Tracyjackman-blog - TRACYJACKMAN

Psychedelic Pluto : New Horizons scientists made this false color image of Pluto using a technique called principal component analysis to highlight the many subtle color differences between Plutos distinct regions.

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“From the Ashes” by Tyler Young

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Hubble views results of NGC 2623 merger

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photos of the april 2010 volcanic eruptions in eyjafjallajokull, iceland, which produced a dirty thunderstorm. the phenomenon is yet to be explained by science, as the source of the lightning (or the specific mechanism by which particles of differing charges are separated in the ash cloud) continues to be debated. 

(click pic or link for credit x, x, x, x, x, x. see also: sakurajima and puyehue eruptions for more examples of dirty lightning)

Illusions in the Cosmic Clouds

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Gorgeous time-lapse picture during the 2010 Equinox with the Sun directly overhead. The equatorial location allows the photographer to show both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the sky together.

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Sh2-157 Emission Nebula

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The Pelican Nebula in Gas Dust and Stars : The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070, the official designation, is divided from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican, however, receives much study because it is a particularly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. The featured picture was produced in three specific colors – light emitted by sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen – that can help us to better understand these interactions. The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming the cold gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as an ionization front, visible in bright orange on the right. Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from now this nebula might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears completely different. via NASA

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