2024年12月10日:1833年大流星暴-（The Great Meteor Storm of 1833） 2024年12月10日:1833年大流星暴-（The Great Meteor Storm of 1833）--原图下载{mtitle title="1833年大流星暴"/}Image Credit: Engraving: Adolf Vollmy; Original Art: Karl Jauslin说明: 那是个有10万颗流星洒落的夜晚。1833年的大流星暴，或许是近代最壮观的流星事件之一。那年11月13日的清晨时分，在北美洲东部的这片最佳观测地区里，许多被惊醒的人们，目睹了这例突然涌现在夜空中的流星雨，其中包括当年还很年轻的亚伯拉罕·林肯。当时数十万颗划过天际的流星，看似从狮子座中倾泻而出。 这张主题影像所数位複製的木刻版画，就是基于第一手目睹者亲绘的画作。我们如今知道，1833年的这场壮观流星暴，源自地球穿过坦普-塔托彗星释出的尘埃流密集区。在每年11月，当地球穿过这道尘埃流时，都会形成狮子流星雨。 在本星期稍晚，透过观赏年度的双子流星雨，你或许能稍稍感受到1833年流星暴震憾程度的余韵。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="The Great Meteor Storm of 1833"/}Image Credit: Engraving: Adolf Vollmy; Original Art: Karl JauslinExplanation: It was a night of 100,000 meteors. The Great Meteor Storm of 1833 was perhaps the most impressive meteor event in recent history. Best visible over eastern North America during the pre-dawn hours of November 13, many people -- including a young Abraham Lincoln -- were woken up to see the sky erupt in streaks and flashes.Hundreds of thousands of meteors blazed across the sky, seemingly pouring out of the constellation of the Lion (Leo). The featured image is a digitization of a wood engraving which itself was based on a painting from a first-person account.We know today that the Great Meteor Storm of 1833 was caused by the Earth moving through a dense part of the dust trail expelled from Comet Tempel-Tuttle.The Earth moves through this dust stream every November during the Leonid meteor shower.Later this week you might get a slight taste of the intensity of that 1833 meteor storm by witnessing the annual Geminid meteor shower.

2024年12月09日:昴宿星团：有七姐妹称号的星团-（Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster） 2024年12月09日:昴宿星团：有七姐妹称号的星团-（Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster）--原图下载{mtitle title="昴宿星团：有七姐妹称号的星团"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Francesco Pelizzo说明: 你看过昴宿星团吗？ 即使有，你可能也不曾见过它这付大又清晰的样貌。昴宿星团或许是天空中最着名的星团，纵然在有光害城市的中心，不需借助双筒望远镜也能看到星团内的亮星。如果在远离光害的地点进行长时间曝光取像，围拱着昴宿 星团成员星的尘埃会变得格外醒目。而这张摄于义大利．法加尼亚镇，跨幅约数个满月宽度的23小时长曝光影像即可为佐证。昴宿星团又名为七姐妹星团或M45，位在金牛座方向约400光年远之处。一则带点现代转折的传说宣称：在星团命名后，最亮的数颗星之一变暗，让星团只剩下6颗肉眼可见的亮星。然而，昴宿星团可见的星数可多于或少于7颗，端视观测者的视力与星空的幽暗程度而异。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Francesco PelizzoExplanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster?Even if you have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this.Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiadescan be seen with the unaided eye even from the depths of alight-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident.The featured 23-hour exposure, taken from Fagagna, Italy covers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters andM45,the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six of the sister stars visible to the unaided eye.The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer's eyesight.

2024年12月08日:环绕土星北极的极光-（Aurora around Saturn's North Pole） 2024年12月08日:环绕土星北极的极光-（Aurora around Saturn's North Pole）--原图下载{mtitle title="环绕土星北极的极光"/}Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)说明: 土星的极光和地球上的同类雷同吗？为了回答这个问题，在2017年9月时，哈伯太空望远镜和卡西尼号太空船在绕行土星的最后轨道期间，同时监控土星的北极。因为在那段期间，从地球可以清楚见到侧倾土星的北极。这张主题影像，结合了哈伯太空望远镜拍摄的紫外波段极光影像及土星云层和环系的可见光影像。就像地球的同类，土星的北极光可完全或部分环拱北极。不过与地球极光有别的是：土星的极光经常是螺旋状的，而且较可能在子夜和黎明前达到最大亮度。与木星的极光相较，土星极光和土星内部磁场及附近多变的太阳风之关联性较强。在2004年，从地球清楚可见土星的南极之时，也曾拍摄土星的南极光。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Aurora around Saturn's North Pole"/}Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)Explanation: Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth.The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of auroras and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole.Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth.

2024年12月07日:火箭引擎风格的壁炉-（Rocket Engine Fireplace） <!----> 2024年12月07日:火箭引擎风格的壁炉-（Rocket Engine Fireplace）--原图下载{mtitle title="火箭引擎风格的壁炉"/}Image and Video Credit: NASA说明: 你或许不觉得近距离观看火箭引擎产生880万磅推力的场景能让人放鬆，但这个布置却可以。在这部影片里，美国航太总署特地打造了一座假日风格的独特火箭引擎壁炉。这部以石製壁炉为框的影片，循环播放有外挂固体火箭助推器的太空发射系统（SLS）火箭之RS-25主引擎点火与运转的场景。 附随的音轨把火箭引擎轰隆的声音大幅弱化，并与木柴燃烧劈啪作响的熟悉声音结合，以营造出温暖且舒适的氛围。影片还加入了AI生成的元素，并融合了阿提米斯I号任务的影像与徽章。 阿提米斯I号是一次无人的月球任务，于2022年11月由SLS火箭推送升空，成功完成绕月并返回地球。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Rocket Engine Fireplace"/}Image and Video Credit: NASAExplanation: You might not think a close up view of rocket engines producing 8.8 millionpounds of thrust would be relaxing, but here it can be.In fact, you can get a warm and cozy feeling just spending a few momentswatchingNASA's holiday rocket engine fireplace.The video features a loop of the Space Launch System rocket'sRS-25 mainengines throttled up and running flanked bysolid rocket boosters and framed by a stone fireplace.The accompanying audio track mixes the drastically muted sounds ofthe rocket engines firing with the more familiar soundsof a burning, crackling wood fire.AI elements are included in the composed video along with animage and logo from theArtemis Imission.The Artemis I uncrewed mission to the Moon and back againlaunched in November 2022 on aSpace Launch Systemrocket.

2024年12月06日:盱眙观测站与火流星-（Xuyi Station and the Fireball） 2024年12月06日:盱眙观测站与火流星-（Xuyi Station and the Fireball）--原图下载{mtitle title="盱眙观测站与火流星"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Hao Liu (Stanford University)说明: 这颗明亮多彩火流星的单曝光影像，是在2020年地球的英仙流星雨期间，摄于紫金山天文台的盱眙观测站。影像前景的圆顶建筑里，安置着中国近地小天体巡天望远镜（CNEOST），这部中国最大的多用途施密特望远镜。 盱眙站位于江苏省的盱眙县，2006年起成为紫金山天文台的外延站开始营运。2024年夜空的宠儿紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星（Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3)），即是在2023年1月9日发现于盱眙站拍摄的影像里。这颗彗星的共同发现者，为美国航太总署位于南非Sutherland天文台的ATLAS自动巡天望远镜。 其他紫金山天文台参与的彗星发现，还包括周期彗星60/P紫金山及和62/P紫金山，是以它们都用这座历史悠久天文台的汉语拼音来命名。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Xuyi Station and the Fireball"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Hao Liu (Stanford University)Explanation: Colorful and bright, this streaking fireball meteor was captured ina single exposure taken atPurple Mountain (Tsuchinshan)Observatory’s Xuyi Station in2020, during planet Earth's annual Perseid meteor shower.The dome in the foreground housesthe China Near Earth Object Survey Telescope (CNEOST),the largest multi-purpose Schmidt telescope in China.Located in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province,the station began its operationas an extension of China's Purple Mountain Observatoryin 2006.Darling of planet Earth's night skiesin 2024, the bright comet designatedTsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3)was discovered in images taken there on 2023 January 9.The discovery is jointly credited to NASA'sATLAS robotic survey telescopeat Sutherland Observatory, South Africa.Other comet discoveries associated with the historic Purple MountainObservatory and bearing the observatory'stransliterated Mandarin name includeperiodic comets 60/P Tsuchinshan and 62/P Tsuchinshan.

2024年12月05日:冲点附近的立体木星影像-（Stereo Jupiter near Opposition） 2024年12月05日:冲点附近的立体木星影像-（Stereo Jupiter near Opposition）--原图下载{mtitle title="冲点附近的立体木星影像"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi说明: 在这二幅摄于屋顶的望远镜影像里，木星相当清晰。这二张摄于新加坡的照片，取像时间皆是去年的11月17日，约莫在2023年木星冲后的2星期。拍照的当时，这颗巨行星高悬在子夜的天空中，距离新加坡只有33.4光分，大约远在4个天文单位之外。影像里，环绕木星的暗带与亮区，以及这颗巨行星的泛白椭圆涡旋皆清晰可辨。此外，木星南半球标誌性的大红斑依然很醒目。木星的转速很快，每10小时就会绕轴自转一圈。因此，利用相隔15分钟所拍摄的影片之定格，得以建构出上面的这个立体影像对。请盯着这对照片的中心点看，然后让二眼的视线交错，直到个别的照片重叠在一起，即可见到这颗太阳系最大气态巨行星的立体影像。想当然耳，目前木星离2024年的木星冲并不远，地球将在12月7日再次穿过木星与太阳之间。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Stereo Jupiter near Opposition"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Marco LorenziExplanation: Jupiter looks sharp in these tworooftop telescope images.Both were captured last year on November 17 from Singapore, planet Earth,about two weeks afterJupiter's 2023 opposition.Climbing high in midnight skies the giant planetwas a mere 33.4 light-minutes from Singapore.That's about 4 astronomical units away.Jupiter's planet girdlingdark belts and light zonesare visible in remarkable detail, along with the giant world'swhitish oval vortices.Its signatureGreat Red Spot is prominent in thesouth.Jupiter rotates rapidly on its axis once every 10 hours.So, based on video frames taken only 15 minutes apart,these images form a stereo pair.Look at the center of the pair and cross your eyes untilthe separate images come together to see the3D effect.Of course Jupiteris now not far from its 2024 opposition.Planet Earth is set to pass between theSolar System's ruling gas giantand the Sun on December 7.