Ganymede

Geological Ganymede



Jupiter's moon Ganymede, is the largest moon in our solar system. The image above shows a geological map of one region on Ganymede. I think it looks like a Japanese anime. A true piece of astronomical and geological art. :-)

Snow Crystals

Snow



I'm A Sucker for Symmetry.


Today the landscape was covered in white. The first snowfall this year came already end of October but i disappeared again - as it should. Typically the snow comes and stays end of November, beginning of December. I hope we get to keep it white this Christmas. It is nice with the light that the snow provides in these dark times up north close to the pole, but it is skiing that is the most important to me. Skiing must take place immediately after Christmas eve. First and Second day after Christmas is skiing time - every year, come sunshine or SNOW. :-) Not rain. Never rain...

Supernova

Credit: NASA/ESA Hubble/Spitzer/Chandra x-ray

Keplers supernova remnant.

Lava

Dream Lava




It's Blue!

Heart Embedded in Blue

Negative Heart



Credit: NASA/ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI)

NGC 1999 Nebula in Orion

A reflective nebula.

Hydrogen Storage

Hydrogen Storage



Credit: ESRF

Understanding what processes that take place on nanoscale is of great importance when developing materials for hydrogen storage. Why do we care about hydrogen storage? Because we need to, the way we burn off all the energy in practically one go!!

Hydrogen in combination with a suitable storage medium could be an alternative fuel. The main aim for hydrogen storage materials is to obtain high hydrogen concentrations in a material that possesses suitable transport properties under ambient conditions.

Europa

Europa's Deep Oceans

Enceladus

Enceladus Water Geysers



Water coming from deep down.

Mini

On His Throne



Photo: B L Bye

It is time for showing off our cat Mini, here doing some serious throning. And wondering when I'll let him throne in peace and stop putting the annoying camera in his face.




Photo: B L Bye

Earth Observation

Go Europe!




Go Kopernikus!




Shame on you BBC. Global Monitoring for Environment and Security formerly known as GMES, NOW Kopernikus, is correct! Name aside, Earth observation is one of my babies. Looks like European space ministers get the point - we need satellites to keep a close eye on mother Earth. :-)

Observing Earth

The Earth



Credit: NASA

Saturn

Saturn's b-ring



Credit: NASA/ESA



The Cassini spacecraft keep on giving us incredible images from Saturn and it's surroundings. I found it natural to post another b after the b-bear, namely an image of Saturn's b-ring. :-)

Kookaburra

The Great Australia[n]



Photo: b-bear

Kookaburra


Australia is a fascinating place. The wild life is otherwordly, and I am not just thinking about the fact that you find the world top ten most poisonous snakes there. The variety of birds and butterflies is awesome, not to mention their 'special' bears; the koala and the b-bear.

And what do you know. The b-bear even take pictures! :-)

Mount Fuji

Fuji-san

'False' Earth Observation

Tajikistan from above



Credit: NASA

Vakhsh River and Lake Nurek, Tajikistan

The Vakhsh River in Tajikistan is the largest river in the country, the most important source of electricity, and it is home to world’s tallest (completed) engineered dam, the Nurek.

This false-color image shows the central part of the river, including the Nurek Dam and resulting reservoir. The image uses visible and near-infrared light to make the area’s sparse vegetation stand out from the surrounding terrain. Vegetation is red, bare ground is tan, and water is blue. Upstream of Lake Nurek, at a sharp bend in the river, the waters are pale blue; the brightness comes from sediment.

Nightscape

Star lit trail



Photo: Shingo Takei

Mammoth Stars

Gorgeous Colossal Stars






NASA, ESA, and J. Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain)

Hot cosmic rays

Hot'n Cosmic



Credit: John Pretz, P-23

Seen for the first time: two distinct hot spots that appear to be bombarding Earth with an excess of cosmic rays. The hot spots were identified in the two red-colored regions near the constellation Orion.

Orion Fingers Pointing to Earth

Crystal Imaging

Acicular Crystals



F[r]an[nyy]-Fucking-Tastic!

I totally forgive you for the pink. :-)

Iris

Iris



Photo: Terry Lazar







Flower time.

Albert Einstein

Einstein's Work Place







All images are taken in April 1995 at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA by photographer Ralph Morse.


I can see that Albert Einstein and I have at least one thing in common - a desk with an overview of documents. Some call it a mess. It is definitely NOT. I'm sure Einstein and I would agree on that. :-)

I named my first cat Einstein. She was a semi-wild Norwegian Forest Cat and very intelligent.

A woman, the librarian Fantova, took notes from her conversations with Albert Einstein the last year or so of his life. I'd like to read those one day.



Leisure Time



Photo: E. O. Hoppe, 1921

Albert Einstein also has something in common with my niece it seems, namely playing the violin. I bet my niece is better than Einstein was or could ever have been at playing this instrument, though. :-)




Photo: B L Bye
My niece Sarah Erin Bye playing violin




Einstein on his sailboat on lake Saranac, US, July 03, 1936

Albert Einstein was fond of sailing. I totally agree with him though it was an 'acquired taste' for me. Today I love sailing and have had several of my best moments in nature at sea. :-)


These Are Fragments of Einstein's Life

Jupiter

Credit: C. Trujillo and S. Fisher (Gemini Observatory) and T. A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage)

Christmas Tree with Nebulaes

Fox Fur and A Cone



Credit: T.A. Rector and B.A. Wolpa (NOAO/AURA/NSF)


In A Christmas Tree

Plasma Physics

Plasma Secrets



Plasma is the fourth state of matter, gas, liquids and solids being the other three. It seems they have managed to create the coldest and densest (not dense at all, mind you) plasma living so long we are able to observe it. I always get highly alerted whenever I read about anything plasma since I used to occupy myself with it for say more than 16 hours a day. If you do that, you are stuck with plasma for the rest of your life.

The Negative Moon

Inverse Moon

Military - Planes

Norway Saves US Economy?



Credit: Lockheed Martin

F-35 Lightning II



Well, helps out a little bit by going on a major defense gear shopping spree. LOL

Sweden hates us even deeper now. They wanted us to buy SAAB Gripen planes. Some say this is Norway's revenge on Sweden for pretending to stay neutral in WWII. Just a joke...:-D

Androidny's* course in Norwegian: This is 'ovkult'!





*Or anybody else planning to visit Norway wanting to be prepared to establish a dialog with the natives.

Water Recycler

Urine Turns to Water



That is the plan. Not working, yet!

Exoplanet?

Exoplanet? In Blue



Credit: ESO

Beta pictoris seen in infrared

The hot sport of finding evidence of extrasolar planets results in amazing imagery. Not surprisingly I love this infrared image of Beta pictoris; it's bright blue! It is not completely proven that the element very close to this star actually is a planet, but evidence point in that direction. If it is in fact a planet, it will the planet orbiting closest to any star that we know of, including in our own planetary system.

Jet Engines

Blowing - Off To the Moon Soon?




Powered up to blow up! :-)

Orion and Ares-1 rocket being tested these days. Looks marvelous. Wish I could have seen that in-situ!






The boilerplate Orion crew module that will be used for the Orion Launch Abort System Pad Abort-1 flight test is tilted on jacks during weight and balance testing at NASA Dryden. (NASA photo / Tony Landis)

Physics As Art

Shock Art



Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Shock waves - sulfur in air.

Copernicus

Cool Copernicus




Reconstruct.

What's left of him.




Computer reconstruction of Copernicus from skull discovered in the cathedral in Frombork, Poland. Read BBC version here.

International Space Station - 10 Years

International Space Station 10 Years



Credit: NASA

In the beginning.Zarya control module was the first element of the International Space Station. 1998.




Credit: NASA

The International Space Station 2008. On this image is the ATV Jules Verne still attached to the station. It was removed and it committed a successful 'suicide' in our atmosphere this fall.




On November 20th ten years ago, the first International Space Station module was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Russian-built Zarya module marked the start of on-orbit assembly of the most extraordinary space complex. ISS is a truly international space cooperation shown in particular by the modules built by different nations.

The Monster in Sagittarius

Sagittarius Blues



Credit: ESO/APEX/2MASS/A. Eckart et al.

I thought I'd calm down with a little blue stuff. This nice and blue image of Sagittarius should do the work I thought. Only, it is in fact a portrait of a monstrous black hole in Sagittarius. I AM a Sagittarius (and that is all you get to know about the event of my birth...) so is this article telling me I am monstrous then, you astrology people out there? Wait, I forgot I am a declared astrologist myself...:-)

Oh well, as long as it is blue!

Acoustics in Space

Music on Planets



Bach on Mars, here represented by the Hellas basin.


Please, listen to this audio article. It is very interesting. If you only are interested in hearing what Bach sounds like on Mars, go appx 2 min into the 'show' and start listening. If you continue to 3 min you'll get the Bach a la Venus and finally a mash of planetary Bachs towards the end.

I found it highly entertaining and fascinating. :-)

Sven Hedin

Adventurous Swede



Credit: Norwegian National Library, B L Bye
Sven Hedin traveled trans himalaya and improved our geographical knowledge by making more precise maps.


Aloke is perfectly right; I am an admirer of the 'horrible reactionary man', the adventurer and geographer and SWEDE Sven Hedin. He is more famous in Asia than in the Nordic countries. I only learn about him because of my expedition to Tibet and the totally fascinating mapping history of that region. Get a taste of Hedin by reading Alokes biography of him. :-)

On Norway and Fish

Norway and Fish



A Love Story


...Norway, resolutely and proudly outside the European Union, is widely praised for its fishing policy by, among others, environmental groups like the WWF....This is a rather good description of the Norwegian 'soul'. :-) It makes me smile, the fact that BBC picked up this element of Norwegian culture. Not all Norwegians are happy being outside the EU, but generally we like to be 'a little different' and do things our way.




fish+norwegians=love ~ fish+norwegians=love ~ fish+norwegians=love ~ fish+norwegians=love





Edit: MBMC was kind enough to send me this sign:












Remember links are hidden in images here at PlanetBye. ;-)

Earth Rise

The Last - The Famous - The First

Astrophysicists like and are trained to see the big picture. That is why I think Earth rises are so beautiful and fulfilling. It feels good looking at the Earth from a distance. I have collected three versions of a distant view of Earth; the last, the most famous and the first that was ever taken of an Earth rise seen from the Moon. They all stem from extraordinary efforts in our space history. The first images of the Earth rise ever taken was done by the Lunar Orbiter program (NASA) and the most famous image is a product of the Apollo program (NASA). We can thank Kaguya (JAXA) for the last Earth rise image.

Personally I can't tell which one is my favorite. They each have their own qualities. I'd love to hear from you all what you think. Which photo of our planet do you prefer or find most appealing? Feel free to comment. :-)

The Last



Credit: JAXA/NHK
Earth rise on the Moon as seen by Kaguya/Selene 5. April 2008


See all the images from the JAXA's Kaguya mission here.


The Famous



Credit: NASA, Apollo 8
This photograph was taken during the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, seven months before the first lunar landing.



The First



Credit: NASA/LOIRP
The Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft took this iconic photograph of Earth rising above the lunar surface in 1966. The resolution and quality of the image have been worked on by a team at NASA so it looks better than it did some 42 years ago.


By clicking on the images you get to the original source of the image and can find larger versions if you like.