Planetary Picture of the Day
Week of May 9, 2022
Pathfinder, the Moon, Andromeda Galaxy and so much more.
Monday, May 9, 2022
Credit: Rey Hernandez Astro/Photography
Negative HDR of M31
This image of the Andromeda Galaxy was processed using HDR (High Dynamic Range) negative, which makes the colors look opposite to what they would be with their visible light coloration. The brightest stars in the galaxy appear black. The core of the galaxy, which is a black hole, also appears obscured as a result of the massive amounts of light that orbit around it.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
CREDIT: Jeff Williams / NASA
Full Moon over Earth
A full Moon on August 19, 2016, as photographed from aboard the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Jeff Williams. Jeff posted this image on Twitter, commenting: "The last month has gone by quickly…full Moon again!"
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Credit: Fefo Bouvier
Crepuscular Rays
Although the sky proved to be too cloudy to get a photo of the recent partial solar eclipse, photographer Fefo Bouvier managed to capture beautiful crepuscular rays during the sunset. Taken in Colonia, Uruguay.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Credit: NASA/JPL
Mars Pathfinder
Remember this little guy? Pathfinder was our very first rover on Mars and had some major accomplishments to its name despite its small size. How far have we come since, but it all started there, from landing with airbags, which would be the signature of the Spirit and Opportunity missions that followed, and remote commands for science and operations. Can believe it was already 25 years ago?
This image is a panoramic view of Pathfinder's Ares Vallis landing site, and reveals traces of a warmer, wetter past, showing a floodplain covered with a variety of rock types, boulders, rounded and semi-rounded cobbles and pebbles. These rocks and pebbles are thought to have been swept down and deposited by floods which occurred early in Mars' evolution in the Ares and Tiu regions near the Pathfinder landing site.
Friday, May 13, 2022
Fortitude on our Ocean World
Built more than a century ago, this is the 31m high Four lighthouse in Brittany. A strong wind was passing through this late winter, causing huge swells. Sea lighthouses were put to the test.
Full video: https://buff.ly/38kx8Qp
