Source

astronomyblog:

Will we one day explore the worlds of our solar system? How long will this take?

We have a diversity of worlds in our solar system. Majestic places…

Imagine being able to visit Mars and its hostile climate. Imagine being able to visit the moons of Jupiter, observe Io: the volcanic moon, Europa, the frozen moon and Ganymede a moon larger than Mercury itself and that has its own magnetic field. Imagine visiting the moons of Saturn and maybe passing close to your rings… Imagine orbiting or floating through Titan’s atmosphere and closely watching its lakes and seas of methane and liquid ethane. Imagine getting to know the geysers of Enceladus, the valleys of Tethys, and the craters of Mimas… Imagine being able to see the moons of Uranus and have a view of Verona Rupes, the largest cliff of the solar system, located in Miranda. Imagine being able to be in Triton and to be able to observe the cold and azualdo Neptune in the sky…

Source
astronomyblog: “Comet West was discovered in photographs by Richard West on August 10, 1975. It reached peak brightness in March 1976. During its peak brightness, observers reported that it was bright enough to study during full daylight. Despite its...

astronomyblog:

Comet West was discovered in photographs by Richard West on August 10, 1975. It reached peak brightness in March 1976. During its peak brightness, observers reported that it was bright enough to study during full daylight. Despite its spectacular appearance, it did’t cause much expectation among the popular media. The comet has an estimated orbital period of 558,000 years.

Credit: P. Stättmayer/ESO

Source

astronomyblog:

The Faint Rings of Uranus

Taken in January, 1986 by Voyager 2. Uranus assembled using orange, simulated green, and violet light. The rings were taken in clear (white) light, but colored red here.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Kevin M. Gill

(via panicinthestudio)