This week's Space Prn

[n2doc]

Two colorful nebulas shine side by side in a spectacular new skywatcher image.

Astrophotography duo Bob and Janice Fera took this photo in January 2012 from Eagle Ridge Observatory in Foresthill, Calif. The two nebulas in the photo are called the Cone and Foxfur nebulas. They are part of a larger system called NGC 2264, which is located in the Monoceros constellation about 2,600 light-years away from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).

The Cone Nebula's unusual shape comes from an intervening dark cloud near the swirl of hydrogen gas and dust. The Foxfur Nebula is so named because it resembles a woman's luxurious stole. Both of these cosmic structures are part of the larger NGC 2264 star-forming region.


Nebula by Starlight Credit: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/CoelumSmall dust particles in this thin yet gigantic molecular cloud effectively scatter the starlight from surrounding giant blue stars in Orion, especially Rigel, causing the blue glow of reflection nebula IC 2118


All of a SuddenCredit: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of ArizonaTuesday, April 3, 2012: Galaxy M95, in the Leo I galaxy group, surprised skywatchers recently with a new supernova. Astronomers discovered SN 2012aw on March 16, 2012. Here, it lies at in the spiral arm that descends from the top to the lower right of the galaxy.

— Tom Chao

I've Got One, Two, Three, Four, Five Rockets Working OvertimeCredit: NASA/Wallops Flight FacilityMonday, April 2, 2012: Four of five sounding rockets liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (Virginia) in this time-lapse photograph of the ATREX mission. The experiment took place on March 27, 2012, producing white clouds to study fast-moving winds high in the thermosphere. The first rocket was launched at 4:58 am EDT, with following launches occurring at 80-second intervals. The star trails result from the extended exposure.



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