Europe - André Kuipers
I - ISS Over Europe
II - Wolgograd
III - London
IV - Amsterdam
V - Naples
VI - Paris
(Original Photo credit to NASA)
Because this is so a;sdlfkja;woeijoa;we cool and I haven’t posted anything science-y lately.
For all ye photographers out there … this was too interesting of an idea not to share.
@ San Diego comic con! (well, kinda - no ticket *sads* but still plenty to see!)
Just to prove I’m not dead. And I haven’t abandoned Tron. And I haven’t stopped writing, I swear, though most of it probably won’t be seen here. At least for the time being. But yes, I still have plans! Many, maaaaaaaaaaaaany plans. Muahahhaha.
O yeah and happy Tron day! ^_^
(Source: oftfrustrated)
Hinode Views the 2012 Venus Transit
On June 5, 2012, Hinode space telescope captured this stunning view of the transit of Venus — the last instance of this rare phenomenon until 2117. Hinode is a joint JAXA/NASA mission to study the connections of the sun’s surface magnetism, primarily in and around sunspots.
I had been too overwhelmed by work on Tuesday to even blog about the once-in-a-lifetime event, much less go outside to try and see for myself, but thank you modern technology, I get to enjoy all the details at my leisure. :D
ISS long exposure photography
These images are part of a series photographed by NASA astronaut and Expedition 31 flight engineer Don Pettit using a mounted camera on the International Space Station. He used a special long exposure technique to create star trails as well as city light trails. Lightning storms are also featured prominently in the images.
ISS long exposure photography
These images are part of a series photographed by NASA astronaut and Expedition 31 flight engineer Don Pettit using a mounted camera on the International Space Station. He used a special long exposure technique to create star trails as well as city light trails. Lightning storms are also featured prominently in the images.
Holy star-trails, Spaceman! O.O
Annular Eclipse from the Philippines
The annular solar eclipse, partially seen at sunrise on May 21, 2012, from coastal township of Gumaca, Quezon province, 187 km (116 mi) southeast of Manila, Philippines.
Annular Eclipse from Albuquerque
The moon passes between the sun and the earth behind a windmill near Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 20, 2012.
omg I swear I’m going to stop reblogging eclipse photos (eventually) but this and the upcoming ones are AMAZING
Dude. No wonder ancient civilizations saw things like this and thought the apocalypse was coming.
Solar Eclipse Casts Shadow on Earth
Looking at Earth during the Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012, photographed by Don Pettit from the International Space Station at 23:36 GMT.
O this is COOL
dellpafalla asked you:
Hey! I’m right in the path of the annular solar eclipse on sunday, and I was wondering if you had any tips for the amateur photographer! I’d really like to be able to take pictures of it, and I was wondering if there were any solar filters that you’d be able to recommend, or even some diy sort of things to do/use for viewing in general. It’s something I’d like to try to experience by myself instead of relying on the experts, and mass media coverage and whatnot, haha. I love your blog! Thanks! :D
Witnessing a solar eclipse is a truly remarkable experience. It’s powerful. Powerful enough that our ancestors thought it meant that perhaps the great fiery sun god was putting his hand over his face, ashamed of his subjects, and most likely damning the crops should they not provide a human sacrifice.
Want to know where and when you can see the eclipse? Check out this map from Eclipse Maps.
Here’s some tips on viewing the annular solar eclipse. This is called a “ring of fire” eclipse, because unlike during the “Supermoon” a couple weeks ago, the moon is now at its furthest point from Earth (apogee) in its elliptical orbit. This makes it appear slightly smaller, not quite blocking out the sun, and leading to images like this:
Sorry, I mean like this:
First of all, DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN with the naked eye, or through an unfiltered telescope or binoculars. Your eyes will essentially act like little magnifying glasses, but instead of an ant catching on fire it will be your retina. Only view an eclipse through a certified solar filter or via a secondary viewing technique.
Photographing an eclipse is much harder than simply observing it. You need a special filter for your camera like this, and lots of practice. I would recommend finding some local experienced solar and astronomy photographers to make sure you do it safely.
But t you can also construct some pretty simple DIY viewing setups. Here’s some based on a pinhole camera design. Here’s another, involving a couple of boxes.
Lastly, if you don’t live in the narrow window of Earth that will be able to see it directly, don’t despair! You can watch it online via the SLOOH Space Camera!!
Let me know if you see something cool, and tweet me or message me with pictures, everyone! And, don’t forget your sacrifice.
I’m very curious how a solar filter and a neutral density filter differ, but unfortunately, I forgot about this event (even though I gave myself a calendar reminder LAST WEEK) and so I will be unable to experiment boo hoo. Will have to make do with the ND filter!
Solar eclipse over the USA
On Sunday, May 20th, the sun is going to turn into a ring of fire. It’s an annular solar eclipse—the first one in the USA in almost 18 years.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the sun, but the lunar disk is not quite wide enough to cover the entire star. At maximum, the Moon forms a “black hole” in the center of the sun.
The “path of annularity” is a strip about 300 km wide and thousands of km long. It stretches from China and Japan, across the Pacific Ocean, to the middle of North America. In the United States, the afternoon sun will become a luminous ring in places such as Medford, Oregon; Chico, California; Reno, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas.
Outside of this relatively narrow zone, the eclipse will be partial. Observers almost everywhere west of the Mississippi will see a crescent-shaped sun as the Moon passes by off-center.
One of the unique things about this eclipse for watchers in the USA is that the Sun will still be in deep partial eclipse at sunset, making for some great photographic opportunities. In western Texas around Lubbock, the sun actually sets during the annular phase.
Just a reminder! :) Next reblog will have notes for photography and links to an eclipse map.
Photography In Space - How It’s Done
Alan Poindexter had the honor of commanding the shuttle Discovery on her final mission, STS-131. NASA takes space photography very seriously, and trains their astronauts to capture informative and inspiring images while in orbit.
If you’ve ever wondered about some the techniques and technology behind capturing those great shuttle and ISS photos, check out Captain Poindexter’s great behind-the-lens post. Little-known fact: If you become an astronaut you apparently get access to prototype Nikon cameras … so study that science, you budding photographers!
When done right, this space photography can be truly inspiring. If you really want to dig in to some astronaut photography, you can’t miss the Crew Earth Observations collection. Truly epic photos and videos (including this eye-popping distorted moonset from the ISS).
(via Luminous-Landscape.com, images copyright NASA)
Hey, now you get to do your own star porn! Well … if you had the right vantage point. :D
