Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo, blog.deepskycolors.com

Both these images are part of a larger panorama; I present in in halves so you can see it embiggered. Because all pretty space pictures should be presented as large as possible!

A Dark River of dust seems to run from our Galactic Center, then pool into a starfield containing photogenic sky wonders. Scrolling right will reveal many of these objects including (can you find?) the bright orange star Antares, a blue(-eyed) horsehead nebula, the white globular star cluster M4, the bright blue star system Rho Ophiuchi, the dark brown Pipe nebula, the red Lagoon nebula, the red and blue Trifid nebula, the red Cat’s Paw Nebula, and the multicolored but still important center of our Galaxy. This wide view captures in exquisite detail about 50 degrees of the nighttime sky, 100 times the size of the full Moon, covering constellations from the Archer (Sagittarius) through the Snake Holder (Ophiuchus), to the Scorpion (Scorpius). The Dark River itself can be identified as the brown dust lane connected to Antares, and spans about 100 light years. Since the Dark River dust lane lies only about 500 light years away, it only appears as a bridge to the much more distant Galactic Center, that actually lies about 25,000 light years farther away.

Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo, blog.deepskycolors.com

I wish I knew where this picture came from. Can anyone give me a hint? I think I got it from a forwarded email, so heaven only knows where it originated….

I chose this picture because it is pretty I am blogging to you… from orbit. Or, well, my body is here on the ground; my head is in orbit, for sure. I found out Wednesday that I was picked for NASA’s STS-133 Launch Tweetup, and it is neither punny nor exaggerating to say that I am over the Moon about it. Deliriously happy. Giddy, and excited, and overwhelmed with gratitude to NASA for this opportunity! I will definitely be talking about this more, closer to launch, and I will certainly be tweeting (and blogging) from Florida, come October 30th!

NASA has posted a collection of historical photos on Flickr, all copyright-free — this is just one of many cool images! It amazes me to see these launch photos where it looks like the rocket is static, hanging in mid-air. Gravity-defying! At first I typed “gravy” — gravy-defying as well!

Hat tip to the Planetary Society Blog for the info and link!

Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas, astrophoto.com

Something sparkly and pink for your Tuesday. I’m in the midst of a server move, so you’ll either see this, or you won’t… at least, not for a day or two.

The prominent ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is designated IC 5067. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive shape, popularly called The Pelican Nebula, the ridge spans about 10 light-years and follows the curve of the cosmic pelican’s head and neck. Fantastic, dark shapes inhabiting the view are clouds of cool gas and dust sculpted by energetic radiation from hot, massive stars. But stars are also forming within the dark shapes. In fact, twin jets emerging from the tip of the central, dark tendril are the telltale signs of an embedded protostar cataloged as Herbig-Haro 555. The Pelican Nebula itself, also known as IC 5070, is about 2,000 light-years away. To find it, look northeast of bright star Deneb in the high flying constellation Cygnus.

Rocket Ship necklace by recklesseyestudio @ Etsy

The moonstone makes this piece PERFECT. So that’s what my logo is missing… a MOONSTONE! The rocket is solid sterling silver, not something you see every day (and why you pay a bit more for it.) I like a pendant with a little heft to it, and this promises that, and some sparkle as well! So, in brief, I want this necklace. Ehehhhh.

Does anyone dream about shooting into space any longer? Transmigration to another planet? I want to look out the large bubble window and see galaxies pass by, get lost between swirling planets and stars…

So, I am so excited to finally offer my rocket ship! I’ve been wearing the original for years, hand-cut/carved/shaped out of super-thick sterling sheet. This is solid sterling silver casting made from a second hand-carved version. This is a heavy chunk of sterling silver, because I love heavy solid jewelry. Cast and hand-fabricated sterling silver with a faceted blue moonstone cabochon. Dark patina for contrast and definition. Sterling silver large bar and link chain with 1/2″ bars and toggle clasp.

The Kennedy Media Gallery recently posted these beautiful “tribute” graphics to each orbiter — Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. They are well worth downloading at the large size, so you can see all the patches and details. All five hang in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Outer Boundaries © Jeff Ward

I’m always keen to find new space artists to feature here, and today’s discovery is the talented Jeff Ward. His work spans science fiction, fantasy and space/astronomical, and it’s all definitely worth a look!

Among the Outer Ring © Jeff Ward

I think this one here is my favorite ↓

Spiral Galaxy © Jeff Ward

Image credit: Licoti, licoti.deviantart.com

This fantastic artist’s rendition of the Solar System by Licoti is a bit of a download (18 Mb) but is well worth it! The image is 30,000 pixels wide, and shows all the planets (and Pluto!) and major satellites. There’s also a guided tour on YouTube, which makes a good thing even better! (Via SF Signal.)

Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler (robgendlerastropics.com); Data Acquisition: Ryan Hannahoe (astronomicalimaging.com)

A beautiful picture for your Thursday. I seem to be taking Wednesdays off, in addition to Mondays. Don’t know how that happened.

Unspeakable beauty and unimaginable bedlam can be found together in the Trifid Nebula. Also known as M20, this photogenic nebula is visible with good binoculars towards the constellation of Sagittarius. The energetic processes of star formation create not only the colors but the chaos. The red-glowing gas results from high-energy starlight striking interstellar hydrogen gas. The dark dust filaments that lace M20 were created in the atmospheres of cool giant stars and in the debris from supernovae explosions. Which bright young stars light up the blue reflection nebula is still being investigated. The light from M20 we see today left perhaps 3,000 years ago, although the exact distance remains unknown. Light takes about 50 years to cross M20.

I was reading the text that went along with this NASA Image of the Day (quoted below), and what came to mind was… the above. Or maybe this:

Anyway, here’s the quote that inspired this post (emphasis mine):

Reflecting on his experience as he emerged from the craft into the daylight on the Expedition 24 mission’s second spacewalk, astronaut Doug Wheelock said “the colors of the Earth just explode at you as you exit toward the planet. Notice what looks like scorch marks on the hatch thermal cover, the effect of vacuum and atomic oxygen on the threads and thread sealant used on the thermal cover. The ‘smell’ of space follows suit, I’ve heard it described like burnt cake or cookies, or like the smell of an extinguished match.”

And the photo it went with: