M6: The Butterfly Cluster M6: The Butterfly Cluster

To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6, pictured above, can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius), coving about as much of the sky as the full moon. Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe. via NASA http://ift.tt/1CoGfFu

The 21,298-acre Cadiz Dunes Wilderness encompasses a major portion of the Cadiz Dune system and desert shrub lowlands just east of the dunes. These small dunes were formed by north winds pushing sands off the Cadiz Dry Lake. Due to the remote location these dunes, they had very little OHV use prior to their designation as wilderness. The pristine nature of the dunes and the beautiful spring display of unique dune plants have made the area a favorite for photographers. Borrego milkvetch occurs in the sand dunes and is listed by the California Native Plant Society as rare and endangered in California. Wildlife is typical for the Mojave Desert; including coyote, black-tailed jackrabbits, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, quail, roadrunners, rattlesnakes, and several species of lizards. Photo: Bob Wick (@MyPublicLands) by usinterior

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Happy 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act! Please like this photo if you plan on getting outdoors this weekend. #Wilderness50 by usinterior

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Happy 50th anniversary to the Wilderness Act! President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the Wilderness Act and Land and Water Conservation Fund Act in 1964 is perhaps most important single event in American conservation history. Since its signing, Congress has designated more than 106 million acres of federal public lands as wilderness. Last week we asked you to pick your favorite wilderness photo and here is the winner. This photo was taken from the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center within Yosemite National Park by Sean Goebel. by usinterior

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Holometer: A Microscope into Space and Time Holometer: A Microscope into Space and Time

How different are space and time at very small scales? To explore the unfamiliar domain of the miniscule Planck scale -- where normally unnoticeable quantum effects might become dominant -- a newly developed instrument called the Fermilab Holometer has begun operating at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago, Illinois, USA. The instrument seeks to determine if slight but simultaneous jiggles of a mirror in two directions expose a fundamental type of holographic noise that always exceeds a minimum amount. Pictured above is one of the end mirrors of a Holometer prototype. Although the discovery of holographic noise would surely be groundbreaking, the dependence of such noise on a specific laboratory length scale would surprise some spacetime enthusiasts. One reason for this is the Lorentz Invariance postulate of Einstein's special relativity, which states that all length scales should appear contracted to a relatively moving observer -- even the diminutive Planck length. Still, the experiment is unique and many are curious what the results will show. via NASA http://ift.tt/W58p6X

Summer sunsets over America's public lands are the best. Photo: @YosemiteNPS. by usinterior

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As summer winds down - fall is a wonderful time to visit Great Basin National Park in Nevada - especially for the Astronomy Festival coming this September 18-20. See details at www.BestNightSky.com. by usinterior

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Airglow Ripples over Tibet Airglow Ripples over Tibet

Why would the sky look like a giant target? Airglow. Following a giant thunderstorm over Bangladesh in late April, giant circular ripples of glowing air appeared over Tibet, China, as pictured above. The unusual pattern is created by atmospheric gravity waves, waves of alternating air pressure that can grow with height as the air thins, in this case about 90 kilometers up. Unlike auroras powered by collisions with energetic charged particles and seen at high latitudes, airglow is due to chemiluminescence, the production of light in a chemical reaction. More typically seen near the horizon, airglow keeps the night sky from ever being completely dark. via NASA http://ift.tt/1vCd543

Happy Labor Day everyone! We hope you got a chance to visit America’s public lands this holiday weekend. This photo was taken in Isle Royale National Park. Explore a rugged, isolated island where wolves and moose abound, far from the sights and sounds of civilization. Surrounded by Lake Superior, Isle Royale offers unparalleled solitude and adventures for backpackers, hikers, boaters, kayakers, canoeists and scuba divers. Here, amid stunning scenic beauty, you'll find opportunities for reflection and discovery, and make memories that last a lifetime. Photo Adam Jewell (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl) by usinterior

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Space Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together Space Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together

How was this picture taken? Usually, pictures of the shuttle, taken from space, are snapped from the space station. Commonly, pictures of the space station are snapped from the shuttle. How, then, can there be a picture of both the shuttle and the station together, taken from space? The answer is that during the Space Shuttle Endeavour's last trip to the International Space Station in 2011 May, a supply ship departed the station with astronauts that captured a series of rare views. The supply ship was the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 which landed in Kazakhstan later that day. The above spectacular image well captures the relative sizes of the station and docked shuttle. Far below, clouds of Earth are seen above a blue sea. via NASA http://ift.tt/1qVSILQ