Astronomy
- Ngc 6280 Nebula
NGC 6820 is an emission nebula that surrounds open cluster NGC 6823 in the constellation Vulpecula. Emission nebulae are clouds of high temperature gas. The atoms in the cloud are energized by ultraviolet light from a nearby star and emit radiation...
- Cassini Finds Titan's Clouds Hang On To Summer
Cloud chasers studying Saturn's moon Titan say its clouds form and move much like those on Earth, but in a much slower, more lingering fashion. Their forecast for Titan's early autumn -- warm and wetter. Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission...
- Clouds On Mars?!
How can clouds exist on a planet that has a thin atmosphere and little moisture? Isn't Mars just a desert planet? Most of the time, Mars is cloudless, but temperatures often plummet below the freezing point of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide, which...
- Finally Back Into The Night
Its been a few months of clouds and rain and so I havent gotten to get out to observe or image in quite some time. My local astronomy group (San Antonio Astronomical Association) had an outreach outing at Garner State Park this past weekend and the forecast...
- 5 Amazing Pictures Of Noctilucent Clouds.
Noctilucent clouds or Night clouds are made of crystals of water ice. They are the highest clouds in Earth's atmosphere, located in the mesosphere at altitudes of around 76 to 85 kilometres. Noctilucent clouds are normally too...
Astronomy
Noctilucent clouds are back
Noctilucent cloud (NLC) season is here again following a splendid display on Tuesday evening.
NLCs are thin sheets of cloud 82 kilometres high that reflect sunlight when the Sun is between six and sixteen degrees below the horizon. You can tell them apart from other, more normal clouds by their often pearly-blue colour, and ribbed and interwoven appearance. Other clouds at lower altitudes will be in darkness whilst NLCs glimmer high overhead.
The best months for NLCs in the UK are June and July, and they seem to favour lower sunspot activity (which limits the solar heating on the upper atmosphere where they form) so at least the presently dull Sun offers something in exchange for its lack of activity.Even their origin is a mystery, as clouds shouldn?t ordinarily be able to form so high up.
- Ngc 6280 Nebula
NGC 6820 is an emission nebula that surrounds open cluster NGC 6823 in the constellation Vulpecula. Emission nebulae are clouds of high temperature gas. The atoms in the cloud are energized by ultraviolet light from a nearby star and emit radiation...
- Cassini Finds Titan's Clouds Hang On To Summer
Cloud chasers studying Saturn's moon Titan say its clouds form and move much like those on Earth, but in a much slower, more lingering fashion. Their forecast for Titan's early autumn -- warm and wetter. Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission...
- Clouds On Mars?!
How can clouds exist on a planet that has a thin atmosphere and little moisture? Isn't Mars just a desert planet? Most of the time, Mars is cloudless, but temperatures often plummet below the freezing point of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide, which...
- Finally Back Into The Night
Its been a few months of clouds and rain and so I havent gotten to get out to observe or image in quite some time. My local astronomy group (San Antonio Astronomical Association) had an outreach outing at Garner State Park this past weekend and the forecast...
- 5 Amazing Pictures Of Noctilucent Clouds.
Noctilucent clouds or Night clouds are made of crystals of water ice. They are the highest clouds in Earth's atmosphere, located in the mesosphere at altitudes of around 76 to 85 kilometres. Noctilucent clouds are normally too...