dawn space probe is expected to go into orbit around Vesta on 16 July, from there it will return some detailed images and other data, staying at the asteroid for about a year before setting off to visit Ceres. ...

... Comet Animation . ... Comet structures are diverse and very dynamic, but they all develop a surrounding cloud of diffuse material, called a coma, that usually grows in size and brightness as the comet approaches the Sun. ... As comets approach the Sun they develop enormous tails of luminous material that extend for millions of kilometers from the head, away from the Sun. ... The evaporated molecules boil off and carry small solid particles with them, forming the comet's coma of gas and dust. ...

... Under certain conditions, like those in the nucleus of a QSO, all atoms can be made to emit light at particular wavelengths. ... If that source is approaching the observer, the wave is squashed up onto itself making the wavelength shorter. ... This is redshift. ... You can see how the section of the QSO spectrum which we observe changes with redshift. ... We then see how far we had to slide the observed spectrum along the scale to make it match and that is the objects redshift. ... The 2QZ team . ...

STEP INTO THE BLUE - MEADE INSTRUMENTS PRODUCT GUIDE . ... Telescopes . LX850 Series . ... LX600 Series . ... Superb optical performance coupled with time proven computerized pointing and tracking has made the LX200 ACF series a best-seller in the high-performance telescope class. ... MeadeтАЩs LX90 ACF is a favorite of astronomers making the jump to their first, serious, larger aperture telescope. ... Astronomer InsideтДв then takes you on a guided multimedia tour of the best objects in your sky. ...

... Introduction: What is Project ASTRO? Project ASTRO Materials . ... Kids and Science: The Project ASTRO Philosophy . Being a Project ASTRO Partner: Suggested Approaches . ... Key Ideas About Partnerships . ... Finding a Partner . For Astronomers: Finding a Partner Teacher . How to approach school personnel . For Teachers: Finding a Partner Astronomer . ... Integrating the Astronomer into the School Program . ... Involving families and the Community in Project ASTRO . ...

... To avoid extensive numerical calculations in the statistical simulations, we treat the continuous evolution of each binary component as a sequence of a finite number of basic evolutionary states (for example, main sequence, red (super)giant, helium (Wolf-Rayet) star,     hot WD), in which stellar parameters significantly differ from each other. ... Figure 2: Schematic representation of the typical evolutionary track of a massive binary system with normal and compact star stages indicated. ...

... Astronomers once thought Pluto's atmosphere would condense down to the surface as it moved away from the Sun. Can that still be true, and if so, is that causing the surface features we now see? ... This is almost certainly because the atmosphere which is nitrogen, like Earth s atmosphere is also frozen as ice on the surface. ... Get instant access to subscriber content on Astronomy.com! ... If you are already registered on Astronomy.com, please log in below. ...

... White Dwarf Spectra . ... My conception of a white dwarf with a dusty disk. The dust must sublimate and will accrete onto the surface of the white dwarf, possibly through streamers of gas that follow the white dwarf's magnetic field lines. As in Saturn's rings, there might be streaks in the dust due to material that is darker than the surrounding dust, or perhaps caused by shadows of rocky bodies with sizes larger than the scale height of the disk. ...