Observation 11/21!

Tonight I observed with Donna! There was a full moon tonight, so it drowned out many of the stars. And because of the light pollution of the area we were most of the stars were difficult to see. But we did see the summer triangle overhead, faintly. And Polaris was very visible tonight. But besides that, the rest of the sky was not visible from my location. However, the moon was beautiful!

APOD 2.4

One of the main reasons I chose this spiral galaxy is simply for aesthetics. The contrast of the dark black night sky with the bright colored nebula is truly beautiful. But, I also really like this picture because it is such a simple picture so it is hard to realize how much it encompasses. That seemingly small galaxy is actually 100,000 light years across, and is known as an "island universe." It houses planets and stars of all kinds, of which we have no clue, and it could even have intelligent life. And yet, in this picture, the galaxy seems so simple and serene. Really there is so much more.

APOD 2.3

I like this picture because I don't understand it! I mean, I kinda do, but I can't really wrap my head around it. And because I don't really understand it it's like the neatest thing ever! I could not have even imagined that a galaxy could be that thin, and that there are thousands of stars in that one strip is so neat. Also, it is said to be about 35,000 light years in distance. A galaxy this thin is actually called a disk galaxy, because of its appearance. But since it is so thin it is difficult to determine what kind of disk galaxy it is.

APOD 2.2

These are circling orbs are as wide as a state and as long as the Earth. And it is filled with hot gas moving at roughly 50,000 km per hour. And it is made of a transparent magnetic field. These are spindles on the Sun. Just some of thousands others on the Sun's surface. The main reason I picked this picture is because when it comes to picturing what the sun looks like, it is a very difficult task. I liked this picture because it shows just what exactly the sun's surface looks like-- it's not just yellow. It allows me to better understand what we are learning and better imagine it in my mind.