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Aug 31, 2015
All this week, we are featuring some of the spectacular places in America’s Last Frontier: #Alaska. First up is Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. A visit to #BeringLandBridge can feel like traveling back in time. The Bering Land Bridge provided a pathway for plants, animals and people to cross from the old world to new. #Wildlife like the #muskox remind us of our ancestors and how geography has shaped humankind. These iconic herbivores sport curved horns and can weigh between 400-800 pounds. Although their populations have fluctuated over the last century, today they number around 3,800 in the state of Alaska. #NationalPark Service Photo. by usinterior
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M31: The Andromeda Galaxy M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
What is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy? Andromeda. In fact, our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda. Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies. The diffuse light from Andromeda is caused by the hundreds of billions of stars that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda's image are actually stars in our Galaxy that are well in front of the background object. Andromeda is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object on Messier's list of diffuse sky objects. M31 is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown, including exactly how long it will before it collides with our home galaxy. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Eq99t1
Aug 30, 2015
Alaska-sized news today: The nation’s highest mountain, formerly known as Mount McKinley, has officially been renamed #Denali. The name change restores the traditional Alaska Native name for the mountain and is the name most widely used in #Alaska. 🗻 At over 20,000 feet tall, the mountain is visible from as far away as #Anchorage (125+ miles) on clear days. On those days, locals say “the mountain is out.” Denali may not be out today, but we’re pretty sure it’s standing extra tall with the good news. Congrats, Alaska! by usinterior
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With mountains shaped by volcanic fire and glacial ice, #HandiesPeak Wilderness Study Area in #Colorado offers an otherworldly landscape. Multi-colored rock strata, diverse vegetation and quick flowing streams evoke a fairytale beauty begging to be explored. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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The Seagull Nebula The Seagull Nebula
A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker - The Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 1.6 degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Of course, the region includes objects with other catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission region with an embedded massive star that forms the bird's head (aka the Parrot Nebula, above center). Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance. via NASA http://ift.tt/1NZ7MSf
Aug 29, 2015
Saguaro #NationalPark in #Arizona is home to one of the world's most majestic plants -- the #saguaro cactus. These enormous cacti have an average lifespan of 150 years, but some plants may live to more than 200 years. A visit to @saguaronationalpark offers visitors the chance to see the plants silhouetted by the beauty of the a desert #sunset. Photo by Greg McCown (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). 🌵 by usinterior
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Puppis A Supernova Remnant Puppis A Supernova Remnant
Driven by the explosion of a massive star, supernova remnant Puppis A is blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium about 7,000 light-years away. At that distance, this colorful telescopic field based on broadband and narrowband optical image data is about 60 light-years across. As the supernova remnant expands into its clumpy, non-uniform surroundings, shocked filaments of oxygen atoms glow in green-blue hues. Hydrogen and nitrogen are in red. Light from the initial supernova itself, triggered by the collapse of the massive star's core, would have reached Earth about 3,700 years ago. The Puppis A remnant is actually seen through outlying emission from the closer but more ancient Vela supernova remnant, near the crowded plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Still glowing across the electromagnetic spectrum Puppis A remains one of the brightest sources in the X-ray sky. via NASA http://ift.tt/1LF7ZfT
Aug 28, 2015
Cuteness alert: A baby coast horned #lizard found on McGinty Mountain at the #SanDiego National #WildlifeRefuge in #California. Established in 1996, the San Diego Refuge protects habitats for threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and rare plants and animals found in a variety of habitats. Photo by @USFWS biologist John Martin. by usinterior
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The Large Cloud of Magellan The Large Cloud of Magellan
The 16th century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two fuzzy cloud-like objects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan, now understood to be satellite galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy. About 160,000 light-years distant in the constellation Dorado, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen here in a remarkably deep, colorful, image. Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it is the most massive of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies and is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A. The prominent patch below center is 30 Doradus, also known as the magnificent Tarantula Nebula, is a giant star-forming region about 1,000 light-years across. via NASA http://ift.tt/1KP4xcI
Aug 27, 2015
Now that we can #thinkoutsidethesquare, we're excited to share one of our favorite images of #Yellowstone #NationalPark. This jaw-dropping multi-image panorama shows @yellowstonenps's Grand Prismatic Spring at night with the #MilkyWay sparkling above it and the stars reflected in the water below. Photo courtesy of David Lane. 🌟🌟 by usinterior
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Here’s a view that’ll stop you in your tracks: Hidden Lake at #Glacier #NationalPark in #Montana. Jacob W. Frank (@jwfrankphotography) captured multi-image panorama from #HiddenLake Trail, one of the most popular hikes in @GlacierNPS’s Logan Pass. Cool forests turn into vast, open meadows filled with wildflowers, then rocky slopes and heather, before ending at a steep rocky pinnacle. Photo courtesy of Jacob W. Frank (@jwfrankphotography). #thinkoutsidethesquare by usinterior
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Collinder 399: The Coat Hanger Collinder 399: The Coat Hanger
Is this coat hanger a star cluster or an asterism? This cosmic hang-up has been debated over much of last century, as astronomers wondered whether this binocular-visible object is really a physically associated open cluster or a chance projection. Chance star projections are known as asterisms, an example of which is the popular Big Dipper. Recent precise measurements from different vantage points in the Earth's orbit around the Sun have uncovered discrepant angular shifts indicating that the Coat Hanger is better described as an asterism. Known more formally as Collinder 399, this bright stellar grouping is wider than the full moon and lies in the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula). via NASA http://ift.tt/1EhBBgC
Aug 26, 2015
A short distance from Washington, D.C., #Shenandoah #NationalPark in #Virginia is your escape to recreation. Cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, quiet wooded hollows -- take a hike, a meander along Skyline Drive, or a picnic with the family. Adventure awaits @ShenandoahNPS. Photo by Sharon Eisenzopf (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Meteors and Milky Way over Mount Ranier Meteors and Milky Way over Mount Ranier
Despite appearances, the sky is not falling. Two weeks ago, however, tiny bits of comet dust were. Featured here is the Perseids meteor shower as captured over Mt. Rainier, Washington, USA. The image was created from a two-hour time lapse video, snaring over 20 meteors, including one that brightened dramatically on the image left. Although each meteor train typically lasts less than a second, the camera was able to capture their color progressions as they disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere. Here an initial green tint may be indicative of small amounts of glowing magnesium atoms that were knocked off the meteor by atoms in the Earth's atmosphere. To cap things off, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy was simultaneously photographed rising straight up behind the snow-covered peak of Mt. Rainier. Another good meteor shower is expected in mid-November when debris from a different comet intersects Earth as the Leonids. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Efg08x
Aug 25, 2015
Ending @NationalParkService’s birthday with this #sunset pic from one of the most beautiful places in the world: #GrandCanyon #NationalPark in Arizona. @grandcanyonnps overwhelms the senses through its immense size. Unique combinations of geologic color and erosional forms decorate a canyon that is 277 river miles long and up to 18 miles wide. Photo by Robert Shuman (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). #FindYourPark by usinterior
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Happy 99th birthday to @NationalParkService -- America’s best idea! On this day in 1916, the #NationalPark Service was created to care for the country’s special places. Pictured here is #LowerFalls at #Yellowstone National Park, our first national park. Photo by Kallem Phillips (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Dione, Rings, Shadows, Saturn Dione, Rings, Shadows, Saturn
What's happening in this strange juxtaposition of moon and planet? First and foremost, Saturn's moon Dione was captured here in a dramatic panorama by the robotic Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting the giant planet. The bright and cratered moon itself spans about 1100-km, with the large multi-ringed crater Evander visible on the lower right. Since the rings of Saturn are seen here nearly edge-on, they are directly visible only as a thin horizontal line that passes behind Dione. Arcing across the bottom of the image, however, are shadows of Saturn's rings, showing some of the rich texture that could not be seen directly. In the background, few cloud features are visible on Saturn. The featured image was taken during the last planned flyby of Dione by Cassini, as the spacecraft is scheduled to dive into Saturn's atmosphere during 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Jf3ODS
Aug 24, 2015
We can’t get enough of #GrandTeton #NationalPark in #Wyoming -- where you can explore over two hundred miles of trails, float the Snake River or enjoy the serenity of this remarkable place. Spread the word -- Tomorrow you can visit all national parks for free in celebration of the National Park Service’s 99th birthday. Photo of the #SnakeRiver @grandtetonnps by Arianna Grainey (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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A landscape of sheer cliffs towering 1,000 feet above a ribbon of blue water: #BighornCanyon National Recreation Area is a place where imagination meets reality. Bighorn Canyon has unrivaled recreation possibilities with world-class fishing, hiking and boating. #Sunrise photo courtesy of Phil Seu. by usinterior
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Giant Cluster Bends Breaks Images Giant Cluster Bends Breaks Images
What are those strange blue objects? Many of the brightest blue images are of a single, unusual, beaded, blue, ring-like galaxy which just happens to line-up behind a giant cluster of galaxies. Cluster galaxies here typically appear yellow and -- together with the cluster's dark matter -- act as a gravitational lens. A gravitational lens can create several images of background galaxies, analogous to the many points of light one would see while looking through a wine glass at a distant street light. The distinctive shape of this background galaxy -- which is probably just forming -- has allowed astronomers to deduce that it has separate images at 4, 10, 11, and 12 o'clock, from the center of the cluster. A blue smudge near the cluster center is likely another image of the same background galaxy. In all, a recent analysis postulated that at least 33 images of 11 separate background galaxies are discernable. This spectacular photo of galaxy cluster CL0024+1654 from the Hubble Space Telescope was taken in November 2004. via NASA http://ift.tt/1MLh1Z0
Aug 23, 2015
The view from #RainbowCurve at #RockyMountain National Park in Colorado is extraordinary! Take in stunning mountain vistas that stretch for miles @rockynps. This Tuesday experience the beauty of Rocky Mountain and all other national parks for free in celebration of @NationalParkService’s 99th birthday. Photo by VIP Hahn. by usinterior
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Little Planet Curiosity Little Planet Curiosity
A curious robot almost completely straddles this rocky little planet. Of course, the planet is really Mars and the robot is the car-sized Curiosity Rover, posing over its recent drilling target in the Marias Pass area of lower Mount Sharp. The 92 images used to assemble the little planet projection, a digitally warped and stitched mosaic covering 360x180 degrees, were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the Curiosity mission sol (martian day) 1065. That corresponds to 2015 August 5, three Earth years since Curiosity landed on the surface of the Red Planet. The composite selfie excludes images that show the rover's robotic arm and mount of the MAHLI camera itself, but their shadow is visible beneath. Check out this spectacular interactive version of Curiosity's sol 1065 panorama. via NASA http://ift.tt/1fxgZFq
Aug 22, 2015
Sprites from Space Sprites from Space
An old Moon and the stars of Orion rose above the eastern horizon on August 10. The Moon's waning crescent was still bright enough to be overexposed in this snapshot taken from another large satellite of planet Earth, the International Space Station. A greenish airglow traces the atmosphere above the limb of the planet's night. Below, city lights and lightning flashes from thunderstorms appear over southern Mexico. The snapshot also captures the startling apparition of a rare form of upper atmospheric lightning, a large red sprite caught above a lightning flash at the far right. While the space station's orbital motion causes the city lights to blur and trail during the exposure, the extremely brief flash of the red sprite is sharp. Now known to be associated with thunderstorms, much remains a mystery about sprites including how they occur, their effect on the atmospheric global electric circuit, and if they are somehow related to other upper atmospheric lightning phenomena such as blue jets or terrestrial gamma flashes. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Kz3Lk4
Aug 21, 2015
Big News: California's first #wolf pack in nearly a century spotted on camera. California Department of Fish and Wildlife captured photos of the five gray wolf pups and two adults in Northern #California -- the first time that a wolf was confirmed in the state since 1924. Photo by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. by usinterior
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M27: Not a Comet M27: Not a Comet
While hunting for comets in the skies above 18th century France, astronomer Charles Messier diligently kept a list of the things he encountered that were definitely not comets. This is number 27 on his now famous not-a-comet list. In fact, 21st century astronomers would identify it as a planetary nebula, but it's not a planet either, even though it may appear round and planet-like in a small telescope. Messier 27 (M27) is an excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space, with a visible glow generated by atoms excited by the dying star's intense but invisible ultraviolet light. Known by the popular name of the Dumbbell Nebula, the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is over 2.5 light-years across and about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. This impressive color composite highlights details within the well-studied central region and fainter, seldom imaged features in the nebula's outer halo. It incorporates broad and narrowband images recorded using filters sensitive to emission from sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Mz4ZQS
Aug 20, 2015
The desert storms come and go quickly, bringing an array of colors and beauty not seen anywhere else. Canyonlands #NationalPark Ranger Claudia Castillo captured this photo of a #rainbow appearing after three different storms storms blew through the park last week. 🌈 For more great photos of #Canyonlands, check out our @stellerstories at steller.co/interior. Photo courtesy of Claudia Castillo. by usinterior
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Central Cygnus Skyscape Central Cygnus Skyscape
In cosmic brush strokes of glowing hydrogen gas, this beautiful skyscape unfolds across the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy and the center of the northern constellation Cygnus the Swan. The featured image spans about six degrees. Bright supergiant star Gamma Cygni (Sadr) to the upper left of the image center lies in the foreground of the complex gas and dust clouds and crowded star fields. Left of Gamma Cygni, shaped like two luminous wings divided by a long dark dust lane is IC 1318, whose popular name is understandably the Butterfly Nebula. The more compact, bright nebula at the lower right is NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula. Some distance estimates for Gamma Cygni place it at around 1,800 light-years while estimates for IC 1318 and NGC 6888 range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years. via NASA http://ift.tt/1hLIP2m
Aug 19, 2015
Announcing Comet Catalina Announcing Comet Catalina
Will Comet Catalina become visible to the unaided eye? Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say for sure, but it seems like a good bet. The comet was discovered in 2013 by observations of the Catalina Sky Survey. Since then, Comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina) has steadily brightened and is currently brighter than 8th magnitude, making it visible with binoculars and long-duration camera images. As the comet further approaches the inner Solar System it will surely continue to intensify, possibly becoming a naked eye object sometime in October and peaking sometime in late November. The comet will reside primarily in the skies of the southern hemisphere until mid-December, at which time its highly inclined orbit will bring it quickly into northern skies. Featured above, Comet Catalina was imaged last week sporting a green coma and two growing tails. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Mv7t2K
Aug 18, 2015
It's that time of year again! The nights are dark enough that when a good solar wind is blowing, the #NorthernLights are visible in the sky over #Denali National Park in #Alaska. Here is what the #auroraborealis looked like at 2 am today over the Toklat River. Photo by Daniel A. Leifheit (@danleifheit), #NationalPark Service. by usinterior
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Summer storms make for some amazing pics. This photo was taken last week as a thunderstorm passed through the sage steppe on #Seedskadee National #WildlifeRefuge in Wyoming. The clouds thinned for just a few minutes at #sunset, allowing the "magic" light to filter through the clouds as a bolt of #lightning struck at the same time. ⚡️ Photo by Tom Koerner, @USFWS. by usinterior
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Andromeda Rising over the Alps Andromeda Rising over the Alps
Have you ever seen the Andromeda galaxy? Although M31 appears as a faint and fuzzy blob to the unaided eye, the light you see will be over two million years old, making it likely the oldest light you ever will see directly. Now rising near a few hours after sunset from mid-latitude northern locations, Andromeda is rising earlier each night and will be visible to northerners all night long starting in September. The featured image captured Andromeda rising above the Italian Alps last month. As cool as it may be to see this neighboring galaxy to our Milky Way with your own eyes, long duration camera exposures can pick up many faint and breathtaking details. Recent data indicates that our Milky Way Galaxy will collide and coalesce with the slightly larger Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years. via NASA http://ift.tt/1JlwgXV
Aug 17, 2015
Here’s a stunning shot of the #Perseid Meteor Shower from the summit of Haleakala #NationalPark in Hawaii. Already impressive in the light of day, the #Haleakala summit takes on a new dimension at night when the darkness reveals the brilliant night sky and spectacular views of the #MilkyWay. Photo courtesy of Chris Archer (@archer357). 🌌 by usinterior
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M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble
This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD, is filled with mysterious filaments. The filaments are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The featured image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, is presented in three colors chosen for scientific interest. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second. via NASA http://ift.tt/1fhhDqi
Aug 16, 2015
Sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, lakes, forest and shoreline beckon you to visit #PicturedRocks National Lakeshore in #Michigan. Pictured here is the park’s #MosquitoBeach -- a gorgeous, isolated beach that is the perfect place to take in the scenic beauty of #LakeSuperior. Stormy #sunset by Steve Perry (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Perihelion Approaches Perihelion Approaches
This dramatic outburst from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko occured on August 12, just hours before perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. Completing an orbit of the Sun once every 6.45 years, perihelion distance for this periodic comet is about 1.3 astronomical units (AU), still outside the orbit of planet Earth (at 1 AU). The stark image of the 4 kilometer wide, double-lobed nucleus in bright sunlight and dark shadows was taken by the Rosetta spacecraft's science camera about 325 kilometers away. Too close to see the comet's growing tail, Rosetta maintains its ringside seat to watch the nucleus warm and become more active in coming weeks, as primordial ices sublimating from the surface produce jets of gas and dust. Of course, dust from the nucleus of periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, whose last perihelion passage was in 1992 at a distance of 0.96 AU, fell to Earth just this week. via NASA http://ift.tt/1PqWQ0H
Aug 15, 2015
Meet P-44, one of the newest mountain lion kittens at #SantaMonicaMountains National Recreation Area in #California. 🐯Researchers estimate that this adorable baby mountain lion is around 3-4 weeks old. Since 2002, researches at @santamonicamountainsnps have been studying how human development and urbanization is impacting this large cats. Photo by #NationalPark Service. #Caturday by usinterior
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Comet Dust over Enchanted Rock Comet Dust over Enchanted Rock
Dusty debris from periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle was swept up by planet Earth this week. Vaporized by their passage through the dense atmosphere at 59 kilometers per second, the tiny grains produced a stream of Perseid meteors. A bright, colorful Perseid meteor flash was captured during this 20 second exposure. It made its ephemeral appearance after midnight on August 12, in the moonless skies over the broad granite dome of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, central Texas, USA. Below the Perseid meteor, trees stand in silhouette against scattered lights along the horizon and the faint Milky Way, itself cut by dark clouds of interstellar dust. via NASA http://ift.tt/1JWDAI4
Aug 14, 2015
The dramatic vertical cliffs of #DiabloCanyon Recreation Area make the area a hiking and climbing destination near the Río Grande. The cracked basalt of Diablo Canyon offers some of the best multi-pitch tradition and sport rock climbing in #NewMexico. It’s also a popular film site with movies like 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and City Slickers (1991) shot there. BLM photo (@mypubliclands) courtesy of Steven W. Martin Photography by usinterior
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Moonless Meteors and the Milky Way Moonless Meteors and the Milky Way
Have you watched the Perseid meteor shower? Though the annual shower's predicted peak was last night, meteor activity should continue tonight (August 13/14), best enjoyed by just looking up in clear, dark skies after midnight. Of course, this year's Perseid shower has the advantage of being active near the August 14 New Moon. Since the nearly New Moon doesn't rise before the morning twilight many fainter meteors are easier to spot until then, with no interference from bright moonlight. The Perseid meteor shower last occurred near a New Moon in 2013. That's when the exposures used to construct this image were made, under dark, moonless skies from Hvar Island off the coast of Croatia. The widefield composite includes 67 meteors streaming from the heroic constellation Perseus, the shower's radiant, captured during 2013 August 8-14 against a background of faint zodiacal light and the Milky Way. The next moonless Perseid meteor shower will be in August 2018. via NASA http://ift.tt/1JV4IHC
Aug 13, 2015
Peek-a-boo! This pic of a barred #owl was captured yesterday at Cuyahoga Valley #NationalPark in #Ohio. A short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, #CuyahogaValley seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife. The Land and Water Conservation Fund -- which was established in 1965 to ensure that future generations have access to outdoor recreation resources -- has helped protect more than 20,000 acres in the park. Photo by Tami A. Heilemann, Interior. #parksforall by usinterior
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