Galaxies in Pegasus 2.4

This picture shows a number of galaxies that are contained within the constellation Pegasus. It includes one of the brighter galaxies that was not included in Messier's catalog, NGC7331, only 50 million light years away. It also shows Stephen's quintet, which is 300 milllion light years away, and is actually made up of 5 galaxies colliding. Despite these two galaxies appearing on opposite corners of the picture, they are actually only separated by about half a degree.

Rocket Fuel 2.3

This week I chose to do the picture of the Orion and the stars within it, and it also contained a mysterious cloud that looks like a rocket. Upon further investigation, it was discovered to be a fuel dump from a booster rocket that was used to put a satellite into geosynchronous orbit. The time-exposure photograph made it appear like a comet, as it slowly drifted across the photograph.

Comet Holmes Grows A Tail 2.2

For this week, I chose to do a blog on the picture of the comet 17P/Holmes. The comet now appears to be larger than the stars and planets in the sky, and will not move much over the next month. Additionally, the detail in the tail shows that the large increase in the amount of dust and gas that caused the jump in brightness two weeks ago is still occuring.