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M-087.jpgM 87 - Elliptical Galaxy88 visiteElliptical galaxy M 87 is a type of galaxy that looks much different than our own Milky Way Galaxy. Even for an elliptical galaxy, though, M 87 is peculiar. M 87 is MUCH bigger than an average galaxy, appears near the center of a whole cluster of galaxies (known as the Virgo Cluster) and shows an unusually high number of globular clusters. These globular clusters are visible as faint spots surrounding the bright center of M 87. In general, elliptical galaxies contain similar numbers of stars as spiral galaxies, but are ellipsoidal in shape (spirals are mostly flat), have no spiral structure and little gas and dust.Set 19, 2004
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M 55.jpgM 55 - Globular Star Cluster73 visiteM 55 is a large Globular Star Cluster of around 100.000 stars. Only 20.000 LY away in the constellation Sagittarius, M 55 appears to earth-bound observers to be nearly 2/3 the size of the full Moon. Globular star clusters like M 55 roam the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy as gravitationally bound populations of stars known to be much older than stellar groups found in the galactic disk. Astronomers who make detailed studies of globular cluster stars can accurately measure the cluster ages and distances. Their results ultimately constrain the age of the Universe and provide a fundamental rung on the astronomical distance ladder.Set 18, 2004
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Martian_Mountains-MGS-00.jpgCharitum Montes (Natural Colors; credits: NASA/MGS/MSSS)211 visiteWhat causes the unusual white color on some Martian Mountains? The answer can be guessed by noticing that the bright areas disappear as springtime takes hold in the South of Mars: dry ice. Dry CO2 ice sublimates directly to gas from its frozen state. The frosty mountains, named "Charitum Montes", have been covered with CO2 ice over the Martian Winter. The serene scene pictured above is not a photograph, but rather a computationally constructed digital illusion resulting from the fusion of two color images from the Mars Orbital Camera and topographic data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. Both instruments operate from the Mars Global Surveyor robot spacecraft currently orbiting Mars.Set 16, 2004
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South_Polar_Regions-South_Pole.jpgThe South Pole of Mars (Natural Colors; credits: NASA/MGS/MSSS)207 visiteCaption NASA:"During Spring, the Ice Cap - predominantly formed by layers of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) plus some water ice - begins to shrink as the ices change directly from solid to gas (cosiddetta "sublimazione"). Hazy clouds of ice crystals and fog extend across the bottom of the picture and a darker, more defrosted area, is visible at the upper right, near the Red Planet's night side". Set 15, 2004
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North_Polar_Regions-North_Pole.jpgThe North Pole of Mars (Natural Colors; credits: NASA/MGS/MSSS)318 visiteNon ci sono parole sufficienti per descrivere questa meravigliosa immagine ad HD del Polo Nord di Marte ed il volume di dettagli che risultano percepibili è davvero enorme. EccoVi il testo originale di commento al frame:"Spring reached the North Pole of Mars (foto del Maggio 2002) and brought with it the usual dust storms. As the North Polar Cap begins to thaw, a temperature difference occurs between the cold frost region and recently thawed surface, resulting in swirling winds between the adjacent regions. In the above image mosaic from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, the white material is frozen carbon dioxide that covers much of the extreme north. The choppy clouds of at least three dust storms can be identified". Che altro dire???Set 15, 2004
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Craters-Unnamed_Buried_Craters-MGS-PIA06855-00.jpgUnnamed Buried Craters in Utopia Planitia (Original NASA/MGS/MSSS b/w Frame)117 visiteCaption NASA:"This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a cracked Plain in Western Utopia Planitia. The three circular crack patterns indicate the location of three buried Unnamed Impact Craters. These landforms are located near 41,9° North Lat. and 275,9° West Long. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (about 1,9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the lower left".Set 09, 2004
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Cydonia_Region-PIA06845_modest.jpgFeatures of Cydonia Mensae Region (Original NASA/MGS/MSSS b/w Frame)238 visiteCaption NASA:"Dark, windblown Dunes on the Floor of Bamburg Crater, located in the Cydonia Region near 39,7° North Lat. and 3.2° West Long."Set 01, 2004
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Volcanoes-Unnamed_Volcano-PIA06841.jpgUnnamed Small Martian Volcano (EDM - Original NASA/MGS/MSSS b/w Frame)193 visite"...This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) image shows a small Unnamed Volcano located South/West of the giant Volcano, Pavonis Mons, near 2,5° South Lat. and 109,4° West Long. Lava Flows can be seen to have emanated from the Summit Region, which today is an irregularly-shaped Collapse Pit, or Caldera. A blanket of Dust mantles this Volcano. Dust covers most Martian Volcanoes, none of which are young or active today. This picture covers an area about 3 Km across..."
Set 01, 2004
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Phobos-Phobos_Monolith-01.jpgThe "Phobos' Monolith" (EDM n.1)407 visiteComunque - e per concludere questo primo approccio con Phobos - l'idea di tentare un atterraggio su questo (e chissà poi perchè...) misterioso e, a quanto vediamo, enigmatico corpo celeste, non è venuta soltanto alla NASA.
Conoscete la storia della Sonda Russa "Phobos 2", del suo avvicinamento a Phobos e del relativo "incidente" che ne seguì?
No?!?
Ve ne parleremo più avanti, sempre, in questa Sezione...
Ago 30, 2004
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vl2-PIA00576_modest.jpgMartian Sunrise from Viking Lander 2 (Approximate True Colors; credits: NASA/JPL)218 visiteL'alba su Marte, così come vista dalla Sonda Viking 2. E' un vero peccato che, delle migliaia di immagini scattate da questa Sonda, la NASA ne ha rese disponibili (a quanto ci è dato sapere) solo poche decine. Se Voi sapete qualcosa per indirizzarci meglio a trovare gli archivi Viking 2 completi, non mancate di farcelo sapere! Grazie...Ago 23, 2004
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Phobos_from_Mgs-006-PIA01332.jpgPhobos from Mars Global Surveyor (6)233 visiteCaption NASA:"This image of Phobos, the inner and larger of the two moons of Mars, was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor on August 19, 1998. The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) measured the brightness of thermal radiation at the same time the camera acquired this image. By analyzing the brightness, TES scientists could deduce the various fractions of the surface exposed to the Sun and their temperatures. This preliminary analysis shows that the surface temperature, dependent on slope and particle size, varies from a high of +25° F (-4° C) on the most illuminated slopes to -170° F (-112° C) in shadows. This large difference, and the fact that such differences can be found in close proximity, adds support to the notion that the surface of Phobos is covered by very small particles".Ago 22, 2004
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Craters-Unnamed_Crater_with_Boulder_Tracks-MGS-PIA06450.jpgBoulder Tracks (Original NASA/MGS/MSSS b/w Frame)291 visiteAbbiamo visto, in altri Siti dedicati alle Anomalie Spaziali, delle immagini simili a questa (ma riferite alla Luna) in cui tracce del tutto analoghe a quelle che Vi proponiamo in questo MGS frame venivano ipoteticamente attribuite a manufatti in movimento all'interno di crateri od in prossimità di pendii. Certo, in mancanza di elementi di prova inoppugnabili, tutto è possibile ed ipotizzabile, ma noi riteniamo che questo tipo di traccia sia da attribuirsi, in difetto di prova contraria, a dei macigni che rotolano a seguito di leggeri sismi o vibrazioni del suolo causate da impatti meteorici occorsi nelle vicinanze. Nemmeno da escludere è la possibilità che si tratti di fenomeni di cosiddetto "Gravity Wasting".Ago 22, 2004
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