The (amateur) astronomy pictures of the year have been announced:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814
The most stunning is the very deep M31 image showing a gas plasma cloud
in the same field which it seems from the blurb has not been noticed
until now!
Mars setting behind the moon and the sprites are my other favourites.
The other stunning image is of a comet disconnection event:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62916234
Online source at the RGO with slightly more info.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/overall-winners-2023
--
Martin Brown
The (amateur) astronomy pictures of the year have been announced:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814
The most stunning is the very deep M31 image showing a gas plasma cloud
in the same field which it seems from the blurb has not been noticed
until now!
Mars setting behind the moon and the sprites are my other favourites.
The other stunning image is of a comet disconnection event:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62916234
Online source at the RGO with slightly more info.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/overall-winners-2023
On 9/15/23 4:01 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
The (amateur) astronomy pictures of the year have been announced:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814
The most stunning is the very deep M31 image showing a gas plasma
cloud in the same field which it seems from the blurb has not been
noticed until now!
Mars setting behind the moon and the sprites are my other favourites.
The other stunning image is of a comet disconnection event:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62916234
Online source at the RGO with slightly more info.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/overall-winners-2023
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed
until recently. The write up mentions that "scientists are now investigating" so it must really exist. Hard to believe that with as
many images of M31 of varying exposures and filtration that something
like that would be missed.
On 15/09/2023 13:43, Will Peters wrote:
On 9/15/23 4:01 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
The (amateur) astronomy pictures of the year have been announced:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814
The most stunning is the very deep M31 image showing a gas plasma
cloud in the same field which it seems from the blurb has not been
noticed until now!
Mars setting behind the moon and the sprites are my other favourites.
The other stunning image is of a comet disconnection event:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62916234
Online source at the RGO with slightly more info.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/overall-winners-2023
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed
until recently.� The write up mentions that "scientists are now
investigating" so it must really exist.� Hard to believe that with as
many images of M31 of varying exposures and filtration that something
like that would be missed.
I'm inclined to agree. I'm also a bit puzzled why it hasn't shown up on >various 21cm hydrogen line observations. It isn't like M31 hasn't been >observed in all wavebands and lots of times.
However, their image frame is larger and deeper than most.
On 15/09/2023 14:33, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:06:32 +0100, Martin Brown
<'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
On 15/09/2023 13:43, Will Peters wrote:
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed >>>> until recently.� The write up mentions that "scientists are now
investigating" so it must really exist.� Hard to believe that with as
many images of M31 of varying exposures and filtration that something
like that would be missed.
I'm inclined to agree. I'm also a bit puzzled why it hasn't shown up on
various 21cm hydrogen line observations. It isn't like M31 hasn't been
observed in all wavebands and lots of times.
However, their image frame is larger and deeper than most.
It's an [O III] emission region, with no H-alpha and apparently no
neutral H (so no radio emission).
It is quite a peculiar cloud of plasma then. Normally you would expect
at least some neutral hydrogen in it simply because it is so common.
My guess would then be that it is something by way of a local planetary >nebula of lost CNO from some former large star that happens to be in the
same line of sight as M31 as opposed to a huge cloud near the galaxy.
On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:06:32 +0100, Martin Brown
<'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
On 15/09/2023 13:43, Will Peters wrote:
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed
until recently. The write up mentions that "scientists are now
investigating" so it must really exist. Hard to believe that with as
many images of M31 of varying exposures and filtration that something
like that would be missed.
I'm inclined to agree. I'm also a bit puzzled why it hasn't shown up on
various 21cm hydrogen line observations. It isn't like M31 hasn't been
observed in all wavebands and lots of times.
However, their image frame is larger and deeper than most.
It's an [O III] emission region, with no H-alpha and apparently no
neutral H (so no radio emission).
Quite a few interesting objects and regions have been discovered in
recent years by amateur imagers, using widefield instruments that are
largely absent in professional observatories outside of a few survey instruments... and they are usually not using narrowband or long
exposure times.
On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:26:34 +0100, Martin Brown
<'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
On 15/09/2023 14:33, Chris L Peterson wrote:
It's an [O III] emission region, with no H-alpha and apparently no
neutral H (so no radio emission).
It is quite a peculiar cloud of plasma then. Normally you would expect
at least some neutral hydrogen in it simply because it is so common.
My guess would then be that it is something by way of a local planetary
nebula of lost CNO from some former large star that happens to be in the
same line of sight as M31 as opposed to a huge cloud near the galaxy.
Indeed, most peculiar. The oxygen cloud is odd enough, but the absence
of an obvious source of ionizing radiation is what I find interesting.
It takes a good deal of energy to get [O III] emission.
On 9/15/23 4:01 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed until recently.
On Friday, September 15, 2023 at 6:43:38?AM UTC-6, Will Peters wrote:
On 9/15/23 4:01 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
Seems suspect that the "plasma arc" near M31 oddly has not been noticed
until recently.
Although that's odd, what I found stranger about the caption to the picture >was... how do they know it's as distant as M31, and not instead something >that's in our own galaxy that just happens to be in front of it from our point >of view?
The (amateur) astronomy pictures of the year have been announced:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814
The most stunning is the very deep M31 image showing a gas plasma cloud
in the same field which it seems from the blurb has not been noticed
until now!
Mars setting behind the moon and the sprites are my other favourites.
The other stunning image is of a comet disconnection event:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62916234
Online source at the RGO with slightly more info.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/overall-winners-2023
--
Martin Brown
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