3D Hubble Deep Space Video

Excellent 3D Hubble Deep Space Video puts into perspective our small we really are in the universe!

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Shuttle Launch Pictures and Videos

A stunning collection of space shuttle launch pictures from Nasa.




















You can now witness for yourself what it's like to blast off into space and experience a shuttle launch at NASA Kennedy Space Center:



More Space Launch Videos:







To find out shuttle launch schedules visit NASA Shuttle Schedule.

Pictures Sourced from Cool Pictures site Coolershaker.com and videos from Youtube.com

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Pictures of Northern Lights from Space

You all know the Aurora Borealis (or northern lights) but these pictures show the phenomenon from space. All images via NASA. If you think the view down on Earth is incredible beyond words, wait until you see what these natural light phenomena look like from the International Space Station and through the lens of the Hubble Telescope. The Aurora Borealis was named by Pierre Gassendi in 1621 after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek name for north wind. The Cree called it the “Dance of the Spirits.”

Aurora Borealis with Manicouagan Impact Crater in View

Captured by ISS Science Officer Don Pettit

In the above picture of the Aurora Borealis, the Manicouagan Impact Crater, located in northern Canada, can be seen 300 km below. International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit said that “changing auroras appeared to crawl around like giant green amoebas” in orbit.



Follow the trail
Aurorae become more visible the closer one gets to either the north or south poles. At these extreme ends of the Earth, they may appear high up in the sky overhead, but farther away, they seem to rise up from the horizon as a green glow with tinges of red, like the “red crown” of Aurora Australis, seen in the picture above. This image almost looks like a treasure map: follow the trail and get to what looks like a legendary castle from space.

Loop de LoopAnother image of the southern lights almost looks like loops of light created by huge glow sticks (above); and here’s the amazing view that the astronauts at the International Space Station get to see:

An Astronaut’s View

In the image below, the view of the Aurora Borealis from the International Space Station includes the shining lights of Finland, Russia, Estonia and Latvia. The Praesepe or Beehive Cluster in the constellation Cancer can be seen to the lower right of the moon, with Saturn to the right of that.

Fly Me To the Moon
And if you thought Aurorae were spectacular on Earth, check out these two pictures of amazing light shows on Jupiter and Saturn:

Aurora on Jupiter
Captured by John Clarke (University of Michigan) and NASA

Aurorae on Saturn
Captured by J.T. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and NASA

This incredible image of Saturn features its famed rings and Aurorae at either end of the planet.

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A Picture that makes Earth look very small

An amzing picture that compares planet sizes...it makes Earth look very small indeed! Click the picture to enlarge.

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10 controversial pieces of evidence for extraterrestrial life

Here is the top 10 controversial pieces of evidence for extraterrestrial life...

1. 1976, The Viking Mars landers detect chemical signatures indicative of life

Tests performed on Martian soil samples by NASA's Viking landers hinted at chemical evidence of life. One experiment mixed soil with radioactive-carbon-labelled nutrients and then tested for the production of radioactive methane gas.

The test reported a positive result. The production of radioactive methane suggested that something in the soil was metabolising the nutrients and producing radioactive gas. But other experiments on board failed to find any evidence of life, so NASA declared the result a false positive.

Despite that, one of the original scientists - and others who have since re-analysed the data - still stand by the finding. They argue that the other experiments on board were ill-equipped to search for evidence of the organic molecules - a key indicator of life.

2. 1977, The unexplained extraterrestrial "Wow!" signal is detected by an Ohio State University radio telescope

In August 1977 an Ohio State University radio telescope detected an unusual pulse of radiation from somewhere near the constellation Sagittarius. The 37-second-long signal was so startling that an astronomer monitoring the data scrawled "Wow!" on the telescope's printout.

The signal was within the band of radio frequencies where transmissions are internationally banned on Earth. Furthermore, natural sources of radiation from space usually cover a wider range of frequencies.

As the nearest star in that direction is 220 million light years away, either a massive astronomical event - or intelligent aliens with a very powerful transmitter would have had to have created it. The signal remains unexplained.

3. 1996, Martian "fossils" are discovered in meteorite ALH84001 from Antarctica

NASA scientists controversially announced in 1996 that they had found what appeared to be fossilised microbes in a potato-shaped lump of Martian rock. The meteorite was probably blasted off the surface of Mars in a collision, and wandered the solar system for some 15 million years, before plummeting to Antarctica, where it was discovered in 1984.

Careful analysis revealed that the rock contained organic molecules and tiny specs of the mineral magnetite, sometimes found in Earth bacteria. Under the electron microscope, NASA researchers also claimed to have spotted signs of "nanobacteria".

But since then much of the evidence has been challenged. Other experts have suggested that the particles of magnetite were not so similar to those found in bacteria after all, and that contaminants from Earth are the source of the organic molecules. A 2003 study also showed how crystals that resemble nanobacteria could be grown in the laboratory by chemical processes.

4. 2001, More rigorous calculations connected to the 1960s "Drake equation" suggests that our galaxy may contain hundreds of thousands of life-bearing planets

In 1961 US radio astronomer Frank Drake developed an equation to help estimate the number of planets hosting intelligent life - and capable of communicating with us - in the galaxy.

The Drake equation multiplies together seven factors including: the formation rate of stars like our Sun, the fraction of Earth-like planets and the fraction of those on which life develops. Many of these figures are open to wide debate, but Drake himself estimates the final number of communicating civilisations in the galaxy to be about 10,000.

In 2001, a more rigorous estimate of the number of life-bearing planets in the galaxy - using new data and theories - came up with a figure of hundreds of thousands. For the first time, the researchers estimated how many planets might lie in the "habitable zone" around stars, where water is liquid and photosynthesis possible. The results suggest that an inhabited Earth-like planet could be as little as a few hundred light years away.

5. 2001, The red tinge of Jupiter's moon Europa proposed to be due to frozen bits of bacteria, which also helps explain the mysterious infrared signal it gives off

Alien microbes might be behind Europa's red tinge, suggested NASA researchers in 2001. Though the surface is mostly ice, data shows it reflects infrared radiation in an odd manner. That suggests that something - magnesium salts perhaps - are binding it together. But no one has been able to come up with the right combination of compounds to make sense of the data.

Intriguingly, the infrared spectra of some Earthly bacteria - those that thrive in extreme conditions - fits the data at least as well as magnesium salts. Plus, some are red and brown in colour, perhaps explaining the moon's ruddy complexion. Though bacteria might find it difficult to survive in the scant atmosphere and -170°C surface temperature of Europa, they might survive in the warmer liquid interior. Geological activity could then spew them out periodically to be flash frozen on the surface.

6. 2002, Russian scientists argue that a mysterious radiation-proof species of microbe may have evolved on Mars

In 2002 Russian astrobiologists claimed that super-hardy Deinococcus radiourans evolved on Mars. The microbe can survive several thousand times the radiation dose that would kill a human.

The Russians zapped a population of the bacteria with enough radiation to kill 99.9%, allowed the survivors to repopulate, before repeating the cycle. After 44 rounds it took 50 times the original dose of radiation. They calculated that it would take many thousands of these cycles to make common microbe E.coli as resilient as Deinococcus. And on Earth it takes between a million and 100 million years to encounter each dose of radiation. Therefore there just has not been enough time in life's 3.8 billion year history on Earth for such resistance to have evolved, they claim.

By contrast, the surface of Mars, unprotected by a dense atmosphere, is bombarded with so much radiation that the bugs could receive the same dose in just a few hundred thousand years. The researchers argue that Deinococcus's ancestors were flung off of Mars by an asteroid and fell to Earth on meteorites. Other experts remain sceptical.

7. 2002, Chemical hints of life are found in old data from Venus probes and landers. Could microbes exist in Venusian clouds?

Life in Venus' clouds may be the best way to explain some curious anomalies in the composition of its atmosphere, claimed University of Texas astrobiologists in 2002. They scoured data from NASA's Pioneer and Magellan space probes and from Russia's Venera Venus-lander missions of the 1970s.

Solar radiation and lightning should be generating masses of carbon monoxide on Venus, yet it is rare, as though something is removing it. Hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide are both present too. These readily react together, and are not usually found co-existing, unless some process constantly is churning them out. Most mysterious is the presence of carbonyl sulphide. This is only produced by microbes or catalysts on Earth, and not by any other known inorganic process.

The researchers' suggested solution to this conundrum is that microbes live in the Venusian atmosphere. Venus's searing hot, acidic surface may be prohibitive to life, but conditions 50 kilometres up in the atmosphere are more hospitable and moist, with a temperature of 70°C and a pressure similar to Earth.

8. 2003, Sulphur traces on Jupiter's moon Europa may be the waste products of underground bacterial colonies

In 2003, Italian scientists hypothesised that sulphur traces on Europa might be a sign of alien life. The compounds were first detected by the Galileo space probe, along with evidence for a volcanically-warmed ocean beneath the moon's icy crust.

The sulphur signatures look similar to the waste-products of bacteria, which get locked into the surface ice of lakes in Antarctica on Earth. The bacteria survive in the water below, and similar bacteria might also thrive below Europa's surface, the researchers suggest. Others experts rejected the idea, suggesting that the sulphur somehow originates from the neighbouring moon Io, where it is found in abundance.

9. 2004, Methane in the Martian atmosphere hints at microbial metabolism

In 2004 three groups - using telescopes on Earth and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiting space probe - independently turned up evidence of methane in the atmosphere. Nearly all methane in our own atmosphere is produced by bacteria and other life.

Methane could also be generated by volcanism, the thawing of frozen underground deposits, or delivered by comet impacts. However, the source has to be recent, as the gas is rapidly destroyed on Mars or escapes into space.

In January 2005, an ESA scientist controversially announced that he had also found evidence of formaldehyde, produced by the oxidation of methane. If this is proved it will strengthen the case for microbes, as a whopping 2.5 million tonnes of methane per year would be required to create the quantity of formaldehyde postulated to exist.

There are ways to confirm the presence of the gas, but scientists will need to get the equipment to Mars first.

10. 2004, A mysterious radio signal is received by the SETI project on three occasions - from the same region of space

In February 2003, astronomers with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) project, used a massive telescope in Puerto Rico to re-examine 200 sections of the sky which had all previously yielded unexplained radio signals. These signals had all disappeared, except for one which had become stronger.

The signal - widely thought to be the best candidate yet for an alien contact - comes from a spot between the constellations Pisces and Aries, where there are no obvious stars or planets. Curiously, the signal is at one of the frequencies that hydrogen, the most common element, absorbs and emits energy. Some astronomers believe that this is a very likely frequency at which aliens wishing to be noticed would transmit.

Nevertheless, there is also a good chance the signal is from a never-seen-before natural phenomenon. For example, an unexplained pulsed radio signal, thought to be artificial in 1967, turned out to be the first ever sighting of a pulsar.

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Hubble's Greatest Photos

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in April 1990. After the problems with its main mirror were fixed, it started sending beautifully detailed images of space back to earth. Here are some of the best photos captured.


The Orion Nebula, M42
It's only 1,500 light-years away! It offers one of the best opportunities to study how stars are born partly because it is the nearest large star-forming region, but also because the nebula's energetic stars have blown away obscuring dust clouds.

Cat's Eye Nebula
Staring across interstellar space, the Cat's Eye Nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.

One of the most famous planetary nebulae, NGC 6543 is over half a light-year across and represents a final, brief yet glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.

M17
Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, these fantastic, undulating shapes lie within the stellar nursery known as M17, the Omega Nebula, some 5,500 light-years away in Sagittarius

The structure occurs in our neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud, in a star-forming region near the Tarantula Nebula.

MyCn18: an hourglass nebula
The sands of time are running out for the central star of this hourglass-shaped planetary nebula.

With its nuclear fuel exhausted, this closing phase of a Sun-like star's life occurs as its outer layers are ejected - its core becoming a cooling, fading white dwarf.

Spiral Galaxy M104 (The Sombrero Galaxy)
The spiral galaxy M104 is famous for its nearly edge-on profile.

Seen in silhouette against a bright bulge of stars, the cosmic dust lanes give it a hat-like appearance, suggesting the more popular name, The Sombrero Galaxy.

Skimo Nebula, NGC 2392
In 1787, astronomer William Herschel discovered the Eskimo Nebula, NGC 2392, which resembles a person's head surrounded by a parka hood.

NGC 2207
These glowering eyes are the swirling cores of two merging galaxies called NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in Canis Major.

Billions of years from now, only one of these two galaxies will remain. Until then, they will slowly pull each other apart.

Cone Nebula
This is the Cone Nebula within the bright galactic star-forming region NGC 2264.

Some have claimed this looks like an image of Jesus Christ.

Reflection Nebula NGC 1999
Reflection nebulae do not emit light on their own. They shine because of a light source embedded within, like a street lamp illuminates fog.

The bright, young star left of center gives NGC 1999 its brightness.

Starry Night
This image is sometimes called Starry Night, a reference to the Vincent van Gogh painting. For reasons unknown, star V838 Mon's outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the entire Milky Way in January 2002.

Then, just as suddenly, it faded.

Planetary Nebula Mz3
The Ant Nebula. Expelled gas streaming away at 1,000 kilometres per second create a strange ant shape.

A huge gas and dust pillar in the Trifid Nebula, punctuated by a smaller pillar pointing up and an unusual jet pointing to the left.

IC 4406
A seemingly square nebula. IC 4406 is probably a hollow cylinder, with its square appearance caused by viewing the cylinder from the side.

M74
The Perfect Spiral. If not perfect, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic.

An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents a gorgeous face-on view.

NGC 2818
NGC 2818 is a beautiful planetary nebula, the gaseous shroud of a dying sun-like star.

It could well offer a glimpse of the future that awaits our own Sun in about five billion years

The Crab Nebula
This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula is the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD.


The Perfect Storm: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, these fantastic, undulating shapes lie within the stellar nursery known as M17, the Omega Nebula, some 5,500 light-years away in Sagittarius. In the nebula's centre is a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town.

The Mice
These two galaxies are pulling each other apart. Known as The Mice because of their long tails, they will probably collide again and again until they coalesce.

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HD Moon Picture

Stunning high definition picture of the moon. Great picture for a pc desktop wallpaper.

Click to enlarge

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Hand of God - Stunning Photo captured by Nasa

Astrnomers gazed in wonder at the Nasa picture the 'eye of god'. Now it's the turn of the 'hand of god'. A spinning star resembling a giant cosmic hand has been captured in images taken by a Nasa observatory orbiting miles above the Earth's surface. The Chandra X-ray Observatory pictured the star, which measures 12 miles across, about 17,000 light years from Earth. What appears, with a little imagination, to be the outstretched fingers were created by a spinning neutron star known as a pulsar buried deep inside the fist, which releases energy as it rotates. Although the pulsar itself is only 12 miles in diameter, the cloud or nebula that it produces stretches across 150 light years of space.

Hand of God Nasa Photo

If you look at the wrist of the hand, you’ll see a brighter swirl of gas. In the center of that blob is a tiny object, a neutron star called B1509: an incredibly dense sphere of subatomic particles, leftover when a massive star goes supernova. While the outer layers of the star explode outwards, the core of the star collapses, cramming twice the mass of the Sun into a ball only a few kilometers across. This newly born neutron star — called that because the pressure is so great in the collapsed object that electrons and protons are rammed together to form neutrons — is basically the definition of the word incredible: it spins several times per second, has a surface gravity millions of times that of the Earth (if you were on the surface you’d be crushed flatter than a good science fiction program’s chances to be renewed on Fox), and has a magnetic field 30 trillion times that of the Earth’s.

Dubbed the Hand of God, following on from an 'Eye of God' image released by European astronomers in February, the nebula pictured in the new X-ray was produced by the pulsar B1509, which is about 17,000 light years away.

Eye of God Nasa Image

Neutron stars are created when standard stars run out of fuel and collapse, and Nasa believes that the one pictured is rotating around seven times a second.

The golden-red lights in the image are actually part of a neighbouring gas cloud, which has been energised by the wind of electrons and ions being spewed out from the pulsar. The colours of the image represent different energy intensities – the blue lights are the areas of highest energy X-rays, followed by green and then red.

I hope you like this Nasa photo as much as me! If you like to see more pictures then why not check out my cool pictures website where I post anything cool I come across from around the web.

Original Source [Link]

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Earth Satellites

Thousands of satellites orbit the Earth. Costing billions of dollars, this swarm of high altitude robots is now vital to communication, orientation, and imaging both Earth and space. One common type of orbit is geostationary where a satellite will appear to hover above one point on Earth's equator.

Geostationary orbits are very high up -- over five times the radius of the Earth -- and possible only because the satellite orbital period is exactly one day. It is usually cheaper to place a satellite in low Earth orbit, around 500 kilometers, just high enough to avoid the effect of Earth's atmosphere. The above animated sequence starts by showing the halo of Earth's satellites, including the ring at geostationary, and finishes by zooming in on the only one currently hosting humans: the International Space Station.

Source: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030714.html

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Planet Size Comparisons

Ever wondered or asked yourself the question, how big is Earth compared to other planets. Well these pictures should help! We are so tiny compared to some planets in our galaxy it blows your mind! Compared to the sun we are tiny, but the sun is tiny compared to Arcturus and Arcturus is tiny compared to Antares!

Our planet earth is one of the smaller planets, but it is pretty large at 7,926 miles in diameter. It takes almost exactly 24 hours to rotate and that’s how we get our day. Did you know that the sun is not a planet but a star? Just like the stars you see at night. Though it is more than 100 times larger than earth it is just average size for a star.

Planet Size comparison Tool
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/messenger/psc/PlanetSize.html

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