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Astronomy Picture Of the Day (APOD)
Worlds of a Distant Sun: 47 Ursae Majoris b
5.10.1997
In the last few years, observational astronomy has given humanity evidence of the existence of worlds beyond the solar system. Solar-type stars are now inferred to harbor planets of approximately Jupiter mass - some residing in temperature zones which could conceivably support liquid water and therefore life!
In the Center of 30 Doradus
4.10.1997
In the center of 30 Doradus lies a huge cluster of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. The center of this cluster, known as R136, is boxed in the upper right portion of the above picture.
Comet Halley and the Milky Way
3.10.1997
Comet Halley was photographed superposed in front of the disk of our Milky Way Galaxy in 1986 by the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Comet Halley is the bright white streak near this photograph's center. Comet Halley is the most famous comet in history, and returns to the inner Solar System every 76 years.
Colliding Supernova Remnants
2.10.1997
When a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel it explodes. This stellar detonation, a supernova, propels vast amounts of starstuff outwards, initially at millions of miles per hour. For another 100,000 years...
Maria Mitchell Inspires a Generation
1.10.1997
"Do not look at stars as bright spots only - try to take in the vastness of the universe." Today is the 150th anniversary of the day Maria Mitchell swept the sky with her telescope and discovered the comet of 1847 (comet Mitchell 1847VI).
Half Dome Rock on Mars
30.09.1997
Who ordered the Martian pizza? As Mars Pathfinder and its mobile robot Sojourner continue to explore Mars, new and interesting rocks are being discovered, even though the primary mission has been successfully completed. The rock pictured above has been dubbed "Half Dome" and was visited by Sojourner in late August.
Jupiter And Family
29.09.1997
This composite image features classic portraits of members of one of the Solar System's most prominent families - Jupiter and its four large "Galilean" moons. Starting from the top the moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The top-to-bottom order is also the order of increasing distance from Jupiter.
A Wolf Rayet Star Bubble
28.09.1997
What's a Wolf-Rayet star, and how did it create that spherical bubble and sweeping arc? A Wolf-Rayet star is a star that originated with a mass over 40 times that of our Sun.
The Ecliptic Plane
27.09.1997
The Plane of the Ecliptic is illustrated in this Clementine star tracker camera image which reveals (from right to left) the Moon lit by Earthshine, the Sun's corona rising over the Moon's dark limb, and the planets Saturn, Mars, and Mercury.
A Lonely Neutron Star
26.09.1997
How massive can a star get without imploding into a black hole? These limits are being tested by the discovery of a lone neutron star in space. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope released...
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