2024年11月23日:行星际空间里的地球-（Interplanetary Earth） 2024年11月23日:行星际空间里的地球-（Interplanetary Earth）--原图下载{mtitle title="行星际空间里的地球"/}Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team,SSI,JPL,ESA,NASA & NASA /JHU Applied Physics Lab /Carnegie Inst. Washington说明: 2013年7月19日人类达成了一项行星际创举，在一天内从太阳系不同的二颗行星（最内围的水星及最外围的庞大环系气态土星）为地球拍照。在当时由绕行土星的卡西尼号太空船拍摄的上左图里，地球是土星环系下方的淡蓝小光点。于同一天，地球各地的人们也各自拍下了许多土星影像。上右影像，则是由当时绕行水星的信使号所拍摄的，其中地球及月亮系统漂浮在黝黑的太空里。信使号拍摄的这张影像，是它寻找预期极为昏暗的水星天然小卫星工作的一部分。在信使号拍摄的影像里，左侧的地球和右侧的月亮，因为反射阳光，故极为明亮而过度曝光。不会再返回地球的卡西尼号和信使号，已先后从探索太阳系的任务除役。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Interplanetary Earth"/}Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team,SSI,JPL,ESA,NASA & NASA /JHU Applied Physics Lab /Carnegie Inst. WashingtonExplanation: In an interplanetary first, on July 19, 2013Earth was photographed on the same day from two other worldsof the Solar System,innermost planet Mercury and ringed gas giant Saturn.Picturedon the left, Earth is the pale blue dot just below the rings of Saturn, as captured by the roboticCassini spacecraftthen orbiting theoutermost gas giant.On that same day people acrossplanet Earth snapped manyof their own pictures of Saturn.On the right, the Earth-Moon systemis seen against the dark background of space as captured by the sunwardMESSENGER spacecraft,then in Mercury orbit.MESSENGER took its image as part of a search forsmall natural satellites of Mercury, moons that would beexpected to be quite dim.In the MESSENGER image,the brighter Earth and Moon are both overexposed andshine brightly with reflected sunlight.Destined not to return to their home world, bothCassiniandMESSENGERhave since retired from their missions of Solar System exploration.

2024年09月30日:墨西哥上空的紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星-（Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Mexico） 2024年09月30日:墨西哥上空的紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星-（Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Mexico）--原图下载{mtitle title="墨西哥上空的紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona说明: 这颗新彗星已经通过最接近太阳的位置，现在正往地球靠近。目前彗星A3（C/2023 A3 紫金山–阿特拉斯）正从金星轨道之内往外移动，预计大约再过两星期，就会通过最接近地球的位置。目前紫金山–阿特拉斯彗星的亮度接近肉眼可见，是以进行长曝光取像的相机，可以轻易捕捉到这颗彗星，而且北半球和南半球的观星者，都能看到它的身影。这幅主题影像，则是在数天前摄于墨西哥 萨卡特卡斯市的上空。当时因为云层遮住了大部分黎明前的天空，天文摄影者只能使用无人机从高空拍下许多照片，然后再叠合其中的部分，以增加彗星的清晰度。儘管彗星未来的亮度很难预测，但随着紫金山–阿特拉斯彗星 移入傍晚的夜空，人们期望它的亮度也会持续增加。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Mexico"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel KoronaExplanation: The new comet has passed its closest to the Sun and is now moving closer to the Earth.C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is currently moving out from inside the orbit of Venus and on track to pass its nearest to the Earth in about two weeks. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, pronounced "Choo-cheen-shahn At-less,", is near naked-eye visibility and easily picked up by long-exposure cameras. The comet can also now be found by observers in Earth's northern hemisphere as well as the south. The featured image was captured just a few days ago above Zacatecas, Mexico.Because clouds were obscuring much of the pre-dawn sky, the astrophotographer released a drone to take pictures from higher up, several of which were later merged to enhance the comet's visibility.Although the future brightness of comets is hard to predict, there is increasing hope that Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will further brighten as it enters the early evening sky.

2024年08月27日:月掩土星-（Moon Eclipses Saturn） 2024年08月27日:月掩土星-（Moon Eclipses Saturn）--原图下载{mtitle title="月掩土星"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Pau Montplet Sanz说明: 土星会不会突然消失？有时还真的会。不过，它并不是真的消失了，只是我们的月球通过它的前方，让它消失在我们的视线里。这样的土星食，正式的名称是掩星，而就在几天前，从秘鲁横过大西洋到义大利的地球长条区域，都见到了这个月掩土星事件。这张彩色的主题影像，数位融合了数张记录此事件的最清晰照片，并针对相对昏暗的土星和相对明亮的月球，进行了色彩和亮度的调整。这些呈现掩星即将发生前景观的照片，都是摄于西班牙的布瑞达村。今年接下来到年底的这些月份，都会发生月掩土星。只不过，这些稍纵即逝的事件，只有位于地球适当地点和有清朗天空的人们才得见。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Moon Eclipses Saturn"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Pau Montplet SanzExplanation: What if Saturn disappeared? Sometimes, it does. It doesn't really go away, though, it just disappears from view when our Moon moves in front. Such a Saturnian eclipse, more formally called an occultation, was visible along a long swath of Earth -- from Peru, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Italy -- only a few days ago. The featured color image is a digital fusion of the clearest images captured during the event and rebalanced for color and relative brightness betweenthe relatively dim Saturn and the comparatively bright Moon.Saturn and the comparative bright Moon. The exposures were all taken from Breda, Catalonia, Spain, just before occultation.Eclipses of Saturn by our Moon will occur each month for the rest of this year.Each time, though, the fleeting event will be visible only to those with clear skies -- and the rightlocation on Earth.

2024年03月24日:日全食时的地球-（Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth） 2024年03月24日:日全食时的地球-（Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth）--原图下载{mtitle title="日全食时的地球"/}Image Credit: Mir 27 Crew; Copyright: CNES说明: 这是日食期间的地球景观。月球的暗影会使部份地球表面变暗，而月影以每小时接近2000公里的速度，扫过 地球。只有在圆形暗影中心附近的观察者，才能看到日全食，其他区域的人，则看见了部分太阳被月亮遮住的日偏食。这张精彩的照片摄于1999年8月11日，时值日食发生之时，而它是和平号太空站拍摄的最末批照片之一。影像左上角的二个亮点，咸认为是木星与土星。这座太空站于2001年接到脱离轨道、受控重返地球大气的指令。再过大约2星期，北美洲可见到另一例新日食。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth"/}Image Credit: Mir 27 Crew; Copyright: CNESExplanation: Here is what the Earth looks like during asolar eclipse.Theshadowof theMoon can be seen darkening part ofEarth.This shadow movedacross theEarth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour.Only observers near the center of thedark circle see a total solar eclipse -others see a partial eclipse where only part of theSun appears blocked by the Moon.This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11solar eclipsewas one of the last evertaken from the Mir space station.The two bright spots that appear on the upper left are thought to beJupiter and Saturn.Mir was deorbited in acontrolled re-entry in 2001.A new solar eclipse will occur over North America in about two weeks.

2024年01月31日:相机镜头里的猎户座升起-（Camera Orion Rising） 2024年01月31日:相机镜头里的猎户座升起-（Camera Orion Rising）--原图下载{mtitle title="相机镜头里的猎户座升起"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin Ślipko说明: 在相机的镜头里，猎户座升起的景观何似？每年的这段期间，于刚日落后的东南天空中，即可见到这个着名的星座。而从地球上的大部分地区看出去，以腰带三星为吸睛焦点的猎户座则是侧着升起。于这幅影像里，包括猎户座在内的这片夜空，拍摄时悬在波兰与捷克交界处的Śnieżka 山之后方。这幅长曝光的序列影像，呈现许多昏暗的天体，包括猎户大星云和火焰星云，而二者都在圆弧状的巴纳德环之怀抱里。这幅来自广角相机的主题组合影像，记录了许多夜空的标誌性星体，包括位于影像顶端的泛蓝昴宿星团和猎户座左方的泛红蔷薇星云。视野里的着名恒星，则有天狼星、参宿四、参宿七和毕宿五。在未来几个月里，猎户座将在日落时出现在天空愈来愈高的位置。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Camera Orion Rising"/}Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin ŚlipkoExplanation: What does Orion rising look like to a camera?During this time of the year, the famous constellation is visible to the southeast just after sunset.From most Earthly locations, Orion's familiar star pattern, highlighted by the three-stars-in-a-row belt stars, rises sideways.An entire section of the night sky that includes Orion was photographed rising above Śnieżka, a mountain on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. The long duration exposure sequence brings up many faint features including the Orion and Flame Nebulas, both encompassed by the curving Barnard's Loop.The featured wide-angle camera composite also captured night sky icons including the blue Pleiades star cluster at the image top and the red Rosette Nebula to the left of Orion.Famous stars in the frame include Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel and Aldebaran.Orion will appear successively higher in the sky at sunset during the coming months.

2024年01月25日:天空中的于韦斯屈莱市-（Jyväskylä in the Sky） 2024年01月25日:天空中的于韦斯屈莱市-（Jyväskylä in the Sky）--原图下载{mtitle title="天空中的于韦斯屈莱市"/}Image Credit &Copyright: Harri Kiiskinen说明: 你可能无法一眼认出这是地球芬兰于韦斯屈莱市（Jyväskylä）的街区地图。不过，这或许是因为此图是在1月16日投射到夜空中，然后由全天相机所拍摄的。拍照时的当地冬夜气温，在摄氏零下20度左右。当冰晶在上方的大气中形成后，洒向头顶天空的街灯之灯光，产生了清楚可见的光柱，而其空灵的外观，则源自飘落的扁平冰晶所造成的镜面反射。路灯所投射的光柱，绘出了当地灯火通明的街道之地图，不过在仰望的相机视角里，景观的左右互换。这幅由光柱所构成的街道图，在于韦斯屈莱市的夜空中飘浮了数小时之久。{lamp/}原文：{mtitle title="Jyväskylä in the Sky"/}Image Credit &Copyright: Harri KiiskinenExplanation: You might not immediately recognize this street map ofaneighborhood in Jyväskylä, Finland,planet Earth.But that's probably because the map was projected into the night sky andcaptured with an allsky camera on January 16.The temperature recorded on that northern winter nightwas around minus 20 degrees Celsius.As ice crystals formed in the atmosphere overhead,street lights spilling illumination into the sky above producedvisible light pillars,their ethereal appearance due tospecular reflectionsfrom the fluttering crystals' flat surfaces.Of course, the projected light pillars trace a map of thebrightly lit local streets, thoughreversedright to left in the upward looking camera's view.This light pillar street map was seen to hover for hours inthe Jyväskylä night.