Film & Animation

Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Visible and Infrared Light [Ultra HD]

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This visualization explores the Orion Nebula using both visible and infrared light. The sequence begins with a wide-field view of the sky showing the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, then zooms down to the scale of the Orion Nebula. The visible light observation (from the Hubble Space Telescope) and the infrared light observation (from the Spitzer Space Telescope) are compared first in two-dimensional images, and then in three-dimensional models.

As the camera flies into the star-forming region, the sequence cross-fades back and forth between the visible and infrared views. The glowing gaseous landscape has been illuminated and carved by the high energy radiation and strong stellar winds from the massive hot stars in the central cluster. The infrared observations generally show cooler temperature gas at a deeper layer of the nebula that extends well beyond the visible image. In addition, the infrared showcases many faint stars that shine primarily at longer wavelengths. The higher resolution visible observations show finer details including the wispy bow shocks and tadpole-shaped proplyds. In this manner, the movie illustrates the contrasting features uncovered by multi-wavelength astronomy.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, L. Frattare, M. Robberto (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC), M. Kornmesser (ESA), A. Fujii

Acknowledgement: R. Gendler

Music: “Dvorak – Serenade for Strings Op22 in E Major larghetto”, performed by The Advent Chamber Orchestra, CC BY-SA

Tonight’s Sky: January 2018

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In January, the northern hemisphere is treated to beautiful views of Saturn and Mercury, Jupiter and Mars, Auriga the goat herder, and the Quadrantid meteor shower.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at http://hubblesite.org/videos/science

Olbers’ Paradox and Gravitational Light Deflection

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Olbers’ Paradox and Gravitational Light Deflection
Kelsey Glazer, Towson University

A double dose of cosmic considerations, presented by the first undergraduate guest speaker in this series! Begin with the simple, yet deep, question of “why is the night sky dark?” This classic conundrum was raised two centuries ago because it directly conflicts the assumption of an infinite, eternal, and static universe. Then, probe further into last summer’s total solar eclipse. While the view of the Sun changed spectacularly, the rather subtle change in view of the stars behind the Sun reflected a grander geometric property rooted in gravity and the nature of space time. Join us for some delightful deliberations of our intriguing universe.

Host: Dr. Frank Summers

Recorded live on December 5, 2017 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD USA

For more information: http://hubblesite.org/about_us/public_talks/

Tonight’s Sky: December 2017

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In December, the northern hemisphere is treated to a view of Perseus, Cassiopeia, and the Geminid meteor shower.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at http://hubblesite.org/videos/science