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Search results for tag #nature

[?]grobi » 🌐
@grobi@defcon.social

"I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
Bots-requests would not be accepted."

"This huge photo of LI Hang was originally 4906x10451 pixels and 5.71 Mb too big to upload, but defcon.social is already very generous in terms of dimensions and file size. After editing it with the command: 'convert in.jpg -resize 3755x8000 out.jpg', I was able to upload it, but the file size had grown to 7.05 MB. That doesn't really make sense..
Does anyone know of a more appropriate imagemagick command without increasing the file size and without losing quality?
I would be happy about suggestions .."
@support

2023 July 2

Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica
* Image Credit & Copyright: LI Hang
weibo.com/lihang999
laitimes.com/en/article/3s9q7_
pole.whu.edu.cn/en/gb_news.php

Explanation:
It was one of the better skies of this long night. In parts of Antarctica, not only is it winter, but the Sun can spend weeks below the horizon. At China's Zhongshan Station, people sometimes venture out into the cold to photograph a spectacular night sky. The featured image from one such outing was taken in mid-July of 2015, just before the end of this polar night. Pointing up, the wide angle lens captured not only the ground at the bottom, but at the top as well. In the foreground, a colleague is taking pictures. In the distance, a spherical satellite receiver and several windmills are visible. Numerous stars dot the night sky, including Sirius and Canopus. Far in the background, stretching overhead from horizon to horizon, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Even further in the distance, visible as extended smudges near the top, are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies near our huge Milky Way Galaxy.

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230702.ht

2023 July 2 A long vertical image shows a band of the night sky from horizon at the bottom to the opposite horizon -- at the image top. A person stands on a snow covered landscape with the central band of the Milky Way running between horizons. Each horizon is lit by red, yellow, and green auroras. Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica * Image Credit & Copyright: LI Hang Explanation: It was one of the better skies of this long night. In parts of Antarctica, not only is it winter, but the Sun can spend weeks below the horizon. At China's Zhongshan Station, people sometimes venture out into the cold to photograph a spectacular night sky. The featured image from one such outing was taken in mid-July of 2015, just before the end of this polar night. Pointing up, the wide angle lens captured not only the ground at the bottom, but at the top as well. In the foreground, a colleague is taking pictures. In the distance, a spherical satellite receiver and several windmills are visible. Numerous stars dot the night sky, including Sirius and Canopus. Far in the background, stretching overhead from horizon to horizon, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Even further in the distance, visible as extended smudges near the top, are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies near our huge Milky Way Galaxy. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

Alt...2023 July 2 A long vertical image shows a band of the night sky from horizon at the bottom to the opposite horizon -- at the image top. A person stands on a snow covered landscape with the central band of the Milky Way running between horizons. Each horizon is lit by red, yellow, and green auroras. Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica * Image Credit & Copyright: LI Hang Explanation: It was one of the better skies of this long night. In parts of Antarctica, not only is it winter, but the Sun can spend weeks below the horizon. At China's Zhongshan Station, people sometimes venture out into the cold to photograph a spectacular night sky. The featured image from one such outing was taken in mid-July of 2015, just before the end of this polar night. Pointing up, the wide angle lens captured not only the ground at the bottom, but at the top as well. In the foreground, a colleague is taking pictures. In the distance, a spherical satellite receiver and several windmills are visible. Numerous stars dot the night sky, including Sirius and Canopus. Far in the background, stretching overhead from horizon to horizon, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Even further in the distance, visible as extended smudges near the top, are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies near our huge Milky Way Galaxy. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

    [?]grobi » 🌐
    @grobi@defcon.social

    "Do you see their nests? A pretty hip and chic residential area for white storks:
    ourtour.co.uk/home/storks-and-
    animal.dearjulius.com/2019/08/
    visit-western-spain.com/los-ba "

    2023 April 25

    Northern Lights over Southern Europe
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Cordero
    instagram.com/elcielodecaceres/

    Explanation:
    Did you see an aurora over the past two nights (2023)? Many people who don't live in Earth's far north did. Reports of aurora came in not only from northern locales in the USA as Alaska, but as far south as Texas and Arizona. A huge auroral oval extended over Europe and Asia, too. Pictured, an impressively red aurora was captured last night near the town of Cáceres in central Spain. Auroras were also reported in parts of southern Spain. The auroras resulted from a strong Coronal Mass Event (CME) that occurred on the Sun a few days ago. Particles from the CME crossed the inner Solar System before colliding with the Earth's magnetosphere. From there, electrons and protons spiraled down the Earth's northern magnetic field lines and collided with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, causing picturesque auroral glows. Our unusually active Sun may provide future opportunities to see the northern lights in southern skies.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230425.ht

    2023 April 25 A dark rectangular building is seen across a green field with colorful aurora, mostly red, seen in the background sky. Past the aurora, the sky is also filled with stars. Northern Lights over Southern Europe * Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Cordero Explanation: Did you see an aurora over the past two nights (2023)? Many people who don't live in Earth's far north did. Reports of aurora came in not only from northern locales in the USA as Alaska, but as far south as Texas and Arizona. A huge auroral oval extended over Europe and Asia, too. Pictured, an impressively red aurora was captured last night near the town of Cáceres in central Spain. Auroras were also reported in parts of southern Spain. The auroras resulted from a strong Coronal Mass Event (CME) that occurred on the Sun a few days ago. Particles from the CME crossed the inner Solar System before colliding with the Earth's magnetosphere. From there, electrons and protons spiraled down the Earth's northern magnetic field lines and collided with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, causing picturesque auroral glows. Our unusually active Sun may provide future opportunities to see the northern lights in southern skies. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

    Alt...2023 April 25 A dark rectangular building is seen across a green field with colorful aurora, mostly red, seen in the background sky. Past the aurora, the sky is also filled with stars. Northern Lights over Southern Europe * Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Cordero Explanation: Did you see an aurora over the past two nights (2023)? Many people who don't live in Earth's far north did. Reports of aurora came in not only from northern locales in the USA as Alaska, but as far south as Texas and Arizona. A huge auroral oval extended over Europe and Asia, too. Pictured, an impressively red aurora was captured last night near the town of Cáceres in central Spain. Auroras were also reported in parts of southern Spain. The auroras resulted from a strong Coronal Mass Event (CME) that occurred on the Sun a few days ago. Particles from the CME crossed the inner Solar System before colliding with the Earth's magnetosphere. From there, electrons and protons spiraled down the Earth's northern magnetic field lines and collided with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, causing picturesque auroral glows. Our unusually active Sun may provide future opportunities to see the northern lights in southern skies. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

      [?]grobi » 🌐
      @grobi@defcon.social

      "I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
      Bots-requests would not be accepted."

      ".. so so..
      so you would also dare to climb up there and stand for the snapshot at the snowy and icy abyss? But do you also dare to send this testimony of your daring to your mom on Mother's Day? Bet that not.."

      2023 January 22

      In Green Company: Aurora over Norway
      * Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive
      instagram.com/maxrivephotograp

      Explanation:
      Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative featured image was captured as a composite from three separate exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The time was early 2014. Although our Sun passed the solar minimum of its 11-year cycle only a few years ago, surface activity is picking up and already triggering more spectacular auroras here on Earth.

      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230122.ht

      2023 January 22 A person stands on a steep snow-covered hill with their arms raised. In the distance green aurora are visible. Past that stars are visible. In Green Company: Aurora over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative featured image was captured as a composite from three separate exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The time was early 2014. Although our Sun passed the solar minimum of its 11-year cycle only a few years ago, surface activity is picking up and already triggering more spectacular auroras here on Earth. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

      Alt...2023 January 22 A person stands on a steep snow-covered hill with their arms raised. In the distance green aurora are visible. Past that stars are visible. In Green Company: Aurora over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative featured image was captured as a composite from three separate exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The time was early 2014. Although our Sun passed the solar minimum of its 11-year cycle only a few years ago, surface activity is picking up and already triggering more spectacular auroras here on Earth. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

        [?]grobi » 🌐
        @grobi@defcon.social

        2023 January 11

        Spiral Aurora over Iceland
        * Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini
        instagram.com/pels_photo/
        livescience.com/planet-earth/a

        Explanation:
        The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really Iceland. The rock arch is named Gatklettur and located on the island's northwest coast. Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a meter across. The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged over long exposures. The featured image is a composite of several foreground and background shots taken with the same camera and from the same location on the same night last November. The location was picked for its picturesque foreground, but the timing was planned for its colorful background: aurora. The spiral aurora, far behind the arch, was one of the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life. The coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as auroral patterns waved and danced for hours during the cold night. Far in the background were the unchanging stars, with Earth's rotation causing them to appear to slowly circle the sky's northernmost point near Polaris.

        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230111.ht

        2023 January 11 A green aurora is pictured above and beyond a dark rocky arch. Faint stars dot the background. Spiral Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini Explanation: The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really Iceland. The rock arch is named Gatklettur and located on the island's northwest coast. Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a meter across. The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged over long exposures. The featured image is a composite of several foreground and background shots taken with the same camera and from the same location on the same night last November. The location was picked for its picturesque foreground, but the timing was planned for its colorful background: aurora. The spiral aurora, far behind the arch, was one of the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life. The coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as auroral patterns waved and danced for hours during the cold night. Far in the background were the unchanging stars, with Earth's rotation causing them to appear to slowly circle the sky's northernmost point near Polaris. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

        Alt...2023 January 11 A green aurora is pictured above and beyond a dark rocky arch. Faint stars dot the background. Spiral Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini Explanation: The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really Iceland. The rock arch is named Gatklettur and located on the island's northwest coast. Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a meter across. The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged over long exposures. The featured image is a composite of several foreground and background shots taken with the same camera and from the same location on the same night last November. The location was picked for its picturesque foreground, but the timing was planned for its colorful background: aurora. The spiral aurora, far behind the arch, was one of the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life. The coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as auroral patterns waved and danced for hours during the cold night. Far in the background were the unchanging stars, with Earth's rotation causing them to appear to slowly circle the sky's northernmost point near Polaris. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

          [?]grobi » 🌐
          @grobi@defcon.social

          "I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
          Bots-requests would not be accepted."

          2022 April 4

          A Vortex Aurora over Iceland
          * Image Credit & Copyright: Christophe Suarez
          france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/

          Explanation:
          No, the car was not in danger of being vacuumed into space by the big sky vortex. For one reason, the vortex was really an aurora, and since auroras are created by particles striking the Earth from space, they do not create a vacuum. This rapidly developing auroral display was caused by a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun that passed by the Earth closely enough to cause a ripple in Earth's magnetosphere. The upper red parts of the aurora occur over 250 kilometers high with its red glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen directly energized by incoming particles. The lower green parts of the aurora occur over 100 kilometers high with its green glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen energized indirectly by collisions with first-energized molecular nitrogen. Below 100 kilometers, there is little atomic oxygen, which is why auroras end abruptly. The concentric cylinders depict a dramatic auroral corona as seen from the side. The featured image was created from a single 3-second exposure taken in mid-March over Lake Myvatn in Iceland.
          science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/

          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220404.ht

          2022 April 4 The featured image depicts a bright aurora that occurred over Iceland in March. The curvature of the aurora makes it look like a vortex. A Vortex Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Christophe Suarez Explanation: No, the car was not in danger of being vacuumed into space by the big sky vortex. For one reason, the vortex was really an aurora, and since auroras are created by particles striking the Earth from space, they do not create a vacuum. This rapidly developing auroral display was caused by a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun that passed by the Earth closely enough to cause a ripple in Earth's magnetosphere. The upper red parts of the aurora occur over 250 kilometers high with its red glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen directly energized by incoming particles. The lower green parts of the aurora occur over 100 kilometers high with its green glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen energized indirectly by collisions with first-energized molecular nitrogen. Below 100 kilometers, there is little atomic oxygen, which is why auroras end abruptly. The concentric cylinders depict a dramatic auroral corona as seen from the side. The featured image was created from a single 3-second exposure taken in mid-March over Lake Myvatn in Iceland. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

          Alt...2022 April 4 The featured image depicts a bright aurora that occurred over Iceland in March. The curvature of the aurora makes it look like a vortex. A Vortex Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Christophe Suarez Explanation: No, the car was not in danger of being vacuumed into space by the big sky vortex. For one reason, the vortex was really an aurora, and since auroras are created by particles striking the Earth from space, they do not create a vacuum. This rapidly developing auroral display was caused by a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun that passed by the Earth closely enough to cause a ripple in Earth's magnetosphere. The upper red parts of the aurora occur over 250 kilometers high with its red glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen directly energized by incoming particles. The lower green parts of the aurora occur over 100 kilometers high with its green glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen energized indirectly by collisions with first-energized molecular nitrogen. Below 100 kilometers, there is little atomic oxygen, which is why auroras end abruptly. The concentric cylinders depict a dramatic auroral corona as seen from the side. The featured image was created from a single 3-second exposure taken in mid-March over Lake Myvatn in Iceland. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

            [?]grobi » 🌐
            @grobi@defcon.social

            2022 March 22

            A Whale of an Aurora over Swedish Forest
            * Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
            astrofotografen.se/

            Explanation:
            What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass ejection occurred on our Sun earlier this month, throwing a cloud of fast-moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Part of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and, bolstered by a sudden gap, resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at some high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral corona captured above a forest in Sweden from a scenic perch overlooking the city of Östersund. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen might appear like a large whale, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. The unusually quiet Sun of the past few years has now passed. As our Sun now approaches a solar maximum in its 11-year solar magnetic cycle, dramatic auroras like this are sure to continue.

            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220322.ht

            2022 March 22 The featured image depicts a bright aurora captured earlier this month over Östersund, Sweden. To some, this coronal aurora may resemble a whale. A Whale of an Aurora over Swedish Forest * Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass ejection occurred on our Sun earlier this month, throwing a cloud of fast-moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Part of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and, bolstered by a sudden gap, resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at some high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral corona captured above a forest in Sweden from a scenic perch overlooking the city of Östersund. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen might appear like a large whale, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. The unusually quiet Sun of the past few years has now passed. As our Sun now approaches a solar maximum in its 11-year solar magnetic cycle, dramatic auroras like this are sure to continue. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

            Alt...2022 March 22 The featured image depicts a bright aurora captured earlier this month over Östersund, Sweden. To some, this coronal aurora may resemble a whale. A Whale of an Aurora over Swedish Forest * Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass ejection occurred on our Sun earlier this month, throwing a cloud of fast-moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Part of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and, bolstered by a sudden gap, resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at some high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral corona captured above a forest in Sweden from a scenic perch overlooking the city of Östersund. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen might appear like a large whale, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. The unusually quiet Sun of the past few years has now passed. As our Sun now approaches a solar maximum in its 11-year solar magnetic cycle, dramatic auroras like this are sure to continue. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

              [?]grobi » 🌐
              @grobi@defcon.social

              "I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
              Bots-requests would not be accepted."

              2022 February 20

              Aurora Over White Dome Geyser
              * Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Howell

              Explanation:
              Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful auroras erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted -- spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that caused the auroras subsided within a day, eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes.
              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Do

              apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220220.ht

              2022 February 20 The featured image shows White Dome geyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park with colorful aurora in the background. Aurora Over White Dome Geyser * Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Howell Explanation: Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful auroras erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted -- spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that caused the auroras subsided within a day, eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

              Alt...2022 February 20 The featured image shows White Dome geyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park with colorful aurora in the background. Aurora Over White Dome Geyser * Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Howell Explanation: Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful auroras erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted -- spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that caused the auroras subsided within a day, eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                [?]grobi » 🌐
                @grobi@defcon.social

                "Ok, before I go to sleep
                one more for the road ;-)

                I wish you a good night's sleep and colorful beautiful dreams.. Thank you for your attention, the many boosts and favorites to today's two topics and your kind words! I was very happy about that. Please consider following if you are human and no bot I follow back. It's just more fun when you know who you're putting time and love into the posts and topics for, isn't it? This Topic will be continued anyways .. see you soon"

                2022 February 8

                Aurora and Light Pillars over Norway
                * Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Correia

                Explanation:
                Which half of this sky is your favorite? On the left, the night sky is lit up by particles expelled from the Sun that later collided with Earth's upper atmosphere — creating bright auroras. On the right, the night glows with ground lights reflected by millions of tiny ice crystals falling from the sky — creating light pillars. And in the center, the astrophotographer presents your choices. The light pillars are vertical columns because the fluttering ice-crystals are mostly flat to the ground, and their colors are those of the ground lights. The auroras cover the sky and ground in the green hue of glowing oxygen, while their transparency is clear because you can see stars right through them. Distant stars dot the background, including bright stars from the iconic constellation of Orion. The featured image was captured in a single exposure two months ago near Kautokeino, Norway.

                2022 February 8 The featured image shows the photographer standing beneath a night sky with green aurora on the left and colorful light pillars on the right. Aurora and Light Pillars over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Correia Explanation: Which half of this sky is your favorite? On the left, the night sky is lit up by particles expelled from the Sun that later collided with Earth's upper atmosphere — creating bright auroras. On the right, the night glows with ground lights reflected by millions of tiny ice crystals falling from the sky — creating light pillars. And in the center, the astrophotographer presents your choices. The light pillars are vertical columns because the fluttering ice-crystals are mostly flat to the ground, and their colors are those of the ground lights. The auroras cover the sky and ground in the green hue of glowing oxygen, while their transparency is clear because you can see stars right through them. Distant stars dot the background, including bright stars from the iconic constellation of Orion. The featured image was captured in a single exposure two months ago near Kautokeino, Norway. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                Alt...2022 February 8 The featured image shows the photographer standing beneath a night sky with green aurora on the left and colorful light pillars on the right. Aurora and Light Pillars over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Correia Explanation: Which half of this sky is your favorite? On the left, the night sky is lit up by particles expelled from the Sun that later collided with Earth's upper atmosphere — creating bright auroras. On the right, the night glows with ground lights reflected by millions of tiny ice crystals falling from the sky — creating light pillars. And in the center, the astrophotographer presents your choices. The light pillars are vertical columns because the fluttering ice-crystals are mostly flat to the ground, and their colors are those of the ground lights. The auroras cover the sky and ground in the green hue of glowing oxygen, while their transparency is clear because you can see stars right through them. Distant stars dot the background, including bright stars from the iconic constellation of Orion. The featured image was captured in a single exposure two months ago near Kautokeino, Norway. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                  @grobi@defcon.social

                  2021 September 12
                  The picture shows a dramatic spiral-shaped aurora over Iceland.

                  A Spiral Aurora over Iceland
                  * Image Credit & Copyright: Davide Necchi
                  davnec.eu/a-proposito-del-necc

                  Explanation:
                  What's happened to the sky? Aurora! Captured in 2015, this aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth's protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground of the featured image is the Ölfusá River while the lights illuminate a bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full Moon. The liveliness of the Sun -- and likely the resulting auroras on Earth -- is slowly increasing as the Sun emerges from a Solar minimum, a historically quiet period in its 11-year cycle.

                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210912.ht

                  2021 September 12 The picture shows a dramatic spiral-shaped aurora over Iceland. A Spiral Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Davide Necchi Explanation: What's happened to the sky? Aurora! Captured in 2015, this aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth's protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground of the featured image is the Ölfusá River while the lights illuminate a bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full Moon. The liveliness of the Sun -- and likely the resulting auroras on Earth -- is slowly increasing as the Sun emerges from a Solar minimum, a historically quiet period in its 11-year cycle. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                  Alt...2021 September 12 The picture shows a dramatic spiral-shaped aurora over Iceland. A Spiral Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Davide Necchi Explanation: What's happened to the sky? Aurora! Captured in 2015, this aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth's protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground of the featured image is the Ölfusá River while the lights illuminate a bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full Moon. The liveliness of the Sun -- and likely the resulting auroras on Earth -- is slowly increasing as the Sun emerges from a Solar minimum, a historically quiet period in its 11-year cycle. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                    @grobi@defcon.social

                    "I really hope you had a wonderful day and an exiting timeline. Have colorful dreams and a peaceful night.

                    Stay tuned and dig deeper, some posts have a bunch of url's some of them lead to mind-blowing and eye-opening websites."

                    2021 May 30

                    Aurora over Clouds
                    * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniele Boffelli

                    Explanation:
                    Auroras usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow is created when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact the Earth's magnetosphere, from which charged particles spiral along the Earth's magnetic field to strike atoms and molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere. An oxygen atom, for example, will glow in the green light commonly emitted by an aurora after being energized by such a collision. The lowest part of an aurora will typically occur about 100 kilometers up, while most clouds exist only below about 10 kilometers. The relative heights of clouds and auroras are shown clearly in the featured picture in 2015 from Dyrholaey, Iceland. There, a determined astrophotographer withstood high winds and initially overcast skies in an attempt to capture aurora over a picturesque lighthouse, only to take, by chance, the featured picture including elongated lenticular clouds, along the way.

                    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210530.ht

                    2021 May 30 The picture shows green aurora through odd lenticular clouds. Aurora over Clouds * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniele Boffelli Explanation: Auroras usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow is created when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact the Earth's magnetosphere, from which charged particles spiral along the Earth's magnetic field to strike atoms and molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere. An oxygen atom, for example, will glow in the green light commonly emitted by an aurora after being energized by such a collision. The lowest part of an aurora will typically occur about 100 kilometers up, while most clouds exist only below about 10 kilometers. The relative heights of clouds and auroras are shown clearly in the featured picture in 2015 from Dyrholaey, Iceland. There, a determined astrophotographer withstood high winds and initially overcast skies in an attempt to capture aurora over a picturesque lighthouse, only to take, by chance, the featured picture including elongated lenticular clouds, along the way. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                    Alt...2021 May 30 The picture shows green aurora through odd lenticular clouds. Aurora over Clouds * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniele Boffelli Explanation: Auroras usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow is created when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact the Earth's magnetosphere, from which charged particles spiral along the Earth's magnetic field to strike atoms and molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere. An oxygen atom, for example, will glow in the green light commonly emitted by an aurora after being energized by such a collision. The lowest part of an aurora will typically occur about 100 kilometers up, while most clouds exist only below about 10 kilometers. The relative heights of clouds and auroras are shown clearly in the featured picture in 2015 from Dyrholaey, Iceland. There, a determined astrophotographer withstood high winds and initially overcast skies in an attempt to capture aurora over a picturesque lighthouse, only to take, by chance, the featured picture including elongated lenticular clouds, along the way. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                      [?]grobi » 🌐
                      @grobi@defcon.social

                      2018 April 10

                      Dragon Aurora over Norway
                      * Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Bastoni

                      Explanation:
                      What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal hole opened last month, a few days before this image was taken, throwing a cloud of fast moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Some of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral curtain captured above Tromsø Norway. To the astrophotographer, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen appeared as a large dragon, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. Although now past Solar Maximum, our Sun continues to show occasional activity creating impressive auroras on Earth visible even last week.

                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180410.ht

                      2018 April 10 Dragon Aurora over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Bastoni Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal hole opened last month, a few days before this image was taken, throwing a cloud of fast moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Some of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral curtain captured above Tromsø Norway. To the astrophotographer, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen appeared as a large dragon, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. Although now past Solar Maximum, our Sun continues to show occasional activity creating impressive auroras on Earth visible even last week. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                      Alt...2018 April 10 Dragon Aurora over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Bastoni Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal hole opened last month, a few days before this image was taken, throwing a cloud of fast moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Some of this cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral curtain captured above Tromsø Norway. To the astrophotographer, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen appeared as a large dragon, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. Although now past Solar Maximum, our Sun continues to show occasional activity creating impressive auroras on Earth visible even last week. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                        [?]grobi » 🌐
                        @grobi@defcon.social

                        2018 May 1

                        The Aurora and the Sunrise
                        * Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station, Ricky Arnold
                        nasa.gov/international-space-s

                        Explanation:
                        On the International Space Station (ISS), you can only admire an aurora until the sun rises. Then the background Earth becomes too bright. Unfortunately, after sunset, the rapid orbit of the ISS around the Earth means that sunrise is usually less than 47 minutes away. In the featured image, a green aurora is visible below the ISS -- and on the horizon to the upper right, while sunrise approaches ominously from the upper left. Watching an aurora from space can be mesmerizing as its changing shape has been compared to a giant green amoeba. Auroras are composed of energetic electrons and protons from the Sun that impact the Earth's magnetic field and then spiral down toward the Earth so fast that they cause atmospheric atoms and molecules to glow. The ISS orbits at nearly the same height as auroras, many times flying right through an aurora's thin upper layers, an event that neither harms astronauts nor changes the shape of the aurora.
                        nasa.gov/image-article/flying-

                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180501.ht

                        2018 May 1 The Aurora and the Sunrise * Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station, Ricky Arnold Explanation: On the International Space Station (ISS), you can only admire an aurora until the sun rises. Then the background Earth becomes too bright. Unfortunately, after sunset, the rapid orbit of the ISS around the Earth means that sunrise is usually less than 47 minutes away. In the featured image, a green aurora is visible below the ISS -- and on the horizon to the upper right, while sunrise approaches ominously from the upper left. Watching an aurora from space can be mesmerizing as its changing shape has been compared to a giant green amoeba. Auroras are composed of energetic electrons and protons from the Sun that impact the Earth's magnetic field and then spiral down toward the Earth so fast that they cause atmospheric atoms and molecules to glow. The ISS orbits at nearly the same height as auroras, many times flying right through an aurora's thin upper layers, an event that neither harms astronauts nor changes the shape of the aurora. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                        Alt...2018 May 1 The Aurora and the Sunrise * Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station, Ricky Arnold Explanation: On the International Space Station (ISS), you can only admire an aurora until the sun rises. Then the background Earth becomes too bright. Unfortunately, after sunset, the rapid orbit of the ISS around the Earth means that sunrise is usually less than 47 minutes away. In the featured image, a green aurora is visible below the ISS -- and on the horizon to the upper right, while sunrise approaches ominously from the upper left. Watching an aurora from space can be mesmerizing as its changing shape has been compared to a giant green amoeba. Auroras are composed of energetic electrons and protons from the Sun that impact the Earth's magnetic field and then spiral down toward the Earth so fast that they cause atmospheric atoms and molecules to glow. The ISS orbits at nearly the same height as auroras, many times flying right through an aurora's thin upper layers, an event that neither harms astronauts nor changes the shape of the aurora. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                          [?]grobi » 🌐
                          @grobi@defcon.social

                          "Hey,
                          may i take you on a ride through the twilight into the night sky?? OK, buckle up and off we go .. scroll upwards if you dare to!"

                          2013 March 31

                          Flying Over the Earth at Night
                          * Video Credit: Gateway to Astronaut Photography, NASA
                          eol.jsc.nasa.gov/
                          nasa.gov/;
                          * Compilation: David Peterson youtube.com/user/Bitmeizer;
                          * Music: Freedom Fighters (Two Steps from Hell)
                          en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Step

                          Explanation:
                          Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white clouds, orange city lights, lightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas. On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth's thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes.

                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130331.ht

                          Alt...2013 March 31 Flying Over the Earth at Night * Video Credit: Gateway to Astronaut Photography, NASA ; * Compilation: David Peterson (YouTube); * Music: Freedom Fighters (Two Steps from Hell) Explanation: Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white clouds, orange city lights, lightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas. On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth's thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                            [?]grobi » 🌐
                            @grobi@defcon.social

                            2024 August 16

                            Meteor Borealis
                            * Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Dain

                            Explanation:
                            A single exposure made with a camera pointed almost due north on August 12 recorded this bright Perseid meteor in the night sky west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The meteor's incandescent trace is fleeting. It appears to cross the stars of the Big Dipper, famous northern asterism and celestial kitchen utensil, while shimmering curtains of aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, dance in the night. Doubling the wow factor for night skywatchers near the peak of this year's Perseid meteor shower auroral activity on planet Earth was enhanced by geomagnetic storms. The intense space weather was triggered by flares from an active Sun.

                            apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240816.ht

                            2024 August 16 Meteor Borealis * Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Dain Explanation: A single exposure made with a camera pointed almost due north on August 12 recorded this bright Perseid meteor in the night sky west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The meteor's incandescent trace is fleeting. It appears to cross the stars of the Big Dipper, famous northern asterism and celestial kitchen utensil, while shimmering curtains of aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, dance in the night. Doubling the wow factor for night skywatchers near the peak of this year's Perseid meteor shower auroral activity on planet Earth was enhanced by geomagnetic storms. The intense space weather was triggered by flares from an active Sun. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                            Alt...2024 August 16 Meteor Borealis * Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Dain Explanation: A single exposure made with a camera pointed almost due north on August 12 recorded this bright Perseid meteor in the night sky west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The meteor's incandescent trace is fleeting. It appears to cross the stars of the Big Dipper, famous northern asterism and celestial kitchen utensil, while shimmering curtains of aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, dance in the night. Doubling the wow factor for night skywatchers near the peak of this year's Perseid meteor shower auroral activity on planet Earth was enhanced by geomagnetic storms. The intense space weather was triggered by flares from an active Sun. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                              [?]grobi » 🌐
                              @grobi@defcon.social

                              2011 September 23

                              September's Aurora
                              * Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka / TWAN / www.blue-moon.ca
                              twanight.org/profile/yuichi-ta

                              Explanation:
                              September's equinox arrived that day at 0905 UT. As the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south, spring begins in the southern hemisphere and autumn in the north. And though the seasonal connection is still puzzling, both spring and autumn bring an increase in geomagnetic storms. So as northern nights grow longer, the equinox also heralds the arrival of a good season for viewing aurora. Recorded earlier this month, these curtains of September's shimmering green light sprawl across a gorgeous night skyscape. In the foreground lies Hidden Lake Territorial Park near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Calm water reflects the aurora, with bright star trails peering through the mesmerizing sky glow. Of course, shining at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, planet Earth's auroras are visible from space.

                              apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110923.ht

                              2011 September 23 September's Aurora * Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka / TWAN / www.blue-moon.ca Explanation: September's equinox arrives today at 0905 UT. As the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south, spring begins in the southern hemisphere and autumn in the north. And though the seasonal connection is still puzzling, both spring and autumn bring an increase in geomagnetic storms. So as northern nights grow longer, the equinox also heralds the arrival of a good season for viewing aurora. Recorded earlier this month, these curtains of September's shimmering green light sprawl across a gorgeous night skyscape. In the foreground lies Hidden Lake Territorial Park near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Calm water reflects the aurora, with bright star trails peering through the mesmerizing sky glow. Of course, shining at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, planet Earth's auroras are visible from space. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                              Alt...2011 September 23 September's Aurora * Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka / TWAN / www.blue-moon.ca Explanation: September's equinox arrives today at 0905 UT. As the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south, spring begins in the southern hemisphere and autumn in the north. And though the seasonal connection is still puzzling, both spring and autumn bring an increase in geomagnetic storms. So as northern nights grow longer, the equinox also heralds the arrival of a good season for viewing aurora. Recorded earlier this month, these curtains of September's shimmering green light sprawl across a gorgeous night skyscape. In the foreground lies Hidden Lake Territorial Park near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Calm water reflects the aurora, with bright star trails peering through the mesmerizing sky glow. Of course, shining at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, planet Earth's auroras are visible from space. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                [?]grobi » 🌐
                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                2018 September 22

                                Window Seat over Hudson Bay
                                * Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
                                ralf-rohner.pixels.com/

                                Explanation:
                                On the August 18 night flight from San Francisco to Zurich, a window seat offered this tantalizing view when curtains of light draped a colorful glow across the sky over Hudson Bay. Constructed by digitally stacking six short exposures made with a hand held camera, the scene records the shimmering aurora borealis or northern lights just as the approaching high altitude sunrise illuminated the northeastern horizon. It also caught the flash of a Perseid meteor streaking beneath the handle stars of the Big Dipper of the north. A few days past the meteor shower's peak, its trail still points across the sky toward Perseus. Beautiful aurorae and shower meteors both occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, far above commercial airline flights. The aurora are caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of comet dust.

                                apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180922.ht

                                2018 September 22 Window Seat over Hudson Bay * Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner Explanation: On the August 18 night flight from San Francisco to Zurich, a window seat offered this tantalizing view when curtains of light draped a colorful glow across the sky over Hudson Bay. Constructed by digitally stacking six short exposures made with a hand held camera, the scene records the shimmering aurora borealis or northern lights just as the approaching high altitude sunrise illuminated the northeastern horizon. It also caught the flash of a Perseid meteor streaking beneath the handle stars of the Big Dipper of the north. A few days past the meteor shower's peak, its trail still points across the sky toward Perseus. Beautiful aurorae and shower meteors both occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, far above commercial airline flights. The aurora are caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of comet dust. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                Alt...2018 September 22 Window Seat over Hudson Bay * Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner Explanation: On the August 18 night flight from San Francisco to Zurich, a window seat offered this tantalizing view when curtains of light draped a colorful glow across the sky over Hudson Bay. Constructed by digitally stacking six short exposures made with a hand held camera, the scene records the shimmering aurora borealis or northern lights just as the approaching high altitude sunrise illuminated the northeastern horizon. It also caught the flash of a Perseid meteor streaking beneath the handle stars of the Big Dipper of the north. A few days past the meteor shower's peak, its trail still points across the sky toward Perseus. Beautiful aurorae and shower meteors both occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, far above commercial airline flights. The aurora are caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of comet dust. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                                  @grobi@defcon.social

                                  2018 December 9

                                  Aurora Shimmer, Meteor Flash
                                  * Image Credit & Copyright: Bjørnar G. Hansen

                                  Explanation:
                                  Some night skies are serene and passive -- others shimmer and flash. The later, in the form of auroras and meteors, haunted skies over the island of Kvaløya, near Tromsø Norway on 2009 December 13. This 30 second long exposure records a shimmering auroral glow gently lighting the wintery coastal scene. A study in contrasts, the image also captures the sudden flash of a fireball meteor from the excellent Geminid meteor shower of 2009. Streaking past familiar stars in the handle of the Big Dipper, the trail points back toward the constellation Gemini, off the top of the view. Both auroras and meteors occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, but aurora caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of cosmic dust. Nine years after this photograph was taken, toward the end of this week, the yearly 2018 Geminids meteor shower will peak again, although this time their flashes will compete with the din of a half-lit first-quarter moon during the first half of the night.

                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181209.ht

                                  2018 December 9 Aurora Shimmer, Meteor Flash * Image Credit & Copyright: Bjørnar G. Hansen Explanation: Some night skies are serene and passive -- others shimmer and flash. The later, in the form of auroras and meteors, haunted skies over the island of Kvaløya, near Tromsø Norway on 2009 December 13. This 30 second long exposure records a shimmering auroral glow gently lighting the wintery coastal scene. A study in contrasts, the image also captures the sudden flash of a fireball meteor from the excellent Geminid meteor shower of 2009. Streaking past familiar stars in the handle of the Big Dipper, the trail points back toward the constellation Gemini, off the top of the view. Both auroras and meteors occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, but aurora caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of cosmic dust. Nine years after this photograph was taken, toward the end of this week, the yearly 2018 Geminids meteor shower will peak again, although this time their flashes will compete with the din of a half-lit first-quarter moon during the first half of the night. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                  Alt...2018 December 9 Aurora Shimmer, Meteor Flash * Image Credit & Copyright: Bjørnar G. Hansen Explanation: Some night skies are serene and passive -- others shimmer and flash. The later, in the form of auroras and meteors, haunted skies over the island of Kvaløya, near Tromsø Norway on 2009 December 13. This 30 second long exposure records a shimmering auroral glow gently lighting the wintery coastal scene. A study in contrasts, the image also captures the sudden flash of a fireball meteor from the excellent Geminid meteor shower of 2009. Streaking past familiar stars in the handle of the Big Dipper, the trail points back toward the constellation Gemini, off the top of the view. Both auroras and meteors occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so, but aurora caused by energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere, while meteors are trails of cosmic dust. Nine years after this photograph was taken, toward the end of this week, the yearly 2018 Geminids meteor shower will peak again, although this time their flashes will compete with the din of a half-lit first-quarter moon during the first half of the night. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                                    @grobi@defcon.social

                                    2013 November 18

                                    Aurora and Unusual Clouds Over Iceland
                                    * Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées)
                                    nuitsacrees.fr/

                                    Explanation:
                                    What's happening in the sky? On this cold winter night in Iceland, quite a lot. First, in the foreground, lies the largest glacier in Iceland: Vatnajokull. On the far left, bright green auroras appear to emanate from the glacier as if it was a volcano. Aurora light is reflected by the foreground lake Jökulsárlón. On the far right is a long and unusual lenticular cloud tinged with green light emitted from another aurora well behind it. Just above this lenticular cloud are unusual iridescent lenticular clouds displaying a broad spectral range of colors. Far beyond the lenticular is the setting Moon, while far beyond even the Moon are setting stars. The above image was captured in late March of 2012.

                                    2013 November 18 Aurora and Unusual Clouds Over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées) Explanation: What's happening in the sky? On this cold winter night in Iceland, quite a lot. First, in the foreground, lies the largest glacier in Iceland: Vatnajokull. On the far left, bright green auroras appear to emanate from the glacier as if it was a volcano. Aurora light is reflected by the foreground lake Jökulsárlón. On the far right is a long and unusual lenticular cloud tinged with green light emitted from another aurora well behind it. Just above this lenticular cloud are unusual iridescent lenticular clouds displaying a broad spectral range of colors. Far beyond the lenticular is the setting Moon, while far beyond even the Moon are setting stars. The above image was captured in late March of 2012. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                    Alt...2013 November 18 Aurora and Unusual Clouds Over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées) Explanation: What's happening in the sky? On this cold winter night in Iceland, quite a lot. First, in the foreground, lies the largest glacier in Iceland: Vatnajokull. On the far left, bright green auroras appear to emanate from the glacier as if it was a volcano. Aurora light is reflected by the foreground lake Jökulsárlón. On the far right is a long and unusual lenticular cloud tinged with green light emitted from another aurora well behind it. Just above this lenticular cloud are unusual iridescent lenticular clouds displaying a broad spectral range of colors. Far beyond the lenticular is the setting Moon, while far beyond even the Moon are setting stars. The above image was captured in late March of 2012. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                      [?]grobi » 🌐
                                      @grobi@defcon.social

                                      2023 September 16

                                      Fireball over Iceland
                                      * Image Credit & Copyright: Jennifer Franklin

                                      Explanation:
                                      On September 12, from a location just south of the Arctic Circle, stones of Iceland's modern Arctic Henge point skyward in this startling scene. Entertaining an intrepid group of aurora hunters during a geomagnetic storm, alluring northern lights dance across the darkened sky when a stunning fireball meteor explodes. Awestruck, the camera-equipped skygazers captured video and still images of the boreal bolide, at its peak about as bright as a full moon. Though quickly fading from view, the fireball left a lingering visible trail or persistent train. The wraith-like trail was seen for minutes wafting in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 90 kilometers along with the auroral glow.

                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230916.ht

                                      2023 September 16 Fireball over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Jennifer Franklin Explanation: On September 12, from a location just south of the Arctic Circle, stones of Iceland's modern Arctic Henge point skyward in this startling scene. Entertaining an intrepid group of aurora hunters during a geomagnetic storm, alluring northern lights dance across the darkened sky when a stunning fireball meteor explodes. Awestruck, the camera-equipped skygazers captured video and still images of the boreal bolide, at its peak about as bright as a full moon. Though quickly fading from view, the fireball left a lingering visible trail or persistent train. The wraith-like trail was seen for minutes wafting in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 90 kilometers along with the auroral glow. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                      Alt...2023 September 16 Fireball over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Jennifer Franklin Explanation: On September 12, from a location just south of the Arctic Circle, stones of Iceland's modern Arctic Henge point skyward in this startling scene. Entertaining an intrepid group of aurora hunters during a geomagnetic storm, alluring northern lights dance across the darkened sky when a stunning fireball meteor explodes. Awestruck, the camera-equipped skygazers captured video and still images of the boreal bolide, at its peak about as bright as a full moon. Though quickly fading from view, the fireball left a lingering visible trail or persistent train. The wraith-like trail was seen for minutes wafting in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 90 kilometers along with the auroral glow. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                      Persistent train in auroral sky

                                      Alt... Persistent train in auroral sky

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                                        Fireball Above Iceland
                                        by Babak Tafreshi
                                        print.babaktafreshi.com/talks-

                                        "On 2023 September 13, near the northern most point of Iceland, the night sky exploded with the northern lights and a spectacular fireball, above the Arctic Henge monument. I was about to move our group to another spot when this tennis-ball sized space rock entered the earth atmosphere and burned at an altitude of 60-90 km above us, becoming as bright as the full moon for a moment. Such meteors are very rare to witness. Even for a frequent observer like me it took three decades to finally record one in video!
                                        I was on my biannual Aurora PhotoTour. My Icelandic colleague ‪Stjornu Saevar‬ appears near the clip’s end, on a phone interview with the local media about the meteor."

                                        CREDIT
                                        Babak Tafreshi

                                        Alt...On 2023 September 13, near the northern most point of Iceland, the night sky exploded with the northern lights and a spectacular fireball, above the Arctic Henge monument. I was about to move our group to another spot when this tennis-ball sized space rock entered the earth atmosphere and burned at an altitude of 60-90 km above us, becoming as bright as the full moon for a moment. Such meteors are very rare to witness. Even for a frequent observer like me it took three decades to finally record one in video! I was on my biannual Aurora PhotoTour. My Icelandic colleague ‪Stjornu Saevar‬ appears near the clip’s end, on a phone interview with the local media about the meteor. CREDIT Babak Tafreshi

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                                          2025 September 26

                                          A SWAN, an ATLAS, and Mars
                                          * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block
                                          adamblockphotos.com/

                                          Explanation:
                                          A new visitor to the inner Solar System, comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) sports a long ion tail extending diagonally across this almost 7 degree wide telescopic field of view recorded on September 21. A fainter fellow comet also making its inner Solar System debut, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), can be spotted above and left of SWAN's greenish coma, just visible against the background sea of stars in the constellation Virgo. Both new comets were only discovered in 2025 and are joined in this celestial frame by ruddy planet Mars (bottom), a more familiar wanderer in planet Earth's night skies. The comets may appear to be in a race, nearly neck and neck in their voyage through the inner Solar System and around the Sun. But this comet SWAN has already reached its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on September 12 and is now outbound along its orbit. This comet ATLAS is still inbound though, and will make its perihelion passage on October 8.
                                          app.astrobin.com/i/vf43w6
                                          skyatnightmagazine.com/news/c-
                                          theskylive.com/c2025k1-info
                                          theskylive.com/c2025k1-info

                                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250926.ht

                                          2025 September 26 A SWAN, an ATLAS, and Mars * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block Explanation: A new visitor to the inner Solar System, comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) sports a long ion tail extending diagonally across this almost 7 degree wide telescopic field of view recorded on September 21. A fainter fellow comet also making its inner Solar System debut, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), can be spotted above and left of SWAN's greenish coma, just visible against the background sea of stars in the constellation Virgo. Both new comets were only discovered in 2025 and are joined in this celestial frame by ruddy planet Mars (bottom), a more familiar wanderer in planet Earth's night skies. The comets may appear to be in a race, nearly neck and neck in their voyage through the inner Solar System and around the Sun. But this comet SWAN has already reached its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on September 12 and is now outbound along its orbit. This comet ATLAS is still inbound though, and will make its perihelion passage on October 8. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                          Alt...2025 September 26 A SWAN, an ATLAS, and Mars * Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block Explanation: A new visitor to the inner Solar System, comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) sports a long ion tail extending diagonally across this almost 7 degree wide telescopic field of view recorded on September 21. A fainter fellow comet also making its inner Solar System debut, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), can be spotted above and left of SWAN's greenish coma, just visible against the background sea of stars in the constellation Virgo. Both new comets were only discovered in 2025 and are joined in this celestial frame by ruddy planet Mars (bottom), a more familiar wanderer in planet Earth's night skies. The comets may appear to be in a race, nearly neck and neck in their voyage through the inner Solar System and around the Sun. But this comet SWAN has already reached its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on September 12 and is now outbound along its orbit. This comet ATLAS is still inbound though, and will make its perihelion passage on October 8. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                            Annotations for previous post.

                                            Annotations for previous post.

                                            Alt...Annotations for previous post.

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                                              2025 September 25

                                              Saturn Opposite the Sun
                                              * Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang

                                              Explanation:
                                              This year Saturn was at opposition on September 21, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. At its closest to Earth, Saturn was also at its brightest of the year, rising as the Sun set and shining above the horizon all night long among the fainter stars of the constellation Pisces. In this snapshot from the Qinghai Lenghu Observatory, Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China, the outer planet is immersed in a faint, diffuse oval of light known as the gegenschein or counter glow. The diffuse gegenschein is produced by sunlight backscattered by interplanetary dust along the Solar System's ecliptic plane, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Like a giant eye, on this dark night Saturn and gegenschein seem to stare down on the observatory's telescope domes seen against a colorful background of airglow along the horizon.

                                              science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
                                              apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080507.ht
                                              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Fie

                                              apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250925.ht

                                              2025 September 25 Saturn Opposite the Sun * Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang Explanation: This year Saturn was at opposition on September 21, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. At its closest to Earth, Saturn was also at its brightest of the year, rising as the Sun set and shining above the horizon all night long among the fainter stars of the constellation Pisces. In this snapshot from the Qinghai Lenghu Observatory, Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China, the outer planet is immersed in a faint, diffuse oval of light known as the gegenschein or counter glow. The diffuse gegenschein is produced by sunlight backscattered by interplanetary dust along the Solar System's ecliptic plane, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Like a giant eye, on this dark night Saturn and gegenschein seem to stare down on the observatory's telescope domes seen against a colorful background of airglow along the horizon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                              Alt...2025 September 25 Saturn Opposite the Sun * Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang Explanation: This year Saturn was at opposition on September 21, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. At its closest to Earth, Saturn was also at its brightest of the year, rising as the Sun set and shining above the horizon all night long among the fainter stars of the constellation Pisces. In this snapshot from the Qinghai Lenghu Observatory, Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China, the outer planet is immersed in a faint, diffuse oval of light known as the gegenschein or counter glow. The diffuse gegenschein is produced by sunlight backscattered by interplanetary dust along the Solar System's ecliptic plane, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Like a giant eye, on this dark night Saturn and gegenschein seem to stare down on the observatory's telescope domes seen against a colorful background of airglow along the horizon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                2025 September 24

                                                GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide
                                                * Illustration Credit: Aurore Simonnet (SSU/EdEon), LVK, URI; LIGO Collaboration
                                                auroresimonnet.com/about-me/
                                                phys-astro.sonoma.edu/
                                                edeon.sonoma.edu/
                                                ligo.caltech.edu/page/ligo-sci

                                                Explanation:
                                                It was the strongest gravitational wave signal yet measured -- what did it show? GW250114 was detected by both arms of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana USA earlier this year. Analysis showed that the event was created when two black holes, each of mass around 33 times the mass of the Sun, coalesced into one larger black hole with a mass of around 63 solar masses. Even though the event happened about a billion light years away, the signal was so strong that the spin of all black holes, as well as initial ringing of the final black hole, was deduced with exceptional accuracy. Furthermore, it was confirmed better than before, as previously predicted, that the total event horizon area of the combined black hole was greater than those of the merging black holes. Featured, an artist's illustration depicts an imaginative and conceptual view from near one of the black holes before collision.
                                                ligo.caltech.edu/
                                                caltech.edu/about/news/first-o
                                                science.nasa.gov/universe/blac
                                                apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190414.ht
                                                apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht

                                                spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole
                                                apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191001.ht
                                                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_ho
                                                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GW250114

                                                apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250924.ht

                                                2025 September 24 Artwork depicts a colorful version of two black holes nearing collision from between the black holes. Swirling gas is depicted with wavey lined depicting gravitational waves ringing and an artificial grid depicting spacetime shown distorting. GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide * Illustration Credit: Aurore Simonnet (SSU/EdEon), LVK, URI; LIGO Collaboration Explanation: It was the strongest gravitational wave signal yet measured -- what did it show? GW250114 was detected by both arms of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana USA earlier this year. Analysis showed that the event was created when two black holes, each of mass around 33 times the mass of the Sun, coalesced into one larger black hole with a mass of around 63 solar masses. Even though the event happened about a billion light years away, the signal was so strong that the spin of all black holes, as well as initial ringing of the final black hole, was deduced with exceptional accuracy. Furthermore, it was confirmed better than before, as previously predicted, that the total event horizon area of the combined black hole was greater than those of the merging black holes. Featured, an artist's illustration depicts an imaginative and conceptual view from near one of the black holes before collision. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

                                                Alt...2025 September 24 Artwork depicts a colorful version of two black holes nearing collision from between the black holes. Swirling gas is depicted with wavey lined depicting gravitational waves ringing and an artificial grid depicting spacetime shown distorting. GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide * Illustration Credit: Aurore Simonnet (SSU/EdEon), LVK, URI; LIGO Collaboration Explanation: It was the strongest gravitational wave signal yet measured -- what did it show? GW250114 was detected by both arms of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana USA earlier this year. Analysis showed that the event was created when two black holes, each of mass around 33 times the mass of the Sun, coalesced into one larger black hole with a mass of around 63 solar masses. Even though the event happened about a billion light years away, the signal was so strong that the spin of all black holes, as well as initial ringing of the final black hole, was deduced with exceptional accuracy. Furthermore, it was confirmed better than before, as previously predicted, that the total event horizon area of the combined black hole was greater than those of the merging black holes. Featured, an artist's illustration depicts an imaginative and conceptual view from near one of the black holes before collision. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

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                                                  TOPIC >
                                                  Supermassive Black Holes

                                                  Spin up of a Supermassive Black Hole
                                                  * Illustration Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech
                                                  ipac.caltech.edu/science/staff
                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/
                                                  nasa.gov/

                                                  Explanation:
                                                  How fast can a black hole spin? If any object made of regular matter spins too fast -- it breaks apart. But a black hole might not be able to break apart -- and its maximum spin rate is really unknown. Theorists usually model rapidly rotating black holes with the Kerr solution to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which predicts several amazing and unusual things. Perhaps its most easily testable prediction, though, is that matter entering a maximally rotating black hole should be last seen orbiting at near the speed of light, as seen from far away. This prediction was tested by NASA's NuSTAR and ESA's XMM satellites by observing the supermassive black hole at the center of spiral galaxy NGC 1365. The near light-speed limit was confirmed by measuring the heating and spectral line broadening of nuclear emissions at the inner edge of the surrounding accretion disk. Pictured here is an artist's illustration depicting an accretion disk of normal matter swirling around a black hole, with a jet emanating from the top. Since matter randomly falling into the black hole should not spin up a black hole this much, the NuSTAR and XMM measurements also validate the existence of the surrounding accretion disk.
                                                  jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia16695-b
                                                  slate.com/technology/2013/02/s
                                                  ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013

                                                  science.nasa.gov/universe/blac
                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080811.ht
                                                  apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht
                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140323.ht
                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241113.ht

                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250504.ht

                                                  2025 May 4 An artistic illustration of a black hole is shown. The black spot in the center is the black hole, while the accretion disk of gas surrounding it is shown in orange. Stars and the darkness of space is shown near the top in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Spin up of a Supermassive Black Hole * Illustration Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech Explanation: How fast can a black hole spin? If any object made of regular matter spins too fast -- it breaks apart. But a black hole might not be able to break apart -- and its maximum spin rate is really unknown. Theorists usually model rapidly rotating black holes with the Kerr solution to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which predicts several amazing and unusual things. Perhaps its most easily testable prediction, though, is that matter entering a maximally rotating black hole should be last seen orbiting at near the speed of light, as seen from far away. This prediction was tested by NASA's NuSTAR and ESA's XMM satellites by observing the supermassive black hole at the center of spiral galaxy NGC 1365. ... Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                  Alt...2025 May 4 An artistic illustration of a black hole is shown. The black spot in the center is the black hole, while the accretion disk of gas surrounding it is shown in orange. Stars and the darkness of space is shown near the top in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Spin up of a Supermassive Black Hole * Illustration Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech Explanation: How fast can a black hole spin? If any object made of regular matter spins too fast -- it breaks apart. But a black hole might not be able to break apart -- and its maximum spin rate is really unknown. Theorists usually model rapidly rotating black holes with the Kerr solution to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which predicts several amazing and unusual things. Perhaps its most easily testable prediction, though, is that matter entering a maximally rotating black hole should be last seen orbiting at near the speed of light, as seen from far away. This prediction was tested by NASA's NuSTAR and ESA's XMM satellites by observing the supermassive black hole at the center of spiral galaxy NGC 1365. ... Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                    What Is a Black Hole?

                                                    The Short Answer:
                                                    A black hole is an area of such immense gravity that nothing -- not even light -- can escape from it.

                                                    spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole

                                                    Alt...converted and compressed video version explaining black holes for young students

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                                                      Download a poster of this animation from NASA Space Place:

                                                      8.5 x 11 inches:
                                                      spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole

                                                      8.5 x 13 inches
                                                      spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole

                                                      11 x 17 inches
                                                      spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole

                                                      spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole

                                                      you might also like:
                                                      jpl.nasa.gov/edu/resources/tea

                                                      Image of tutorial poster for schools explaining black holes click links to download from NASA SpacePlace web page above

                                                      Alt...Image of tutorial poster for schools explaining black holes click links to download from NASA SpacePlace web page above

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                                                        The Spinning Black Hole

                                                        "Black holes are macroscopic objects with masses varying from a few solar masses to millions of solar masses.To the extent they may be considered as stationary and isolated, to that extent, they are all, every single one of them, described exactly by the Kerr solution.
                                                        This is the only instance we have of an exact description of a macroscopic object.

                                                        Macroscopic objects, as we see them all around us, are governed by a variety of forces, derived from a variety of approximations to a variety of physical theories.

                                                        In contrast, the only elements in the construction of black holes are our basic concepts of space and time.
                                                        They are, thus, almost by definition, the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe. And since the general theory of relativity provides a single unique two-parameter family of solutions for their description, they are the simplest objects as well."
                                                        —S. Chandrasekhar

                                                        Images below explained from left to right downwards:

                                                        1. Black holes are tremendous objects whose immense gravity can distort and twist space-time, the fabric that shapes our universe.

                                                        2. Scientists measure the spin rates of supermassive black holes by spreading the X-ray light into different colors.

                                                        3. This image taken by the ultraviolet-light monitoring camera on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton telescope shows the beautiful spiral arms of the galaxy NGC1365.

                                                        4. NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has helped to show, for the first time, that the spin rates of black holes can be measured conclusively.

                                                        Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CfA/INAF

                                                        jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-nustar

                                                        * You may want to download and study this scientific elaboration:

                                                        PROJECT F
                                                        The Spinning Black Hole
                                                        eftaylor.com/pub/SpinNEW.pdf

                                                        1. Black holes are tremendous objects whose immense gravity can distort and twist space-time, the fabric that shapes our universe. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

                                                        Alt...1. Black holes are tremendous objects whose immense gravity can distort and twist space-time, the fabric that shapes our universe. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

                                                        2. Scientists measure the spin rates of supermassive black holes by spreading the X-ray light into different colors. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

                                                        Alt...2. Scientists measure the spin rates of supermassive black holes by spreading the X-ray light into different colors. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

                                                        3. This image taken by the ultraviolet-light monitoring camera on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton telescope shows the beautiful spiral arms of the galaxy NGC1365. Credit: ESA

                                                        Alt...3. This image taken by the ultraviolet-light monitoring camera on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton telescope shows the beautiful spiral arms of the galaxy NGC1365. Credit: ESA

                                                        4. NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has helped to show, for the first time, that the spin rates of black holes can be measured conclusively. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CfA/INAF

                                                        Alt...4. NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has helped to show, for the first time, that the spin rates of black holes can be measured conclusively. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CfA/INAF

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                                                          Journey of an observer falling inside a(n ideal) Kerr black hole and emerging in a parallel universe. (The black hole has a mass of roughly one million solar masses (Schwarzschild radius = 10 light seconds) and an angular momentum at 80% of maximality (a/M=0.8). The observer has an energy of 1.2 times its mass and zero angular momentum along the black hole's axis.)

                                                          The upper left quadrant is the observer's front view (for a somewhat arbitrary definition of "front"), the upper right quadrant is their rear view. The lower left quadrant displays the trajectory on a polar plane cut (external horizon is red, internal horizon is green, static limit is dashed and is not seen in the video, cut discontinuity is purple, and trajectory is blue) and in a Penrose diagram (outer (I) blocks are shown in blue, inner (III) blocks are shown in pink, and intermediate (II) blocks are shown in light or dark grey according as they are white hole or black hole regions; the trajectory is again shown in blue). The bottom right quadrant shows the Boyer-Lindquist coordinates and their derivative with respect to the proper time (s) of the observer.

                                                          In the video, a blue sphere is placed outside the black hole at some distance, a purple sphere is placed in negative space (i.e., beyond the singularity cut), and the outer and inner horizons are various shades of red and green in the same color scheme as in the Penrose diagram (lighter shades are white hole horizons, darker shades are black hole horizons). All spheres are checkered in an identical way, with twenty-four longitudinal stripes and twelve latitudinal (or polar) stripes, consistent with the black hole's axis. (The longitudinal stripes on the horizons rotate with the black hole.) The ring singularity itself is not visible as such, but appears as the edge rim of the purple region.

                                                          *Video and Text Credits:
                                                          David Madore

                                                          Alt...* converted and compressed video version Notes by David Madore: Note 1: This is a mathematical abstraction: while the parameters (mass and angular momentum) for this black hole are typical for certain real black holes (namely those found in galactic nuclei), physical black holes are not thought to possess any "white hole" component, at least in the past region: so a physical black hole would appear, well, black, and there wouldn't be much of interest to see (and what happens beyond the inner horizon in a physical black hole is pretty much unknown). Note 2: A previous version of this video was already posted on YouTube ( • Visiting a Kerr black hole (old versi... ). This one differs from the previous one in that the grids on the horizons are shown to rotate with the black hole (which is reasonable for a rotating black hole), and also in that the value of the Boyer-Lindquist t coordinate has been fixed. * Credit David Madore

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                                                            XMM-Newton catches giant black hole’s X-ray oscillations

                                                            The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton has detected rapidly fluctuating X-rays coming from the very edge of a supermassive black hole in the heart of a nearby galaxy. The results paint a fascinating picture that defies how we thought matter falls into such black holes, and points to a potential source of gravitational waves that ESA’s future mission, LISA, could see.

                                                            XMM-Newton is showing us that black holes devour matter in more complex ways than astronomers first thought. Black holes are predictions of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. They are gravitational monsters that imprison any piece of matter or energy that crosses their ‘surface’, a region of spacetime known as the event horizon.

                                                            During its final descent into the black hole, a process known as accretion, the doomed matter forms a disc around the black hole. The gas in the accretion disc heats up and gives off mostly ultraviolet (UV) light.

                                                            The UV rays interact with a cloud of electrically charged gas, or plasma, that surrounds the black hole and accretion disc. This cloud is known as the corona and the interactions give the UV rays energy, boosting them up to X-rays, which XMM-Newton can capture.

                                                            XMM-Newton has been observing the supermassive black hole 1ES 1927+654 since 2011. Back then, everything was pretty normal. But in 2018, things changed.

                                                            1ES 1927+654 suffered a large outburst that appeared to disrupt its surroundings because the X-ray corona disappeared. Gradually, the corona returned, and by early 2021 normality appeared to have been restored.

                                                            esa.int/Science_Exploration/Sp

                                                            >> there is more >>
                                                            esa.int/Science_Exploration/Sp

                                                            Credits:
                                                            Discovery of extreme Quasi-Periodic Eruptions in a newly accreting massive black hole by L. Hernandez-García et al. is published today in Nature Astronomy. DOI 10.1038/s41550-025-02523-9


                                                            Giant black hole gobbling up doomed white dwarf star XMM-Newton is showing us that black holes devour Notes for editors Discovery of extreme Quasi-Periodic Eruptions in a newly accreting massive black hole by L. Hernandez-García et al. is published today in Nature Astronomy. DOI 10.1038/s41550-025-02523-9 Dr Lorena Hernandez-Garcia is also a researcher at the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics and Millennium Nucleus TITANS, Chile. SDSS1335+0728: The awakening of a ∼106 M⊙ black hole by P. Sánchez-Sáez et al. was published in the August 2024 edition of Astronomy & Astrophysics. Contact: ESA Media relations media@esa.int

                                                            Alt...Giant black hole gobbling up doomed white dwarf star XMM-Newton is showing us that black holes devour Notes for editors Discovery of extreme Quasi-Periodic Eruptions in a newly accreting massive black hole by L. Hernandez-García et al. is published today in Nature Astronomy. DOI 10.1038/s41550-025-02523-9 Dr Lorena Hernandez-Garcia is also a researcher at the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics and Millennium Nucleus TITANS, Chile. SDSS1335+0728: The awakening of a ∼106 M⊙ black hole by P. Sánchez-Sáez et al. was published in the August 2024 edition of Astronomy & Astrophysics. Contact: ESA Media relations media@esa.int

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                                                              Black Hole Tidal Disruption Event

                                                              When a star wanders too close to a black hole, the intense gravity will stretch the star out until it becomes a long river of hot gas, as shown in this animation. The gas is then whipped around the black hole and is gradually pulled into orbit, forming a bright disk.

                                                              nustar.caltech.edu/

                                                              * Credit: Science Communication Lab/DESY

                                                              Alt...*converted and compressed video version: Black Hole Tidal Disruption Event When a star wanders too close to a black hole, the intense gravity will stretch the star out until it becomes a long river of hot gas, as shown in this animation. The gas is then whipped around the black hole and is gradually pulled into orbit, forming a bright disk. * Credit: Science Communication Lab/DESY

                                                                [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                General_relativity

                                                                General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics. General relativity generalizes special relativity and refines Newton's law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time, or four-dimensional spacetime. In particular, the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the energy and momentum of whatever is present, including matter and radiation. The relation is specified by the Einstein field equations, a system of second-order partial differential equations.

                                                                Newton's law of universal gravitation, which describes classical gravity, can be seen as a prediction of general relativity for the almost flat spacetime geometry around stationary mass distributions. Some predictions of general relativity, however, are beyond Newton's law of universal gravitation in classical physics. These predictions concern the passage of time, the geometry of space, the motion of bodies in free fall, and the propagation of light, and include gravitational time dilation, gravitational lensing, the gravitational redshift of light, the Shapiro time delay and singularities/black holes. So far, all tests of general relativity have been shown to be in agreement with the theory. The time-dependent solutions of general relativity enable us to talk about the history of the universe and have provided the modern framework for cosmology, thus leading to the discovery of the Big Bang and cosmic microwave background radiation. ..
                                                                >> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_

                                                                * relatively related:
                                                                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerr_met
                                                                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrose_
                                                                physicsopenlab.org/2017/09/07/

                                                                * Credits: Wikimedia Commons

                                                                Alt...Slow motion computer simulation of the black hole binary system GW150914 as seen by a nearby observer, during 0.33 s of its final inspiral, merge, and ringdown. The star field behind the black holes is being heavily distorted and appears to rotate and move, due to extreme gravitational lensing, as spacetime itself is distorted and dragged around by the rotating black holes.

                                                                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                  @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                  The Doubly Warped World of Binary Black Holes
                                                                  * Scientific Visualization Credit: NASA, GSFC, Jeremy Schnittman & Brian P. Powell; Text: Francis J. Reddy
                                                                  sedvme.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/f
                                                                  science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/
                                                                  science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/
                                                                  nasa.gov/goddard/
                                                                  nasa.gov/

                                                                  Explanation:
                                                                  If one black hole looks strange, what about two? Light rays from accretion disks around a pair of orbiting supermassive black holes make their way through the warped space-time produced by extreme gravity in this detailed computer visualization. The simulated accretion disks have been given different false color schemes, red for the disk surrounding a 200-million-solar-mass black hole, and blue for the disk surrounding a 100-million-solar-mass black hole. For these masses, though, both accretion disks would actually emit most of their light in the ultraviolet. The video allows us to see both sides of each black hole at the same time. Red and blue light originating from both black holes can be seen in the innermost ring of light, called the photon sphere, near their event horizons. In the past decade, gravitational waves from black hole collisions have actually been detected, although the coalescence of supermassive black holes remains undiscovered.
                                                                  nasa.gov/universe/new-nasa-vis
                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200825.ht
                                                                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretio
                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190411.ht
                                                                  svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14132/
                                                                  ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993
                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht
                                                                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon_s
                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201104.ht

                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250506.ht

                                                                  Alt... 2025 May 6 The Doubly Warped World of Binary Black Holes * Scientific Visualization Credit: NASA, GSFC, Jeremy Schnittman & Brian P. Powell; Text: Francis J. Reddy Explanation: If one black hole looks strange, what about two? Light rays from accretion disks around a pair of orbiting supermassive black holes make their way through the warped space-time produced by extreme gravity in this detailed computer visualization. The simulated accretion disks have been given different false color schemes, red for the disk surrounding a 200-million-solar-mass black hole, and blue for the disk surrounding a 100-million-solar-mass black hole. For these masses, though, both accretion disks would actually emit most of their light in the ultraviolet. The video allows us to see both sides of each black hole at the same time. Red and blue light originating from both black holes can be seen in the innermost ring of light, called the photon sphere, near their event horizons. In the past decade, gravitational waves from black hole collisions have actually been detected, although the coalescence of supermassive black holes remains undiscovered Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation.

                                                                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                    @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                    Black Hole Accretion Disk Visualization

                                                                    Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
                                                                    Jeremy Schnittman (NASA/GSFC)
                                                                    Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
                                                                    Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)
                                                                    Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)

                                                                    This new visualization of a black hole illustrates how its gravity distorts our view, warping its surroundings as if seen in a carnival mirror. The visualization simulates the appearance of a black hole where infalling matter has collected into a thin, hot structure called an accretion disk. The black hole’s extreme gravity skews light emitted by different regions of the disk, producing the misshapen appearance.

                                                                    Bright knots constantly form and dissipate in the disk as magnetic fields wind and twist through the churning gas. Nearest the black hole, the gas orbits at close to the speed of light, while the outer portions spin a bit more slowly. This difference stretches and shears the bright knots, producing light and dark lanes in the disk.

                                                                    Viewed from the side, the disk looks brighter on the left than it does on the right. Glowing gas on the left side of the disk moves toward us so fast that the effects of Einstein’s relativity give it a boost in brightness; the opposite happens on the right side, where gas moving away us becomes slightly dimmer. This asymmetry disappears when we see the disk exactly face on because, from that perspective, none of the material is moving along our line of sight.

                                                                    Closest to the black hole, the gravitational light-bending becomes so excessive that we can see the underside of the disk as a bright ring of light seemingly outlining the black hole. This so-called “photon ring” is composed of multiple rings, which grow progressively fainter and thinner, from light that has circled the black hole two, three, or even more times before escaping to reach our eyes. ...

                                                                    >> svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13326

                                                                    Alt... * converted and compressed video version This movie shows the black hole visualization using a partial rotation, plus a long sequence where the black hole is viewed nearly edge on. The thumbnail of this video highlights and explains various aspects of the black hole visualization. This visualization is “mass invariant,” which means it can represent a black hole of any mass. The size of the black hole's shadow is proportional to its mass, but so is the size of the accreetion disk, so its properties scale accordingly. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

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                                                                      @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                      The black hole’s extreme gravitational field redirects and distorts light coming from different parts of the disk, but exactly what we see depends on our viewing angle. The greatest distortion occurs when viewing the system nearly edgewise.

                                                                      As our viewpoint rotates around the black hole, we see different parts of the fast-moving gas in the accretion disk moving directly toward us. Due to a phenomenon called "relativistic Doppler beaming," gas in the disk that's moving toward us makes that side of the disk appear brighter, the opposite side darker. This effect disappears when we're directly above or below the disk because, from that angle, none of the gas is moving directly toward us.

                                                                      When our viewpoint passes beneath the disk, it looks like the gas is moving in the opposite direction. This is no different that viewing a clock from behind, which would make it look like the hands are moving counter-clockwise.

                                                                      CORRECTION: In earlier versions of the 360-degree movies on this page, these important effects were not apparent. This was due to a minor mistake in orienting the camera relative to the disk. The fact that it was not initially discovered by the NASA scientist who made the movie reflects just how bizarre and counter-intuitive black holes can be!

                                                                      Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
                                                                      Jeremy Schnittman (NASA/GSFC)
                                                                      Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
                                                                      Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)
                                                                      Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)

                                                                      >>svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13326#sectio

                                                                      This image highlights and explains various aspects of the black hole visualization. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

                                                                      Alt...This image highlights and explains various aspects of the black hole visualization. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

                                                                      This illustration shows how direct and bent light rays from a black hole's accretion disk produce the apparent image and motion seen by an observer. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

                                                                      Alt...This illustration shows how direct and bent light rays from a black hole's accretion disk produce the apparent image and motion seen by an observer. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

                                                                      Alt...360-degree rotation and a pause when the view is almost edge on; uses a square frame to show the complete accretion disk. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

                                                                      Alt...Zoomed into the central region, highlighting the photon ring, with 360-degree rotation and a pause at almost edge on. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

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                                                                        @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                        IXPE Explores a Black Hole Jet
                                                                        Illustration Credit: NASA, Pablo Garcia
                                                                        nasa.gov/

                                                                        Explanation:
                                                                        How do black holes create X-rays? Answering this long-standing question was significantly advanced recently with data taken by NASA’s IXPE satellite. X-rays cannot exit a black hole, but they can be created in the energetic environment nearby, in particular by a jet of particles moving outward. By observing X-ray light arriving from near the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy BL Lac, called a blazar, it was discovered that these X-rays lacked significant polarization, which is expected when created more by energetic electrons than protons. In the featured artistic illustration, a powerful jet is depicted emanating from an orange-colored accretion disk circling the black hole. Understanding highly energetic processes across the universe helps humanity to understand similar processes that occur on or near our Earth.
                                                                        nasa.gov/missions/ixpe/nasas-i
                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031128.ht
                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240507.ht
                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250504.ht
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazar
                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polariza

                                                                        en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_Lacer

                                                                        home.cern/science/physics
                                                                        ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025
                                                                        science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/
                                                                        pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wh
                                                                        home.cern/news/news/physics/pr
                                                                        chandra.si.edu/art/xray/

                                                                        spaceplace.nasa.gov/aurora/en/

                                                                        apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250509.ht

                                                                        2025 May 9 An artist's illustration of what the surroundings of the supermassive black hole at the center of BL Lac is shown. A white jet protrudes horizontally toward the bottom of the image, emanating from a orange accretion disk surrounding a black hole. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. IXPE Explores a Black Hole Jet Illustration Credit: NASA, Pablo Garcia Explanation: How do black holes create X-rays? Answering this long-standing question was significantly advanced recently with data taken by NASA’s IXPE satellite. X-rays cannot exit a black hole, but they can be created in the energetic environment nearby, in particular by a jet of particles moving outward. By observing X-ray light arriving from near the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy BL Lac, called a blazar, it was discovered that these X-rays lacked significant polarization, which is expected when created more by energetic electrons than protons. In the featured artistic illustration, a powerful jet is depicted emanating from an orange-colored accretion disk circling the black hole. Understanding highly energetic processes across the universe helps humanity to understand similar processes that occur on or near our Earth. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                        Alt...2025 May 9 An artist's illustration of what the surroundings of the supermassive black hole at the center of BL Lac is shown. A white jet protrudes horizontally toward the bottom of the image, emanating from a orange accretion disk surrounding a black hole. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. IXPE Explores a Black Hole Jet Illustration Credit: NASA, Pablo Garcia Explanation: How do black holes create X-rays? Answering this long-standing question was significantly advanced recently with data taken by NASA’s IXPE satellite. X-rays cannot exit a black hole, but they can be created in the energetic environment nearby, in particular by a jet of particles moving outward. By observing X-ray light arriving from near the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy BL Lac, called a blazar, it was discovered that these X-rays lacked significant polarization, which is expected when created more by energetic electrons than protons. In the featured artistic illustration, a powerful jet is depicted emanating from an orange-colored accretion disk circling the black hole. Understanding highly energetic processes across the universe helps humanity to understand similar processes that occur on or near our Earth. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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                                                                          @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                          NASA’s Hubble Spots Runaway Black Hole Devouring a Star 600 Million Light-Years From Earth
                                                                          By Ryan Whalen·May 9, 2025

                                                                          A traveling black hole stalking the cosmos for stellar prey recently revealed itself to NASA telescopes in a tidal disruption event , shredding and swallowing a star in a radioactive burst.
                                                                          With its brilliant flash, the TDE AT2024tvd lit up several observatories, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the NRAO Very Large Array. The TDE event took place 600 million light-years from Earth, allowing astronomers a new glimpse at black hole physics to be published in a future issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
                                                                          Initially, as the marauding black hole moved through the universe, it was detectable only through gravitational lensing—an effect caused by the black hole’s gravity distorting visible light in a way astronomers could observe.
                                                                          Eventually, as the black hole encounters a star, its immense gravity pulls the stellar object inward. That intense gravitational force overwhelms the star, spaghettifying it, with some of the remnants forming a bright accretion disc around the black hole’s edge and a stream of electromagnetic radiation pouring out. Shocks and outflows from the accretion disc generate extreme temperatures, producing ultraviolet and visible light emissions.
                                                                          Out of Center

                                                                          Black holes are typically found at the centers of their galaxies, but this roaming void in space was the first observed offset from its galaxy, out of the roughly 100 tidal disruption events (TDEs) on record. Intriguingly, the host galaxy already contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The distance between the TDE and the galaxy’s central black hole was only a tenth of the distance from Earth to the Milky Way’s black hole—about 2,600 light-years.
                                                                          The central black hole in the TDE’s galaxy is larger than the wandering one, and ..

                                                                          thedebrief.org/nasas-hubble-sp

                                                                          Wandering Black Hole Images NASA concept art depicting the stages of a tidal disruption event (Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Ralf Crawford (STScI)). Out of Center Black holes are typically found at the centers of their galaxies, but this roaming void in space was the first observed offset from its galaxy, out of the roughly 100 tidal disruption events (TDEs) on record. Intriguingly, the host galaxy already contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The distance between the TDE and the galaxy’s central black hole was only a tenth of the distance from Earth to the Milky Way’s black hole—about 2,600 light-years. The central black hole in the TDE’s galaxy is larger than the wandering one, and surprisingly, the two have not gravitationally bonded as a binary pair. Yet that could eventually change, with the roaming black hole possibly merging with the larger central black hole in the future. black hole “AT2024tvd is the first offset TDE captured by optical sky surveys, and it opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys,” said lead author Yuhan Yao of the University of California at Berkeley. “Right now, theorists haven’t given much attention to offset TDEs. “I think this discovery will motivate scientists to look for more examples of this type of event.” The wandering black hole only becomes visible every tens of thousands of years—each time it consumes a star.

                                                                          Alt...Wandering Black Hole Images NASA concept art depicting the stages of a tidal disruption event (Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Ralf Crawford (STScI)). Out of Center Black holes are typically found at the centers of their galaxies, but this roaming void in space was the first observed offset from its galaxy, out of the roughly 100 tidal disruption events (TDEs) on record. Intriguingly, the host galaxy already contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The distance between the TDE and the galaxy’s central black hole was only a tenth of the distance from Earth to the Milky Way’s black hole—about 2,600 light-years. The central black hole in the TDE’s galaxy is larger than the wandering one, and surprisingly, the two have not gravitationally bonded as a binary pair. Yet that could eventually change, with the roaming black hole possibly merging with the larger central black hole in the future. black hole “AT2024tvd is the first offset TDE captured by optical sky surveys, and it opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys,” said lead author Yuhan Yao of the University of California at Berkeley. “Right now, theorists haven’t given much attention to offset TDEs. “I think this discovery will motivate scientists to look for more examples of this type of event.” The wandering black hole only becomes visible every tens of thousands of years—each time it consumes a star.

                                                                            [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                            @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                            New NASA Black Hole Visualization Takes Viewers Beyond the Brink

                                                                            ...

                                                                            As the camera approaches the black hole, reaching speeds ever closer to that of light itself, the glow from the accretion disk and background stars becomes amplified in much the same way as the sound of an oncoming racecar rises in pitch. Their light appears brighter and whiter when looking into the direction of travel.

                                                                            The movies begin with the camera located nearly 400 million miles (640 million kilometers) away, with the black hole quickly filling the view. Along the way, the black hole’s disk, photon rings, and the night sky become increasingly distorted — and even form multiple images as their light traverses the increasingly warped space-time.

                                                                            In real time, the camera takes about 3 hours to fall to the event horizon, executing almost two complete 30-minute orbits along the way. But to anyone observing from afar, it would never quite get there. As space-time becomes ever more distorted closer to the horizon, the image of the camera would slow and then seem to freeze just shy of it. This is why astronomers originally referred to black holes as “frozen stars.”

                                                                            At the event horizon, even space-time itself flows inward at the speed of light, the cosmic speed limit. Once inside it, both the camera and the space-time in which it's moving rush toward the black hole's center — a one-dimensional point called a singularity, where the laws of physics as we know them cease to operate.

                                                                            “Once the camera crosses the horizon, its destruction by spaghettification is just 12.8 seconds away,” Schnittman said. From there, it’s only 79,500 miles (128,000 kilometers) to the singularity. This final leg of the voyage is over in the blink of an eye.

                                                                            science.nasa.gov/universe/blac

                                                                            Alt...* this video-version has been compressed to ~9% of the original size by the free and opensource software ffmpeg with compression - factor 33. command: "ffmpeg -i /path/to/original-file.original_extension -vcodec libx265 -crf 33 /path/to/outputfile.desired_extension" To enjoy the full glance please go to the source page linked above. Enjoy the ride :) In this visualization of a flight toward a supermassive black hole, labels highlight many of the fascinating features produced by the effects of general relativity along the way. Produced on a NASA supercomputer, the simulation tracks a camera as it approaches, briefly orbits, and then crosses the event horizon — the point of no return — of a monster black hole much like the one at the center of our galaxy. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman and B. Powell

                                                                              [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                              @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                              July 10, 2024

                                                                              NASA’s Hubble Finds Strong Evidence for Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri

                                                                              Most known black holes are either extremely massive, like the supermassive black holes that lie at the cores of large galaxies, or relatively lightweight, with a mass of under 100 times that of the Sun. Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are scarce, however, and are considered rare "missing links" in black hole evolution.

                                                                              Now, an international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope — spanning two decades of observations — to search for evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole by following the motion of seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of the globular star cluster Omega Centauri.

                                                                              These stars provide new compelling evidence for the presence of the gravitational pull from an intermediate-mass black hole tugging on them. Only a few other IMBH candidates have been found to date.

                                                                              Omega Centauri consists of roughly 10 million stars that are gravitationally bound. The cluster is about 10 times as massive as other big globular clusters — almost as massive as a small galaxy.

                                                                              Among the many questions scientists want to answer: Are there any IMBHs, and if so, how common are they? Does a supermassive black hole grow from an IMBH? How do IMBHs themselves form? Are dense star clusters their favored home?

                                                                              The astronomers have now created an enormous catalog for the motions of these stars, measuring the velocities for 1.4 million stars gleaned from the Hubble images of the cluster. Most of these observations were intended to calibrate Hubble's instruments rather than for scientific use, but they turned out to be an ideal database for the team's research efforts.
                                                                              arxiv.org/abs/2404.03722
                                                                              zenodo.org/records/11104046
                                                                              [...]

                                                                              science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb

                                                                              July 10, 2024 Globular cluster Omega Centauri, NGC 5139 An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope – spanning two decades of observations – to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling new evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) tugging on them. Only a few other IMBH candidates have been found to date. This image shows the location of the IMBH in Omega Centauri. If confirmed, at its distance of 17,700 light-years the candidate black hole resides closer to Earth than the 4.3-million-solar-mass black hole in the center of the Milky Way, which is 26,000 light-years away. Besides the Galactic center, it would also be the only known case of a number of stars closely bound to a massive black hole. This image includes three panels. The first image at left shows the globular cluster Omega Centauri, a collection of myriad stars colored red, white, and blue on the black background of space. The second image shows the details of the central region of this cluster, with a closer view of the individual stars. The third image shows the location of the IMBH candidate in the cluster. CREDIT ESA/Hubble, NASA, Maximilian Häberle (MPIA)

                                                                              Alt...July 10, 2024 Globular cluster Omega Centauri, NGC 5139 An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope – spanning two decades of observations – to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling new evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) tugging on them. Only a few other IMBH candidates have been found to date. This image shows the location of the IMBH in Omega Centauri. If confirmed, at its distance of 17,700 light-years the candidate black hole resides closer to Earth than the 4.3-million-solar-mass black hole in the center of the Milky Way, which is 26,000 light-years away. Besides the Galactic center, it would also be the only known case of a number of stars closely bound to a massive black hole. This image includes three panels. The first image at left shows the globular cluster Omega Centauri, a collection of myriad stars colored red, white, and blue on the black background of space. The second image shows the details of the central region of this cluster, with a closer view of the individual stars. The third image shows the location of the IMBH candidate in the cluster. CREDIT ESA/Hubble, NASA, Maximilian Häberle (MPIA)

                                                                                [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                [...]

                                                                                "We discovered seven stars that should not be there," explained Maximilian Häberle of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, who led this investigation. "They are moving so fast that they would escape the cluster and never come back. The most likely explanation is that a very massive object is gravitationally pulling on these stars and keeping them close to the center. The only object that can be so massive is a black hole, with a mass at least 8,200 times that of our Sun."

                                                                                Several studies have suggested the presence of an IMBH in Omega Centauri. However, other studies proposed the mass could be contributed by a central cluster of stellar-mass black holes, and had suggested the lack of fast-moving stars above the necessary escape velocity made an IMBH less likely in comparison.

                                                                                "This discovery is the most direct evidence so far of an IMBH in Omega Centauri," added team lead Nadine Neumayer of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, who initiated the study, together with Anil Seth from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
                                                                                [...]
                                                                                If confirmed, at a distance of 17,700 light-years the candidate black hole resides closer to Earth than the 4.3-million-solar-mass black hole in the center of the Milky Way, located 26,000 light-years away.

                                                                                Omega Centauri is visible from Earth with the naked eye and is one of the favorite celestial objects for stargazers living in the southern hemisphere. Located just above the plane of the Milky Way, the cluster appears almost as large as the full Moon when seen from a dark rural area. It was first listed in Ptolemy’s catalog nearly 2,000 years ago as a single star. Edmond Halley reported it as a nebula in 1677. In the 1830s the English astronomer John Herschel was the first to recognize it as a globular cluster.

                                                                                science.nasa.gov/missions/hubb

                                                                                Alt...VIDEO Scientists think a massive object is gravitationally pulling on the stars within Omega Centauri, keeping them close to its center. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Lead Producer: Paul Morris

                                                                                  [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                  @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                  "Om Nano Paeme Hum ;) "

                                                                                  2023 June 29

                                                                                  A Message from the Gravitational Universe
                                                                                  * Illustration Credit: NANOGrav Physics Frontier Center;
                                                                                  nanograv.org/
                                                                                  * Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)
                                                                                  ww1.oswego.edu/physics/

                                                                                  Explanation:
                                                                                  Monitoring 68 pulsars with very large radio telescopes, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has uncovered evidence for the gravitational wave (GW) background by carefully measuring slight shifts in the arrival times of pulses. These shifts are correlated between different pulsars in a way that indicates that they are caused by GWs. This GW background is likely due to hundreds of thousands or even millions of supermassive black hole binaries. Teams in Europe, Asia and Australia have also independently reported their results today. Previously, the LIGO and Virgo detectors have detected higher-frequency GWs from the merging of individual pairs of massive orbiting objects, such as stellar-mass black holes. The featured illustration highlights this spacetime-shaking result by depicting two orbiting supermassive black holes and several of the pulsars that would appear to have slight timing shifts. The imprint these GWs make on spacetime itself is illustrated
                                                                                  by a distorted grid.

                                                                                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_te
                                                                                  nanograv.org/science/overview
                                                                                  nanograv.org/science/topics/lo
                                                                                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitat
                                                                                  nanograv.org/news/15yrRelease
                                                                                  seti.org/news/nanogravs-15-yea
                                                                                  astrobites.org/2018/01/29/hunt

                                                                                  apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230629.ht

                                                                                  2023 June 29 The illustration shows the beams from pulsars around the image and a pair of merging black holes on the upper left. A grid depicting the warping of spacetime by passing gravitational waves spreads across the image center. A Message from the Gravitational Universe * Illustration Credit: NANOGrav Physics Frontier Center; * Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego) Explanation: Monitoring 68 pulsars with very large radio telescopes, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has uncovered evidence for the gravitational wave (GW) background by carefully measuring slight shifts in the arrival times of pulses. These shifts are correlated between different pulsars in a way that indicates that they are caused by GWs. This GW background is likely due to hundreds of thousands or even millions of supermassive black hole binaries. Teams in Europe, Asia and Australia have also independently reported their results today. Previously, the LIGO and Virgo detectors have detected higher-frequency GWs from the merging of individual pairs of massive orbiting objects, such as stellar-mass black holes. The featured illustration highlights this spacetime-shaking result by depicting two orbiting supermassive black holes and several of the pulsars that would appear to have slight timing shifts. The imprint these GWs make on spacetime itself is illustrated by a distorted grid. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

                                                                                  Alt...2023 June 29 The illustration shows the beams from pulsars around the image and a pair of merging black holes on the upper left. A grid depicting the warping of spacetime by passing gravitational waves spreads across the image center. A Message from the Gravitational Universe * Illustration Credit: NANOGrav Physics Frontier Center; * Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego) Explanation: Monitoring 68 pulsars with very large radio telescopes, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has uncovered evidence for the gravitational wave (GW) background by carefully measuring slight shifts in the arrival times of pulses. These shifts are correlated between different pulsars in a way that indicates that they are caused by GWs. This GW background is likely due to hundreds of thousands or even millions of supermassive black hole binaries. Teams in Europe, Asia and Australia have also independently reported their results today. Previously, the LIGO and Virgo detectors have detected higher-frequency GWs from the merging of individual pairs of massive orbiting objects, such as stellar-mass black holes. The featured illustration highlights this spacetime-shaking result by depicting two orbiting supermassive black holes and several of the pulsars that would appear to have slight timing shifts. The imprint these GWs make on spacetime itself is illustrated by a distorted grid. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

                                                                                    [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                    @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                    2018 December 3

                                                                                    Spiraling Supermassive Black Holes
                                                                                    * Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
                                                                                    nasa.gov/
                                                                                    nasa.gov/goddard
                                                                                    * Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
                                                                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_H
                                                                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_G

                                                                                    Explanation:
                                                                                    Do black holes glow when they collide? When merging, co-orbiting black holes are sure to emit a burst of unusual gravitational radiation, but will they emit light, well before that, if they are surrounded by gas? To help find out, astrophysicists created a sophisticated computer simulation. The simulation and featured resulting video accurately depicts two spiraling supermassive black holes, including the effects of Einstein's general relativity on the surrounding gas and light. The video first shows the system from the top, and later from the side where unusual gravitational lens distortions are more prominent. Numerical results indicate that gravitational and magnetic forces should energize the gas to emit high-energy light from the ultraviolet to the X-ray. The emission of such light may enable humanity to detect and study supermassive black hole pairs well before they spiral together.

                                                                                    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181203.ht

                                                                                    Alt...2018 December 3 Spiraling Supermassive Black Holes * Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center; * Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg Explanation: Do black holes glow when they collide? When merging, co-orbiting black holes are sure to emit a burst of unusual gravitational radiation, but will they emit light, well before that, if they are surrounded by gas? To help find out, astrophysicists created a sophisticated computer simulation. The simulation and featured resulting video accurately depicts two spiraling supermassive black holes, including the effects of Einstein's general relativity on the surrounding gas and light. The video first shows the system from the top, and later from the side where unusual gravitational lens distortions are more prominent. Numerical results indicate that gravitational and magnetic forces should energize the gas to emit high-energy light from the ultraviolet to the X-ray. The emission of such light may enable humanity to detect and study supermassive black hole pairs well before they spiral together. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                      [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                      @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                      2021 December 7

                                                                                      Ninety Gravitational Wave Spectrograms and Counting
                                                                                      * Image Credit: NSF, LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt U.
                                                                                      nsf.gov/
                                                                                      ligo.org/about.php
                                                                                      public.virgo-gw.eu/the-virgo-c
                                                                                      gwcenter.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en
                                                                                      physics.gatech.edu/
                                                                                      as.vanderbilt.edu/physics/
                                                                                      * Graphic : Sudarshan Ghonge & Karan Jani
                                                                                      humansofligo.blogspot.com/2019
                                                                                      karanjani.com/

                                                                                      Explanation:
                                                                                      Every time two massive black holes collide, a loud chirping sound is broadcast out into the universe in gravitational waves. Humanity has only had the technology to hear these unusual chirps for the past seven years, but since then we have heard about 90 -- during the first three observing runs. Featured above are the spectrograms -- plots of gravitational-wave frequency versus time -- of these 90 as detected by the giant detectors of LIGO (in the USA), VIRGO (in Europe), and KAGRA (in Japan). The more energy received on Earth from a collision, the brighter it appears on the graphic. Among many science firsts, these gravitational-radiation chirps are giving humanity an unprecedented inventory of black holes and neutron stars, and a new way to measure the expansion rate of our universe. A fourth gravitational wave observing run with increased sensitivity is currently planned to begin in 2022 December.

                                                                                      spaceplace.nasa.gov/gravitatio

                                                                                      dcc.ligo.org/LIGO-G2102338/pub
                                                                                      ligo.org/science-summaries/O3b

                                                                                      apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211207.ht

                                                                                      2021 December 7 The featured image shows spectrograms for the first 90 gravitational wave events ever detected. Ninety Gravitational Wave Spectrograms and Counting * Image Credit: NSF, LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt U. * Graphic : Sudarshan Ghonge & Karan Jani Explanation: Every time two massive black holes collide, a loud chirping sound is broadcast out into the universe in gravitational waves. Humanity has only had the technology to hear these unusual chirps for the past seven years, but since then we have heard about 90 -- during the first three observing runs. Featured above are the spectrograms -- plots of gravitational-wave frequency versus time -- of these 90 as detected by the giant detectors of LIGO (in the USA), VIRGO (in Europe), and KAGRA (in Japan). The more energy received on Earth from a collision, the brighter it appears on the graphic. Among many science firsts, these gravitational-radiation chirps are giving humanity an unprecedented inventory of black holes and neutron stars, and a new way to measure the expansion rate of our universe. A fourth gravitational wave observing run with increased sensitivity is currently planned to begin in 2022 December. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                      Alt...2021 December 7 The featured image shows spectrograms for the first 90 gravitational wave events ever detected. Ninety Gravitational Wave Spectrograms and Counting * Image Credit: NSF, LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt U. * Graphic : Sudarshan Ghonge & Karan Jani Explanation: Every time two massive black holes collide, a loud chirping sound is broadcast out into the universe in gravitational waves. Humanity has only had the technology to hear these unusual chirps for the past seven years, but since then we have heard about 90 -- during the first three observing runs. Featured above are the spectrograms -- plots of gravitational-wave frequency versus time -- of these 90 as detected by the giant detectors of LIGO (in the USA), VIRGO (in Europe), and KAGRA (in Japan). The more energy received on Earth from a collision, the brighter it appears on the graphic. Among many science firsts, these gravitational-radiation chirps are giving humanity an unprecedented inventory of black holes and neutron stars, and a new way to measure the expansion rate of our universe. A fourth gravitational wave observing run with increased sensitivity is currently planned to begin in 2022 December. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                        [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                        @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                        The Sound of Two Black Holes Colliding

                                                                                        Gravitational waves sent out from a pair of colliding black holes have been converted to sound waves, as heard in this animation. On September 14, 2015, LIGO observed gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of our sun. The incredibly powerful event, which released 50 times more energy than all the stars in the observable universe, lasted only fractions of a second.

                                                                                        In the first two runs of the animation, the sound-wave frequencies exactly match the frequencies of the gravitational waves. The second two runs of the animation play the sounds again at higher frequencies that better fit the human hearing range. The animation ends by playing the original frequencies again twice.

                                                                                        As the black holes spiral closer and closer in together, the frequency of the gravitational waves increases. Scientists call these sounds "chirps," because some events that generate gravitation waves would sound like a bird's chirp.

                                                                                        Audio Credit:
                                                                                        Caltech/MIT/LIGO Lab
                                                                                        ligo.caltech.edu

                                                                                        Alt...The Sound of Two Black Holes Colliding Gravitational waves sent out from a pair of colliding black holes have been converted to sound waves, as heard in this animation. On September 14, 2015, LIGO observed gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of our sun. The incredibly powerful event, which released 50 times more energy than all the stars in the observable universe, lasted only fractions of a second. In the first two runs of the animation, the sound-wave frequencies exactly match the frequencies of the gravitational waves. The second two runs of the animation play the sounds again at higher frequencies that better fit the human hearing range. The animation ends by playing the original frequencies again twice. As the black holes spiral closer and closer in together, the frequency of the gravitational waves increases. Scientists call these sounds "chirps," because some events that generate gravitation waves would sound like a bird's chirp. Audio Credit: Caltech/MIT/LIGO Lab ligo.caltech.edu

                                                                                          [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                          @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                          2017 March 27

                                                                                          Black Hole Accreting with Jet
                                                                                          * Illustration Credit: NASA, Swift, Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State U.)
                                                                                          nasa.gov/
                                                                                          nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/m
                                                                                          universe.sonoma.edu/~aurore/ab
                                                                                          phys-astro.sonoma.edu/index.sh

                                                                                          Explanation:
                                                                                          What happens when a black hole devours a star? Many details remain unknown, but recent observations are providing new clues. In 2014, a powerful explosion was recorded by the ground-based robotic telescopes of the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) project, and followed up by instruments including NASA's Earth-orbiting Swift satellite. Computer modeling of these emissions fit a star being ripped apart by a distant supermassive black hole. The results of such a collision are portrayed in the featured artistic illustration. The black hole itself is a depicted as a tiny black dot in the center. As matter falls toward the hole, it collides with other matter and heats up. Surrounding the black hole is an accretion disk of hot matter that used to be the star, with a jet emanating from the black hole's spin axis.

                                                                                          astronomy.ohio-state.edu/asass

                                                                                          apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170327.ht

                                                                                          2017 March 27 Black Hole Accreting with Jet * Illustration Credit: NASA, Swift, Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State U.) Explanation: What happens when a black hole devours a star? Many details remain unknown, but recent observations are providing new clues. In 2014, a powerful explosion was recorded by the ground-based robotic telescopes of the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) project, and followed up by instruments including NASA's Earth-orbiting Swift satellite. Computer modeling of these emissions fit a star being ripped apart by a distant supermassive black hole. The results of such a collision are portrayed in the featured artistic illustration. The black hole itself is a depicted as a tiny black dot in the center. As matter falls toward the hole, it collides with other matter and heats up. Surrounding the black hole is an accretion disk of hot matter that used to be the star, with a jet emanating from the black hole's spin axis. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                          Alt...2017 March 27 Black Hole Accreting with Jet * Illustration Credit: NASA, Swift, Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State U.) Explanation: What happens when a black hole devours a star? Many details remain unknown, but recent observations are providing new clues. In 2014, a powerful explosion was recorded by the ground-based robotic telescopes of the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) project, and followed up by instruments including NASA's Earth-orbiting Swift satellite. Computer modeling of these emissions fit a star being ripped apart by a distant supermassive black hole. The results of such a collision are portrayed in the featured artistic illustration. The black hole itself is a depicted as a tiny black dot in the center. As matter falls toward the hole, it collides with other matter and heats up. Surrounding the black hole is an accretion disk of hot matter that used to be the star, with a jet emanating from the black hole's spin axis. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

                                                                                            [?]Deborah League » 🌐
                                                                                            @DeborahLeagueFineArt@socel.net

                                                                                            Beauty comes in all forms. Fallen leaves in the last stages of decay.

                                                                                            ART - deborah-league.pixels.com/feat

                                                                                            Beauty in the last stages of decay, nature photography. Mass of fallen leaves piled on the ground. Fallen from great heights, heaped and tossed about, glorious colors faded to shades of brown; even then, death and decay cannot destroy the beauty that is fall.

                                                                                            Alt...Beauty in the last stages of decay, nature photography. Mass of fallen leaves piled on the ground. Fallen from great heights, heaped and tossed about, glorious colors faded to shades of brown; even then, death and decay cannot destroy the beauty that is fall.

                                                                                              [?]grobi » 🌐
                                                                                              @grobi@defcon.social

                                                                                              2025 September 23

                                                                                              NGC 6357: Cathedral to Massive Stars
                                                                                              * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST
                                                                                              nasa.gov/
                                                                                              esa.int/
                                                                                              asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
                                                                                              stsci.edu/
                                                                                              science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
                                                                                              * Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
                                                                                              friendsofnasa.org/2023/03/behi
                                                                                              * Rollover: NASA, ESA, HST, & J. M. Apellániz (IAA, Spain)
                                                                                              iaa.es/
                                                                                              * Acknowledgement: D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble)
                                                                                              esahubble.org/

                                                                                              Explanation:
                                                                                              How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it one of the most massive stars known. This star is the brightest object located in the central cavity near the bottom center of the featured image taken with the Webb Space Telescope in infrared light. For comparison, a rollover image from the Hubble Space Telescope is also featured in visible light. Close inspection of the images, however, has shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357. Appearing perhaps like a Gothic cathedral, energetic stars near the center appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon.

                                                                                              apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250923.ht

                                                                                              2025 September 23 Stars dot the frame that has a blue background. Covering the lower part of the image, and the far right, are brown and tan nebular structures. NGC 6357: Cathedral to Massive Stars * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST * Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) * Rollover: NASA, ESA, HST, & J. M. Apellániz (IAA, Spain) * Acknowledgement: D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble) Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it one of the most massive stars known. This star is the brightest object located in the central cavity near the bottom center of the featured image taken with the Webb Space Telescope in infrared light. For comparison, a rollover image from the Hubble Space Telescope is also featured in visible light. Close inspection of the images, however, has shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357. Appearing perhaps like a Gothic cathedral, energetic stars near the center appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

                                                                                              Alt...2025 September 23 Stars dot the frame that has a blue background. Covering the lower part of the image, and the far right, are brown and tan nebular structures. NGC 6357: Cathedral to Massive Stars * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST * Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) * Rollover: NASA, ESA, HST, & J. M. Apellániz (IAA, Spain) * Acknowledgement: D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble) Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it one of the most massive stars known. This star is the brightest object located in the central cavity near the bottom center of the featured image taken with the Webb Space Telescope in infrared light. For comparison, a rollover image from the Hubble Space Telescope is also featured in visible light. Close inspection of the images, however, has shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357. Appearing perhaps like a Gothic cathedral, energetic stars near the center appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

                                                                                              WEBB Infrared Light Image

                                                                                              Alt...WEBB Infrared Light Image

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