Double-Decker Galactic Incredibleness
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First, from the Bad Astromomy Blog, a little more "holy crap!" for your life:
The full size image is a whopping 7227 x 3847 pixels! Warning: you'll lose an hour of your life gaping at it.
That, duh, is Saturn, taken by the ever-amazing Cassini spacecraft. It's actually 75 different exposures stitched together, and was taken on August 12, just a little over a day after Saturnian equinox, when the Sun shines straight along the rings. The illumination from the Sun is about the same everywhere, but on the left the rings are illuminated by Saturn-shine glowing down on them, making them a bit brighter.
And, now, from Chandra:
A dramatic new vista of the center of the Milky Way galaxy from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory exposes new levels of the complexity and intrigue in the Galactic center. The mosaic of 88 Chandra pointings represents a freeze-frame of the spectacle of stellar evolution, from bright young stars to black holes, in a crowded, hostile environment dominated by a central, supermassive black hole.
You can download a variety of yummy versions of the image here.
With wonders like these, who needs faith in man? (Yeah, that kind of day at the office.) OK, there is some healing power to Luther Vandross...that is worth believing in.
Comments (6)
Word to this. I've seen those pix of Saturn on the Equinox. Too much, too too much.
I love looking up at the night sky and think about how I'm staring down into the centre of the galaxy. I'll be spending a lot of time looking at that image up above.
I particularly enjoyed seeing the razor-thin shadow that the rings cast on the planet below. Actually, probably hundreds (thousands) of miles wide.
Jonh: I usually forget to take those moments thanks to the city lights. Must take more time to head to the Shore and those clearer skies...
once more, i am reminded that i am infinitesimal. this is so bad-ass, nicki.
Infinitesimal, and yet miraculous in origin, any way you cut it.