Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 June 2 - Three Planets from Pic du Midi

2016 June 2
Three Planets from Pic du Midi 
Image Credit & Copyright: JL. Dauvergne, E. Kraaikamp, F. Colas / S2P / IMCCE / OMP

Explanation: Seen any planets lately? All three planets now shining brightly in the night sky are imaged in these panels, captured last week with the 1 meter telescope at Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees. Near opposition and closest to Earth on May 30, Mars is presently offering the best ground-based photo-ops in the last decade. The sharp image finds clouds above the Red Planet's north pole (top) and towering volcanos near its right limb. Saturn reaches its own opposition tonight, its bright rings and gaps clearly revealed in the telescopic portrait. Jupiter is currently highest during the evening twilight and shows off its planet-girdling cloud bands and Great Red Spot in this scene. Of course close-up images of the ruling gas giant will follow the July arrival of the solar-powered Juno spacecraft and JunoCam.

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Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 June 1 - Tycho's Supernova Remnant Expands

Tycho's Supernova Remnant Expands 
Video Credit: NASA, CXC, GSFC, B. Williams et al.

Explanation: What star created this huge expanding puffball? Featured here is the first expansion movie ever created for Tycho's supernova remnant, the result of a stellar explosion first recorded over 400 years ago by the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe. The 2-second video is a time-lapse composite of X-ray images taken by the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory between the years 2000 and 2015, added to a stock optical frame. The expanding gas cloudis extremely hot, while slightly different expansion speeds have given the cloud a puffy appearance. Although the star that created SN 1572, is likely completely gone, a star dubbed Tycho G, too dim to be discerned here, is thought to be a companion. Finding progenitor remnants of Tycho's supernova is particularly important because the supernova is of Type Ia, an important rung in the distance ladder that calibrates the scale of the visible universe. The peak brightness of Type Ia supernovas is thought to be well understood, making them quite valuable in exploring the relationship between faintness and farness in the distant universe.

Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 May 31 - Stars and Gas of the Running Chicken Nebula

Stars and Gas of the Running Chicken Nebula 
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Campbell

Explanation: To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus). The featured image, shown in scientifically assigned colors, was captured recently in an 11-hour exposure from a backyard near Melbourne,Australia. Two star clusters are visible: the Pearl Cluster seen on the far left, and Collinder 249 embedded in the nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern here, several dark molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found inside the nebula.

Playing For Change - "Turnaround arts" - Video - Music - Around

"Turnaround arts"

Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 May 30 - Galaxy Evolution Tracking Animation

Galaxy Evolution Tracking Animation 
Video Credit: Donna Cox (AVL NCSA/U. Illinois) et al., NASA's GSFC, AVL, NCSA

Explanation: How did the universe evolve from such a smooth beginning? To help understand, computational cosmologists and NASA produced the featured time-lapse animated video depicting a computer simulation of part of the universe. The 100-million light-year simulation starts about 20 million years after the Big Bang and runs until the present. After a smooth beginning, gravity causes clumps of matter to form into galaxies which immediately begin falling toward each other. Soon, many of them condense into long filaments while others violently merge into a huge and hot cluster of galaxies. Investigating of potential universe attributes in simulations like this have helped shape the engineering design the James Webb Space Telescope, currently scheduled for launch in late 2018.

TEXTO - Amigos

Não sei porquê mas, constantemente velhos e saudosos amigos me vêm à memoria: é caso do Manuel da Silva que comigo colaborava, com a sua voz radiofonicamente excelente em programas proibidos…Estavamos em 1983, infringíamos a lei sem medo nem agravo, e depois da hora “de antena”, bebíamos um copo, dois, três… Perdão, não me lembro bem…

O Manuel tinha uma rubrica sui-generis: era dele a pagina do desporto que os ouvintes ansiavam ouvir, esperando até ao fim…

Tinha uma voz de locutor dos anos sessenta muito parecida com a do Nuno Braz. Foi um dos esteios do nosso “programa”… Depois outros vieram com boa vontade mas jamais o igualaram.

A Amália Rodrigues teve uma intervenção fantástica quando, no dia 9 de março de 1986 respondeu ao cônsul sovina, que queria espectáculo com duas garrafas de champanhe para cerca de vinte pessoas, já há muito nada havendo nas taças: “Eu gostava de brindar, senhor cônsul-geral, mas olhando para as taças, verifico que ja  não há saude…

Foi companheiro da Amália o meu querido Amigo Fernando Pereira. Quando se encontraram naquele dia fiquei a saber que me não tinham mentido! Aquele abraço, aquela emoção partilhada…

Termino, enfim e desta vez, com o Adelino Pereira. Passamos noites a sonhar, a idealizar o Brasil ouvindo musicas tão lindas do Roberto Carlos… Não, não perdemos tempo porque o que imaginamos é verdade.

Vi Lino… O que pensaste é verdade. Estive la e pensei sempre em ti.

29-05-2016

JoanMira         

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