March 2024 - Cosmic Pursuits

The ‘Diamond Ring’ emerges just as totality ends on August 21, 2017. Image credit: Amanda Ventrudo.

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will pass in a narrow band across Mexico, the continental United States, and southeastern Canada. Millions of people live within a day’s drive of the narrow path of this eclipse, so it may be one of the most watched astronomical events in history. If you’re heading to the path of totality, or if you’re planning to observe the partial solar eclipse off the path of the lunar umbra, I wish you safe travels and clear skies! And if you’re not traveling, or if you’re facing clouds, or you simply want to know what’s happening with this rare celestial event, here are a few resources and readings about this eclipse and solar eclipses in general. [Read more…] about Live Stream and Resources for the Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024

Share This:

A composite false-color image of the Jellyfish Nebula (IC443). Red indicates visible light, green shows regions of radio emission, and blue shows X-ray emission. Image credit: NASA/Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

Not far from the bright star Propus in the feet of the constellation Gemini lies the supernova remnant IC443, also known as Sharpless 248, but which is more evocatively known as the Jellyfish Nebula. While it’s a difficult object to see visually, this cosmic echo of a long-dead star presents a superb target for imagers because of its turbulent and complex structure. The nebula, which is about 5,000 light years away, is adjacent to a rich region of new star formation called Sharpless 249 in the Orion Spur of the Milky Way which makes the whole region even more photogenic.

The Jellyfish Nebula got its start when a massive star ran out of fuel, quickly collapsed, and detonated as a supernova about 30,000 years ago in a gas-strewn patch of the Milky Way. The shock wave from the explosion collided with clouds of interstellar gas and set them aglow to produced the intricate lacework of nebulosity that makes up the nebula. Most of the glowing gas is hydrogen, but there are also traces of light from ionized oxygen, sulfur, and other elements.
[Read more…] about The Sound of the Jellyfish Nebula

Share This:

Archives for March 2024