Rookie Astronomy http://www.rookieastronomy.com Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Best Crab Nebula Image Ever! http://www.rookieastronomy.com/crab-nebula/ http://www.rookieastronomy.com/crab-nebula/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:36 +0000 Rookie Astronomer http://www.rookieastronomy.com/?p=7 Crab NebulaIt was almost 1,000 years ago back in the year 1054 that a nearby star exploded.  The power and light exerted by this super nova was seen and recorded by humans here on Earth.  We now know this as the Crab Nebula in the Constellation Taurus.  At the heart of this nebula is a neutron star emitting tons of gamma and x-rays.  Well astronomers have used our 3 best telescopes: the Chandra, the Hubble, and the Spitzer to combine 3 images into one complete photo….enjoy!

]]> http://www.rookieastronomy.com/crab-nebula/feed/ 0 Awesome Wide Angle Shot of the California Nebula and The Pleiades http://www.rookieastronomy.com/awesome-astronomy-picture-wide/ http://www.rookieastronomy.com/awesome-astronomy-picture-wide/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:53:15 +0000 Rookie Astronomer http://www.rookieastronomy.com/?p=3 Awesome Wide Angle Astronomy PictureThis Deep Field Image was taken with a wide angle lens and shows the California Nebula in the Constellation Perseus and the Pleiades Star Cluster in Taurus.  These 2 features above us are actually quite distant in the sky; you could fit 25 full moons between them!

The Pleiades (pictured right) are one of the most watched star clusters in the night sky.  This open star cluster is located in the constellation of Taurus and contains a bunch of young hot Blue Stars.  The Pleiades owe their brightness to their close proximity to Earth at 400 light years away.  The Pleiades are surrounded by a fine dust which reflects their light and adds to their blue glow.

The California Nebula (pictured left) is a mass red hydrogen gas floating in space 1500 light years away.  It is so named the California Nebula due to the resemblance to the State of California.

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