life: On November 14, 1969, Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the moon lifts off. Pictured: An Apollo 12 crew member (either Bean or Conrad) examines the camera attached to the unmanned Surveyor III spacecraft before taking it back to Earth for analysis. Surveyor III landed on the moon in 1967, and over the course of its own mission sent back to Earth more than 6,000 images of the lunar surface. (see more — Apollo 12: There and Back Again)
15th Nov 2011✧18:05430 notes
Astronomy
11th Nov 2011✧15:4316 notes
AstronomyMaria Mitchell
cwnl: NGC 5189 Distance: 1800 Light Years away from Earth The gaseous remains of a sunlike star which has entered its final stages of evolution. The intense radiation from the stellar remnant ionizes the stars previously ejected gases. The inner shell structures glow predominantly green-blue from ionized oxygen (OII and OIII) and nitrogen while hydrogen in the outer shell emits in the red wavelengths. The planetary nebula stage of an intermediate mass star lasts only 10 to 30 thousand years, an astronomical instant in the overall life of a star. Eventually the ejected envelope disperses into the interstellar medium enriching it with both light and heavier elements originally created deep within the nuclear furnace of the now dead star. Credit: Robert Gendler
19th Oct 2011✧16:301,283 notes
Astronomy
cwnl: Thor’s Helmet in Narrow Band Copyright: Jon Talbot
18th Oct 2011✧13:34328 notes
Astronomy
14th Oct 2011✧18:2656,444 notes
Astronomy
14th Oct 2011✧18:0930 notes
asAstronomy
14th Oct 2011✧18:09334 notes
Astronomy
13th Oct 2011✧17:25273 notes
NASAAstronomy
Maria Mitchell Inspires a Generation “Do not look at stars as bright spots only - try to take in the vastness of the universe.” October 1st was the 151st anniversary of the day Maria Mitchell swept the sky with her telescope and discovered the comet of 1847 (comet Mitchell 1847VI). Honored and recognized internationally for her discovery, Mitchell, who lived from 1818 to 1889, became one of the most famous American scientists of her day. Vassar College appointed Mitchell the first woman Professor of Astronomy and she remained the only woman ever elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences until 1943. Mitchell mentored a generation of scientists, and is fondly remembered for her ability to motivate. “We especially need imagination in science,” Maria Mitchell said, “Question everything.”
11th Oct 2011✧12:37156 notes
Astronomy
inothernews: GREAT BALL OF FIRE    Pictured is an an exploding star, known as Type 1a supernova — the type used by physicists Adam Riess, Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt to measure the expansion of the universe.  The trio were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics and will share a $1.4 million prize.  (Photos via the New York Times)
9th Oct 2011✧13:08922 notes
Astronomy
Opaque  by  andbamnan