[中英对照]每日天文一图专题（更新至2008.08.15 正面的NGC6946）
[size=3][color=red][b]探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。[/b][/color][/size][b][size=3][color=#ff0000][/color][/size][/b]
2008 January 10
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/cena_comp.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/cena_comp800.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=4][b]Active Galaxy Centaurus A[/b] [/size]
[size=4]活动星系半人马座A[/size]
[b]Credit:[/b] X-ray - NASA, CXC, R.Kraft (CfA), et al.;
Radio - NSF, VLA, M.Hardcastle (U Hertfordshire) et al.; Optical - ESO, M.Rejkuba (ESO-Garching) et al.
[size=3]影像提供：X射线 - NASA, CXC, R.Kraft (CfA), et al.;
射电- NSF, VLA, M.Hardcastle (U Hertfordshire) et al.; 可见光 - ESO, M.Rejkuba (ESO-Garching) et al.[/size]
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[b]Explanation:[/b] A mere 11 million light-years away, Centaurus A is a giant elliptical galaxy - the closest active galaxy to Earth. This remarkable composite view of the galaxy combines image data from the x-ray ( Chandra), optical(ESO), and radio(VLA) regimes. Centaurus A's central region is a jumble of gas, dust, and stars in optical light, but both radio and x-ray telescopes trace a remarkable jet of high-energy particles streaming from the galaxy's core. The cosmic particle accelerator's power source is a black hole with about 10 million times the mass of the Sun coincident with the x-ray bright spot at the galaxy's center. Blasting out from the active galactic nucleus toward the upper left, the energetic jet extends about 13,000 light-years. A shorter jet extends from the nucleus in the opposite direction. Other x-ray bright spots in the field are binary star systems with neutron stars or stellar mass black holes. Active galaxy Centaurus A is likely the result of a merger with a spiral galaxy some 100 million years ago.
[size=3]说明：巨大的椭圆星系半人马座A距离我们近1,100光年远，也是距离地球最近的活动星系。这张壮观的合成影像中，合成星系影像的数据分别来自X射线（钱德拉），可见光（ESO），和射电（VLA）下拍摄得到。在可见光下，半人马座A的中心区域由气体、尘埃以及恒星混合而成，但在射电和X射线望远镜下都能看到从星系核内喷射出一道壮观的高能微粒喷流。宇宙微粒加速器的能量源是一个黑洞，质量大约是太阳的1,000万倍，就是X射线下星系核中央的蓝点。高能喷流从活动星系核喷向影像左上方，一直延长大约有1.3万光年远。而从星系核爆发的另一个较小的喷流朝向反方向。在这片区域中，其它X射线下的亮点是拥有中子星和黑洞的双星系统。活动星系半人马座A可能是1亿年前与一个旋涡星系合并而成。0[/size]
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-8-20 11:10 编辑 [/i]]
北极星尘埃星云
图片来源:[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/][color=#000000]每日天文一图(NASA主站)[/color][/url][u][size=2][color=#0000ff][/color][/size][/u]
[size=2][color=#0000ff][u]译文来源[/u][url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/apod/2008-01/11/content_8180.htm][color=#551a8b]每日天文一图(北京天文馆分站)[/color][/url][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=black][b]Polaris Dust Nebula[/b] [/color][/size]
[size=2][color=black]北极星尘埃星云[/color][/size]
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[b]Image Credit & Copyright:[/b] Steve Mandel (Hidden Valley Observatory)
[b]Research Collaboration:[/b] Adolf Witt (University of Toledo) et al.
影像提供及版权：Steve Mandel (Hidden Valley Observatory)
合作研究：Adolf Witt (University of Toledo) et al.
[b]Explanation:[/b] Centered on North Star Polaris, this 4 degree wide field of view covers part of a complex of relatively unfamiliar, diffuse dust clouds soaring high above the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. The combined light of the Milky Way stars are reflected by the dusty, galactic cirrus, the reflected starlight having the same blue tint characteristic of better known reflection nebulae. But this deep color image also records a faint reddish luminescence from the dust grains as they convert invisible stellar ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Dubbed extended red emission, the dim cosmic glow is thought to be caused by complex organic molecules known as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), common constituents of interstellar dust. On planet Earth, PAHs are widely encountered as the sooty products of combustion.
[b]说明：[/b]在这张宽4度的广域影像中，中心是北极星，还包含了部分相对生疏且较模糊的复杂尘埃云，高高地漂浮在我们银河系盘面上。银河系恒星发出的光经过尘埃，星系卷云反射后混合在一起，反射星光有一种同样的特征色彩，它们被称为反射星云。但是在这张颜色深暗的影像中，还拍摄到从尘埃发出的昏暗而又略带红色的发光带，它们将不可见的恒星紫外线转变成了可见的红光。那暗淡的宇宙光热被称为广延红色辐射，其被认为是复杂有机分子多环芳烃PAHs，它也是普通的星际尘埃组成成分。在地球上，燃烧之后经常能出现焦黑色的产物那就是多环芳烃。
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[b][font=宋体][size=12pt] [/size][/font][/b]
[img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/PolarisNebula_mandel.jpg[/img]
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:11 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。 2008 年 01 月 12 日 [url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/MoonMercury_zubenel.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/MoonMercury_zubenel_c800.jpg[/img][/url]
Mercury Chases the Sunset
追逐落日的水星
Image Credit & Copyright: Doug Zubenel
Explanation: This colorful view of the western sky at sunset features last Wednesday's slender crescent Moon. Of course, when the Moon is in its crescent phase it can never be far from the Sun in the sky. Also always close to the Sun in Earth's sky is innermost planet Mercury, seen here below and right of center against the bright orange glow along the horizon. Mercury is usually difficult to glimpse because of overwhelming sunlight, but increasingly better views of the small planet after sunset will be possible as it wanders farther east of the Sun in the coming days. On January 14th, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft will have a good view too, as it makes its first Mercury flyby. 2008 年 01 月 13 日 [url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/ivan_iss_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/ivan_iss.jpg[/img][/url]
Hurricane Ivan from the Space Station
来自太空站的飓风Ivan
Credit: Expedition 9 Crew, International Space Station, NASA
Explanation: Ninety percent of the houses on Grenada were damaged by the destructive force of Hurricane Ivan. At its peak, Ivan was a Category 5 hurricane, the highest power category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, and created sustained winds in excess of 200 kilometers per hour. Ivan was the largest hurricane to strike the US in 2004, and, so far, the 10th most powerful in recorded history. As it swirled in the Atlantic Ocean, the tremendous eye of Hurricane Ivan was photographed from above by the orbiting International Space Station. The name Ivan has now been retired from Atlantic Ocean use by the World Meteorological Organization. Note: Astronomy lectures by an APOD editor are now available as a free podcast.
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-18 13:42 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
[align=center][align=center]2008 年 01 月 14 日
[/align][/align][align=center][url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/14/F_1ea0f3e590b544c6b97d96401adb9770_cocoon_cfht_big.jpg][/align][align=left][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/14/xin_50ea7e8be2964e6ab719f60d3e34662b_cocoon_cfht.jpg[/img][/align]
[/url][align=left][b]The Cocoon Nebula from CFHT[/b] [/align][align=left][b][font=Times New Roman]CFHT[/font]望远镜下的茧状星云[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright:[/b] Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CFHT), Hawaiian Starlight, CFHT [/align][align=left]影像提供及版权：Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CFHT), Hawaiian Starlight, CFHT[/align][align=left]
[b]Explanation:[/b] What creates the colors of the Cocoon Nebula? The Cocoon Nebula, cataloged as IC 5146, is a strikingly beautiful nebula located about 4,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). Inside the Cocoon Nebula is a newly developing open cluster of stars. Like other stellar nurseries, the Cocoon Nebula holds, at the same time, a bright red emission nebula, blue reflection nebulas, and dark absorption nebulas. Given different mixtures, these three processes create a host of colors in this image taken recently by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) in Hawaii, USA. Speculation based on recent measurements holds that the massive star towards the left of the picture opened a hole in an existing molecular cloud through which much of the glowing material flows. The same star, which formed about 100,000 years ago, now provides the energy source for much of the emitted and reflected light from this nebula.
[b]说明：[/b]茧状星云的颜色是由什么形成的？茧状星云被编录为IC5146，是距离我们大约4,000光年远，位于天鹅座内的一个美丽而壮观的星云。茧状星云内部有一个正新形成的疏散星团。就像其它恒星孕育场一样，茧状星云同时具有明亮的红色发射星云，蓝色的反射星云以及黑暗的吸收星云的角色。星云不同的形成过程能释放出不同的混合物质，这就形成了这张影像中众多的颜色，影像是由位于美国夏威夷上的加拿大-法国-夏威夷望远镜（CFHT）近期拍摄。基于最近探测得到的数据推测，影像左侧大质量恒星在分子云中打开了一个洞，而炽热物质从中流出。诞生于10万年前的那颗恒星现今正为星云内发出的放射光和反射光提供能源。 [/align][align=left]
2008 年 01 月 15 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/15/F_4a8879df262b421b9086b84b24aaaba6_demL316_gemini_big.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/15/xin_ec631e2831444e6b90bf141beafcd7d2_demL316_gemini.jpg[/img][/url][color=#444444] [/color][/align][align=left][color=#444444][/color] [/align][align=left][b]Double Supernova Remnants DEM L316 [/b]
[b]双超新星遗迹[/b][b]DEM L316[/b] [/align][align=left]
[b]Credit & Copyright:[/b] Gemini Observatory, GMOS-South, NSF
[b]影像提供及[/b][b][u]版权[/u][/b][b]：[/b]Gemini Observatory, GMOS-South, NSF [/align][align=left][b]Explanation:[/b] Are these two supernova shells related? To help find out, the 8-meter Gemini Telescope located high atop a mountain in Chile was pointed at the unusual, huge, double-lobed cloud dubbed DEM L316. The resulting image, shown above, yields tremendous detail. Inspection of the image as well as data taken by the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory indicate how different the two supernova remnants are. In particular, the smaller shell appears to be the result of Type Ia supernova where a white dwarf exploded, while the larger shell appears to be the result of a Type II supernova where a massive normal star exploded. Since those two stellar types evolve on such different time scales, they likely did not form together and so are likely not physically associated. Considering also that no evidence exists that the shells are colliding, the two shells are now hypothesized to be superposed by chance. DEM L316 lies about 160,000 light years away in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy, spans about 140 light-years across, and appears toward the southern constellation of the Swordfish (Dorado).
[b]说明：[/b]这两个超新星遗迹相互间有关系吗？为了找出答案，位于[u]智利[/u]山顶上的８米[u]双子望远镜[/u]指向了这个奇特，巨大而又具有双瓣的[u]DEM L316[/u]。[u]上面显示[/u]的影像，收获了大量重要的信息。仔细检查这张影像，同时查看[u]钱德拉[/u][u]X射线天文台拍摄的数据[/u]来看两个[u]超新星遗迹[/u]有什么不同。特别是，较小的遗迹好像是[u]Ⅰ类超新星[/u]爆发的结果（[u]白矮星[/u]爆炸），而较大的那个遗迹好像是[u]Ⅱ类超新星[/u]爆发的结果（一颗普通大质量恒星爆炸）。因为两颗恒星类型在[u]不同时间段[/u]演变，所以它们应该不是同时形成，在物理空间上是没有联系。而且没有证据表明[u]两个遗迹[/u]发生碰撞，它们只是碰巧在我们的视线方向上重叠。[u]DEM L316[/u]位于距离我们大约16万[u]光年[/u]远的[u]大麦哲伦星系[/u]内，大小约140光年，位于南方星座[u]剑鱼座[/u]内。[/align]
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:17 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 16 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/16/F_54b821d634254e0f9681628c6b81fc75_mercury01_messenger_big.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/16/xin_10750a7ade30463a8a4c05783cb706ed_mercury01_messenger.jpg[/img][/url][color=#444444] [/color]
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[b]MESSENGER Passes Mercury [/b]
[b]MESSENGER[/b][b]飞船靠近水星[/b]
[b]Credit:[/b] MESSENGER Teams, JHU APL, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]MESSENGER Teams, JHU APL, NASA
[b]Explanation:[/b] Two days ago, the MESSENGER spacecraft became only the second spacecraft in human history to swoop past Mercury. The last spacecraft to visit the Sun's closest planet was Mariner 10 over 35 years ago. Mariner 10 was not able to photograph Mercury's entire surface, and the images it did send back raised many questions. Therefore, much about planet Mercury remains unknown. This week's flyby of MESSENGER was only the first of three flybys. Over the next few years MESSENGER will swing past twice more and finally enter Mercury's orbit in 2011. MESSENGER is currently moving too fast to enter orbit around Mercury now. The above image was taken two days ago during MESSENGER's flyby and shows part of Mercury's surface that has never been imaged in detail before. Many more MESSENGER will hopefully help scientists better understand how Mercury's surface was formed, and why it is so dense.
[b]说明：[/b]两天前，MESSENGER飞船成为人类历史上第二颗掠过水星的探测器。上一艘拜访距离太阳最近行星的飞船是Mariner 10，那已经是[u]35年前[/u]的事情了。Mariner 10不能够[u]拍摄下水星[/u]整体全貌，而且[u]发回拍摄到的影像[/u]都引发了很多疑问。因此，很多关于[u]水星[/u]的信息还不清楚。这周[u]MESSENGER[/u]的飞越只是计划三次飞越的第一次。在今后的几年里，[u]MESSENGER[/u]将会围绕水星[u]旋转[/u]两次以上，并最终在2011年围绕水星轨道绕行，但现在MESSENGER运行太快，不能进入水星轨道。[u]这张影像[/u]是两天前MESSENGER靠近水星时在上方拍摄的。更多[u]关于水星的详细影像[/u]将在今后的几天里传回。[u]MESSENGER[/u]收集到的数据能帮助[u]更好的理解[/u]水星表面是如何形成，以及为什么水星密度如此致密。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:24 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 17 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/17/F_e1919ee8d96842fb8fa4b8dbd042ee31_NGC2359AUL_gendler.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/17/xin_344f95bb721b407e83f3f304e9b28971_NGC2359_gendler_rc800.jpg[/img][/url][color=#444444] [/color]
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[b]Thor's Emerald Helmet [/b]
[b]雷神的翡翠头盔[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright:[/b] Robert Gendler
[b]影像提供及版权：[/b]Robert Gendler
[b]Explanation:[/b] This helmet-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages is popularly called Thor's Helmet. Heroically sized even for a Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the helmet is actually more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center sweeps through a surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. Cataloged as NGC 2359, the nebula is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The sharp image captures striking details of the nebula's filamentary structures and also records an almost emerald color from strong emission due to oxygen atoms in the glowing gas.
[b]说明：[/b]这个带着羽翼，头盔形状的宇宙星云被称为[u]雷神的头盔[/u]。该头盔大约30光年宽，对于[u]北欧神话[/u]中的雷神来说已经很壮观了。事实上，这个头盔更像一个[u]星际泡泡[/u]，从泡泡中央附近明亮，大质量恒星吹出了一道高速风，扫过了周围的分子云。这颗中央星被归类为[u]沃夫[/u][u]-拉叶型恒星[/u]，是一颗极度炽热的巨星，正处在短暂且快速变化的前超新星演化阶段。这块被编录为NGC 2359的星云，位于[u]大犬座[/u]内，距离我们大约有1.5万光年远。这张[u]清晰的影像[/u]捕捉到了这个星云精彩的丝状结构，也记录了发光云气中[u]由氧原子[/u]所发出的明亮翠绿色辐射。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:26 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 18 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/18/F_24a980e1e0df4aceafffa542f1905573_ngc2770sne_malesani.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/18/xin_fc0f2e431466417b9d40c8843748f7d0_ngc2770sne_malesani_c800.jpg[/img][/url][color=#ffffff] [/color]
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[color=#ffffff][/color][b]Supernova Factory NGC 2770 [/b]
[b]NGC2770[/b][b]内的超新星[/b]
[b]Credit:[/b] A. de Ugarte Postigo (ESO) et al., Dark Cosmology Centre (NBI, KU),
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), University of Hertfordshire
[b]影像提供：[/b]A. de Ugarte Postigo (ESO) et al., Dark Cosmology Centre (NBI, KU),
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC),University of Hertfordshire
[b]Explanation:[/b] The stellar explosions known as supernovae are among the most powerful events in the universe. Triggered by the collapsing core of a massive star or the nuclear demise of a white dwarf, supernovae occur in average spiral galaxies only about once every century. But the remarkable spiral galaxy NGC 2770 has lately produced more than its fair share. Two still bright supernovae and the location of a third, originally spotted in 1999 but now faded from view, are indicated in this image of the edge-on spiral. All three supernovae are now thought to be of the core-collapse variety, but the most recent of the trio, SN2008D, was first detected by the Swift satellite at more extreme energies as an X-ray flash (XRF) or possibly a low-energy version of a gamma-ray burst on January 9th. Located a mere 90 million light-years away in the northern constellation Lynx, NGC 2770 is now the closest galaxy known to host such a powerful supernova event.
[b]说明：[/b][u]超新星[/u]爆炸是宇宙中能量最强的恒星[u]爆炸事件[/u]。由于大质量恒星核或白矮星致密星核坍塌引发，但一般一个旋涡星系在一个世纪内才会发生一次[u]超新星暴发[/u]。但在壮观的旋涡星系NGC2770发生的事件打破了这个常规。在这张影像中，有两颗仍然明亮的超新星，但是在1999年发现的第三颗超新星已经在原本位置上看不到了，其位置就在影像旋臂边缘标明处。三个超新星现在被认为是星核坍塌类型，但是三个超新星中最近发现一颗[u]SN2008D[/u]，[u]首[/u]次由[u]斯威夫特卫星[/u]在1月9日[u]监测[/u]到了极高能[u]x射线(XRF)[/u]或低能[u]伽马射线爆发[/u]．NGC2770位于距离我们[u]大约[/u]9千万光年元的天猫座内，是迄今为止拥有[u]如此高能超新星事件[/u]最近星系．
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:30 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 19
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/CastleHolmes_heden_f.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/CastleHolmes_heden_c1.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Starry Night Castle [/b]
[font=宋体][size=12pt][b]星夜城堡[/b][/size][/font]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]P-M Hedén
影像提供及版权：P-M Hedén
[b]Explanation: [/b]The tantalizing Pleiades star cluster seems to lie just beyond the trees above a dark castle tower in this dramatic view of The World at Night. Recorded earlier this month, the starry sky also features bright star Aldebaran below the Pleiades and a small, faint, fuzzy cloud otherwise known as Comet Holmes near picture center at the top of the field. Starry Night Castle might be an appropriate name for the medieval castle ruin in the foreground. But its traditional name is Mörby Castle, found north of Stockholm, near lake Skedviken in Norrtälje, Sweden.
[b]说明：[/b]在这张生动的夜晚影像中，心急的昴星团就位于黑暗城堡上方树木的外侧。这张影像拍摄于本月初，星空中还有明亮的毕宿五，就位于昴星团下方，影像中央上方附近小而昏暗模糊的点就是Holmes彗星。前景中的中世纪城堡应该被命为星夜城堡更为恰当。但它传统的名字为M?rby 城堡，位于瑞典首都斯德哥尔摩北部，Skedviken湖附近。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:31 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 20
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/mcnaught_guisard_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/mcnaught_guisard.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Comet McNaught Over Chile[/b]
[font=宋体][size=12pt][b]智利上空的麦克诺特彗星[/b][/size][/font]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Stéphane Guisard
影像提供及版权：Stéphane Guisard
[b]Explanation: [/b]Comet McNaught was perhaps the most photogenic comet of our time. After making quite a show in the northern hemisphere in early January, the comet moved south and developed a long and unusual dust tail that dazzled southern hemisphere observers. In this image, Comet McNaught was captured one year ago above Chile. The bright comet dominates on the left while part of its magnificent tail spreads across the entire picture. From this vantage point in the Andes Mountains, one looks up toward Comet McNaught and a magnificent sky, across at a crescent moon, and down on clouds, atmospheric haze, and the city lights of Santiago. Comet McNaught has glided into the outer Solar System and is now only visible as a speck in a large telescope. The other spectacular comet of 2007, Comet Holmes, has also faded from easy view.
[b]说明：[/b]在我们这个时代，麦克诺特彗星可能是我们所见最上镜的彗星。今年一月初在北半球大放异彩后，该彗星运行到地球南方，形成了一条长而奇特的尘埃尾，让南半球的观测者们大饱眼福。上面这张影像，是一年前在智利拍摄的麦克诺特彗星。明亮的彗星占据了影像左侧部分，它那壮观的彗尾扫过了整张影像。站在安第斯山脉有利的地势上，一人朝向麦克诺特彗星就会看到一片壮观的天空中有一轮新月，在云层和大气层雾霾下就是圣地亚哥城市的灯光。麦克诺特彗星已经飞出我们太阳系，现在只能用专业的大型望远镜才能看到它。2007年其它壮观的彗星还有Holmes彗星，它也已从人们的视野里慢慢退去。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:33 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 21 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/21/F_fc6258cd3e574e8fb9a8feba869f8742_mercury03_messenger_big.png][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/21/xin_bee3b1ab8da1413e9ba2dc0f02068372_mercury03_messenger.jpg[/img][/url][color=#ffffff] [/color]
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[b]Mercury's Horizon from MESSENGER [/b]
[b]MESSENGER[/b][b]拍摄到的水星地平线[/b]
Credit: MESSENGER Teams, JHU APL, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]MESSENGER Teams, JHU APL, NASA
[b]Explanation:[/b] What would it look like to fly past Mercury? Just such an adventure was experienced last week by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its first flyby of the strange moon-like world nearest the Sun. Pictured above is the limb of Mercury seen by MESSENGER upon approach, from about 1 1/2 Earth diameters away. Visible on the hot and barren planet are many craters, many appeared to be more shallow than similarly sized craters on the Moon. The comparatively high gravity of Mercury helps flatten tall structures like high crater walls. MESSENGER was able to take over 1,000 images of Mercury which will be beamed back to Earth for planetary geologists to study. The robotic MESSENGER spacecraft is scheduled to fly past Mercury twice more before firing its thrusters to enter orbit in 2011.
[b]说明：[/b]飞越水星上空那将会是什么样子？就是这样的一次冒险旅行，上周MESSENGER飞船就经历了，它[u]首次飞越[/u]了距离太阳最近，类似一颗奇怪[u]月球[/u]一样的行星。[u]上面的影像[/u]是[u]MESSENGER[/u]飞船在上方靠近时拍摄到的部分[u]水星[/u]表面，拍摄的距离大约为1.5个[u]地球[/u]直径那么远。可以看到这颗炽热而荒凉的星球上有许多[u]陨石坑[/u]，许多看上去比相同大小的月球环形山浅。水星相对较高的[u]重力作用[/u]让较高的结构如陨石坑壁变得更加[u]平坦[/u]。[u]MESSENGER[/u]飞船拍摄了1000多张水星形象，都将传回地球让[u]行星地质学家[/u]进行研究。MESSENGER飞船[u]预计[/u]还将对水星进行2次以上的飞越，直到2011年最终进入水星同步轨道位置。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:37 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 22 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/22/F_fa42290e30be4b9e807b502e1566dccc_shelfcloud_kerr_big.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/22/xin_e3b3d5b8e4494593b0aa6d80d304e819_shelfcloud_kerr.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Shelf Cloud Over Saskatchewan [/b]
[color=#ffffff] [/color]
[b]萨斯喀彻温省上空的滩云[/b]
Credit: Jeff Kerr
[b]影像提供：[/b]Jeff Kerr
[b]Explanation:[/b] Perhaps it's time to go inside. Such thoughts might occur to people witnessing the approach of an impressive shelf cloud. Shelf clouds are typically seen leading thunderstorms, although they may precede any well defined front of relatively cold air. Shelf clouds differ from roll clouds because shelf clouds are attached to a larger cloud system lurking above. Similarly, shelf clouds differ from wall clouds because wall clouds typically trail storm systems. The above pictured shelf cloud was photographed toward the southwest during a trip crossing the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway in 2001 August. A rising Sun illuminated the impressive cloud from the east as it advanced from the west.
[b]说明：[/b]或许应该是待在室内的时候了。当一块壮观的[u]滩云[/u]靠近时，目击者就会有这样的想法。滩云经常位于锋面或是相对较冷的空气[u]之前[/u]，通常是[u]雷雨[/u]降临的前兆。[u]滩云[/u]与[u]滚轴云[/u]不同，因为滩云上方紧接着的就是一片巨大的云系。同样，[u]滩云[/u]与墙云也有些不同，因为墙云通常尾随着[u]风暴系统[/u]之后。上面这张[u]滩云[/u]影像是2001年8月，在[u]加拿大萨斯喀彻温省横加高速公路[/u]上，朝西南方拍摄到的。当[u]壮观的滩云[/u]往西移动时，一轮[u]正升起的太阳[/u]从东方照亮了它。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:38 编辑 [/i]] 探索宇宙! 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。
2008 年 01 月 23 日
[url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/23/F_b48601b3fb6c443fad37b24db461b8ec_reflections_sts118_big.jpg][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/23/xin_585c260299d04dfcbfe5e63706e847d4_reflections_sts118.jpg[/img][/url][color=#ffffff] [/color]
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[b]Orbiting Astronaut Reflects Earth [/b]
[b]宇航员头盔中地球倒影[/b]
Credit: Clayton C. Anderson, Expedition 15 Crew, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]Clayton C. Anderson, Expedition 15 Crew, NASA
[b]Explanation:[/b] Astronaut self-portraits can be particularly interesting. Visible in the above picture, working in from the outer borders, are the edges of the reflecting helmet of a space suit, modules of the International Space Station (ISS), the Earth, the arms of Expedition 15 astronaut Clay Anderson, and the digital camera used to snap the image. This picture was taken during the shuttle orbiter Endeavour's mission to expand the space station last August. The large curvature of the Earth appearing in the visor reflection is not the true curvature of our spherical Earth, but rather an artifact of the curve of the space helmet. Earth's horizon appears only slightly curved when viewed from the height of the ISS -- approximately 400 kilometers. The next space shuttle mission to the space station is currently expected to take place next month and includes the installation of the scientific Columbus Laboratory.
[b]说明[/b]：这张宇航员的[u]自拍像[/u]特别有意思。在[u]上面的影像[/u]中，从外向内依次是[u]宇航服[/u]反射头盔的边缘，[u]国际空间站[/u]的模块，[u]地球[/u]，[u]第[/u][u]15远征队[/u]宇航员Clay Anderson的手臂以及用来拍摄这张照片的数码相机。[u]这张影像[/u]是在去年8月[u]奋进号[/u]执行空间站扩建使命期间拍摄。头盔[u]反射[/u]看到的巨大的[u]地球弯曲度[/u]并不是我们球形地球真正的弯曲度，而恰恰反映的是太空中头盔弯曲度。从距离地球大约400公里远的国际空间站上看，[u]地球的地平线看上去只是微微弯曲而已[/u]。预计下月，[u]航天飞机将再一次[/u]飞往空间站进行使命活动，其中包括装配[u]哥伦比亚科学实验室[/u]。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:40 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 24
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/M31_hallas.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/M31_hallas800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Andromeda Island Universe [/b]
仙女座宇宙岛
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Tony Hallas
[b]Explanation: [/b]The most distant object easily visible to the unaided eye is M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy some two and a half million light-years away. But without a telescope, even this immense spiral galaxy - spanning over 200,000 light years - appears as a faint, nebulous cloud in the constellation Andromeda. In contrast, a bright yellow nucleus, dark winding dust lanes, gorgeous blue spiral arms and star clusters are recorded in this stunning telescopic digital mosaic. While even casual skygazers are now inspired by the knowledge that there are many distant galaxies like M31, astronomers seriously debated this fundamental concept only 80 years ago. Were these "spiral nebulae" simply outlying components of our own Milky Way Galaxy or were they instead "island universes" -- distant systems of stars comparable to the Milky Way itself? This question was central to the famous Shapley-Curtis debate of 1920, which was later resolved by observations of M31 in favor of Andromeda, island universe.
[b]说明：[/b]我们肉眼能轻易看到最遥远的天体就是[u]M31[/u]，也就是巨大的[u]仙女座星系[/u]，距离我们大约250万光年远。但是，如果没有一架望远镜，即使是如此巨大的旋涡星系（覆盖约20万[u]多[/u]光年）看上去也只是一个位于[u]仙女座[/u]内昏暗模糊的星云。与之相反，在这张壮观的[u]望远镜数码影像[/u]中有明亮的黄色星系核，黑暗的缠绕尘埃带，绚丽的蓝色旋臂和星系团。现在连刚刚入门的[u]观测者[/u]也知道宇宙中有[u]许多[/u]类似M31的遥远星系，但是在短短的80年内，天文学家们之间连基础的概念都有很[u]严重的争论[/u]。这些“旋涡星系”仅仅是我们银河系简单的外围成员，抑或它们是“宇宙岛”—与银河系相当的遥远恒星系统？而这就是1920年著名的Shapley-Curtis之间争论的话题要点，而后通过对M31的[u]观测[/u]发现仙女座星云是一个[u]宇宙岛[/u]。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-25 11:00 编辑 [/i]] [align=center][align=center][url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/apod/archivepix.htm][color=#800080]探索宇宙![/color][/url] 每天发布一张有专业天文学家的简短解释和说明的反映我们迷人宇宙的不同影像或照片。[/align][/align][align=center][align=center][/align][/align][align=center][align=center]2008 年 01 月 25 日
[/align][/align][align=center][url=http://www.bjp.org.cn/files/2008-01/25/F_937e6d27bdf14b75862bae4553ad378b_CielHiverPic_sallez.jpg][/align][align=center][img]http://www.bjp.org.cn/images/2008-01/25/xin_964d074a453b45bbbed0dc79931223a4_CielHiverPic_sallez800.jpg[/img][/url][/align]
[align=center][b]Winter Night at Pic du Midi[/b] [/align][align=center][align=center][b][font=宋体][size=12pt]南方山峰上的冬季夜空[/size][/font][/b][b][size=12pt][/size][/b][/align][/align][align=center]
[b]Credit & Copyright:[/b] Alain Sallez (picdumidi.org), David Romeuf (Université Lyon 1) [/align][align=center][b]影像提供及版权：[/b]Alain Sallez (picdumidi.org), David Romeuf (Université Lyon 1)[/align][align=center]
[b]Explanation:[/b] This dreamlike view looking south from the historic mountain top Pic du Midi Observatory combines moonlit domes, a winter night sky, and the snowy peaks of the French Pyrenees. Encroaching on the night, lights from the La Mongie ski resort illuminate the mountain slopes nearby while the glow along the distant horizon is from urban areas in southern France and Spain. The night sky features stars of the constellations Orion and Gemini with a bright planet Mars very near the top edge, left of center. The three prominent domes visible (from left to right) house a 0.6 meter telescope reserved for amateur astronomers, a 1 meter telescope that was used to support the Apollo lunar landing missions, and the new, Sun-watching CLIMSO. [/align][align=center]
[b]说明：[/b]这张梦幻般的影像是在著名的南方山峰天文台向南拍摄得到，其中有月光照亮了的圆顶，冬季夜空，以及法国比利牛斯山脉雪峰。在漆黑的夜晚中，La Mongie 滑雪场发出的光照亮附近的山坡，远处地平线的光芒来自法国南部和西班牙城市。夜空中显示了猎户座和双子座的星空特征，影像上边缘中央左侧位置是明亮的火星。影像中可以看到三个主要的圆顶（从左到右）分别装有专为业余天文爱好者配备的直径为0.6米的望远镜，一架曾被用来服务阿波罗月球登陆使命，直径为1米的望远镜，还有就是新建的太阳观测望远镜CLIMSO。[/align] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 28
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/eclipse_pasachoff_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/eclipse_pasachoff.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]A Solar Eclipse Painting from the 1700s [/b]
[b]18[/b][b]世纪的日食油画[/b]
[b]Painting Credit: [/b]Cosmas Damian Asam; [b]Digital Image Copyright: [/b]Jay Pasachoff
[b]油画版权：[/b]Cosmas Damian Asam;[b]数码影像版权[/b]：Jay Pasachoff
[b]Explanation: [/b]Is this painting the earliest realistic depiction of a total eclipse of the Sun? Some historians believe it is. The above painting was completed in 1735 by Cosmas Damian Asam, a painter and architect famous in early eighteenth century Germany. Clearly drawn is not only a total solar eclipse, but the solar corona and the diamond ring effect visible when sunlight flows only between mountains on the Moon. The person depicted viewing these eclipse phenomena is St. Benedict. Roberta J. M. Olson and Jay Pasachoff have hypothesized that Asam himself may have seen first hand one or all of the total solar eclipses of May 1706, 1724, and 1733. Many facts about our astronomical universe that are taken for granted today have been known -- or accurately recorded -- only during the last millennium. Asam's painting currently hangs in Weltenburg Abbey in Bavaria, Germany.
[b]说明：[/b]这张画是最早表现日全食写实作品吗？一些历史学家们相信这点。[u]上面这张画[/u]是[u]科斯玛斯[/u][u].达米安.阿萨姆[/u]在1735年完成的作品，他是一位画家也是18世纪早期德国著名的建筑师。很明显画中并不仅仅是[u]日全食[/u]，其中还能看到[u]日冕[/u]以及当日光刚从月球山峰之间露出时出现的[u]钻石环[/u]效应。影像中描述日食的人叫[u]St. Benedict[/u]。Roberta J. M. Olson和Jay Pasachoff[u]认为[/u]阿萨姆本人可能亲自看到一次或者所有1706年、1724年和1733年发生的[u]日全食[/u]。仅仅通过[u]上一个千年[/u]，我们已经了解，或是精确地记录许多[u]宇宙[/u]间发生的事实。阿萨姆的画现在就挂在[u]德国巴伐利亚州[/u]威尔腾堡[u]修道院[/u]内。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-28 23:07 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2008 January 29
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/westvalley_spirit_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/westvalley_spirit.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]West Valley Panorama from the Spirit Rover on Mars [/b]
[b][font=宋体][size=12pt]勇气号火星探测器拍摄到的西谷全景影像[/size][/font][/b][b][size=12pt][/size][/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Cornell, JPL, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Cornell, JPL, NASA
[b]Explanation: [/b]What does Mars look like from here? Last September, before hiking across rugged and slippery terrain to reach its winter hibernation point, the robotic Spirit rover climbed a small plateau known as Home Plate and captured the spectacular vista pictured above. Part of the curious flat-topped Home Plate is visible as the light colored landscape across the panorama's foreground. On the image left, visible about eight kilometers in the distance, is Grissom Hill, while on the left foreground is rock strewn Tsiolkovski Ridge. On the right, at about 800 meters distant, is Husband Hill, a feature already explored by Spirit and notable as the highest point visible in the westward looking panorama. In the inset is a close-up of a small protrusion informally dubbed Little Bigfoot, a motionless rock that has drawn some attention for it superficial appearance to a humanoid life form. Tenacious image explorers might locate Little Bigfoot towards the front left of the high resolution panorama. Spirit successfully reached its energy-conserving winter haven in December.
[b]说明：[/b]从这里看火星会是什么样子？去年9月，在穿过了高低不平而又光滑的岩层，到达过冬地点前，勇气号探测器爬到了一个名为本垒的小高地上，并且拍摄了上面这张壮观的影像。在这张全景影像的前景中，可以看到颜色较浅的地方就是部分奇怪而顶部平坦的本垒。影像左侧，可以看到8公里远处的Grissom 山丘，而在左侧前景中的是散乱的Tsiolkocski山脊岩石。右侧大约800米远的是Husband山，早已被勇气号探索过，并且是影像向西望去的制高点。而左侧这张插图是一个被戏称为小野人的小突起特写，由于这块静止不动的岩石外表与人的形象相似，从而吸引了很多目光。若果你够坚持的话就能在这张高清晰全景影像中的左前方找到这个小野人岩石。去年12月，勇气号成功地到达了节能较好的过冬地点。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 30
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/tu24_greenbank_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/tu24_greenbank.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Asteroid 2007 TU24 Passes the Earth [/b]
[b]小行星[/b][b]2007TU24[/b][b]通过地球[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]Green Bank Radio Telescope, Arecibo Radio Telescope
[b]影像提供：[/b]Green Bank Radio Telescope, Arecibo Radio Telescope
[b]Explanation: [/b]Asteroid 2007 TU24 passed by the Earth yesterday, posing no danger. The space rock, estimated to be about 250 meters across, coasted by just outside the orbit of Earth's Moon. The passing was not very unusual -- small rocks strike Earth daily, and in 2003 a rock the size of a bus passed inside the orbit of the Moon, being detected only after passing. TU24 was notable partly because it was so large. Were TU24 to have struck land, it might have caused a magnitude seven earthquake and left a city-sized crater. A perhaps larger danger would have occurred were TU24 to have struck the ocean and raised a large tsunami. This radar image was taken two days ago. The Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico broadcast radar that was reflected by the asteroid and then recorded by the Byrd Radio Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia. The resulting image shows TU24 to have an oblong and irregular shape. TU24 was discovered only three months ago, indicating that other potentially hazardous asteroids might lurk in our Solar System currently undetected. Objects like TU24 are hard to detect because they are so faint and move so fast. Humanity's ability to scan the sky to detect, catalog, and analyze such objects has increased notably in recent years.
[b]说明：[/b]昨天小行星2007TU24通过地球，没有对地球产生任何危险。这颗宇宙岩石直径[u]估计[/u]约250米，刚好在月球轨道外侧滑过。此次小行星通过地球没有[u]什么不寻常[/u]，每天都会有小岩石撞击地球，2003年一颗大小像巴士一样的岩石进入了月球轨道，[u]在通过地球之后[/u]才被发现。之所以TU24被发现，是因为它太大了。如果[u]TU24[/u]撞击地面，那将会形成一次7[u]级地震[/u]，并且留下一个城市大小的[u]陨石坑[/u]。如果[u]TU24[/u]掉进海洋，将会形成一次巨大的[u]海啸[/u]，那将造成更大的威胁。这张[u]雷达影像[/u]是两天前拍摄的。位于[u]波多黎各[/u]的[u]阿雷西博射电望远镜[/u]放射出的雷达信号经小行星反射后，被[u]西弗吉尼亚州[/u][url=http://www.nrao.edu/administration/personnel_office/greenbank.shtml][color=#dba04f]Green Bank[/color][/url]的[u]伯德射电望远镜[/u]接收到。[u]合成的影像[/u]显示TU24是一个不规则长方形状。[url=http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroid-20080128-clips.html][color=#dba04f]TU24[/color][/url]只是在3个月前发现的，这就暗示了其它对地球有[u]潜在危险的小行星[/u]可能存在于[u]我们太阳系[/u]内，只是没被发现。像类似[url=http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroid-20080128-clips.html][color=#dba04f]TU24[/color][/url]一样的天体很难检测到，因为它们异常昏暗而且[u]运行[/u]很快。人类正在搜寻天空，检测，归类，分析这样的天体，在最近几年其数量有[u]显著增加[/u]。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 January 31
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/wd2_xrayir.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0801/wd2_xrayir_c790.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Young Star Cluster Westerlund 2 [/b]
[b]年轻星团[/b][b]Westerlund 2[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]X-ray; Y.Nazé, G.Rauw, J.Manfroid (Université de Liège), CXC, NASA
Infrared; E.Churchwell (University of Wisconsin), JPL, Caltech, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]X-射线；Y.Nazé, G.Rauw, J.Manfroid (Université de Liège), CXC, NASA 红外线；E.Churchwell (University of Wisconsin), JPL, Caltech, NASA
[b]Explanation: [/b]Dusty stellar nursery RCW 49 surrounds young star cluster Westerlund 2 in this remarkable composite skyscape from beyond the visible spectrum of light. Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope is shown in black and white, complimenting the Chandra X-ray image data (in false color) of the hot energetic stars within the cluster's central region. Looking toward the grand southern constellation Centaurus, both views reveal stars and structures hidden from optical telescopes by obscuring dust. Westerlund 2 itself is a mere 2 million years old or less, and contains some of our galaxy's most luminous, massive and therefore short-lived stars. The infrared signatures of proto-planetary disks have also been identified in the intense star forming region. At the cluster's estimated distance of 20,000 light-years, the square marking the Chandra field of view would be about 50 light-years on a side.
[b]说明：[/b]在这张用不可见[u]光波段[/u]拍摄的显著合成影像中，模糊恒星孕育场[u]RCW49[/u]包围着年轻星团[u]Westerlund 2[/u]。斯皮策太空望远镜拍摄的[u]红外[/u]数据在上面影像中显示黑白色，而钱德拉[u]X射线[/u]影像数据（假色）显示了星团中央区域的高能炽热恒星。往[u]巨大[/u]的南方星座[u]半人马座[/u]看去，[u]上面影像显示[/u]的恒星和结构在光学望远镜下都被模糊的尘埃遮蔽了。[u]Westerlund 2[/u]本身年龄仅仅只有200万年或者更小，其中包含有我们银河系内一些最亮，大质量恒星，因此也是[u]寿命较短[/u]的恒星。在致密的恒星形成区域，已经测定了[u]原行星盘面[/u]的红外信号。估计星团距离我们大约2万光年远，而钱德拉拍摄的正方形区域大约有50光年。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-1-31 16:48 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 1
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/exp1Launch_msfc_f.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/exp1Launch_msfc_c22.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]The First Explorer [/b]
[b]首颗探测器[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]Courtesy of Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]Courtesy of Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA
[b]Explanation: [/b]Fifty years ago (on January 31, 1958) the First Explorer, was launched into Earth orbit by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. Inaugurating the era of space exploration for the United States, Explorer I was a thirty pound satellite that carried instruments to measure temperatures, and micrometeorite impacts, along with an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen to measure the density of electrons and ions in space. The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an unexpected and startling discovery -- an earth-encircling belt of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere now known as the Van Allen Radiation Belt. Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28, 1958, but remained in orbit until March of 1970. Pioneering space scientist James Van Allen died on August 9th, 2006 at the age of 91.
[b]说明：[/b]在50年前（1958年1月31日），[u]第一颗探测器[/u]就由陆军弹道飞弹署[u]发射升空进入地球同步轨道[/u]。开辟美国太空探索的新纪元的[u]探测器Ⅰ[/u]是一枚重30磅的卫星，它携带了测量温度和微陨星碰撞的仪器，还有一个由James A. Van Allen设计的实验用来测定空间中电子和离子的密度。Van Allen的实验测得的结果找到了意想不到、[u]令人吃惊的发现[/u]—在地球[u]磁气圈[/u]外截流了一条环绕地球的高能电子和离子环，现在被称为[u]Van Allen辐射带[/u]。探测器Ⅰ在1958年2月28日停止了数据传送，但直到1970年3月仍留在轨道上空。太空探索先驱James Van Allen在2006年8月9日逝世，享年91岁。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 2
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/VenJupMorn_tafreshi.jpg][img=743,500]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/VenJupMorn_tafreshi800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Venus and Jupiter in Morning Skies [/b]
[b]黎明星空中的金星和木星[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)
[b]影像提供及[u]版权[/u]：[/b]Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)
[b]Explanation: [/b]These two celestial beacons shining brightly in the east before sunrise are actually children of the Sun, the planets Venus and Jupiter. The second and third brightest objects in the sky at Night after the Moon, Venus and Jupiter appeared separated by about 2 degrees when this picture was taken on January 30th, but closed to within nearly half a degree early yesterday morning. In the serene foreground is the shoreline along the Miankaleh Peninsula and Gorgan Bay, an important bird and wildlife refuge in the southeastern Caspian Sea. Over the next two days, early morning risers around the globe will be able to enjoy a close pairing of Venus and Jupiter with an old crescent Moon.
[b]说明：[/b]在日出前天空中明亮闪烁的这两颗天体，它们实际上是[u]太阳的子女[/u]-金星和木星。[u]夜空中[/u]金星与木星是亮度仅次于月球之后第二亮和第三亮的天体，在这张影像拍摄于1月30日，[u]金星和木星[/u]相距只有2度，但昨天凌晨，两颗天体相距仅仅半度。影像前景中的是Miankaleh半岛和戈尔干湾的海岸线，这是[u]里海[/u]东南部重要的[u]鸟类和野生动植物[/u]栖息地。在今后几天里，地球上早期的人们将能欣赏到紧密相伴的金星和木星以及一轮残月。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-2 22:57 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 3
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/v838feb04_hst_big.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/v838feb04_hst.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Light Echoes from V838 Mon [/b]
[b]麒麟座[/b][b]V838[/b][b]星的回光[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
[b]影像提供：[/b]NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
[b]Explanation: [/b]What caused this outburst of V838 Mon? For reasons unknown, star V838 Mon's outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the entire Milky Way Galaxy in January 2002. Then, just as suddenly, it faded. A stellar flash like this has never been seen before -- supernovas and novas expel matter out into space. Although the V838 Mon flash appears to expel material into space, what is seen in the above image from the Hubble Space Telescope is actually an outwardly moving light echo of the bright flash. In a light echo, light from the flash is reflected by successively more distant rings in the complex array of ambient interstellar dust that already surrounded the star. V838 Mon lies about 20,000 light years away toward the constellation of the unicorn (Monoceros), while the light echo above spans about six light years in diameter.
[b]说明：[/b]是什么造成了麒麟座V838星的这次爆发？因某些未知的原因，[u]麒麟座V838星[/u]的外表面突然急剧地扩张，让它成为2002年1月整个[u]银河系[/u]内最亮的天体。尔后突然之间它黯淡下来。像类似的[u]恒星闪亮[/u]以前从来没有发生过—[u]超新星[/u]和[u]新星[/u]向空间喷射出物质。尽管[u]麒麟座V838星[/u]闪烁看上去也是向空间喷射物质，在[u]上面哈勃太空望远镜[/u]拍摄的[u]影像[/u]中可以看到，实际上是外表层有一层向外移动的明亮[u]回光[/u]。这颗恒星的周围，原来就包着数层结构很复杂的[u]星际尘埃[/u]，而回光则是外围气壳反射闪光的现象。[u]麒麟座V838[/u]距离我们大约2万[u]光年[/u]远，位于[u]麒麟座[/u]内，上面影像中的[u]回光[/u]直径大约6[u]光年[/u]。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-4 00:08 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 4
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/craterspider_messenger_big.jpg][img=750,501]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/craterspider_messenger.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]A Spider Shaped Crater on Mercury [/b]
[b]水星上蜘蛛状陨石坑[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]MESSENGER, NASA, JHU APL, CIW
[b]影像提供：[/b]MESSENGER, NASA, JHU APL, CIW
[b]Explanation: [/b]Why does this crater on Mercury look like a spider? When the robotic MESSENGER spacecraft glided by the planet Mercury last month, it was able to image portions of the Sun's closest planet that had never been seen before. When imaging the center of Mercury's extremely large Caloris Basin, MESSENGER found a crater, pictured above, with a set of unusual rays emanating out from its center. A crater with such troughs has never been seen before anywhere in our Solar System. What isn't clear is the relation of the crater to the radial troughs. Perhaps the crater created the radial rays, or perhaps the two features appear only by a chance superposition -- the topic is sure to be one of future research. MESSENGER is scheduled to fly past Mercury twice more before firing its thrusters to enter orbit in 2011.
[b]说明：[/b]为什么水星上的这个陨石坑看起来像只蜘蛛？ 当上个月[u]MESSENGER飞船[/u]掠过[u]水星[/u]时，拍摄到了这颗离太阳最近行星的影像，而那些都是从未看过的。当拍摄水星中央巨大的[u]卡洛斯盆地[/u]时，MESSENGER发现了一个陨石坑，如[u]上图所示[/u]，可以看到从它的中心放射出一组奇怪的[u]射线[/u]。具有如此低谷的陨石坑在[u]我们太阳系内[/u]还从未发现过。陨石坑与辐射状盆地有没有[u]联系[/u]现在还不清楚。可能是陨石坑形成了[u]放射状的线条[/u]，或者可能是两种特征看上去只是偶然重叠而以—可以确定它将成为未来的研究课题。2011年在MESSENGER飞船[u]点燃推进器[/u]进入水星轨道之前，[u]预计[/u]它还将飞越水星两次以上。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 13
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/ngc1132_hcst_big.jpg][img=750,500]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/ngc1132_hcst.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1132 [/b]
[b]椭圆星系[/b][b]NGC1132[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]NASA, ESA, M. West (ESO, Chile), and CXC / Penn. State / G. Garmire, et al.
[b]影像提供：[/b]NASA, ESA, M. West (ESO, Chile), 和 CXC / Penn. State / G. Garmire,等。
[b]Explanation: [/b]NGC 1132 is one smooth galaxy -- but how did it form? As an elliptical galaxy, NGC 1132 has little dust and gas, and few stars have formed in it recently. Although many elliptical galaxies are in clusters of galaxies, NGC 1132 appears as a large, isolated galaxy toward the constellation of the River (Eridanus). To probe the history of this intriguing trillion-star ball, astronomers imaged NGC 1132 in both visible light with the Hubble Space Telescope and X-ray light with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In this composite false-color image, visible light is white, while the X-ray light is blue and indicates the unusual presence of very hot gas. The X-ray light also likely traces out the location of dark matter. One progenitor hypothesis is that NGC 1132 is the result of a series of galaxy mergers in what once was a small group of galaxies. NGC 1132 is over 300 million light years away, so the light we see from it today left before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Many fascinating background galaxies can be seen far in the distance.
[b]说明：[/b]NGC1132是一个圆滑的星系—但它是怎么形成的呢？作为一个[u]椭圆星系[/u]，NGC1132几乎没有尘埃和气体，最近其内也很少有新形成的恒星。尽管许多椭圆星系存在于星系团内，但NGC1132看上去是波江座内一个巨大而又孤立的星系。为了探索这个其内有着万亿颗恒星的神秘星系球的历史，天文学家利用[u]哈勃太空望远镜[/u]的可见光和[u]钱德拉Ｘ射线望远镜[/u]的[u]Ｘ射线[/u]分别对[u]NGC1132[/u]进行拍摄。[u]在这张合成假色影像[/u]中，可见光是白色的，而Ｘ射线拍摄到的蓝色象征着那里有异常炽热的气体存在。Ｘ射线同样描绘出了[u]暗物质[/u]的位置。一种最初的假说是，NGC1132是一系列[u]星系合并[/u]的结果，曾经那里是一小团[u]星系群[/u]。NGC1132距离我们3亿多光年远，因此我们今天所看到的光是地球上[u]恐龙[/u]盛行前该星系发出的。在遥远的地方还能看到很多[u]绚丽的背景星系[/u]。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 14
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/rosette_abtps.jpg][img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/rosette_abtps_v.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Long Stem Rosette [/b]
[b]长梗玫瑰[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Adam Block (Caelum Observatory) and Tim Puckett
[b]影像提供及版权：[/b]Adam Block (Caelum Observatory) and Tim Puckett
[b]Explanation: [/b]The Rosette Nebula (aka NGC 2237) is not the only cosmic cloud of gas and dust to evoke the imagery of flowers. But it is the one most often suggested as a suitable astronomy image for Valentine's Day. Of the many excellent Rosette Nebula pictures submitted to APOD editors, this view seemed most appropriate, with a long stem of glowing hydrogen gas in the region included in the composition. At the edge of a large molecular cloud in Monoceros, some 5,000 light years away, the petals of this rose are actually a stellar nursery whose lovely, symmetric shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation from its central cluster of hot young stars. The stars in the energetic cluster, cataloged as NGC 2244, are only a few million years old, while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula is about 50 light-years in diameter. Happy Valentine's Day!
[b]说明：[/b]玫瑰星云（也被称为NGC2237）不是宇宙尘埃星云中唯一演变得像[u]花朵图案[/u]的星云。但它是最能代表情人节的天文图案。在众多APOD编者拍摄到的美妙[u]玫瑰星云[/u]影像中，[u]这张影像[/u]是最合适的，在这张合成影像中由一条[u]炽热氢气[/u]形成的长梗。星云位于麒麟座巨大[u]分子云[/u]的边缘，距离我们大约5,000光年远，而玫瑰的花瓣实际上就是一个恒星孕育场，而其可爱而对称的形状是由于中央年轻[u]炽热恒星[/u]团发出的恒星风和放射线侵蚀而成。高能恒星团（被归类为[u]NGC2244[/u]）内的恒星年龄只有数百万年，而玫瑰星云中央的空洞直径约50光年。[u]情人节快乐！[/u]
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-15 09:10 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 15
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/Ophcloud_spitzer.jpg][img=750,548]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/Ophcloud_spitzer_c800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Young Stars in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud [/b]
[b]心宿增四星云内的年轻恒星[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]NASA JPL-Caltech, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
[b]影像提供：[/b]NASA JPL-Caltech, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
[b]Explanation: [/b]Cosmic dust clouds and embedded newborn stars glow at infrared wavelengths in this tantalizing false-color view from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Pictured is of one of the closest star forming regions, part of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex some 400 light-years distant near the southern edge of the pronounceable constellation Ophiuchus. The view spans about 5 light-years at that estimated distance. After forming along a large cloud of cold molecular hydrogen gas, newborn stars heat the surrounding dust to produce the infrared glow. An exploration of the region in penetrating infrared light has detected some 300 emerging and newly formed stars whose average age is estimated to be a mere 300,000 years -- extremely young compared to the Sun's age of 5 billion years.
[b]说明：[/b]在这张由[u]斯皮策[/u]太空望远镜利用[u]红外波段[/u]拍摄的假色影像中，宇宙尘埃云和其内的新星发出光和热。[u]上面影像[/u]中是距离我们最近的恒星形成区域之一，它是心宿增四[u]复杂星云[/u]的一部分，距离我们大约400光年远，位于[u]易辨认[/u]的[u]蛇夫座[/u]南边缘附近。在这个距离上估计，这张影像大约有5光年。形成于一[u]大片[/u]较冷的氢气分子云中，新星激发了周围的尘埃产生了红外光。经过敏锐的红外光线[u]探测[/u]后，发现大约有300颗正在出现和新形成的恒星，平均年龄在估计只有30万年，相对于[u]太阳年龄[/u]50亿年来说，它们相当年轻
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-16 22:47 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 18
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/blg109_kasi_big.jpg][img=750,562]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/blg109_kasi.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]BLG-109: A Distant Version of our own Solar System [/b]
[b]BLG-109[/b][b]：太阳系在遥远宇宙中的一个翻版[/b]
[b]Illustration Credit: [/b]KASI, CBNU, ARCSEC, NSF
[b]插图提供：[/b]KASI, CBNU, ARCSEC, NSF
[b]Explanation: [/b]How common are planetary systems like our own? Perhaps quite common, as the first system of planets like our own Solar System has been discovered using a newly adapted technique that, so far, has probed only six planetary systems. The technique, called gravitational microlensing, looks for telling brightness changes in measured starlight when a foreground star with planets chances almost directly in front of a more distant star. The distant star's light is slightly deflected in predictable ways by the gravity of the closer system. Recently a detailed analysis of microlensing system OGLE-2006-BLG-109 has related brightness variations to two planets that are similar to Jupiter and Saturn of our own Solar System. This discovery carries the tantalizing implication that interior planets, possibly including Earth-like planets, might also be common. Pictured above is an artistic conception of how the BLG-109 planetary system might look.
[b]说明：[/b]类似我们太阳系的行星系统，在宇宙中普遍吗？或许很常见，因为利用一种新技术已经[u]发现了[/u]类似我们太阳系的系统，迄今为止，已经发现6个[u]行星系统[/u]。这种新技术被称为[u]微重力透镜[/u]，通过测量[u]拥有行星的前景恒星[/u]几乎直接通过更遥远恒星的前方时，远方恒星星光亮度会有所变化。遥远恒星发出的星光经较紧密行星系统[u]重力[/u]影响后，其经过的轨迹会产生微小的[u]偏离[/u]。最近对[u]微重力透镜[/u][u]OGLE[/u]-2006-BLG-109进行[u]详细分析[/u]后，显示光的[u]亮度变化[/u]是通过两颗类似我们太阳系内[u]木星[/u]和[u]土星[/u]的行星造成。[u]这个发现[/u]暗示着其内的行星很可能包含[u]类似地球一样的行星[/u]，而且有可能普遍存在。[u]上面的图片[/u]是艺术家的概念画，展示了BLG-109行星系统可能的模样。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 19
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/columbus_sts122_big.jpg][img=750,500]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/columbus_sts122.jpg[/img][/url]
Columbus Laboratory Installed on Space Station
[b]国际空间站安装了哥伦布实验舱[/b]
Credit: STS-122 Crew, Expedition 16 Crew, ESA, NASA
影像提供：STS-122 Crew, Expedition 16 Crew, ESA, NASA
[b]Explanation:[/b] The International Space Station (ISS) has been equipped with a powerful new scientific laboratory. The Space Shuttle Atlantis delivered the Columbus Laboratory to the ISS and installed the seven meter long module over the past week. Columbus has ten racks for experiments that can be controlled from the station or the Columbus Control Center in Germany. The first set of experiments includes the Fluid Science Laboratory that will explore fluid properties in the microgravity of low Earth orbit, and Biolab which supports experiments on microorganisms. Future Columbus experiments include an atomic clock that will test minuscule timing effects including those expected by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Pictured above, mission specialist Hans Schlegel works on the outside of Columbus. Scientists from all over the world may propose and carry out experiments to be done on the laboratory during its ten year mission.
[b]说明：[/b]国际空间站（ISS）已经安装上了一个功能强大的新的科学实验室。亚特兰蒂斯号航天飞机将哥伦布实验室送到了国际空间站上，并在过去的一周里将这个7米长的舱体安装完成。哥伦布上的10个实验框架，从空间站或位于德国的哥伦布控制中心都能控制进行。首批试验仪器包括流体科学实验室，研究在地球低轨道微重力下研究流体特性，以及能进行微生物实验的生物实验室。未来的哥伦布试验仪器还有一台原子钟，将被用来测试爱因斯坦广义相对论对时间的微小影响。上面的影像，任务专家Hans Schlegel正在哥伦布实验舱外操作。在哥伦布的十年使命期间，来自全世界的科学家们都能提出计划并在实验室中完成实验。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 20
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/moonslide_seip.jpg][img=750,568]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/moonslide_seip_c800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Moon Slide Slim [/b]
[b]苗条的月球轨迹[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Stefan Seip (TWAN)
[b]影响提供及版权：[/b]Stefan Seip (TWAN)
[b]Explanation: [/b]No special filters - or even a telescope - are required to enjoy a leisurely lunar eclipse. In fact, watched from all over the night side of planet Earth, these regular celestial performances have entertained many casual skygazers. Still, this eye-catching picture of a lunar eclipse may look unfamiliar. To make it, astroimager Stefan Seip set his camera on a tripod and locked the shutter open during the total lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007. The resulting image records the trail of the Moon (and narrower trails of stars) sliding through the night. Reddish hues common during the total phase of a lunar eclipse, are evident along the darker, slimmer portion of the Moon trail. At least part of tonight's lunar eclipse will be visible in clear skies over the Americas, Europe, Africa and western Asia. The eclipse lasts over three hours from start to finish, with about 50 minutes of totality. Tonight's eclipse is the last total lunar eclipse until December of 2010.
[b]说明：[/b]不需要特殊的滤镜-甚至是望远镜就能欣赏到[u]美妙的月食景观[/u]。事实上，位于地球[u]夜晚面[/u]的观测者偶然间就能欣赏到这[u]规则的天体表演[/u]。但是，这张[u]引人注目的月食影像[/u]看起来比较新奇。为了拍成这样的效果，天文学家Stefan Seip把相机固定在三角架上，在2007年3月3日月全食期间一直保持快门打开着，结果就得到的上面这张影像。最后影像中月球的轨迹（还有较窄的星轨）划过夜空。[u]红色的弧线[/u]就是月全食期间的阶段，在月球轨迹上有一段很明显的较暗较瘦的痕迹。美洲，欧洲，非洲和西亚地区的[u]晴朗天空中[/u]至少能看到[u]今晚的部分月食[/u]。月食[u]从开始到结束[/u]将持续3个多小时，全食期间大约50分钟。今晚的月食是2010年12月前最后一次月全食。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 21
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/horsehead_bertol_big.jpg][img=780,520]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/horsehead_bertol.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Orion's Horsehead Nebula [/b]
[b]猎户座马头星云[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Victor Bertol
[b]影像提供及版权：[/b]Victor Bertol
[b]Explanation: [/b]The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red emission nebula seen just below and left of center in the this photograph. The brightest star on the left is located in the belt of the familiar constellation Orion. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud that lies in front of the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will alter its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. Also visible in the picture are blue reflection nebulae that preferentially reflect the blue light from nearby stars.
[b]说明：[/b][u]马头星云[/u]是天空中最为著名的星云之一，它是[u]这张影像[/u]中央左下方红色[u]发射星云[/u]里的一块黑暗区域。左侧最亮的恒星位于著名的[u]猎户座[/u]腰带上。[u]马头[/u]显黑色是因为它实际上是红色明亮[u]发射星云[/u]前方的一片不透明的[u]尘埃[/u]云。就像[u]地球大气层[/u]中的云朵一样，这块宇宙云恰好有我们[u]熟悉的形状[/u]。经过数千年后，云层内部的活动将改变它的外观。发射[u]星云[/u]显现的红色是由质子再次与[u]电子[/u]结合形成[u]氢原子[/u]后形成。在照片中还可以看到蓝色的[u]反射星云[/u]，优先[u]反射了[/u]附近恒星发出的[u]蓝光[/u]。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 22
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/tle_lodriguss070.jpg][img=780,528]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/tle_lodriguss070_c800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Eclipsed Moonlight [/b]
[b]月食光[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light)
[b]影像提供及[/b][u]版权[/u][b]：[/b]Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light)
[b]Explanation: [/b]Moon watchers blessed with clear skies over the Americas, Europe, Africa and western Asia enjoyed a total lunar eclipse this week. Catching eclipsed moonlight, astroimager Jerry Lodriguss offers this view of the inspiring celestial event with the shadowed Moon accompanied by wandering planet Saturn at the left, and bright Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo, above. The engaging composite picture was made by combining a filtered, telephoto image of the Moon and surrounding starfield with a telescopic exposure. The combination dramatizes the reddened moonlight while clearly showing the variation of brightness and color in Earth's not-so-dark shadow across the lunar surface.
[b]说明：[/b]由于本周美洲，欧洲，非洲和西亚地区天空晴朗，让月球观测者们[u]欣赏[/u]到了一次美妙的[u]月全食[/u]天象。影像拍摄到了月食期间的月光，天文学家Jerry Lodriguss[u]提供了这张[/u]激动人心的天文[u]影像[/u]，其中[u]附有阴影的月球[/u]左侧伴随着[u]若隐若现[/u]的土星，而[u]上方则是狮子座[/u]α星轩辕十四。这张迷人的合成影像是通过合成一张经过滤波片拍摄到月球的望远镜影像和一张望远镜拍摄周围星场的影像制作合成。这张合成影像加深了[u]红色的月光[/u]，清楚地显示了月表阴影处亮度和色彩的差异。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 25
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/atlas_cern_big.jpg][img=780,520]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/atlas_cern.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Dawn of the Large Hadron Collider [/b]
[b]大型[/b][u]强子[/u][b]对撞机的曙光[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Maximilien Brice, CERN
[b]影像提供及[/b][u]版权[/u][b]：[/b]Maximilien Brice, CERN
[b]Explanation: [/b]Why do objects have mass? To help find out, Europe's CERN has built the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful particle accelerator yet created by humans. This May, the LHC is scheduled to start smashing protons into each other with unprecedented impact speeds. The LHC will explore the leading explanation that mass arises from ordinary particles slogging through an otherwise invisible but pervasive field of virtual Higgs particles. Were high energy colliding particles to create real Higgs bosons, the Higgs mechanism for mass creation may be bolstered. LHC will also look for micro black holes, magnetic monopoles, and explore the possibility that every type of fundamental particle we know about has a nearly invisible supersymmetric counterpart. The LHC@Home project will allow anyone with a home computer to help LHC scientists search archived LHC data for these strange beasts. Pictured above, a person stands in front of the huge ATLAS detector, one of six detectors being attached to the LHC.
[b]说明[/b]：为什么物体都有质量？为了找到答案，欧洲粒子物理研究所建造了大型强子对撞机（LHC），它是迄今为止人类创造的最高能粒子加速器。预计今年五月，大型强子对撞机将进行以前所未有的速度开始冲撞质子的试验。大型强子对撞机将主要研究质量的起源，普通微粒猛击另一种不可见但普遍存在的希格斯虚粒子而形成。高能粒子碰撞会形成真正的希格斯波色子，这就对希格斯原理产生质量提供支持。大型强子对撞机还将寻找微型黑洞，磁单极子，以及探索我们所知道的每一类基本微粒是否有一种不可见的超对称微粒存在。LHC@Home工程允许每一位有家用电脑的人来帮助LHC科学家利用这些已经入档的LHC数据寻找那些奇怪的微粒。上面的影像中，一个人站在巨大的ATLAS侦测器前，这是六个侦测器中连接到大型强子对撞机的一个。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-25 23:02 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 26
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/venussouth_vexpress_big.jpg][img=780,585]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/venussouth_vexpress.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Mysterious Acid Haze on Venus [/b]
[b]金星上神秘的酸性薄雾[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
[b]影像提供：[/b]ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
[b]Explanation: [/b]Why did an acidic haze spread across Venus? The unusual clouds were discovered last July by ESA's robotic Venus Express spacecraft currently orbiting Venus. The bright and smooth haze was found by Venus Express to be rich in sulfuric acid, created when an unknown process lifted water vapor and sulphur dioxide from lower levels into Venus' upper atmosphere. There, sunlight broke these molecules apart and some of them recombined into the volatile sulfuric acid. Over the course of just a few days last July, the smooth acidic clouds spread from the South Pole of Venus across half the planet. The above false-color picture of Venus was taken last July 23rd in ultraviolet light, and shows the unusual haze as relatively smooth regions across the image bottom. The cause of the dark streaks in the clouds is also not yet understood and is being researched.
[b]说明：[/b]为什么酸性薄雾会遍布金星？这片奇特的云是欧空局正绕金星飞行的金星快车探测器在去年7月发现的。金星快车发现明亮而均匀的薄雾中富含硫酸，水蒸汽上升遇到低空中的二氧化硫，经过未知的化学反应，而后上升到金星高层大气中从而形成。在那里，太阳光将部分分子分解，其中一些又重新结合形成会挥发的硫酸。仅仅在去年7月的几天里，这些均匀的硫酸雾就从金星南极点一直蔓延开来，覆盖了半个行星。上面这张金星的假色影像是去年7月23日，在紫外线下拍摄的，在影像底部相对平滑的区域就显示这片奇特的薄雾。影像中云雾里暗纹的成因还未知，正在进一步研究中。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 27
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/m16_lopez_big.jpg][img=780,585]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/m16_lopez.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]The Eagle Nebula in Hydrogen Oxygen, and Silicon [/b]
[b]在氢，氧和硅元素特征光下拍摄的老鹰星云[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]IAC, Daniel Lopez
[b]影像提供：[/b]IAC, Daniel Lopez
[b]Explanation: [/b]Bright blue stars are still forming in the dark pillars of the Eagle Nebula. Made famous by a picture from the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995, the Eagle Nebula shows the dramatic process of star formation. To above picture taken by a 0.8-meter telescope in the Canary Islands captures part of M16, the open cluster of stars that is being created. The high amount of detail in the above image results from it being taken only in specific colors of light emitted by hydrogen, oxygen, and silicon. The bright blue stars of M16 have been continually forming over the past 5 million years, most recently in the famous central gas and dust columns that have been informally dubbed the Pillars of Creation and the Fairy. Light takes about 7,000 years to reach us from M16, which spans about 20 light years and can be seen with binoculars toward the constellation of the Serpent (Serpens).
[b]说明：[/b]明亮的蓝色恒星仍不停地在老鹰星云内黑暗气柱中形成。老鹰星云之所以出名是因为哈勃太空望远镜在1995年拍摄的一张影像，其中显示了老鹰星云内恒星生动的形成过程。上面这张影像是在加那利群岛上利用0.8米望远镜拍摄到的部分M16，其中疏散星团正在形成。上面影像中高清晰的画面是因为影像是在氢，氧和硅元素发出的特征光下拍摄的。M16内明亮的蓝色恒星在过去的500万年内陆续的形成，最近，著名的中央气体尘埃柱被戏称为恒星诞生地或是仙女。M16发出的光需要经过大约7,000年时间才能被我们看到，它覆盖大约20光年，在巨蛇座方向上，通过双筒望远镜就能看到它。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-2-27 21:59 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 28
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/iss07feb08m_credner.mpg][img=780,493]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/iss07feb08_credner_p.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]ISS: Sunlight to Shadow [/b]
[b]国际空间站：白天到黑夜[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Till Credner, AlltheSky.com
[b]影像提供及版权：[/b]Till Credner, AlltheSky.com
[b]Explanation: [/b]Orbiting 400,000 kilometers above the Earth, the Moon slid into Earth's shadow to begin last week's total lunar eclipse. Of course the International Space Station (ISS) slides into Earth's shadow every 90 minutes, the time it takes it to complete one orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. Recorded near sunset on February 7, looking toward the north, this composite of 70 exposures shows the trail of the ISS (with gaps between exposures) as it moved left to right over the city of Tübingen in southern Germany. Beginning in sunlight on the left, the ISS vanishes as it enters Earth's shadow at the far right, above the northeastern horizon. As seen from Tübingen, the passage took about 4 minutes. Clicking on the image will download a time-lapse animation (mpg file) based on the individual exposures that includes a plane flying along the horizon.
[b]说明：[/b]位于地球外40万公里轨道上的月球，慢慢地进入了地球的阴影，拉开上周月全食的序幕。当然，国际空间站（ISS）每90分钟就会进入地球阴影，它在大约400公里的高空完成了一次轨道绕行。上面这张影像是在2月7日日落时分向北拍摄的，这张影像经过70张曝光影像合成，其中显示了国际空间站从德国南部城市蒂宾根上空，自左向右移动的轨迹（存在曝光间隔）。国际空间站从左侧阳光能找到的地方开始，慢慢消失在最右方地球阴影内，也就是城市东北方地平线上空。从蒂宾根看去，此次国际空间站通过大约持续4分钟。点击上面的影像就能下载一段由单个影像组成的延时动画（mpg文件），其中沿着地平线有一架飞机飞过。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 February 29
[img]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0802/LEMatrixLb_tezel800.jpg[/img]
Twelve Lunar Eclipses
12张不同时间的月食
Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)
影像提供及版权：Tun? Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: Welcome to the extra day in the Gregorian Calendar's leap year 2008! To celebrate, consider this grid of lunar eclipse pictures - starting in leap year 1996 and ending with February's eclipse - with the date in numerical year/month/day format beneath each image. Mostly based on visibility from a site in Turkey, the 3x4 matrix includes 11 of the 13 total lunar eclipses during that period, and fills out the grid with the partial lunar eclipse of September 2006. Still, as the pictures are at the same scale, they illustrate a noticeable variation in the apparent size of the eclipsed Moon caused by the real change in Earth-Moon distance around the Moon's elliptical orbit. The total phases are also seen to differ in color and darkness. Those effects are due to changes in cloud cover and dust content in the atmosphere reddening and refracting sunlight into Earth's shadow. Of course, the next chance to add a total lunar eclipse to this grid will come at the very end of the decade.
说明：2008年是闰年，欢迎进入新历的额外一天。为了庆祝今天，特意公布了这张月食影像，其中有从闰年1996年开始直到今年2月的月食照片，月食的时间写在照片下方，以年/月/日的格式表示。照片几乎都来源于土耳其的一个观测站上空拍摄到的可见月食，总共包含这段期间13次月全食中的11次，将它们放在3x4的矩阵内，其中还放了一次在2006年9月发生的月偏食。照片没有缩放，可以清楚地看出月食期间月球的大小有所不同，那是因为月球绕着椭圆轨道运行，产生了地月距离上的差异引起。在颜色及阴影方面，月相图看起来也有些不同，那是由于云层与大气含尘量造成红化以及太阳光折射进入地球的阴影造成。当然，下次将月全食影像放入这里的时间会是在2010年底。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-3-1 20:27 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 March 3
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/dunes2_hirise_big.jpg][img=780,520]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/dunes2_hirise.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Sand Dunes Thawing on Mars [/b]
[b]火星上消融中的沙丘[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
[b]影像提供[/b]：HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
[b]Explanation: [/b]What are these strange shapes on Mars? Defrosting sand dunes. As spring now dawns on the Northern Hemisphere of Mars, dunes of sand near the pole, as pictured above, are beginning to thaw. The carbon dioxide and water ice actually sublime in the thin atmosphere directly to gas. Thinner regions of ice typically defrost first revealing sand whose darkness soaks in sunlight and accelerates the thaw. The process might even involve sandy jets exploding through the thinning ice. By summer, spots will expand to encompass the entire dunes. The Martian North Pole is ringed by many similar fields of barchan sand dunes, whose strange, smooth arcs are shaped by persistent Martian winds.
[b]说明[/b]：火星上这些奇怪的形状是什么？那是消融中的沙丘。随着火星北半球春天的临近，[u]上面影像[/u]中极点附近的沙丘开始慢慢消融了。实际上，[u]二氧化碳[/u]和[u]冰水[/u]会直接[u]升华[/u]为气体，进入稀薄的大气层。冰层较薄的地区最先开始[u]消融[/u]，而后露出沙子，影像中那些黑色的沙丘吸收了太阳光并[u]加速了冰层的消融[/u]。在这个过程中，通过稀薄的冰层甚至可能会[u]发生气沙喷流[/u]。到了夏天，这些[u]斑点[/u]扩大，将包围整个丘陵。[u]火星北极[/u]被许多类似的[u]弧形沙丘[/u]包围着，由于一直不断吹着的[u]火星风[/u]侵蚀出了这样奇怪而又平滑的形状。
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-3-3 23:53 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 March 4
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/catspaw_noao_big.jpg][img=780,585]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/catspaw_noao.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]NGC 6334: The Cat's Paw Nebula [/b]
[b]NGC6334[/b][b]：猫掌星云[/b]
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]T. A. Rector (U. Alaska), T. Abbott, NOAO, AURA, NSF
[b]影像提供及[/b][u]版权[/u][b]：[/b]T. A. Rector (U. Alaska), T. Abbott, NOAO, AURA, NSF
[b]Explanation: [/b]Nebulae are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat's Paw Nebula visible in Scorpius. At 5,500 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula with a red color that originates from an abundance of ionized hydrogen atoms. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula or NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years. Pictured above, the end of the Cat's Paw nebula was imaged from Mayall 4-Meter Telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA.
[b]说明[/b]：星云因类似人们熟知的形状而闻名，就像[u]猫[/u]经常陷入[u]麻烦[/u]一样。不过，还没有哪只[u]猫[/u]能够创造出[u]天蝎座[/u]内巨大[u]的猫掌星云[/u]。猫[u]掌[/u]星云距离我们5,500光年，是一个[u]发射星云[/u]，而那红光是大量被电离了的[u]氢[/u]原子发出的。其也被称为[u]熊掌星云[/u]或是[u]NGC6334[/u]，仅仅在过去的几百万年里，星云内产生了比我们[u]太阳[/u]质量大十倍的恒星。[u]上面这张猫掌星云末端的影像[/u]是由[u]美国亚利桑那州基特峰国家天文台[/u]上的[u]4米口径马亚望远镜[/u]拍摄的。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 March 5
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/iss_sts122_big.jpg][img=780,520]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/iss_sts122.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]The International Space Station Expands Again [/b]
[b]国际空间站再次扩建[/b]
[b]Credit: [/b]STS-122 Shuttle Crew, NASA
[b]影像提供：[/b]STS-122 Shuttle Crew, NASA
[b]Explanation: [/b]The developing International Space Station (ISS) has changed its appearance again. Last month, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis visited the ISS and added components that included the Columbus Science Laboratory. The entire array of expansive solar panels is visible in this picture taken by the Atlantis Crew after leaving the ISS to return to Earth. The world's foremost space outpost can be seen developing over the past several years by comparing the above image to past images. Also visible above are many different types of modules, a robotic arm, another impressive set of solar panels, and a supply ship. Construction began on the ISS in 1998.
[b]说明：[/b][u]国际空间站(ISS)[/u]的不断扩建再一次改变了它的外观。上月，[u]亚特兰蒂斯号航天飞机[/u]造访了[u]国际空间站[/u]，并为其增加了组建，其中包括哥伦布科学实验室。在上面[u]影像[/u]中可以看到整个宽大的太阳能电池板阵列，影像是[u]亚特兰蒂斯号[/u]离开[u]国际空间站[/u]返回地球时[u]机组人员[/u]拍摄。通过将[u]上面影像与过去拍摄到的国际空间站影像[/u]比较，这个[u]太空前哨站[/u]在过去数年内被不断地扩建。在上面影像中还可以看到许多[u]不同类型的模块[/u]，一条机械[u]臂[/u]，另一组[u]太阳能电池板[/u]，以及一条补给船。[u]国际空间站[/u]开始建设的时间是1998年。 Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2008 March 6
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/VelaMosaicL_gendler.jpg][img=780,592]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/VelaMosaicL_gendler800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Vela Supernova Remnant [/b]
船帆座超新星的残余
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]Robert Gendler
[b]Explanation: [/b]The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through this complex and beautiful skyscape. At the northwestern edge of the constellation Vela (the Sails) the 16 degree wide, 30 frame mosaic is centered on the glowing filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. Light from the supernova explosion that created the Vela remnant reached Earth about 11,000 years ago. In addition to the shocked filaments of glowing gas, the cosmic catastrophe also left behind an incredibly dense, rotating stellar core, the Vela Pulsar. Some 800 light-years distant, the Vela remnant is likely embedded in a larger and older supernova remnant, the Gum Nebula. The broad mosaic includes other identified emission and reflection nebulae, star clusters, and the remarkable Pencil Nebula.
[[i] 本帖最后由 咖啡君 于 2008-3-12 10:01 编辑 [/i]] Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2008 March 7
[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/HolmesNGC1499_heden.jpg][img=780,519]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/0803/HolmesNGC1499_heden800.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Comet over California [/b]
划过加州上空的彗星
[b]Credit & Copyright: [/b]P-M Hedén (Clear Skies, TWAN)
[b]Explanation: [/b]Still gracing northern skies, a fading Comet Holmes lies at the top edge of this colorful skyview, recorded on March 4. The reddish emission nebula below it is NGC 1499, also known as the California Nebula for its resemblance to the outline of the state on the US west coast. Of course, the two cosmic clouds by chance lie along nearly the same line-of-sight and so only appear to be close together and of similar size. The California Nebula is actually about 100 light-years long and 1,500 light-years away, drifting through the Orion Arm of our spiral Milky Way Galaxy. Comet Holmes is about 20 light-seconds in diameter, sweeping through our solar system a mere 25 light-minutes away, beyond the orbit of Mars. The molecules of the comet's gaseous coma fluoresce in sunlight. The California Nebula's glow is characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, originally stripped away (ionized) by ultraviolet starlight. Providing the energetic starlight is Xi Persei, the prominent star below the nebula.