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Showing posts from January, 2024

Great American Eclipse of 2024

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The total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states. Are you ready for a spectacular celestial show? The 2024 solar eclipse is gearing up to grace North America with its awe-inspiring presence. This rare event promises an unforgettable experience for those fortunate enough to witness it. But hold your horses, eager sky-gazers! To truly savor the magic of this cosmic phenomenon, a little preparation goes a long way. Here's your go-to guide on how to bask in the brilliance of the 2024 solar eclipse: Hunt Down the Perfect Spot: Picture this: Mexico, the United States, and Canada are all in the eclipse's path of totality. The duration of totality? Well, that varies depending on where you're stationed. Luckily, the internet is your trusty sidekick here. Dive into online resources, like the insightful video by NASA Science on YouTube, for a bre

NGC 6729 - A Celestial Dance in Corona Australis

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NGC 6726 - A reflection and emission nebula in the constellation Corona Australis processed by Jon Gascoyne from image data acquired on Insight Observatory's remote telescope, ATEO-3 located at Deep Sky Chile. Image data by Franck Jobard. If you cast your gaze towards the constellation Corona Australis, you might just catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing NGC 6729, affectionately known as Caldwell 68. This celestial spectacle, a reflection/emission nebula, was first discovered by the keen eyes of Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt in the year 1861. Let's embark on a cosmic journey to unravel the secrets held within the folds of this captivating nebula. NGC 6729 takes center stage as a small yet enchanting segment of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud positioned approximately 400 light-years away from our vantage point on Earth. Imagine a fan-shaped nebula unfolding its celestial wings, reaching out from the radiant R Coronae Australis to the distant T CrA in the southeast. Th

SN2024gy Discovered in the Galaxy NGC 4216

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SN2024gy imaged on 01/11/2024 by Luis Velasquez is from 2.25 hours of LRGB data from Insight Observatory's affiliate remote telescope AFIL-3 located in Hakos, Namibia. In the vast expanse of the cosmos, an extraordinary event unfolded on January 4, 2024 – the discovery of Supernova 2024gy in the galaxy NGC 4216. This celestial marvel was unveiled to the world by the keen eyes of Koichi Itagaki, a passionate Japanese amateur astronomer. SN2024gy belongs to the exclusive category of Type Ia supernovae, a type that originates in binary star systems. What makes these stellar explosions particularly captivating is their role as "standard candles" in the cosmic distance measurement toolkit. The consistent brightness exhibited by Type Ia supernovae allows astronomers to precisely calculate their distance from Earth, offering a unique window into the mysteries of the universe. The significance of this discovery extends beyond the cosmic spectacle itself; it signifies the c

Great Fireball of '66

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The author's artistic rendition of the "Great Fireball of '66". At around 7:15pm, on Sunday, April 24, 1966 – fifty-seven years ago this past April - I was 8 years old, and I just happened to be passing by the open front door to our house, in Falmouth, Massachusetts, facing, due, West...If I had been doing anything else - other, than that – I could not be writing this today… This is my digital painting/impression of the “Fireball”, as I observed it from my front door-step, super-imposed onto a photo of the Mullen-Hall School, in Falmouth, as seen from my perspective. I remember that the sky was still light, and absolutely cloudless (about 30 minutes after sunset) when I noticed a bright ball of light about the size and brightness of the full moon approaching from my left in my field of view (toward the South). I remember being, "frozen", in place, as I watched this bight, "thing” – I first thought it was maybe a burning aircraft, moving parallel wit