Top Image credit: Yeshe Fenner, STcI, AURA, NASA, ESA
The Universe is rarely static, although the timescales involved can be very long. Since modern astronomical observations began we have been observing the birthplaces of new stars and planets, searching for and studying the subtle changes that help us to figure out what is happening within.
The bright spot located at the edge of the bluish fan-shaped structure in this Hubble image is a young star called V* PV Cephei, or PV Cep. It is a favourite target for amateur astronomers because the fan-shaped nebulosity, known as GM 1-29 or Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula, changes over a timescale of months. The brightness of the star has also varied over time.
“This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It’s lonely. It’s small. It’s isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it. Clearly, the highest loyalty we should have is not to our own country or our own religion or our hometown or even to ourselves. It should be to, number two, the family of man, and number one, the planet at large. This is our home, and this is all we’ve got.” — Scott Carpenter, Mecury 7 astronaut
Every day is Earth day 🌍
Space News of the Day: Three Exoplanets May Be Life-Sustainable
After four years circling space looking for new planets, the Kepler spacecraft has identified three planets that look like they could possibly sustain life. The first two, known as Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f (shown above, top and middle), are approximately 1,200 light-years away and have estimated temperatures of -3 degrees C (26.6 F) and -65 degrees C (-85 F) respectively. The third planet, Kepler-69c (shown above, bottom) boasts a summer day-like temperature of 27 degrees C (80.6 F). Some scientists think these planets could actually be covered in oceans, but they are unsure if they would be composed of water or some other liquid.
Oh, I love Space News!
Solar Storms, With a Chance of Proton Showers
This large solar flare, produced by an active region of the sun (AR9077), triggered magnetic storms and knocked out satellites when it created a solar storm on July 14, 2000. Nicknamed the Bastille Day Event, it was the third largest storm of its kind in the past 30 years, and the biggest solar radiation event since 1989. The Slinky-like loops represent magnetic field lines.
The orbiting Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) satellite captured this close-up image after the flare erupted. Recorded in extreme ultraviolet light, it covers a 230,000-by-77,000 kilometer area on the sun’s surface and shows a one-million-degree solar plasma cooling down.
