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Images
1. IMAGES 1.1. Free Floating Planets in the Orion Nebula An infrared picture of the central part of the Orion Nebula constructed from the three separate images taken with the UKIRT Fast Track lmager (UFTI) on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope is reproduced beow. The three colours used in this false colour image (blue, orange and red) correspond to infrared radiation at three different wavelengths. Each of the three colours used in the false colour image have a wavelength that is twice as long as the infrared wavelength represented. The picture shows stars, brown dwarfs and planets together with diffuse starlight -which is scattered by tiny particles of cosmic dust, and light emitted by energised gas. Infrared images are vital for this work, as they penetrate dust clouds and are able to pick up faint objects which cannot be seen in visible light images. [For more details and credits, see § 6.21.
1.2. Supernova 1987A as seen by Chandra at X-ray wavelengths The Chandra X-ray Observatory image of SN 1987A made in January 2000 shows an expanding shell of hot gas produced by the supernova explosion. The gas in the shell has a temperature of about ten million degrees Celsius, and is only visible with an X-ray telescope. The colours represent different intensities of X-ray emission, with white being the brightest. The field shown is 3 arcseconds across, corresponding to 2.4 light years. [Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/PSU/D: Burrows et al. See also report at 54.61
1.3. Planeta Conjunction Recorded by S8 HO Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun all appear plainly in the same image sent to Earth on 15 May 2000 by the SOHO spacecraft. Also conspicuous in the picture is a famous star cluster, the Pleiades. This image of four planets around the Sun is another scoop for SOHO. Shining brightly, Venus entered the scene from the right on 13 May, while Mercury was on its way out on the left. Such congregations of planets are rare events, and they cannot be seen from the ground when close in the sky to the dazzling Sun. To blot out direct sunlight, the LASCO C3 instrument on SOHO uses a mask, and has a wide enough field of view (15”) to take in the four in the same picture. [Credit planets SOHOLASCO team and ESA/NASA. See also report at s4.41.
1.2. Supernova 1987A as seen by Chandra at X-ray wavelengths The Chandra X-ray Observatory image of SN 1987A made in January 2000 shows an expanding shell of hot gas produced by the supernova explosion. The gas in the shell has a temperature of about ten million degrees Celsius, and is only visible with an X-ray telescope. The colours represent different intensities of X-ray emission, with white being the brightest. The field shown is 3 arcseconds across, corresponding to 2.4 light years. [Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/PSU/D: Burrows et al. See also report at 54.61
1.3. Planeta Conjunction Recorded by S8 HO Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun all appear plainly in the same image sent to Earth on 15 May 2000 by the SOHO spacecraft. Also conspicuous in the picture is a famous star cluster, the Pleiades. This image of four planets around the Sun is another scoop for SOHO. Shining brightly, Venus entered the scene from the right on 13 May, while Mercury was on its way out on the left. Such congregations of planets are rare events, and they cannot be seen from the ground when close in the sky to the dazzling Sun. To blot out direct sunlight, the LASCO C3 instrument on SOHO uses a mask, and has a wide enough field of view (15”) to take in the four in the same picture. [Credit planets SOHOLASCO team and ESA/NASA. See also report at s4.41.